Eating too much rice with
your meals could be fatal, experts claim
Experts from two universities have been
studying the association between prolonged consumption of low-level arsenic in
rice and health problems such as cardiovascular disease
Experts have been studying the low levels of arsenic in rice
(stock photo) (Image: iStockphoto)
After a long day at work, sometimes there's
nothing better than coming home and tucking into some food in front of the TV.
But if your dinner contains rice, you might
want to reconsider reaching for seconds or thirds.
That's
because experts have warned that eating too much rice could prove fatal in the long run.
Rice contains low-levels of arsenic and it is
now thought that prolonged exposure to this could be contributing to thousands
of avoidable premature deaths per year.
According to research by two Manchester
universities, prolonged exposure to low-levels of inorganic arsenic can be
linked to health problems such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
The
researchers from The University of Manchester and
The University of Salford have
been exploring this relationship and their findings were recently published in
the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Their
results show that once the major factors known to contribute to cardiovascular disease have
been accounted for, there is a significant association between elevated
cardiovascular mortality and the consumption of inorganic arsenic bearing rice.
Professor David Polya from The University of
Manchester said: "The type of study undertaken, an ecological study, has
many limitations, but is a relatively inexpensive way of determining if there
is plausible link between increased consumption of inorganic arsenic bearing
rice and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Experts suggest trying different varieties of rice, such as
Basmati (stock photo)
"The study suggests that the highest 25
percent of rice consumers in England and Wales may plausibly be at greater
risks of cardiovascular mortality due to inorganic arsenic exposure compared to
the lowest 25 percent of rice consumers."
He adds: "The modelled increased risk is
around six percent (with a confidence interval for this figure of two percent
to 11 percent). The increased risk modelled might also reflect in part a
combination of the susceptibility, behaviours and treatment of those
communities in England and Wales with relatively high rice diets."
More robust research is still needed to confirm
these findings.
Currently more than three billion people
worldwide consume rice as their staple food.
Experts haven't warned people to stop eating
rice, but instead suggest consuming different types of rice, which are known to
contain less inorganic arsenic - such as basmati and polished rice.
As well as this, they recommend eating a
balanced variety of staples, not just predominantly rice.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/eating-much-rice-your-dinner-22477682
Too Much Rice Could Kill: Study
Shows Arsenic Exposure Could Lead to Fatal Diseases
7 August 2020, 12:54 am EDT By CJ
Robles Tech Times
A study found that eating too much rice could lead to heart
disease and death.
A research team from the University of Manchester and the
University of Salford analyzed the link between rice consumption and heart
diseases in England and Wales, which are caused by arsenic exposure, according
to Daily Mail.
The research findings were published in the Science of the Total Environment journal
show that British people have a 6% higher risk of morbidity from cardiovascular
disease as they are included in the 25% top rice consumers compared to the
bottom group. Scientists modified the data to account for other factors that
cause cardiovascular diseases such as age, smoking, and obesity.
(Photo : Pierre Bamin/Unsplash)
A study found that eating too much rice could lead to heart disease and death.
Also, researchers found that eating a lot of rice increases the
risk of dying from heart disease due to arsenic, which occurs naturally as the
crop grows. Earlier studies linked the chemical to some cancers, liver disease,
and even death.
Millions of people around the world, particularly in developing
countries, eat rice for the calories and nutrients it provides. However,
scientists found that more than 50,000 avoidable premature deaths annually can
be blamed for arsenic in rice.
University of Manchester
Professor David Polya who is a co-author of the study said that while the
research used an ecological study, which has many limitations, it is an
inexpensive way of determining a link between high consumption of rice with
inorganic arsenic and an increased risk of heart disease.
How does arsenic emerge in rice?
According to a Lad Bible article,
while arsenic occurs naturally in the soil, locations that use arsenic-based
herbicides or toxins added in irrigation water have to increase arsenic
content. Rice is particularly vulnerable to arsenic, which copies other
chemicals that the plant absorbs through its roots and bypasses the plant's
defenses.
In this case, rice grown under these conditions would have bear
arsenic from the soil and water. However, Tech Times earlier
reported that arsenic can only become health hazard if consumed in large
dose with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
However, scientists do not
promote the evading of rice consumption since it has many health benefits,
particularly with its high fiber content. Instead of eating whole grain rice,
the study suggests people eat rice varieties that have low arsenic levels like
basmati as well as polished rice.
(Photo : Andhika Y. Wiguna/Unsplash)
Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil, locations that use arsenic-based
herbicides or toxins added in irrigation water have increase arsenic content.
In 2014, a Consumer Reports article
showed that all types of rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from
the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic, except for sushi and
quick-cooking rice. White rice from California has 38% less inorganic arsenic
than those from other parts of the country.
While brown has more nutrients,
it also has 80% more inorganic arsenic than white rice since arsenic in the
outer layers of the grains is removed when white rice is milled.
However, it is best to get brown
basmati from California, Pakistan, or India as it has around 35% less inorganic
arsenic than other types of brown rice.
Meanwhile, another study warns
that the increased temperatures caused by global warming could lead to much
higher arsenic levels in rice by 2100. Scientists at the University of
Washington in the US grew rice in various temperatures and found that crops in
warmer locations tend to have higher levels of arsenic, including grains.
Read also: Does Rice Contain
Dangerous Levels Of Arsenic? BBC Takes A Closer Loo
In
COVID-19–Hit Africa, Agricultural Research Feels the Pinch
The pandemic and accompanying
lockdowns have meant missing growing seasons and losing out on key data. As
restrictions are partially lifted, researchers are adjusting to the new normal.
Aug 6, 2020
7
ABOVE: Researcher Oluwaseyi
Shorinola grows wheat under constant light in order to speed the breeding
process.
OLUWASEYI
SHORINOLA
It is strangely quiet at the
National Crops Resources Research Institute in Namulonge, Uganda. Seventy
percent of its 400 staff members have not reported for work since the country
instituted a lockdown in March due to a partial furlough and government
policies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to work harder to implement our work plans to minimize
the disruption of COVID-19 while adhering to the Ministry of Health guidelines
and standard operating procedures,” says Godfrey Asea, NaCRRI’s
director. The limited staffing has affected harvesting and planting activities,
especially for cereals and pulses (beans, lentils, and other seeds that grow in
pods).
Although Uganda’s lockdown measures have been among the
strictest in Africa, NaCRRI is far from alone. Other agricultural research
institutes in Africa are also finding their work curtailed by the pandemic,
with potential near-term consequences for farmers in the region.
Research slows down
As one of Uganda’s 16 agricultural research institutes under the
National Agricultural Research Organisation, NaCCRI specializes in developing
legumes, maize, rice, horticultural crops, and oil palm varieties adapted to
the country’s climate, as well as pesticides and herbicides. It also offers
quality control testing of consumer products related to agriculture. During the
pandemic, it has suspended some research activities, such as stakeholder
surveys, and its trainings and tours.
Planting season begins in March in Uganda, and some of the
institute’s planned field experiments have either started late or aren’t being
monitored as closely as usual due to disrupted working hours and reduced labor,
says Asea.
To stop COVID-19’s spread, Uganda initially banned both private
and public transport, so organizations had to provide means of travel for their
essential workers. Although those restrictions have eased, many organizatons,
including NaCCRI, are still providing transportation for staff members. A
nightly curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. continues. “Moving staff to and from
work is now expensive, while curfew restrictions have forced staff to work
fewer hours,” says Asea. Sixteen of its graduate students have been forced to
stop their research altogether, he adds; only the seven students who live at the
institute have been able to continue. According to Asea, the changes “might
disrupt timelines for near-release technologies such as new crop varieties for
cassava, maize, and rice.”
Even as NaCCRI continues to offer limited quality control
services for consumer products such as packed flour, milk, and soil, this work
faces challenges, says Asea. In addition to the limitations posed by staffing
shortages, “the lockdown on business has made it hard to access laboratory
consumables. Reagents are getting depleted with no foreseeable opportunity to
restock.”
On a positive note, he says, “the extra desk time created by the
pandemic has also enabled scientists to engage more in scientific writing of
journal articles and proposals.” And some laboratory work has continued. For
instance, the nutrition and bioanalytical lab has maintained experiments on
samples that were already collected in the field before the shutdown that are
aimed at developing new crop strains including cassava, sweet potato, and
sorghum, and food products such as maize flour, rice, and beans.
Scientists cut off from farms
In neighboring Tanzania, COVID-19 came during the rainy season.
The resulting lockdown imposed by the government left researchers at
the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), a
nonprofit based in the capital city of Dar es Salaam, counting their losses.
“Unfortunately, the rain did not wait for COVID-19, so we missed
critical data that we were supposed to collect on our experiments,” says Victor Manyong, IITA director for Eastern
Africa and agribusiness head for Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to overseeing
local farmers, IITA maintains nine of its own research fields stationed across
the country. The organization develops crops to improve yields, processes
agriculture products to increase shelf life, and finds novel solutions to pests
and diseases. But this year, “we could not go to the rural areas to see the
farmers who are growing the crops,” which include cassava, maize, soya bean,
cowpea, yam, banana, and plantain, he says. “Neither could we meet with the
consumers in the urban areas to know exactly what was happening with
agricultural sales.”
An
IITA researcher collects soil for analysis from a banana research field in
Arusha, Tanzania.
IITA
Due to Tanzania’s lockdown and closure of universities, more
than two dozen students from local universities who planned to come to IITA for
hands-on experience could not travel to rural areas of the country to conduct
their research, says Manyong. The students are now expected in September. Nine
of the students who’d planned to visit IITA this spring wanted to evaluate the
efficacy of a treatment to ward off a toxic fungus that affects maize. They
missed the window for applying it to this year’s crop.
IITA had also planned to conduct training in aquaculture in the
eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, but the pandemic has stopped or
delayed delivery of the cages it needed and of a huge quantity of imported fish
feed, which was expired by the time it arrived. All told, Manyong says, it’s
too soon to know the value of all that IITA has lost to the pandemic, but he
expects it will be in the millions of dollars.
Another researcher affected by the confluence of the pandemic
and growing season is Oluwaseyi Shorinola, a crop scientist based at
the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, who
has been working to increase the protein content in wheat varieties grown in
Kenya and Ethiopia. His goal, he says, is to enable East African nations to
grow more high-quality wheat and reduce their dependence on imported grain.
Working in the laboratory during the lockdown, he managed to
finish crossing the best lines of these local grains to optimize them for grain
size, protein content, and disease resistance. But pandemic restrictions have
contributed to delays in testing his improved lines in the field during the
main growing season, pushing that fieldwork to early next year, he says. That
will mean he’ll need to apply for an extension to the fellowship from The Royal Society FLAIR that’s
supporting the work, he adds.
Ansori Maré, a plant
scientist at the University of the Free State in South Africa, is another
researcher encountering delays with her wheat-breeding experiments. She has
been working to develop new disease-resistant varieties, but due to South
Africa’s lockdown, her laboratory and greenhouse work has completely stopped.
With no crossed seeds to test, “planting the next season will be later this
year, or we will lose a complete season and data collection,” she says. Such
delays, she notes, also affect the students in the plant sciences department
negatively, slowing the research projects needed to complete their postgraduate
studies.
Since June 1, researchers at Maré’s university now have access
to laboratories and the greenhouses again, although under strict rules and
regulations aimed at minimizing infection risk. “At this stage, no
unreplaceable losses were experienced, except time,” Maré says.
Difficulties collecting animal
data
Chinyere Ekine, a
statistical geneticist at ILRI in Nairobi, is working to improve milk yields in
Africa using genetics and crossbreeding of cattle. “To do genetic improvements,
we would need to measure traits over time, and keep a pedigree of the animals
to know who the sire and dam are. Then you can crunch the numbers and pick out
the best sire and dam with an average higher breeding value for the traits of
interest so the next generation will be better than their parents’ previous
generation on average,” she explains.
To that end, ILRI hires workers known as enumerators to collect
data on traits from smallholder farmers in rural Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
They also encourage smallholder farmers to learn the importance of consistently
collecting their own data for making informed decisions in the future such as
which animals to keep or sell, and for determining the value of a farmer’s herd
in order to help secure loans. Ekine’s team uses genetic information from
animal hair that the enumerators collect along with other data to identify the
best bulls for use in breeding via artificial insemination.
According to Ekine, enumerators used to reach the farmers once a
month, but when COVID-19 struck in mid-March, people were not allowed to go out
to rural communities. In addition to the official lockdown, there were fears
that the virus could be transmitted from humans to farm animals, and people
could not risk losing their livelihoods. The flow of data from the enumerators
has significantly slowed as a result, she says.
“You need to collect data on milk, on growth, in a sequence. You
need to follow the animal,” Ekine explains. “When you have missed this data,
it’s an analysis lost.” To keep going, Ekine’s team gave farmers cell phone
credit to help collect data on their phones, an additional cost that had not
been part of the project initially and was not as effective as the enumerators’
data collection, she says. The challenges mean it will take longer to produce
improvements in cattle, and smallholders will have less-robust information to
use for breeding decisions. “What you cannot measure, you cannot improve,” says
Ekine.
Shorinola worries that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
agricultural research could ultimately extend beyond the disruptions he and
others have experienced. “Although this has not happened yet, we anticipate
that funders might want to divert their resources to new COVID-19 priorities,
neglecting important agriculture research,” he says.
He adds that while developing a vaccine against COVID-19 is very
important, problems that affect food security such as locusts and a fungus
known as wheat rust have not
gone away during the pandemic. To the contrary, he says, “lockdown has exposed
the vulnerability of our agriculture systems.”
GM To
Boost Financial Freedom Of Farmers
By Reuben
Quainoo
LISTEN 11
HOURS AGO
Though
only a few African countries are now growing genetically modified (GM) crops
commercially, governments across the continent are increasingly recognizing the
crucial role that biotechnology could play in improving food security on the
continent.
Consequently,
African governments are moving to establish an enabling policy framework to
support the adoption of biotechnology, including GM crops and derived products.
According
to a paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science by John Komen and five other
scientists working in Africa, “while modern biotechnology and, specifically,
genetic modification are subject of debate in many parts of the world, an
increasing number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are making important
strides towards authorizing general releases of genetically modified (GM) crop
varieties for use by farmers and agribusinesses.”
Scientists
in Ghana have already started research on GMOs and educating the public to get
them prepared for the eventual adoption of the technology and its implication
for food security in the country.
One
such organization is the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
that has researched extensively on GMOs and educating the public through the
Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) on the role of GM technology
for human survival.
The
National Coordinator of OFAB, Dr. Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw, noted that although
genetically modified technology had not been adopted in Ghana yet, it would
serve as one the best tools in achieving food security.
The
research scientist made these observations in an interview talking about
Ghana’s Agricultural Sector, challenges smallholder farmers are facing and the
Role of Modern Technology in improving Agricultural productivity and
livelihood.
GMO
will save farmers money as they will not have to spray their crops against
diseases and pests. Currently, we are polluting the environment with the
spraying of chemicals to prevent crops from being attacked. “With GMO, the production
cost of farmers will go down and their yields will go up,” he said.
Dr.
Paul Boadu, Research Associate with the Forum for Agricultural Research in
Africa (FARA) said that the new cowpea & rice varieties will help Ghana
save over GHȼ 800 million annually.
“the
country stood to gain GHȼ 230 million annually if she adopted the nitrogen
efficient rice as the crop will boost rice production which hitherto will be
impacted by low nitrogen nutrients in the soil,” he said.
He
said adopting this rice would offer a lot of benefits to farmers as their
incomes would improve while consumers also stood to gain as prices would reduce
and consequently save them money.
The
Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr.
Kodjo Essien Mensah-Abrampa said that the NDPC is developing a policy document
on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for Ghana’s agriculture sector.
“Innovation
in agriculture is instrumental in achieving broad-based social and economic
growth in developing countries like ours”, he stated.
A
report released last week by Graham Brookes, Director of PG Economics said
farmers who planted genetically modified (GM) crops increased their incomes by
almost $19 billion in 2018 and reduced carbon emissions by 23 billion kilograms
or the equivalent of removing 15.3 million cars from the roads that year.
The
report adds that the higher income represents $4.42 in extra income for each
extra dollar invested.
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1021379/gm-to-boost-financial-freedom-of-farmers.html
MS Swaminathan’s
Birthday: Celebrating major contributions of ‘Father of Green Revolution’ to
agricultural renaissance of India
Well known as the Father of
Green Revolution, the Indian government awarded M S Swaminathan with Padma Shri
and Padma Bhushan in 1967 and 1972 respectively.
By Newsd
Updated on : Fri 07th August 2020, 12:06 PM
Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan
is a renowned Indian geneticist and administrator, who made a stellar
contribution to the success of India’s Green Revolution programme was born on
August 7, 1925. The Green Revolution went a long way in making India self-sufficient
in wheat and rice production.
Swaminathan has been acclaimed by
TIME magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century
and one of the only three from India, the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and
Rabindranath Tagore.
He has been described by the
United Nations Environment Programme as “the Father of Economic Ecology”
because of his leadership of the ever-green revolution movement in agriculture
and by Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General of the United Nations, as “a
living legend who will go into the annals of history as a world scientist of
rare distinction”.
Well known as the Father of
Green Revolution, the Indian government awarded M S Swaminathan with Padma Shri
and Padma Bhushan in 1967 and 1972 respectively.
On
MS Swaminathan’s birthday, let’s take a look at his major contributions to
agricultural renaissance of India:
§ In
the 1960s, India was on the verge of a mass famine. MMS Swaminathan along with
Norman Borlaug and other scientists, developed HYV seeds of wheat.
§ This
development led to the Green Revolution in India and Indian geneticist,
Swaminathan was known as ‘The Father of Green Revolution’.
§ Swaminathan
made his decision of entering the field of Agriculture after experiencing the
1943 Bengal famine and the shortage of food in the country.
§ He
served as the Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (from
1972-1979) and International Rice Research Institute (1982-88).
§ In
1988, MS Swaminathan became the President of the International Union of the Conservation
of Nature and Natural resources.
§ The
International Association of Women and Development conferred on him the first
international award for significant contributions to promoting the knowledge,
skill, and technological empowerment of women in agriculture and for his
pioneering role in mainstreaming gender considerations in agriculture and rural
development.
§ During
2013, Prof Swaminathan received the Indira Gandhi Award for National
Integration and Greatest Global Living Legend Award of NDTV. He was also
elected at the 20th International Congress of Nutrition held at Granada, Spain,
“as Living Legend of International Union of Nutrition Sciences”.
Eating too much rice could be fatal as low levels of
arsenic in the grains can increase your risk of dying
from heart disease, study warns
Friday, Aug 7th 2020 2PM 40°C 5PM 40°C 5-Day Forecast
·
Arsenic is
naturally occurring in rice as it soaks in to the crop as it is
grown
·
Researchers in
the UK studied rice consumption and its role in heart disease
·
Found top 25%
of consumers are 6% more likely to die of heart disease than the bottom
quartile of rice eaters
PUBLISHED: 12:22
BST, 6 August 2020 | UPDATED: 17:36
BST, 6 August 2020
·
Scientists have found that eating a lot of rice increases
the risk of dying from heart disease due to the naturally-occuring arsenic in
the crop.
Britons in the top 25 per cent of rice consumption are at
six per cent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than the
bottom quarter, a study found.
The chemical gathers naturally in the crop and has
repeatedly been linked to illness, dietary-related cancers and liver disease.
In serious cases, it can result in death.
Rice is a staple of diets around the world and is relied
upon by millions of people in developing countries to provide valuable calories
and nutrients.
Globally, it has been estimated that arsenic in rice is
to blame for over 50,000 avoidable premature deaths per year.
Arsenic is a toxic chemical which, in high
enough doses, can cause serious health issues. It is found naturally in rice
(pictured) and research has now proved that eating lots of rise increases the
risk of dying from heart disease by six per cent
Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil and is increased in
locations that have used arsenic-based herbicides or water laced with the toxin
for irrigation purposes.
Rice is grown under flooded conditions and this draws
arsenic out of the soil and into the water, ahead of eventual absorption by the
plants.
Rice is particularly vulnerable because arsenic mimics
other chemicals the plant absorbed via its root system, allowing the toxin to
bypass the plant's defences.
+2
·
Rice is grown under flooded conditions and
this draws arsenic out of the soil and into the water, ahead of eventual
absorption by plants. Rice is particularly vulnerable because arsenic mimics
other chemicals the plant absorbs via its root system (stock)
Arsenic levels in rice could TRIPLE by 2100
Rising temperatures caused by global warming could cause
the amount of arsenic in rice to triple by the end of the century, a new study
warns.
Scientists at the University of Washington in the US grew
rice and replicated various temperatures to mimic growing conditions under
various global warming projections.
Trials were done at the current normal temperature of
77°F (25°C) as well as 82°F (28°C), 87°F (30.5°C), and 91°F (33°C) to mimic
potential climates by 2100.
Plants grown
in warmer conditions were found to have higher levels of arsenic throughout the
plant - including the grains.
Researchers at the universities of Manchester and Salford
studied rice consumption in England and Wales and the prevalence
of cardiovascular diseases caused by arsenic exposure.
Academics tweaked the data to account for other factors
known to contribute to cardiovascular disease, such as obesity, smoking and
age.
Professor David Polya from The University of Manchester,
co-author of the study, said: 'The study suggests that the highest 25 per cent
of rice consumers in England and Wales may plausibly be at greater risks of
cardiovascular mortality due to inorganic arsenic exposure compared to the
lowest 25 per cent of rice consumers.'
He explains the likely increased risk for the top
quartile is around six per cent, and is almost definitely between two and 11
per cent.
The researchers say their study is limited but is
inexpensive to conduct and more specialised investigations are needed to
confirm any link.
They also say that people should not avoid eating rice
all together, as it does offer many health benefits due to its high fibre
content.
Instead, people should consider opting for rice varieties
which are low in arsenic levels, such as basmati, rather than whole
grain.
The findings are available in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Plan to liberalise rice industry
needed, says IDEAS
August 06, 2020 18:29 pm +08
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 6): The
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) has called on the
government to prepare a concrete plan to liberalise the paddy and rice industry
after the latter announced that Padiberas Nasional Bhd (BERNAS) will remain the
single gatekeeper for rice imports.
On Tuesday, Agriculture and Food
Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said the government is currently
in the midst of finalising the terms and conditions of the extension agreement,
adding that Bernas will have more social obligations to meet under the new agreement.
IDEAS chief executive officer
Tricia Yeoh said: “A concrete plan to liberalise the market, which includes
increasing the capacity of smallholders and ease of entry into the industry, is
required if the concession is extended."
“The timeframe of the extension
should be reviewed as there are many missed opportunities and unintended
negative consequences that come with the monopoly,” she said in a statement.
IDEAS researchers Professor Datin
Paduka Fatimah Mohamed Arshad and Dr Tey Yeong Sheng, who have co-authored a
report on the effectiveness of state trading enterprises in achieving food
security, said while the government’s reluctance to revamp the local rice
industry and decision to retain BERNAS’ monopoly is understandable as it is
less disruptive and easier than changing a 50-year-old system, it has major
consequences.
“The problems that plagued the
industry will continue to exist, if not be magnified. Such a non-competitive
structure is inequitable, which leaves the small producers, the losers in the
supply chain and as they are dependent on subsidies to exist,” they said.
The researchers added that the
monopoly explains the slow growth of the industry as well as the low investment
of new capital and entry of young farmers into the industry, given the
unpromising prospects.
“The market inefficiencies such
as low quality of paddy and milling rate, limited technological progress,
unethical marketing practices such as adulteration of rice, limited value-added
activities, and minimal SME development will continue if the issues in the
market structure are not addressed,” they added.
The researchers said if the
government imposed additional social obligations on BERNAS, it would incur a
higher cost to BERNAS which later may be transferred to producers or consumers
either through lower price to producers or higher price to consumers.
“I think all stakeholders of the
Malaysian paddy and rice industry should recognize that value chain development
is the backbone of agricultural transformation. This is not just a matter of
food security; it also concerns farmer and consumer welfare as well as
improvement in the environmental and business ecosystems.
“If BERNAS is conceived as a
change agent, BERNAS would have to take the lead in installing a competitive
market, through empowering local entrepreneurs to seize opportunities and be
part of nation building,” Tey said, calling on the government to facilitate
through periodic monitoring and evaluation.
“Looking forward, since the
decision has been made, there is now an urgent need to provide programmes that
enhance the capacity of the smallholders by allowing them to participate in
milling activities and input distribution as well as crop diversification.
“Cooperatives among farmers
should be strengthened to improve their prospect of mobility in their business
activities. Other public goods such as R&D have to be intensified to
improve variety, cropping intensity, water management, small machines for small
farms, sustainable practices, precision farming and so on,” said Fatimah.
“In the long run, creating more
competition would generate more innovation in the paddy and rice industry,
which would enhance our national food security and ensure that our domestic
rice production can compete at the global level,” Yeoh added.
Read also:
Bernas to remain as single gatekeeper for rice imports, says minister
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/plan-liberalise-rice-industry-needed-says-ideas
Food, not
rice, security: Jakarta Post
Experts are arguing that peat areas are unsuitable for rice
cultivation and the benefits are likely to be limited.PHOTO: AFP
In its editorial, the paper says that focusing Indonesia's
food policy on rice production to the point of zero imports could hinder the
achievement of food security or food resilience in its broadest sense.
JAKARTA
(THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - President Joko "Jokowi"
Widodo's decision to develop 164,000 hectares of rice estates in Central
Kalimantan is conceptually inappropriate because the policy is predicated on
the perception that food security is defined almost solely as rice
self-sufficiency.
The huge
project is agronomically and environmentally not sustainable because a
substantial portion of the rice estate will be developed on peatland, which is for the
most part not suitable for growing rice.
Most
independent agronomists and environmentalists have warned that the project will
not be sustainable economically and ecologically and will only repeat the big
mistake of the mega rice project launched by then-president Suharto in the same
area in the mid-1990s.
However,
given Jokowi's stubborn obsession with achieving rice self-sufficiency, not a
single Cabinet member has dared to argue against the new project.
Ministers
and senior agriculture officials have blindly supported the plan, arguing that
the government will learn from the failure of the rice estate project in the
past, which wasted huge sums of taxpayer money.
Even the
World Bank in its July report on Indonesia pointed out that the large rice
estate project is environmentally and economically unfeasible, asserting that
the opening of such vast estates will only increase pressure on the land.
The
report quoted experts as arguing that peat areas are unsuitable for rice
cultivation and the benefits are likely to be limited.
On the
other hand, deep peat areas are important carbon sinks and the conversion of
peatland for agriculture generates large negative spillovers through forest and
land fires, pollution and peatland degradation.
Media
reports show that in 2019, fires burned across nearly 270,000 ha of land in
Central Kalimantan, much of which comprised the former mega rice project area
of the 1990s.
Many
research studies have concluded that rice and maize production can be doubled
and palm oil and horticulture output can be tripled with high-yield seeds and
the empowerment of farmers through agricultural extension services and better
farm practices in fertiliser and pest and post-harvest management.
We
should no longer be so greatly obsessed with achieving rice self-sufficiency.
True, the consumption of rice, as the main staple of the majority of the almost
270 million people, should be fulfilled mostly by domestic production because
too heavy dependence on imports leaves the nation highly vulnerable to supply
shocks given the small number of rice exporters.
But
focusing food policy on rice production to the point of zero imports could
hinder the achievement of food security or food resilience in its broadest
sense, as defined in the 2012 Food Law.
Indeed,
it is almost impossible for such a vast archipelagic country with such a huge
population to secure full rice self-sufficiency all the time.
The
growing urban middle-income population has undergone dietary and lifestyle
changes in recent years toward more grains and oilseed commodities, vegetables,
fruit, fish and chicken.
Hence,
while the agricultural support policy should continue to aim at keeping our
dependence on rice imports very low, the government should allocate more
resources to the production of other food crops and horticulture.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/food-not-rice-security-jakarta-post
Indonesian
soldiers offer rice harvesting assistance to Papuan farmers
ANTARA News
Papua/HO-Pendam XVII/Cenderawasih)
Food security is one of the important aspects for ensuring our
country's stability. Hence, solid cooperation from the entire nation is
indispensable
Merauke, Papua (ANTARA) - Personnel of the Indonesia-Papua New
Guinea Border Security Task Force from the 125/Simbisa Infantry Battalion lent
a helping hand to native Papuan farmers in Kondo Village, Neukenjerai
Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua Province, to harvest rice.
On Thursday, under the command of the task force's post commander, Second
Lieutenant Purwanta, seven soldiers were dispatched to help native Papuan
farmers -- Yakop Maiwa and Doce Sanggra -- harvest rice, the task force's
commander, Lt Col Anjuanda Pardosi, stated.
The soldiers' voluntary involvement in the villagers' rice harvesting process
is focused on supporting the government's food security program, especially
near the Indonesia-PNG border areas, and to maintain sound communication and
social ties with the local people, he expounded.
"Food security is one of the important aspects for ensuring our country's
stability. Hence, solid cooperation from the entire nation is
indispensable," he stated.
Pardosi believes that the soldiers assisting in the rice harvesting process was
expected to encourage local farmers to boost production of the commodity.
Maiwa expressed gratitude to the soldiers for their assistance that enabled him
to complete the rice harvesting process sooner than before.
Indonesia has yet to achieve food security, which by definition is related to
"food availability, food access, and food utilization" (USAID 1995 in
FAO) despite a steady rise in its population.
Instead of feeding its people the rice that is produced by its own farmers, the
central government has repeatedly imported rice over the past years to meet the
people's demands.
This condition has, indeed, posed a grave challenge and does not bode well with
Indonesia's status as one of the world's top agricultural countries.
Indonesia would be better off not importing rice from countries, including
Thailand and Vietnam, on a permanent basis. This is since rice imports would
potentially disadvantage local farmers and threaten its national security in
the long term.
On April 21, 2020, President Widodo had urged officials to make a precise
assessment of Indonesia's rice stocks.
The president's directive came close on the heels of the FAO of the United
Nations' warning of the COVID-19 pandemic triggering a global food crisis.
The Ministry of Agriculture has encouraged Indonesian farmers to implement an
integrated farming method to aid in enhancing the profitable usage of their
farmland to support the government's efforts to transform Indonesia into a food
barn.
Ideas: Liberalise padi and rice
industry if Bernas concession extended
SUNBIZ /
06 AUG 2020
/ 22:38 H.
PETALING JAYA: The Institute for Democracy
and Economic Affairs (Ideas) has urged the government to have a concrete plan
to liberalise the padi and rice industry if it is to extend Padiberas Nasional
Bhd’s (Bernas) concesson.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry
indicated that Bernas will continue to remain as the single gatekeeper for rice
imports. Although Bernas has fulfilled its social obligations, the monopoly has
created unintended negative consequences and missed opportunities for the padi
and rice industry.
Commenting on the issue, the co-authors of Ideas report
“Effectiveness of State Trading Enterprises in Achieving Food Security: Case
Studies from Bernas in Malaysia and Bulog in Indonesia”, Prof Datin Paduka
Fatimah Mohamed Arshad and Dr Tey Yeong Sheng, said the unwillingness of the
government to restructure the local rice industry is understandable; continuing
the status quo is a much a simpler decision than uprooting a 50-year-old
system, despite the calls from the previous government and industry players at
large to liberalise the sector.
It has other advantages too, such as minimal disruption and hence
the stability of the rice system and no hassle of restructuring activities,
which can be a formidable and risky task.
“However, this decision has a number of important implications.
The problems that plague the industry will continue to exist, if not be
magnified. Such a non-competitive structure is inequitable, which leaves the
small producers the losers in the supply chain and dependent on subsidies to
exist. This explains the slow growth of the industry as well as the low
investment of new capital and new entrants of young farmers into the industry
as the prospect is unpromising,“ Fatimah and Tey said in a statement.
They added that the market inefficiencies such as low quality of
padi and milling rate, limited technological progress, unethical marketing
practices such as adulteration of rice, limited value-added activities, and
minimal SME development will continue if the issues in the market structure are
not addressed.
If the government imposed additional social obligations on Bernas,
it would incur a higher cost to Bernas which later may be transferred to
producers or consumers either through lower price to producers or higher price
to consumers. 
“Stakeholders of the Malaysian paddy (padi) and rice industry
should recognise that value chain development is the backbone of agricultural
transformation. This is not just a matter of food security; it also concerns
farmer and consumer welfare as well as improvement in the environmental and
business ecosystems. If Bernas is conceived as a change agent, Bernas would
have to take the lead in installing a competitive market, through empowering
local entrepreneurs to seize opportunities and be part of nation building. The
government will also need to play the facilitation role, including periodic
monitoring and evaluation,” said Tey.
“Looking forward, since the decision has been made there is now an
urgent need to provide programmes that enhance the capacity of the smallholders
by allowing them to participate in milling activities and input distribution as
well as crop diversification. Cooperatives among farmers should be strengthened
to improve their prospect of mobility in their business activities. Other
public goods such as R&D has to be intensified to improve variety, cropping
intensity, water management, small machines for small farms, sustainable
practices, precision farming and so on,” Fatimah said.
Ideas CEO Tricia Yeoh said a concrete plan to liberalise the
market, which includes increasing the capacity of smallholders and ease of
entry into the industry, is required if the concession is extended.
“The timeframe of the extension should be reviewed as there are
many missed opportunities and unintended negative consequences that come with
the monopoly. In the long run, creating more competition would generate more
innovation in the paddy and rice industry, which would enhance our national
food security and ensure that our domestic rice production can compete at the
global level.” 
Pies, rice and dog food urgently
recalled over salmonella and nut allergy fears
Some
products may contain small pieces of sharp glass or ingredients not mentioned
on the label such as nuts
·
16:17, 4
AUG 2020
UPDATED16:25, 4 AUG 2020
Products may have even been
exposed to harmful salmonella (Image: Getty Images)
Food
products that could be dangerous to eat are being urgently recalled by major supermarkets across
the country.
Food
Standards Scotland shared the alerts over items including beef
pies, hot sauce, rice, scallops and dog food.
Some
items may contain small pieces of sharp glass or ingredients not mentioned on the
label such as nuts.
Other
products may have even been exposed to harmful salmonella.
Customers
are being advised not to eat any of the listed items and to return them
immediately in exchange for a full refund.
Here
are all the latest product recalls and the actions you should take if you have
purchased them:
Uncle
Ben’s Brown Basmati rice
Mars
Food UK is recalling Uncle Ben’s Brown Basmati ready to heat rice pouches as
some packs may contain pieces of glass.
The
possible presence of glass makes this product dangerous to eat.
Pack size: 250g
Best before dates: 17 November 2020 to 24 May
2021
Highland
Bay Seafoods Whole King Scallops
Highland
Bay Seafoods is recalling their Baked Whole King Scallops with a creamy leek
and kale sauce topped with mash potatoes because it contains fish which is not
mentioned on the label.
This
means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to fish.
Product: Baked Whole King Scallops with a creamy leek & kale
sauce topped with mash potato
Pack size: 200g (2 scallops in a pack)
‘Best before’ end date: 07/2020, 09/2020,
12/2020 and 04/2021
Batch codes / Lot numbers: R006, R007, R008 and 20106
Benyfit
Natural Pet Food
Benyfit
Natural Pet Food Ltd has taken the precautionary step of recalling several
types of frozen raw dog food products containing beef because the products
might contain salmonella.
These
products have been sold by various independent pet food stores and online.
Product: Beef Meat Feast, Beef & Tripe, Beef
& Ox, Succulent Beef, Raw Natural Working Dog Food Beef Complete,
Premium Beef, Unique Raw Chicken, Beef & Ox.
For
more information on expiry dates and batch codes, click here.
S&B
Golden Curry Medium Hot Sauce
JFC
(UK) Ltd is recalling S&B Golden Curry Medium Hot Sauce Mix because it
contains celery and mustard which are not mentioned on the label.
This
means the product could pose a risk to those allergic to celery or mustard.
Pack size: 1 kg
‘Best before’ end date: 22 December 2020, 16 March
2021, 07 May 2021, 23 May 2021, 12 June 2021, 10 July 2021
Allergens: Celery, Mustard
Waitrose
Beef and Ale Pie
Waitrose
& Partners are recalling Slow Cooked Beef and Ale Pie because it contains
hazelnuts and milk which are not mentioned on the label.
This
means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to
hazelnuts or an allergy or intolerance to milk.
Pack size: 400g
‘Best before’ end date: end: November 2021
Allergens: Milk, Nuts (hazelnut)
Batch codes / Lot numbers: L0125
RecordLifeStyle
Follow
@RecordLifestyle
·
Pets
·
Food
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/rice-pies-dog-food-urgently-22468115
Remembering
Sadia Dehlvi: Biryani recipe from her book Jasmine and Jinns
Her
book Jasmine and Jinns, published by HarperCollins India, is a treasure trove
of recipes and snippets of history. Here is an extract in which she wrote about
Biryani
By: Lifestyle Desk |
New Delhi | Published: August 6, 2020 7:10:15 pm
Dehlvi
passed away after fighting a prolong battle with cancer.
Writer,
author and food connoisseur, Sadia Dehlvi passed away yesterday after a prolong
battle with cancer.
When writing about food she blended instructions with warmth making her recipes
resemble little anecdotes. Her books The Sufi Courtyard,
Sufism: The Heart of Islam (2009), and Jasmine and Jinns: Memories and Recipes of My Delhi (2017)
are hugely popular and manage to regale readers even to this day.
Her
book Jasmine and Jinns, published by HarperCollins India, is
a treasure trove of recipes and snippets of history. Here is an extract from it
where she wrote about Biryani
Everybody
loves a good biryani. It is invariably associated with a dinner or banquet
hosted by Muslims. The Sindhis, Bohras,
Hyderabadis and others have their own versions of the biryani, which are
becoming popular. Readymade masala mixes from
Pakistan help you produce wonderful Sindhi biryani. However, I believe our
biryani is the ultimate, especially the biryani cooked by professionals that is
served at weddings and other occasions. Dilliwalas have a couple of different
recipes for biryani, but I am going to reveal the easiest home version. I don’t
remember eating chicken biryani in my childhood, for biryani was traditionally
made with mutton. However, in the last decade or so, chicken biryani has become
quite popular, even at
weddings. I think the rising cost of mutton is the reason for the changeover.
Chicken biryani tastes good but, frankly, it doesn’t come close to the original
mutton biryani.
Traditionally,
the ratio of meat used in biryani is ded guna, which is one-and-a-half times
the quantity of the rice. In the old days, saffron was used but with good
quality saffron difficult to find, most of us use food colouring. If you add
saffron, then nothing like it. Earlier, haarsingar flowers, called night
jasmine in English, were soaked in water that was added to biryani for
colouring and fragrance. Women used the remaining water to colour their
dupattas. Commonly used in ayurvedic and unani medicine, these flowers are sold
at about `3,000 a kilogram in some shops in the old city.
3⁄4
kg – Mutton or chicken
1⁄2 kg – Basmati rice
2 tsp – Garlic
11⁄2 tsp – Ginger
10 – Green cardamoms
8 – Cloves
300 gm – Curd
3⁄4 cup – Oil or desi ghee
1⁄2 cup – Milk
2 tsp – Kewra water
1⁄2 tsp – Saffron or saffron colour
1 cup – Desi ghee or oil
Salt to taste
Soak
the basmati rice for 30 to 45 minutes. Heat oil, add 4 cloves and 5 green
cardamoms and leave for a minute or two. Cardamoms are best when slightly
crushed. Add the garlic, ginger, salt and meat, frying for a few minutes. Add
the curd and continue frying till the oil separates from the meat. Now add
about 2-3 cups water, and pressure-cook for one whistle. Or let the meat cook
on slow flame till the meat is three-fourth done.
Now
add the soaked rice along with the remaining 4 cloves and 5 cardamoms to the
meat. The water in the utensil should remain about 21⁄2″ above the rice. Add a
little more water if necessary. Cook on medium flame, when the water is
absorbed, then minimise the flame. Now, mix the saffron or saffron colouring
with milk and pour around the rice. Sprinkle the kewra over it as well.
Place a thick cloth or small
towel over the utensil before placing the lid. Leave on dum for 10 to 15
minutes till the rice and meat are done. One of the signs of a good biryani is
that the rice should not be overcooked. Each grain of rice should remain
separate from the other.
Punjab CM urges PM not to allow
GI tagging of MP basmati
Chandigarh, Aug 5 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his
personal intervention to not allow Geographical Indication (GI) tagging of 13
basmati producing districts of Madhya Pradesh in the larger interest of the
other basmati producing state’s, including Punjab.
Apart from Punjab, other states which already
have GI tagging for basmati are Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi,
Western Uttar Pradesh and select districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Noting that the All India Rice Exporters
Association is also opposed to consider any claim of Madhya Pradesh for GI
tagging for basmati, raising concerns about its serious negative impact on
India’s export potential, the Chief Minister noted that India exports basmati
to the tune of Rs 33,000 crore every year, but any dilution in registration of
Indian basmati may give advantage to Pakistan, which also produces basmati as
per GI tagging, in the international market in terms of basmati characteristics
and quality parameters.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief
Minister has drawn his attention to the economically and socially important
issue of geographical tagging, saying that GI tagging of Madhya Pradesh basmati
would negatively impact the state’s agriculture and also India’s basmati
exports.
Madhya Pradesh has sought the inclusion of 13
of its districts for GI tagging for basmati.
Urging Modi to direct the authorities not to
disturb the status quo in this matter, the Chief Minister said that this was
essential for safeguarding the interests of the farmers and the basmati
exporters of India.
As per the geographical indications of the
Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, a “geographical indication tag
can be issued for agricultural goods that are originating in the territory of a
country, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality,
reputation or other characteristics of such goods is essentially attributable
to its geographical origin”.
“GI tag for basmati is given to the
traditionally growing areas of basmati due to their special aroma and quality
and taste of the grain, which is indigenous to the region below the foothills
of Himalayas in the Indo-Gangetic plains, and basmati of this area has distinct
recognition across the world,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
–IANS
