Iran
self-sufficient in rice production
October 9, 2019
TEHRAN – Iran has become completely self-sufficient in rice
production as it plans to cut up to two million tons of imports a year, Press
TV reported, quoting a senior Iranian agriculture ministry official as saying.
According
to Deputy Agriculture Minister Abdolmehdi Bakhshandeh, the country’s total
production of rice is going to top 2.9 to 3 million tons (nearly 3.3 million
American tons) this year, with harvest season expected to conclude at the end
of November in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
The
Statistical Center of Iran estimates that Iranians consume approximately 35
kilograms of rice per person each year. That would mean a domestic demand of
nearly three million tons for a country of 83 million people.
It
is the first time that Iran, a country known for its high-quality rice,
announces self-sufficiency in the crop. The country imported 960,000 tons of
rice, mainly from India, in the six-month period starting late March 2019.
Bakhshandeh
said part of that inventory of rice would be stored for strategic purposes.
He
said the land dedicated to rice cultivation across Iran increased by almost a
third this year to reach 830,000 hectares, helping to grow more than 4.4
million tons of rice hull.
The
official said farmers had finished harvesting rice in the north, where the bulk
of Iran’s rice is grown. However, he insisted that the increase in yearly
production was mainly due to more cultivation of the crop in Khuzestan, where
the total cultivation area this year reached a record of 205,000 hectares.
Bakhshandeh
said rice self-sufficiency would save Iran more than $1.1 billion in imports,
adding that it would also be a major success amid efforts to minimize the
impacts of the American sanctions on food security in the country.
Some Japan businesses have high hopes over U.S. farm imports
Many distribution businesses are welcoming the new trade agreement
between Japan and the United States, which they expect to reduce tariffs on
U.S. agricultural products. The accord could go into effect as early as January
2020.
However, discussions over eliminating U.S. tariffs on Japanese
automobiles are to continue and the automotive industry remains worried that
the United States is considering imposing additional tariffs for national
security reasons.
One item expected to benefit from the new agreement is American
beef. The current tariff rate of 38.5 percent could drop to 9 percent by fiscal
2033.
"If tariffs are reduced, it'll be easier for us to procure ingredients.
The benefits will be big," said a representative of Royal Holdings Co., a
leading restaurant business that serves American steaks at its Royal Host
chain.
"We want to come up with measures that will please our
customers, like rewards or price cuts," said a representative of Pepper
Food Service Co., which runs the restaurant chain Ikinari Steak.
Expectations are also high for the elimination of tariffs on U.S.
wines. A representative of Aeonliquor Co., which handles wine imports for the
Aeon Group, said, "Once things like the date [that the pact] will go into
effect are decided, we'll start thinking about putting American wines on
sale."
"Lower prices could energize the wine market," a Mercian
Corp. official said.
While some domestic farmers see opportunities for increasing
exports to the United States, others are worried about competition from U.S.
products.
Starzen Co., a meat wholesaler that has exported Japanese beef to
the United States for more than 10 years, is bullish on the prospect of
expanding its U.S. market. This is because the maximum amount of beef that
Japan can export to the United States at the low tariff of 4.4 U.S. cents
(about ¥5) per kilogram is expected to be expanded from the current 200 tons
per year to about 65,000 tons. The new limit covers total exports from several
countries.
"If a lot of high-quality U.S. beef comes in, Japanese beef
will be at a disadvantage," said a 41-year-old livestock farmer in
Maebashi with about 150 cattle.
A rice farmer in their 40s from Niigata Prefecture had complicated
feelings about shelving the tariff-free quota for imported rice, saying,
"It's good that the Japanese market will be protected in the short term,
but it won't necessarily last over the medium to long term."
Safeguard duty on rice imports seen in place soon
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:06 AM October 10,
2019
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is expected to address the influx of
imported rice in the market this week by imposing a safeguard duty, although
the agency has yet to make any pronouncement until now.
In an ambush
interview at the Senate on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar refused
to comment when asked about the measure, but he earlier said the DA would place
general safeguards on rice imports by the end of September or early October.
The duty is
expected to address the continuous decline in palay prices which, as of
September, had already dropped by 30 percent to P16.18 a kilo from P23.14 a
kilo in the same period last year.
Under
Republic Act No. 8752, or the Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, the government can
impose duties on imports that are priced way below the prevailing fair market
value. Also under the rice tariffication law, import duties may be increased,
reduced or revised to protect Filipino farmers and consumers.
Safeguard
duties would increase tariffs and would make imports more expensive. This would
discourage traders from bringing in the staple to the domestic market and would
force local traders to buy from local farmers at higher rates.
The
Federation of Free Farmers has recommended a safeguard duty between 60 to 70
percent on top of the current tariffs slapped on rice, while the Samahang
Industriya ng Agrikultura said it wanted the government to impose the maximum
tariff rate allowed.
The
Philippines is currently 93-percent self-sufficient in rice and imports around
7 to 10 percent of its rice requirement. To date, about 2.4 million metric tons
of rice had already been imported which, according to the DA, “has gone beyond
what is needed by the country.” —KARL R. OCAMPO
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DA chief keeps silence, at the moment, on rice
import probe
October 10, 2019
48
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar was tight-lipped a day
before the government is supposed to reveal the findings of its investigation
on whether the increased rice imports did cause injury to palay planters.
Dar said he has no comment after the media pressed him if he
would impose a provisional duty on Thursday, October 10, or reveal findings of
DA’s preliminary investigation on the increased rice imports.
“No comment yet,” he told reporters while he was waiting for the
elevator in the second floor of the Senate.
Dar was also mum on whether the Cabinet-level Economic
Development Cluster (EDC) intervened in the safeguard investigation of the DA.
Asked again if he would impose a provisional duty on rice
imports starting tomorrow, Dar reiterated that concerned government officials
are still discussing the matter.
“No comment, yet. No comment yet,” he emphasized before he
entered the elevator after he was asked if he will impose a provisional duty on
rice imports on October 10, a month after the DA initiated a preliminary
investigation for safeguard duty.
BusinessMirror sources said the EDC wants to discuss the
proposed imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports before the DA moves
forward with the results of its preliminary investigation.
Reliable sources told the BusinessMirror that the DA’s
preliminary investigation has been completed and all information, including
recommendations, are now on Dar’s table, awaiting for his decision.
Under Republic Act 8800 or Safeguard Measures Act, the
Agriculture chief shall “make a preliminary determination that increased
imports of the product under consideration are a substantial cause of, or
threaten to substantially cause, serious injury to the domestic industry,” not
later than 30 calendar days from publication of its preliminary investigation.
The 30th day of the DA’s safeguard investigation would fall on
Thursday,October 10, as the department published its notice of investigation on
September 11.
Under the law, the date of publication of the notice for
preliminary investigation serves as the first day of the investigation.
Under RA 8800’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR), the
secretary shall “essentially determine” five factors in its preliminary
determination.
First, he should determine if there was an increase in imports,
either in absolute terms or relative to domestic production, in the last five
years preceding the application to substantiate claims of significant increase
in import volume, according to the IRR.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
NETFLY
Trading on fake rice claims
NETFLY
Trading Co. Ltd official Ben Shu assures that general public both in Honiara
and in the province that they did not sell fake rice as claimed by some people
in the media.
Rice
consumers claimed that they discovered a plastic like substances in a Mamie
rice bag sold in Auki.
It
was also stated that the grain is brown in color and is totally different from
the white grain.
Shu
said as one of the wholesale rice distributor in the country they only import
and distribute quality rice which termed as ‘fortified rice’.
According
to World Health Organisation recommendation fortification of rice with iron is
recommended as a public health strategy to improve the iron status of
populations, in settings where rice is a staple food.
WHO
also stated that fortification of rice with vitamin A may be used as a public
health strategy to improve the iron status and vitamin A nutrition of
populations.
Fortification
of rice with folic acid may be used as a public health strategy to improve the
folate nutritional status of populations.
Shu
told this paper that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services are aware of
this and they worked closely with all the rice importer companies in the
country to make sure they ordered quality for people’s consumption.
Also
according to MHMS Permanent Secretary Pauline McNeil fortified rice will help
prevent the adverse effects of nutritional deficiencies such as impaired
cognitive development, low immunity and birth defects of spine and brain.
She
further confirmed that largest rice importer in the country – SolRice has
commenced the import and distribution of fortified rice.
Meanwhile, Shu call on SolRice as
the main rice importer in the country to try as much as possible to make more
awareness in the rural areas in particular to inform them about this imported
rice product.
http://www.solomonstarnews.com/index.php/news/national/item/22097-netfly-trading-on-fake-rice-claims
Some Japan businesses have high hopes over U.S. farm imports
Many distribution businesses are welcoming the new trade agreement
between Japan and the United States, which they expect to reduce tariffs on
U.S. agricultural products. The accord could go into effect as early as January
2020.
However, discussions over eliminating U.S. tariffs on Japanese
automobiles are to continue and the automotive industry remains worried that
the United States is considering imposing additional tariffs for national
security reasons.
One item expected to benefit from the new agreement is American
beef. The current tariff rate of 38.5 percent could drop to 9 percent by fiscal
2033.
"If tariffs are reduced, it'll be easier for us to procure ingredients.
The benefits will be big," said a representative of Royal Holdings Co., a
leading restaurant business that serves American steaks at its Royal Host
chain.
"We want to come up with measures that will please our
customers, like rewards or price cuts," said a representative of Pepper
Food Service Co., which runs the restaurant chain Ikinari Steak.
Expectations are also high for the elimination of tariffs on U.S.
wines. A representative of Aeonliquor Co., which handles wine imports for the
Aeon Group, said, "Once things like the date [that the pact] will go into
effect are decided, we'll start thinking about putting American wines on
sale."
"Lower prices could energize the wine market," a Mercian
Corp. official said.
While some domestic farmers see opportunities for increasing
exports to the United States, others are worried about competition from U.S.
products.
Starzen Co., a meat wholesaler that has exported Japanese beef to
the United States for more than 10 years, is bullish on the prospect of
expanding its U.S. market. This is because the maximum amount of beef that
Japan can export to the United States at the low tariff of 4.4 U.S. cents
(about ¥5) per kilogram is expected to be expanded from the current 200 tons
per year to about 65,000 tons. The new limit covers total exports from several
countries.
"If a lot of high-quality U.S. beef comes in, Japanese beef
will be at a disadvantage," said a 41-year-old livestock farmer in
Maebashi with about 150 cattle.
A rice farmer in their 40s from Niigata Prefecture had complicated
feelings about shelving the tariff-free quota for imported rice, saying,
"It's good that the Japanese market will be protected in the short term,
but it won't necessarily last over the medium to long term."
DA chief keeps silence, at the moment, on rice
import probe
October 10, 2019
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar was tight-lipped a day
before the government is supposed to reveal the findings of its investigation
on whether the increased rice imports did cause injury to palay planters.
Dar said he has no comment after the media pressed him if he
would impose a provisional duty on Thursday, October 10, or reveal findings of
DA’s preliminary investigation on the increased rice imports.
“No comment yet,” he told reporters while he was waiting for the
elevator in the second floor of the Senate.
Dar was also mum on whether the Cabinet-level Economic
Development Cluster (EDC) intervened in the safeguard investigation of the DA.
Asked again if he would impose a provisional duty on rice
imports starting tomorrow, Dar reiterated that concerned government officials
are still discussing the matter.
“No comment, yet. No comment yet,” he emphasized before he
entered the elevator after he was asked if he will impose a provisional duty on
rice imports on October 10, a month after the DA initiated a preliminary
investigation for safeguard duty.
BusinessMirror sources said the EDC wants to discuss the
proposed imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports before the DA moves
forward with the results of its preliminary investigation.
Reliable sources told the BusinessMirror that the DA’s
preliminary investigation has been completed and all information, including
recommendations, are now on Dar’s table, awaiting for his decision.
Under Republic Act 8800 or Safeguard Measures Act, the
Agriculture chief shall “make a preliminary determination that increased imports
of the product under consideration are a substantial cause of, or threaten to
substantially cause, serious injury to the domestic industry,” not later than
30 calendar days from publication of its preliminary investigation.
The 30th day of the DA’s safeguard investigation would fall on
Thursday,October 10, as the department published its notice of investigation on
September 11.
Under the law, the date of publication of the notice for
preliminary investigation serves as the first day of the investigation.
Under RA 8800’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR), the
secretary shall “essentially determine” five factors in its preliminary
determination.
First, he should determine if there was an increase in imports,
either in absolute terms or relative to domestic production, in the last five
years preceding the application to substantiate claims of significant increase
in import volume, according to the IRR.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
Nigerian Business Mogul Cosmas Maduka Launches $35 Million Rice Mill
In Anambra State
Nigerian business mogul Cosmas Maduka, one of
Nigeria’s most successful businessmen, has built a rice processing mill in
Anambra, a state in Nigeria’s southeastern region, at a reported cost of $35
million.
According
to a report by ThisDay,
the rice mill which was constructed by Coscharis Farms, a subsidiary of the
Cosharis Group which Maduka controls, was officially launched last Tuesday at a
ceremony in Anambra attended by Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Godwin
Emefiele and various Nigerian state governors.The first phase of the rice mill which has a milling capacity of 40,000 MT per annum was launched on Tuesday, but the entire project is expected to have an annual milling capacity of 120,000 MT when completed by the end of 2020 according to a press statement by Maduka.
Today In: Billionaires
“We want to process paddy harvested from our farm into best quality rice. We want to contribute significantly to the government’s efforts to ensure food sufficiency through local production of rice. In addition, we want to set the pace for production of best quality local rice that will cause our people to change their preference from imported rice to locally milled rice which is known to be rich with important nutrients,” Maduka said at the launch of the rice mill.
Nigerians consume more than 5 million metric tons of rice every year, with a significant portion of its consumption needs sourced from imports.
Cosmas Maduka, 60, is the founder of Coscharis Group, one of Nigeria’s largest privately-owned conglomerates with businesses and interests that span across various sectors of the Nigerian economy: car dealerships, foods & beverages, engineering and agriculture.
A new method for producing print powders
goes against the grain
Revealing fingerprints using
powders has been a staple of sleuthing science for nearly 130 years, with
prints developed this way still the leading identification method for crimes
worldwide.1 Yet
despite its age and widespread use, latent print development using fingerprint
powder is still very much an active area of research, with each new technique
allowing us to process more ridge detail, on more surfaces and under a variety
of conditions. Even something as seemingly ‘solved’ as fingerprint powder can
benefit from a makeover.
A world of whorls
Current commercially available
powders come in a variety of colours. At a crime scene or in the crime
lab, forensic investigators can choose which powder will give the best contrast
and definition against the underlying surface. The pigments lampblack and
iron oxide black are popular ingredients for black powder, along with graphite. Titanium dioxide, of sunscreen fame, features in
white powders. Powdered aluminum gives prints a grey–silver look, with red lead
oxide for red–orange. There are even formulations incorporating fluorescent
particles, which are ideal for print processing on busy backgrounds.
For all fingerprint powders, key
considerations are the particles’ size, shape and relative surface area, which
play significant roles in the visualisation of latent prints. Finer
powders can resolve more detail, different shapes will adhere in different
ways, and powders with particles of a well-defined size and shape give a
consistent performance. The technical challenges in meeting these requirements
means that good powders can be hard to make and there are many proprietary
formulations on the market. So it may come as a surprise to learn that
researchers have recently shown you can make fingerprint powders from rice.
In recent times, the move toward
more green and sustainable processes has turned the idiom ‘waste not, want not’
into a research objective. Rice husk (RH) waste is a prime example. About 20%
of the world’s annual rice production of 500–600 tonnes will
end up as RH waste or as its incineration product, rice husk ash (RHA).2 That’s a
million-plus tonnes of trash – or treasure. RH is mostly cellulose, lignin and
silica, which lends it all sort of uses – a recent review lists potential applications for
RH in ‘silica gels, silicon chips, silica−carbon composites, construction
materials, catalysts, zeolites, battery materials, graphene, energy
storage/capacitor, carbon capture, as well as in drug delivery
vehicles’. Now, thanks to the researchers at Universiti Sains Malaysia and
Malaysia’s Management and Science University, that list includes crime
fighting.
Caught green handed
Source: © Shutterstock
Grow the rice, remove and burn the husks, and what do you get?
Fingerprint powder
Rice husk ash is a promising
candidate for fingerprint powders because of its carbon nanoparticles (CNPs)
and silica nanoparticles (SNPs), whose morphologies are tailorable by producing
RHA under different conditions. Revathi Rajan and colleagues used RH waste from
local rice mills and produced RHA under different and specific thermal
conditions to generate their nanoparticles. They then obtained a range of
well-defined nanoparticle powders using simple processing methods: brown CNP
powders were made from an acid digest of the ash, followed by drying for
different lengths of time; white SNP powders were obtained by treating the
ash with NaOH to produce sodium silicate, which was then heat-treated.3,4 The CNPs
had an average particle size of 385nm, and the SNPs produced powders of around
200nm particle size. For comparison, many commercially available traditional
powders fall in the micron size range, though nanoparticles are becoming more
popular. They found that the powders could be used to develop latent fingerprints
with the ‘high clarity and clear ridge details’ that are critical for
investigators to identify persons of interest.
The team then went further with
its SNPs – producing a rainbow of powders by doping the SNPs with various
natural and synthetic colourants. Again this involved a simple preparation:
adding the colourant to ethanolic suspensions of the SNPs and evaporating the
solvent. Of their various formulations, a curcumin-doped SNP powder gave the
best performance in terms of stability and visualised print. While a yellow
powder might seem a difficult-to-see choice, this formulation is fluorescent
due to the curcumin (λex = 420nm) and its yellow–green emission is
easy to see in a dark setting. When compared with a commercial fluorescent
powder, the researchers report that their curcumin-doped SNP powder performed
as well as the commercial version or better. Illuminating results from
trash-turned-treasure.
References
1.
R Romaotowski, Lee and Gaensslen’s Advances in Fingerprint
Technology, 2012, CRC Press
2.
N Prakash and S Ito, Sustainable Waste Management, 2003,
Thomas Telford
3.
R Rajan et al., Malay. J. Forensic Sci., 2018, 8, 7
4.
R Rajan et al., Egypt. J. Forensic Sci., 2019, 9, 50 (DOI: 10.1186/s41935-019-0155-1)
Ogun
Customs seize 2,251 bags of rice
Comptroller-General,
Nigeria Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali (retd)
Samuel Awoyinfa
Despite the closure of the border, the Ogun 1 Command of the
Nigeria Customs Service has said it intercepted 2,251 bags of 50kg foreign rice
smuggled into the country in September.
It said the rice came in through illegal routes in communities
at Idiroko border in the Ipokia Local Government Area of the state.
The Controller of the command, Michael Agbara, said this on
Tuesday while briefing journalists on the anti-smuggling activities.
He also said within the period under review, 36 used vehicles
popularly known as tokunbo and five motorcycles were impounded from smugglers
in the bushes and creeks by operatives of the command.
Agbara, who described the smugglers as economic saboteurs,
listed other seizures as 1,402,185 litres of petrol; 1,010 cartons of frozen
poultry products; 32 sacks of footwear; 42 bags of 50kg sugar; 20 bales of
second-hand clothing, and 14 kegs of palm kernel oil.
Others are assorted pharmaceutical products; 23 cartons of
tomatoes; 50 litres of kerosene; two sacks of leather bags; snuff powder, eight
sacks of alligator pepper and 11 sacks of household items, among others.
Agbara said the total value of the seizures was N553.6m while
the total payable value was N667.8m
He said during the recovery of one of the smuggled vehicles, a
Mercedes Benz SUV 350ML, by his operatives at Ihunbo, a community along
Idiroko Road, on Monday, an accident occurred in which a pupil of a community
secondary school died, while three others were injured.
NFA taps private rice traders’ milling services
October 9, 2019, 6:33 pm
National Food Authority Central Luzon logo
CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan -- The National Food Authority (NFA) has tapped the services
of private rice traders to mill its palay (unhusked rice) stocks.
Ed Camua, acting provincial manager
of NFA-Bulacan, said on Tuesday that at least 12 private traders from the
Intercity Industrial Estate in Bocaue town took part in the test milling of the
agency’s palay inventories in the province.
Camua said the NFA has some 600,000
bags of palay stocked in its warehouses in Bulacan, scheduled to be milled this
month.
Piolito Santos, NFA 3 (Central Luzon)
director, cited the need to use the services of the privately-owned rice mills
as their agency has only five rice mills in the region with an input capacity
of 2,400 bags per day.
With 1.9 million bags of palay
inventory in its warehouses in Central Luzon, Santos said the agency cannot
comply with its scheduled milling period.
“The milling of palay stocks is
part of the NFA’s compliance (with) the instruction that we must have ‘rolling
buffer stock development’, which means that we buy from the farmers and
distribute it immediately,” he said.
Santos said the NFA would be able
to monetize its palay stocks and roll its subsidy to buy more palay from
farmers.
He also said that the private rice
millers are the partners of the NFA in the development of the grains industry
and are part of the agency’s mission “to promote the integrated growth and
modernization of the rice and corn marketing industry to enable to compete in
the global market.”
He noted that in the previous
milling operations, NFA-3 used about 50 privately-owned rice mills and 24,000
bags of milling input per day.
The milled palay became the
government’s rice buffer stock, its “palay inventory needs to be milled or
replenished to preserve its quality” and help decongest their warehouses,
Santos said.
He added that the NFA lacks storage
facilities and leases privately-owned warehouses to accommodate more palay
procurement from local farmers.
Santos said NFA-3 has 450,000 bags
remaining out of the total 3.4 million bags of imported rice that arrived from
December 2018 to March this year.
He added that the remaining 450,000
bags form part of the NFA’s food security stocks, which would last only for six
days considering that the region’s daily rice consumption requirement is 76,140
bags. (PNA)
Punjab slashes levy security for rice millers from ₹10 lakh to
₹7.25 lakh
CITIES Updated: Oct 09, 2019 22:52 IST
Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
“The entire levy security would be refundable now, against the
previous system of ₹5 lakh refundable and ₹5 lakh non-refundable,” he added, saying this was a respite for rice millers. Now,
providing bank guarantee shall be applicable only to millers for quantum of paddy
stored over and above 5,000 MT, instead of 4,000 MT.
“Rice millers who apply before October 10, 2019, would be allotted
paddy on priority and without pro rata cut, the quantum of the release orders
of those millers will also be increased,” the minister said, adding that those
rice mills which had opened last year and the year before that would be treated
as old mills.
He added that if due to shortage of space, the miller was not able
to deliver rice, he would not have to pay any interest. “To waive off this
interest on quality cut, a case had already been favourably forwarded to the
finance department,” he said, adding that only one particular group with vested
interests was on strike and was trying to misguide other rice millers too.
“This has meant that of 4,000-odd rice mills, only 1,500 have been allotted
paddy.”
The minister also urged millers to apply before October 10
(Thursday) to avail maximum government benefits. He also reiterated that there
was no shortage of space, a worry that millers have often expressed.
Section of millers to
boycott policy
Punjab Rice Millers Association has reiterated its call to boycott
the Punjab Custom Milling Policy for paddy. There is also a New Punjab Rice
Millers’ Association.
The Punjab association also called a general House meeting in
Kotkapura on October 15 and has decided that millers, affiliated to them, will
neither provide gunny bags nor execute shelling agreement for milling. Rice
millers have been boycotting paddy procurement, since the season commenced in
October. Association president Tarsem Saini said there was no truth to minister
Ashu’s assertion that their strike was politically motivated.
State, Centre to blame for rice
millers’ woes: AAP
Chandigarh The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday blamed the state and
central governments for problems being faced by rice millers, farmers and other
stakeholders during the paddy procurement operations in the state.
In a joint statement, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and
AAP’s state trade wing chief Nina Mittal said the new custom milling policy had
added to the woes of the sheller owners and ruined their industrial prospects
in a highly competitive market. Mittal is also interim president of the New Punjab
Rice Millers Association (NPRMA).
Accusing the state and the Centre of running away from their
statutory obligations, Cheema demanded a special session of the state assembly
to hammer out a solution to problems. “If the Kejriwal-led Delhi government can
resolve issues of the people by convening a special session of the Vidhan
Sabha, why can’t Congress government replicate the model in Punjab?,” he asked.
Mittal also lashed out at food and supplies minister Ashu for terming the
widespread resentment among the sheller owners as politically motivated.
First Published: Oct 09, 2019
22:52 IST
DavNor town inaugurates P5.9-M rice processing complex
October 9, 2019, 7:44 pm
RICE PROCESSING COMPLEX. Mayor Ernesto Evangelista (holding the ribbon) leads the
inauguration of the PHP5.9-million rice processing complex located in New
Visayas village, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte, on Wednesday (October 9). The
beneficiary of the rice processing complex is the Gravity Irrigators Service
Association, Inc., a local farmers cooperative. (Contributed
photo)
The Gravity Irrigators Service Association, Inc., (GISACO) a farmers’ cooperative, was the beneficiary of the rice processing complex.
Mayor Ernesto Evangelista said the establishment of the processing plant was part of the local government's continuing effort to help rice farmers affected with the implementation of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).
“This project serves a living proof that our municipal government could actively address the problems faced by the rice farmers and the agricultural sector, in general. We hope this project could also generate local employment for our people since this will be managed by a cooperative,” Evangelista said in his speech.
The local chief executive has urged rice farmers from other barangays to take advantage of the facility as it would lessen their production costs.
Municipal Agriculturist Elmer Degorio said the multi-pass rice mill was funded under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) rice program.
“GISACO will take ownership of the project. This project could generate income and provide enough financing for their operations especially to qualified farmers who are engaged in rice farming,” he said.
Degorio explained that farmers could avail of the services once GISACO starts operating the multi-pass rice mill.
“A multi-pass rice mill has a recovery rate from 65 percent to 70 percent. The farmers' rice mills will be more efficient than most that are currently operated by rice millers,” he said.
Apart from the multi-pass rice mill, GISACO also received several pieces of farm machinery such as pre-cleaning systems, a destoner unit, rubber huller, paddy separator, and a multi-pass whitening system. (PNA)
50 Years
of Life Sciences Innovation: PMI's Top 10 Impactful Biotech Projects
Oct 08, 2019 By
Mark Terry
The Project Management Institute
(PMI) announced its 2019 Most
Influential Projects list. This ranking cites the most impactful projects from
the past 50 years, with the World Wide Web hitting the #1 spot followed by
Apollo 11, and including such projects as Walt Disney World, Harry Potter,
World of Warcraft and the Sydney Opera House.
The list is also broken out into
subcategories, including biotech. Here’s a look at the biotech list.
#1. Human Genome Project. This ranked #5 on their overall list, and it indeed is one
of the most influential life science projects, changing and informing
healthcare and biology as we know it. One simple example is the overturning of
the central dogma—which up until the completion of the project, was that one
gene coded for one protein. Since there were about a hundred thousand known
proteins, scientists had concluded there must be the same number of genes.
However, it turned out that in human beings, there were about 30,000 genes and
they are read in a variety of unexpected ways to code for those 100,000-plus
genes.
The project launched officially in 1990 and drew on laboratories
and institutions from around the world, including from the U.S. Department of
Energy, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the UK’s Sanger Centre
(later the Wellcome Sanger Institute) and 17 university and laboratory
sequencing centers.
#2. First IVF Baby. This year was the 41st birthday of
the first so-called “test tube baby,” Louise Brown, who was born on July 25 in
1978. The process is in vitro fertilization. Now commonplace, the procedure was
incredibly controversial at the time. Louise’s mother, Lesley Brown, hadn’t
been able to conceive naturally as the result of blocked Fallopian tubes. She
had been trying to conceive for nine years when she signed up for IVF, which
was then an experimental procedure. She was one of 282 women who tried the
procedure. At that time, doctors attempted 457 egg collections, but only 167
cycles led to fertilization. From 12 embryos that were successfully implanted,
five became pregnant. Louise was the only live birth. Since then, about six
million children have been born via IVF.
#3. CRISPR. CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short
palindromic repeats, which is otherwise a fast and easy way to edit DNA.
CRISPR-Cas9 allows researchers to easily identify specific gene sequences, clip
them out and replace them. It has been cited as one of the most important and
recent discoveries that could lead to new therapies and treatments for numerous
diseases. In November 2018, it hit the spotlight with a major controversy when He
Jiankui, a researcher in Shenzhen, China, announced he had utilized CRISPR-Cas9
to alter the DNA of embryos for seven couples. He used CRISPR to disable a gene
called CCR5. CCR5 codes for a protein that allows HIV to enter a cell. In
theory, the children born from the procedure should be resistant to HIV. The
fathers all had HIV infections that were strongly suppressed by standard HIV
drugs. The announcement was met by wide international condemnation, the
eventual moratorium on using
CRISPR germline editing, and He Jiankui being investigated by the Chinese
government.
#4. Genetic
Fingerprinting. Perhaps more accurately described
now as forensic DNA analysis, genetic fingerprinting is a way of using DNA
samples in criminal investigations to identify perpetrators (and victims). It
was first introduced in 1984 by a researcher at the
University of Leicester in the UK, Alec Jeffreys. The first practical
application was in a 1985 immigration case, which was followed by a paternity
case. The first criminal forensic case was applied to the case of two girls who
were raped and murdered in the Enerby area of Leicestershire. There was a
confession for one of the murders. They used the forensic test in an attempt to
prove he committed the second, but unexpectedly, the test proved he was
innocent of both murders. The police force then conducted blood draws and
genetic profiles on the entire male population of that area. Again, no matches
were found until a man named Colin Pitchfork bragged about how he had convinced
a friend to provide the sample. He was a match for both rape and murders.
#5. 23andMe. 23andMe was founded in 2006 by Linda Avey, Paul Cusenza and
Anne Wojcicki. It began by marketing a saliva-based direct-to-consumer personal
genome test. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forced the
company to pull it from the market because it was advertised as a medical
device, which required FDA approval, which 23and Me did not have. The kits are
still available, but health-related reports that came with it were no longer
included. The company has since inked deals with major
pharma companies, such as Pfizer, to use its genomics data in disease and drug
research and development. In March 2018, the FDA approved 23andMe’s BRCA1
and BRCA2 genetics tests as the first-ever FDA approval for a DTC consumer
genetic test for cancer risk, in this case, breast, ovarian and prostate
cancer.
#6. Dolly. Although it seems like a distant memory, Dolly was the first
mammal to be cloned from the cell of an adult.
This was in 1996. Dolly was a sheep. Dolly was cloned by researchers at The
Roslin Institute who were working to develop a better way to produce
genetically modified livestock. The research was led by Ian Wilmut. Dolly was
cloned from a cell acquired from the mammary gland of a six-year-old Finn
Dorset sheep and an egg from a Scottish Blackface sheep. She was born to her
Scottish Blackface surrogate mother on July 5, 1996. Oddly enough, because her
DNA was taken from a mammary gland cell, she was named after country singer
Dolly Parton.
#7. Engineered Organ. In 1999, Anthony Atala and his research group grew bladders in
the laboratory and successfully implanted them into patients. Atala is the W.H.
Boyce professor and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative
Medicine and chair of the Department of Urology. Atala and his team took a
bladder biopsy from each patient, isolated muscle and specialized urothelial
cells, and grew them in the laboratory. They then implanted them onto a
bladder-shaped scaffold where they grew for seven to eight weeks. They then
attached the engineered bladder to the patients’ own bladder and followed the
progress for up to five years. The bladder function improved without any of the
side effects generally linked to implanting bowel tissue. The research paved
the way for bioprinting of organs.
#8. Beyond Meat Burger. Beyond Meat developed a plant-based burger that mimics the taste
of hamburger. The first plant-based burger was sold commercially in 2016. As of
June 2019, the company had a $10 billion market cap and led the way for a
variety of other companies to produce what are essentially genetically-modified
vegetables that use a variety of ingredients, such as heme, to mimic the taste
of beef. Although nutritionally about the same as beef—typically they have
caloric levels similar to beef, with higher carbohydrate and salt levels with
generally lower fat levels—the primary benefit is taking animals out of the
protein production chain, which may have benefits for decreasing
climate change.
#9. Golden Rice. The Golden Rice Project notes that Golden Rice
“is the first purposefully created biofortified food.” The technology behind
Golden Rice was donated in 2000 by its inventors, Ingo Potrykus and Peter
Beyer. Golden Rice is a not-for-profit project that involved genetically
modified rice to address vitamin A deficiency, which affects about 250 million
children around the world. Potrykus was then a professor at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in Zurich, teamed with Peter Beyer from the University
of Freiberg in Germany.
#10. Kymriah. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to identify
Immunotherapy or Immuno-Oncology as one of the projects, rather than Novartis’
Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), even though Kymriah was the first CAR-T
immuno-oncology therapy approved. The entire field of immuno-oncology has
exploded in the last decade, revolutionizing cancer treatments and is beginning
to make progress in other indications as well. The other approved CAR-T
product is Gilead Sciences’ Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel). They are
approved for slightly different, but sometimes overlapping patient populations.
Kymria is approved for pediatric and young adult acute lymphocytic leukemia
(ALL) and for recurrently relapsing (r/r) aggressive lymphomas. Yescarta is
approved for similar aggressive lymphomas.
CAR-T is a type of therapy where blood samples are taken from a
patient, the patient’s white blood cells are processed to be supercharged to
attack their cancer cells, then reinfused into the patient. It is a type of
“living therapy” where the patient’s immune system is programmed to better
attack the cancer.
Rice
irrigation intensified landslides in deadliest earthquake of 2018, finds NTU
study
Irrigation
significantly exacerbated the earthquake-triggered landslides in Palu, on the
Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in 2018, according to an international study led
by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)
scientists.
The 7.5 magnitude
earthquake struck the Indonesian city on 28 September 2018, taking the lives of
over 4,300 people, making it the deadliest earthquake in the world that year.
Writing in Nature
Geoscience, researchers from NTU Singapore’s Earth Observatory of Singapore
(EOS) and the Asian School of the Environment (ASE), together with
collaborators from institutions in Indonesia, the United States, the United
Kingdom, China and Australia, reveal that the landslides in Indonesia’s Palu
Valley resulted from widespread liquefaction in areas that were heavily
irrigated for rice cultivation.
A century-old
aqueduct, constructed to bring enough water into the Palu Valley to irrigate
rice, artificially raised the water table to almost ground level. This
elevation increased the potential for liquefaction – a situation where buried
sediment becomes fluid-like due to strong seismic ground-shaking.
The combination of
this fluid-like sediment and the slope of the valley floor exacerbated the
catastrophe, creating wide lateral spreading of water, landslides, and debris,
which swept through the villages.
This deadly cocktail
marked Indonesia´s deadliest earthquake since Yogyakarta in 2006.
“This event is a
wake-up call for any area where active faults and irrigation coincide,” said Dr
Kyle Bradley, a principal investigator at NTU’s EOS who led the research.
“We need to improve
the awareness and understanding of liquefaction-related landslides and pay
closer attention to places where irrigation has artificially raised the water
table, said Dr Bradley, who is also a lecturer at NTU’s ASE.
The research
highlights the urgency for Southeast Asian nation-states to review locations
with intensive rice farming activities which lie among active faults.
Dr Bradley said, “This
is of particular concern in Southeast Asia as the pace of development is often
faster than the return time of large earthquakes – the average time period
between one earthquake and the next. Most other similarly irrigated areas have
not yet been tested by extreme ground shaking, and some of those areas could
also pose a major hazard.”
Research used historic
and current satellite data
By analysing satellite
images taken before and after the earthquake to identify areas affected by
landslides, NTU researchers discovered that irrigated paddies and fields were
strongly affected, while areas planted with trees were more stable.
This suggested that
heavy irrigation and a raised water table were responsible for creating a new
liquefaction hazard.
“Hazards that are
created by humans can often be more readily moderated than other natural
hazards. Based on the relative resiliency of areas planted with mixed tree
crops and irrigated fields, we propose that more intermixed planting could
decrease the hazard of large landslides in the future,” said Dr Bradley.
The satellite image
mapping was complemented by field observations of the landslides and of the
local irrigation system and practices, produced by an international team of
scientists led by Dr Ella Meilianda of the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation
Research Center at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh.
Professor Thomas Dunne
of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, who was not affiliated with the study, said “The
study has demonstrated how Earth scientists with strong field-based
understanding of land surface mechanics can use the rapidly growing toolbox of
remote sensing to analyse dangerous processes. The landscape-scale survey
approach could be applied elsewhere for systematic assessment and avoidance of
dangers that are often overlooked when large infrastructure is first proposed
in rapidly developing, but potentially unstable terrains.”
The research team
plans to continue their study by assessing the effects of local land use on
outcomes during the Palu earthquake.
DA forms 30-man task force on low palay prices
October 10, 2019
Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, who chairs the Committee on Agriculture
and Food, poses questions to Agriculture Secretary William Dar during the third
hearing on Wednesday on the proposed 2020 budget of the Department of
Agriculture at the Senate. The DA has created a task force to address and
fast-track measures to help farmers cope with declining farm-gate palay
prices—now at a seven-year low, according to a DA document.
THE government has formed a 30-man multisectoral task force that
would address and fast-track measures to help farmers cope with declining
farm-gate palay prices that have sunk to a more than seven-year low, according
to a Department of Agriculture (DA) document.
The DA issued Special Order (SO 862), Series of 2019, which
created a task force that would “facilitate assistance relative to the drop of
palay farm-gate price.”
The task force is composed of experts and economists from
academe, the private sector and government, as well as representatives of rice
farmers, millers, cooperatives and various government agencies related to rice.
“The task force shall perform the following: develop, adopt and
promulgate measures to promote rice productivity and farmers’ viability and
ensure the effective and efficient implementation of rice-related measures in
relation to the drop of palay farm-gate price,” according to the SO, which was
dated August 27 but was uploaded on DA’s web site on October 8.
The task force will be chaired by Fermin D. Adriano, who is
concurrently an adviser of the agriculture department.
The members of the task force from the public sector include:
the Agriculture undersecretaries for Operations and Consumer Affairs, the
National Food Authority (NFA) administrator, the Philippine Crop Insurance
Corp. president, and the assistant secretaries for Agribusiness and Marketing
and for Policy, Research and Development.
Also part of the task force are Central Bank Monetary Board
member Bruce J. Tolentino, Undersecretary Mercedita A. Sombilla of the National
Economic and Development Authority (Neda), and Finance Undersecretary for
Strategy, Economics and Results Group Karl Kendrick T. Chua, among others.
Action for Economic Reform (AER) Executive Director Filomeno
Sta. Ana and University for Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Center for Food and
Agribusiness Director Rolando T. Dy are also part of the task force.
Rice millers, traders, retailers, farmers and cooperatives will
have representatives to the task force. Under the special order, the UA&P,
AER, Neda and private-sector representatives (PSR) would serve as advisers of
the task force.
Among the identified measures in the SO is intensifying the
NFA’s palay procurement and acceleration of its stocks rollover, especially in
affected/low priced areas.
The average farm-gate price of dry unhusked rice sank to a new
seven-year low in the second week of September, according to latest data
released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Preliminary figures released by the PSA showed that average
palay prices plunged 30.08 percent to P16.18 per kilogram, from the P23.14 per
kg recorded in the same period of last year.
“The average farm-gate price of palay continued to drop as it
declined to P16.18 per kg or by 0.6 percent during the period relative to its
previous week’s level of P16.28 per kg,” the PSA said in its weekly report
published on Thursday.
During the reference period of September 11 to 17, the lowest
farm-gate price was recorded in Pampanga province at P12 per kg, while the
highest quotation was in Sorsogon at P20.70 per kg, PSA data showed.
With the increase in imports and the upcoming harvest starting
October, the farm-gate price of palay will continue to go down, according to
various farmers groups and nongovernment organizations. The latest average dry
palay quotation is the lowest since the fifth week of March 2013, when dry
palay farm-gate price averaged P16.15 per kg.
Rice Farmer Tim Gertson: An Inventive Approach to
Rice Sustainability in Texas
Excerpt from Field to Market Farmer Spotlight
LISSIE,
TX -- When Tim Gertson isn't out in the fields, you might find him hunkered
down in his office, which he describes as "a mad scientist's lair, with
jumper wires all over the place." These days, Tim is working on a
prototype for a wireless water-level monitor and control system for the rice
fields on his approximately 1,000 acre farm here. "My goal is to
have a rice field irrigate itself autonomously," he says excitedly.
"It's lofty - but my big push is to find new ways to use technology to
make myself more sustainable."
Tim and his cousin, Daniel, just harvested their tenth year on G5 Farms, named because they are the fifth generation of farmers in the family. Just down the road, Tim's dad, three uncles, and grandpa still work the farm where he grew up. On G5 Farms, where Tim focuses on rice but has grown everything from organic corn to wheat, the goal to use technology to become more sustainable is already well underway.
Tim has leveled and installed permanent irrigation control structures on over 600 acres, and has installed more than four miles of irrigation pipeline to create a water-on-demand irrigation system. These improvements, funded by USDA's Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), have resulted in a 20 percent reduction of his annual water use. Tim hopes that retrofitting the existing structures with his new in-field irrigation automation will result in further reductions.
"It wouldn't be sustainable to redo my own work," says Tim. "It's about retrofitting to use what I've already got to make everything more affordable. If I'm going to save any more water, the only way I can do that is through better management in the structures and fields I already have. Once you have good technology in place, the next step is trying to take human error out of the decisions."
To help him improve those management decisions, Tim has been using Field to Market's Fieldprint Platform for four years, and says going through the Platform's analysis has helped him feel accountable for protecting natural resources that may not be front-and-center to a Texas rice farmer, like soil erosion. "Just the fact I have to answer those questions has made me conscious of the soil issues I face on my farm, and led me to minimize erosion to the extent I can," says Tim. "It's a reminder that you can't ever just check the box off that says 'I'm a great farmer.'"
Tim hopes to pass on this spirit of curiosity and hard work, which he says he learned from his dad, to his three young boys. "They love being on the farm with me - they're mostly into tractor riding right now - but one of the most important things I plan to pass on is the idea you always need to be improving," says Tim. "I look at sustainability as continual improvement, not a goal that can be met. It's something you're working towards, not arriving at."
LISSIE,
TX -- When Tim Gertson isn't out in the fields, you might find him hunkered
down in his office, which he describes as "a mad scientist's lair, with
jumper wires all over the place." These days, Tim is working on a
prototype for a wireless water-level monitor and control system for the rice
fields on his approximately 1,000 acre farm here. "My goal is to
have a rice field irrigate itself autonomously," he says excitedly.
"It's lofty - but my big push is to find new ways to use technology to
make myself more sustainable."Tim and his cousin, Daniel, just harvested their tenth year on G5 Farms, named because they are the fifth generation of farmers in the family. Just down the road, Tim's dad, three uncles, and grandpa still work the farm where he grew up. On G5 Farms, where Tim focuses on rice but has grown everything from organic corn to wheat, the goal to use technology to become more sustainable is already well underway.
Tim has leveled and installed permanent irrigation control structures on over 600 acres, and has installed more than four miles of irrigation pipeline to create a water-on-demand irrigation system. These improvements, funded by USDA's Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), have resulted in a 20 percent reduction of his annual water use. Tim hopes that retrofitting the existing structures with his new in-field irrigation automation will result in further reductions.
"It wouldn't be sustainable to redo my own work," says Tim. "It's about retrofitting to use what I've already got to make everything more affordable. If I'm going to save any more water, the only way I can do that is through better management in the structures and fields I already have. Once you have good technology in place, the next step is trying to take human error out of the decisions."
To help him improve those management decisions, Tim has been using Field to Market's Fieldprint Platform for four years, and says going through the Platform's analysis has helped him feel accountable for protecting natural resources that may not be front-and-center to a Texas rice farmer, like soil erosion. "Just the fact I have to answer those questions has made me conscious of the soil issues I face on my farm, and led me to minimize erosion to the extent I can," says Tim. "It's a reminder that you can't ever just check the box off that says 'I'm a great farmer.'"
Tim hopes to pass on this spirit of curiosity and hard work, which he says he learned from his dad, to his three young boys. "They love being on the farm with me - they're mostly into tractor riding right now - but one of the most important things I plan to pass on is the idea you always need to be improving," says Tim. "I look at sustainability as continual improvement, not a goal that can be met. It's something you're working towards, not arriving at."
Engineers
Work With Arkansas Farmers to Develop Sustainable Rice Production
Oct. 09, 2019
Russell Cothren
Ben Runkle
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas engineers are
working with Arkansas farmers to develop more sustainable methods for growing
rice that increase production and reduce the demand for water.
Benjamin Runkle, assistant professor of biological engineering,
and Chris Isbell, a rice farmer in Humnoke, are working together to develop
more effective rice production techniques to reduce water use on the Isbell
family farm.
What they’re learning can be translated to farmers across the
state and around the world, conserving water and protecting the environment.
Arkansas is the nation’s top producer of rice, harvesting more than 9 billion
pounds each year.
“Benjamin Runkle has only been with us for a few years, but his
work is already changing lives in Arkansas and around the world,” said John
English, dean of the College of Engineering.
Go to the Short Takes page for
more videos.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally
competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200
academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic
development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also
providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie
Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of
colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research
activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks
the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities.
Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools
and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention
and close mentoring.
Amy Schlesing, director of science and research communications
University Relations
479-575-3033, amys@uark.edu
University Relations
479-575-3033, amys@uark.edu
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- October 10, 2019
OCTOBER 10, 2019 / 1:10 PM Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open
Market-October 10, 2018 Nagpur, Oct 10 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices showed
weak tendency in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here
lack of demand from local millers. Fresh fall on NCDEX in gram, easy condition
in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and release of stock from stockists also pushed
down prices in thin trading activity. About 350 bags of gram and 50 bags of
tuar reported for auction, according to sources.
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand
from local
traders amid ample stock in ready position.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani reported weak in open market here on poor demand
from local traders.
* Lakhodi dal reported down in open market here on poor demand from
local traders amid good supply from producing regions.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,500-5,700, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,200,
Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,600-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,200-8,900, Gram – 4,300-4,400,
Gram Super best
– 5,600-6,000 * Wheat, 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 3,600-4,280 3,650-4,300
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 4,850-5,000 4,900-5,100
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 2,000-2,045 1,950-2,050
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,450-4,550 4,450-4,550
Desi gram Raw 4,550-4,600 4,550-4,600
Gram Kabuli 8,500-10,000 8,500-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,300-8,400 8,300-8,400
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,800-8,100 7,800-8,100
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,400-7,700 7,400-7,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 6,800-7,300 6,800-7,300
Tuar Gavarani New 5,600-5,700 5,650-5,750
Tuar Karnataka 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100
Masoor dal best 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700
Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000
Moong Mogar Medium 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800
Moong dal Chilka New 7,200-7,800 7,200-7,800
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,800-8,800 7,800-8,800
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,300 4,700-5,300
Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,800 5,800-6,800
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,500-4,800 4,600-4,900
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,850-7,100 6,850-7,100
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,350 2,250-2,350
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,750 2,650-2,750
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,650 2,550-2,650
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,100 2,600-3,100
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
Rice BPT best new (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600
Rice BPT medium new(100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100
Rice Swarna best new (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice Swarna medium new (100 INR/KG)2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best new (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200
Rice HMT medium new (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700
Rice Shriram best new(100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Shriram med new (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,200 5,000-7,200
Rice Chinnor best new 100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,500 5,400-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium new(100 INR/KG)5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200
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. 32.6 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 21.7 degree Celsius Rainfall :
Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be
around 33 degree Celsius and 22 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not
available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices,
but included in market prices)
Pakistan Market Monitor Report - August 2019
REPORT
Published on 31 Aug 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
· In July
2019, the average retail prices of wheat and wheat flour increased by 1.4% and
2.6%, respectively; the prices of rice Irri-6 and rice Basmati increased by
2.5% and 4.9%, respectively, in July 2019 when compared to the previous month;
· Headline
inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased in July 2019 by
2.29% over June 2019 and increased by 10.34% over July 2018;
· The
prices of staple cereals experienced slight fluctuations while most of
non-cereal food commodities in July 2019 experienced negligible to slight
fluctuations when compared to the previous month’s prices;
· 
In July
2019, the average ToT slightly decreased by 2.5% from previous month;
In July
2019, the average ToT slightly decreased by 2.5% from previous month;
· In
August 2019, the total global wheat production for 2019/20 is projected at
768.07 million MT, indicating a decrease of 3.39 million MT compared to the
projection made in July 2019.
Ongoing
Rice bran supplementation may help curb
malnutrition, diarrhea for infants in middle and low-income countries
Oct, 2019
Malnutrition
is prevalent on a global scale and has numerous negative consequences for
children during the first five years of life. For some children, it can mean
struggling with health issues for life or a higher risk of death among those
under five years of age.
A new study
led by Colorado State University found that adding a rice bran supplement for
infants who were being weaned from their mother’s milk resulted in them
receiving more nutrients that enhanced growth and reduced diarrhea, among other
findings.
Researchers
said the study showed that rice bran, a nutrient-dense, phytochemical-rich food
that has shown chronic disease-fighting properties, is a practical dietary
intervention strategy in rice-growing regions that have a high prevalence of
impaired growth and development in children.
The study, “Rice bran supplementation modulates growth, microbiota and
metabolome in weaning infants: a clinical trial in Nicaragua and Mali,”
was published Sept. 26 in Scientific
Reports, a journal from the publishers of Nature.
Elizabeth
Ryan, associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at
CSU, said there is a great deal of rice bran produced around the world, yet it
is often either wasted or used as animal feed.
“Our hope is
that, given the findings from our study, we can make rice bran more available
and affordable for human consumption, particularly in low-resource rural
settings,” she said.
Rice bran
supplementation effects
To study the
effects of daily rice bran supplementation, the research team collected monthly
stool samples from nearly 100 infants in Nicaragua and Mali over the course of
six months. Scientists also collected demographic information and made note of
household characteristics.
Ryan said
one of the most important findings from the study involved a common data point
used to monitor growth in infants – length for age. In Nicaraguan infants, this
data point significantly changed over time, as well as weight for age scores in
Mali infants when compared with the control group.
“In Mali, we also saw a lower incidence of
diarrheal episodes for infants 6 to 12 months of age when consuming the rice
bran supplement,” she added.
Diarrheal
disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old,
according to the World Health Organization. It is both preventable and
treatable, yet it remains a leading cause of malnutrition in children under
five years old. Each year diarrhea kills around 525,000 children under five.
In
Nicaragua, researchers also found a significant reduction in a marker of gut
permeability, also known as “leaky gut,” which can result in partially digested
food or toxins passing from inside the gastrointestinal tract into the rest of
the body.
Ryan said
that longer clinical trials with more follow up — tracking children from 2 to 5
years old — are needed to verify the long-term impacts of these findings for
growth outcomes, including prevention of malnutrition and reduction of
diarrheal episodes.
Even so, the
scientist said that it is amazing to see the outcomes from these early stage
clinical trials that can influence a change in rural and urban food systems.
“We’ve
worked hard to identify practical, sustainable interventions with the potential
for an impact globally,” said Ryan.
International
team aims to make rice bran a sustainable ingredient in infant diets
Ousmane
Koita, a pharmacist specializing in medical biology at the University of Bamako
in Mali, and Samuel Vilchez, chair of the Department of Microbiology at the
National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, served as the study site principal
investigators. Ryan also acknowledged the international team of students and
staff, who were instrumental in the design and successful completion of the
research.
Ryan is now
working with rice agriculturalists, milling industries, food safety and
toxicology experts and public health scientists in West Africa to build out the
human food supply chain for rice bran so that it can become a sustainable
ingredient in infant diets.
She is also
developing dietary biomarkers of rice bran intake in children and adults with
funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Ryan and her
research team are examining the impact of host and gut microbial metabolism of
rice bran, which differ not just by age and country, but also involves
consideration of a diverse suite of environmental exposures.
“Our major
next steps are to develop a safe, heat-stable rice bran product for human food
consumption in rice-growing regions of the world where child malnutrition and
diarrheal diseases persist and merit innovative efforts for prevention,” she
said.
This
research study was supported by the Grand Challenges Explorations in Global
Health award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, startup funds from the
Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at CSU, graduate
student research support from the Colorado School of Public Health and a
Fulbright Faculty Development scholarship award.
Luis
Zambrana (CSU, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua) is the first author
of the study. Additional co-authors include Starin McKeen, Iman Zarei, Erica
Borrensen, Ann Hess, Zaid Abdo (CSU); Hend Ibrahim (CSU, Universite des
Sciences des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako); Lassina Doumbia,
Abdoulaye Bore, Alima Cissoko, Seydou Douyon, Karim Kone, Lansana Sangare,
Ababacar Maiga (Universite des Sciences des Techniques et des Technologies de
Bamako); Johann Perez, Claudia Perez (National Autonomous University of
Nicaragua); Sylvia Becker-Dreps (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill);
and Lijuan Yuan (Virginia-Maryland College of Medicine).
Egypt: Rice production to meet local demand
until end of current financial budget
Egypt is expected to produce 4 million tons
of the T rice, enough to cover national needs over current financial budget
that ends June 30 next year, Reuters reports.
The yield, according to Alaa Khalil, the head of the crop
institute of the ministry surpasses last year harvest put at 2.7 million tons.
Egypt, Reuters notes, consumes around 3.2 million tons of rice annually.
Egypt, Reuters notes, consumes around 3.2 million tons of rice annually.
The Egyptian government last month forecast that it local rice produce
will be enough to cover domestic need and therefore preventing the government
from importing the commodity until June 30, end of the current financial year.
Myanmar earns US$691 M from
rice export in 2018-19 FY
9 OCTOBER 2019
NILAR
Myanmar exported 1.792 million tons of rice to 65 countries and
earned US$559.894 million. It also exported 498,000 tons of broken rice to 41
countries and earned US$132.139 million.
Myanmar earned US$187.174 million from rice and broken rice export
through border trade routes. It earned US$503.859 million from rice and broken
rice export through maritime trade routes.Myanmar
exported 738,500 tons of rice and 38,000 tons of broken rice to China and
neighbouring countries. It is 33.88 per cent of total rice and broken rice
export.
Myanmar exported 481,500 tons of rice and broken rice to EU
countries and 554,500 tons of rice and broken rice to African countries. It
also exported 479,000 tons of rice and broken rice to other countries.
Myanmar is exporting rice to EU and African markets via maritime
trade and China through Muse border trade mainly.
Myanmar exported about 3.6 million tons of rice in 2018-19 FY due
to new markets and it broke the record over fifty-year time.
The MRF is dealing with the issues caused by the low market price
in this year. It said the farmers are facing difficulty to have enough silos,
paddy drying system and vehicles to carry rice, according to the MRF.
Moreover, rice sector has declined due to low demand and will not
be improved with just the private sector alone, it said.
A total of 11 companies were officially exported rice to China
previously and now more than 40 companies are chosen to export rice to China.
If the companies’ list is sent to China, the rice export will resume, replied
Aung Htoo, Deputy Minister for Commerce to farmers from Danubyu on June 28.
MinDa: Mindanao can help PHL hike rice production
October 10, 2019
The
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa) believes that the Philippines can export
rice, and Mindanao can serve as the primary gateway for the staple to go
global, particularly if local farmers are given the means to improve their
productivity.
In a statement issued by the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (Pids), MinDa Chairman Emmanuel F. Piñol said farmers in
Mindanao need to adopt new farming technologies, particularly for cultivating
rice, to increase productivity.
“We are the only area in the country that is not often hit by
typhoons compared to Northern Luzon. This is our advantage. [Also,] our soil is
more fertile than that of Luzon,” Piñol said.
However, Piñol said investments in agriculture remain low in the
Philippines. The government has failed to provide farmers with sufficient
water, good seeds, fertilizers, machinery and capital.
These, he said, are the same ingredients that will make the
country self-sufficient in rice. He said self-sufficiency can be achieved by
providing good-quality seeds (hybrid and inbred), sufficient water for
irrigation, soil, modern machinery and access to capital for financing.
“We have 4.9 million hectares of rice farms harvested every
year. If we can only increase our yield by 2 metric tons of rice per hectare
per harvest, that would be 9.8 million metric tons of rice. That is more than
enough. Theoretically, it is
attainable,” he said.
attainable,” he said.
These are also the necessary ingredients to making Philippine
agriculture ready for the threat of the “new globalization.”
Piñol also said some government interventions are “off-target.”
While it provides financial subsidies and fertilizers to local farmers, the
absence of a market where they can sell their produce is still a major issue.
Given these challenges, Piñol urged the national government to
intensify its support and provide the necessary interventions to local farmers.
In particular, he stressed the need to help farmers become
processors and marketers of their own products.
“Make them strong, empower them, improve their productivity, to
the point that the cost of production would go down. For so long, they have
remained as mere producers of raw materials, therefore, they are dependent on
middlemen and processors,” he said.
Pids Senior Research Fellow Roehlano Briones recently said the
agriculture sector will be the biggest loser under the so-called Globalization
4.0.
Briones said this is because the industry continued to enjoy
“high tariff walls.” He said Globalization 4.0 serves as a “rude awakening” to
everyone given the proliferation of technological and digital innovations,
featuring volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
Briones said the lack of openness in agriculture may prevent it
from conquering challenges posed by Globalization 4.0, such as trade wars,
cross-border diseases, and high inequality, among others.
This, despite some corners saying that what is happening right
now with very low rice prices and the concerns raised by farmers, is proof that
the rice trade liberalization was “a mistake.”
Briones believes it is “too early to tell” whether the rice
trade liberalization law is a failure. He added that the law has only been in
effect for a few months.
“The New Globalization is a double-edged sword. If you are
prepared for it [then] you will benefit from it. [But] if you are not prepared,
woe to you,” he said.
“[To be able] to survive the New Globalization, we have to
capacitate our stakeholders, especially in the area of agriculture. We have to
adopt modern technologies, prepare [our farmers], [as well as] organize and
empower them. This is the only way we could benefit from the New
Globalization,” he added.
Hybrid rice research base opens in south China
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-10-09 23:33:03|Editor: yan
NANNING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- An 83.3-hectare research base for
hybrid rice breeding was inaugurated Wednesday in Guanyang County, southern
China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The research base is part of a newly-launched workstation of
Yuan Longping, an agronomist known as China's "father of hybrid
rice."
Yuan and his team will focus on breeding high-yielding hybrid
rice strains adaptive to various environments. They aim to develop rice strains
that can achieve a yield of more than 1,200 kg per mu (about 0.07 hectares), or
18 tonnes per hectare.
Yuan said at the unveiling ceremony that his team would work to
increase the output of hybrid rice as well as to improve its quality.
He added that his workstation is located in Guanyang because the
county has a very high yield of super hybrid rice and ratoon rice.
Earlier this year, Guanyang saw its weighted average yield of
its super hybrid rice exceeding 1,000 kg per mu in one season.
Set to
Help People Decide a Healthier Lifestyle, Jasmine Food Corporation to Hold the
"HealthyRiceStyle" Event
"Through this event, we
address consumers to build a healthy habit, while dispelling common
misconceptions that rice is leading to health problems. As a leader in
nutrient-rich ingredients, we design specific program to people, so they can
choose the right variety of rice dishes for their health," said Lim Swee Keat, Jasmine Food Corporation's CEO, at the
opening ceremony.
The event features a line-up
of Jasmine Rice's best specialty rice,
including the award-winning Jasmine Royal Pusa Gold and
PusaCream, NutriRice (ThaiRed and Blackberry) and all ranges of brown rice, as
well as fragrant rice and local rice.
Lim added, "Scientific
research has proven that rice is not the main cause for cardiovascular diseases
such as diabetes. However, diabetics should focus on a balanced diet and
lifestyle, emphasizing on specialty rice varieties that are having low-glycemic
(GI) score, low calories, no cholesterol, and high in vitamins and minerals."
Hence, to help people better
understand how to find a right healthy lifestyle around a bowl of rice, the
"HealthyRiceStyle" also presents valuable insights from experts
through special activities, including:
·
Celebrity
chef's cooking demo by Chef Fami Taufeq and
Chef Jaafar Onn, showcasing an array of
creative recipes of rice.
·
Practical
demonstration on lifesaving skills by Tung Shin Hospital such as CPR demo for
adult & babies and feeding technique for babies.
·
Diet
chit-chats with dietitian by Tung Shin Hospital on October
12.
·
Talk
show by Pusat Darah Negara (PDN) about Blood Donation Sharing on October 12 and Nutritionist Talk by Her World
magazine on October 13.
·
Five-day
healthy cooking workshops by KDU University College, Malaysia.
·
Kids
games and activities during the five-day event.
"On top of that, we also
guide people to make accurate decisions on healthy lifestyle, according to
their health conditions, provided by our free health screening program,"
said Lim. Supported by Tung Shin Hospital, the free health screening and
consultation will start on Friday, October 11 from
10.00 a.m to 5 p.m, which feature Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose and Body Mass
Index (BMI).
To further promote the benefits
of specialty rice, through the event Jasmine will give away 500 grams of rice
for all children who complete kids playground's challenges and all blood donors
at PDN's booth. For more information, visit http://www.jasmine.com.my/
Punjab
govt clashes Rs 10 lakh non-refundable levy security on millers to Rs 7.25 lakh
refundable security
Chandigarh, Oct 9 (UNI) Punjab Food, Civil
Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Wednesday said
that to save the farmers from any harassment and keeping in mind genuine
demands of the rice millers, the state government has decided to slash Rs 10
lakh of levy security (Rs five lakh refundable plus Rs five lakh
non-refundable) to Rs 7.25 lakh refundable levy security.
A decision to this effect was taken after a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mr Ashu. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and prominent rice millers of the state, including Gian Bharadway Group and Rakesh Jain Group, also attended the meeting.
The Minister also informed that this decision would bring respite to the rice millers. Bank guarantee shall be applicable only to millers for quantum of paddy stored over and above 5000 Metric Tonnes (MT), instead of 4000 MT.
A decision to this effect was taken after a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mr Ashu. Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and prominent rice millers of the state, including Gian Bharadway Group and Rakesh Jain Group, also attended the meeting.
The Minister also informed that this decision would bring respite to the rice millers. Bank guarantee shall be applicable only to millers for quantum of paddy stored over and above 5000 Metric Tonnes (MT), instead of 4000 MT.
This lawyer eats rice and beans to save 70 percent of his salary for
retirement
Hillary
Hoffower
© Maskot/Getty Images
Just ask 36-year-old Daniel, a
Manhattan corporate lawyer earning $270,000 a year, who told Suzy Weiss of The New
York Post that he lives in New Jersey to avoid city taxes,
lives on rice and beans, owns one patched-together suit per weekday for work,
and layers up during the winter instead of turning the heat on - all so he can
save 70% of his salary and retire early.
It's working: He's saved more than $400,000 and is set to retire in three
years, Weiss wrote.
Other six-figure earners Weiss talked to have similar goals and
are pulling out all the stops to reach them, from banning buying drinks out to
wearing shoes that are falling apart.
They all hope to join the Financial Independence Retire Early
(FIRE) movement, which was first popularized when "Your
Money or Your Life" was published 20 years ago. It's nothing
new - but more millennials are becoming interested in the community, according
to Weiss.
Living on less helps early
retirees stay on track
Being content with less and
refusing to succumb to lifestyle inflation are the tickets to staying on track
to retire early.
J.P. Livingston, who runs a personal finance blog called The
Money Habit, built a nest egg of more than $2 million before retiring at 28.
Livingston worked in Manhattan's finance industry and earned $100,000 in her
first post-grad job, she previously told Business
Insider.
But, determined to retire early, she tucked 70% of her take-home
pay away. In an effort to be more frugal, she bought furniture from Craigslist
and chose a living situation more modest than one she could have afforded -
with a roommate in a three-floor walk-up on the Upper East Side for $1,050 a
month (reasonable rent in a New Yorker's eyes).
Related video: Behind the trend
of aggressively saving (provided by CBS News)
00:00
05:49
Even those not working in traditional high-salaried careers make
do with a frugal lifestyle. Consider Joe and Ali Olson, who quit their jobs as
public school teachers in their early 30s with $1 million in the bank. They
saved 75% of their income and lived in a 400-square-foot home, keeping their
annual expenses to about $20,000, Business Insider previously
reported.
Frugality is the key to building
wealth
Regardless of early retirement
goals, frugality is the key to building wealth.
Look no further than Warren Buffett, who still lives in the
modest home in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought for $276,700 (in
today's dollars), or Richard Branson, who is famously frugal when it comes to
buying luxury items.
Frugal lifestyles help millionaires get rich in the first place,
according to Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the director of research for the Affluent
Market Institute and an author of "The Next
Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth,"
in which she surveyed more than 600 millionaires in America.
During her research, she studied the characteristics most
predictive of net worth and found that six behaviors, which she called
"wealth factors," were related to net-worth potential, regardless of
age or income. One of those is frugality: a commitment to saving, spending
less, and sticking to a budget.
"Spending above your means, spending instead of saving for
retirement, spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy makes you a slave to
the paycheck, even with a stellar level of income," she wrote.
