News Headlines...
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Depressed price of new rice crop
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Exports suffer as Sacramento Valley rice crop
takes hit in drought
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Rice millers refuse to procure paddy
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Texas Rice Festival celebrates farming culture
in Southeast Texas
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Farm-to-Fork Festival draws 50,000
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El Niño takes toll on US rice farmers – and
points to even higher prices
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In praise of a high-protein whole grain you
probably haven’t eaten lately
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Exports to Peru Continue to Skyrocket
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National Rice Month Promotional Item of the
Week
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Crop Progress:
2015 Crop 69 Percent Harvested
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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State's rice harvest down from '14 Midway into
season, up to 10% decline expected for year
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Paddy procurement faces rough weather
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Indonesia has adequate rice stock: President
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Rice exports face difficulties
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Gov`t to Conduct Market Operation to Reduce
Rice Prices
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Water resources, eroding land need saving
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Vietnamese farmers suffer from price fall
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Low-Carb… Carbs? How to Hack Your Rice With Coconut
Oil
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Pollution agency plans to stick with draft
sulfate standards for wild rice
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Billion Dollar Green Campaigns Kill Poor
Children
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Rice exports forecast to reach 6 million ton
this year
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Rice exporters blame state, Centre for basmati
growers' plight
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Turning opera inside out: how I got Lost in
Thought
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APEDA COMMODITY NEWS FROM INDIA
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Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
News
Detail....
BARRING minor issues of some seasonal diseases, the FY15 paddy
crop in Sindh is said to be bumper and healthy. The paddy producers’ only worry
is the low price of the commodity in the market at a time when their cost of
production is attaining new highs.The Sindh-based growers do not pin much hope
on the recently announced Rs341bn package for farmers. The province’s current
paddy crop is estimated at 724,000 hectares, according to agriculture
department reports. The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) had proposed a
target of 781,000 hectares for the province.The price for coarse paddy variety
has dropped as exports are falling. Paddy producers are being offered a price
of Rs750 per 40kg — or the rate prevalent in the year 2008. The growers believe
that the government is neither willing to announce a support price nor is it
ready to procure rice from millers at a fair price so that they could get a
better deal from the rice millers.
The price for
coarse paddy variety in Sindh has dropped as exports are falling
A paddy producer in upper Sindh,
Gadda Hussain Mahesar, says the farmers’ cost of production varies between
Rs35,000-40,000 per acre. Given the market rate of Rs750 per 40kg, they are
getting a raw deal. The Rs5,000 per acre subsidy announced in the relief
package for each paddy grower in Sindh and Punjab is a joke, he adds.Pakistan’s
rice exports have been declining, says Sindh Abadgar Board’s Abdul Majeed
Nizamani. China has stopped importing the coarse variety that is mainly grown
in Sindh due to its own crop surplus.While he realises that the global surplus
has affected international prices of the crop, “we contend that regional
countries have not left their farmers in the lurch. Instead, they are procuring
the crop from their growers at prices fixed by their governments to save their
farmers from incurring losses”.
Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Bux Sathio
points out that the paddy crop has started to reach the market when the earlier
harvest is fetching better prices. But this time, it is not more than Rs700 per
40kg or so. Last year, the earlier crop had fetched Rs1,000 before dropping
significantly when the fresh crop had arrived in the market.He believes that
the government doesn’t plan the crop’s size and that if paddy is sown as per
properly assessed foreign and domestic consumption requirements, the rice
market will become more competitive locally and the farmers will be the ultimate
beneficiaries.
The farmers have already invested much on their crop by using
the required doses of fertiliser and incurring fuel expenses for tube-wells to
water their fields in areas where the groundwater is sweet and irrigation water
flows inadequate.The paddy crop is grown in the non-perennial canals’ command
areas of Guddu and Sukkur barrages. Farmers in these areas have no option but
to grow paddy. And while they have tried to grow cotton in some elevated land
pockets, the crop is usually sown in early kharif, when irrigation water supply
is not enough in Sindh. Same is the case with the Kotri Barrage’s command area,
where paddy is being cultivated.As an alternative to rice, many landowners have
tried to grow sugarcane. But they face supply and price problems in dealing
with sugar mills, and the government does not safeguard their legitimate
interests. They are left with no choice but to sow paddy.
Published in Dawn, Business &
Finance weekly, September 28th, 2015
Exports suffer as Sacramento Valley rice
crop takes hit in drought
Arkansas grabs overseas rice markets from California
International shift is likely temporary, but doubts emerge
Rice harvest coming in 30 percent smaller than normal
Sacramento Valley's rice harvest is 30 percent smaller
than usual. Exports are hurting. Dale Kasler The Sacramento Bee
BY DALE
KASLER
KNIGHTS LANDING
It’s harvest time in Sacramento Valley rice country, and like a
lot of farmers in the state, rice grower Fritz Durst loves the idea that
California agriculture helps feed the world.It’s more than an idle boast.
Traditionally, nearly half of the state’s agricultural output is shipped each
year to international destinations, from Mexico to the Middle East, yielding
$20 billion annually in sales.This year is shaping up differently, however. A
fourth debilitating year of drought has put California’s role in the global
food chain to a test. Some commodities are coming up short, and exports are
beginning to suffer.Anxiety about the shift runs high in the Sacramento Valley.
The rice crop is likely to run at least 30 percent smaller than normal because
of water shortages.
As a result, Northern California growers have lost customers in
traditionally strong markets in the Mediterranean and Middle East.Rice grown in
Arkansas and other Southern states has filled much of the void, along with rice
from Europe and Australia. It’s likely just a temporary shift. But after
back-to-back years of weak crops, some Sacramento Valley growers are starting
to worry about their long-term international prospects even if El Niño packs a
serious punch this winter, as some forecasters predict.“I’m concerned because
once you lose a market ... people get accustomed to someone else’s product,”
said Durst, a fifth-generation Knights Landing farmer, as he trudged through
one of his fallowed fields.
Durst, who grows rice and other commodities in Yolo and Colusa
counties, planted just 300 acres of rice this year, half the normal amount.Many
trade experts say California should be able to recapture the lost overseas
markets once the drought ends, water supplies improve and the rice crop bounces
back. acramento Valley rice, widely found in sushi restaurants, is considered
superior in quality to what’s grown in the South. Even California’s competitors
say so.“We’re not a threat to California,” said Bobby Coats, a farm economist
and trade expert at the University of Arkansas. “Any market share we gain from
California will not be sustained in the future, end of story, until we come up
with a better product.
”Nevertheless, some doubts have crept in among California rice
exporters. Along with the effects of the drought, they’re also getting
clobbered by the strength of the dollar, which makes U.S. goods more expensive
overseas. Southern farmers obviously have to deal with a strong dollar, too,
but they have lower growing costs and can sell their rice for about one-third
less than their California counterparts.Eager to capitalize on California’s
drought, Southern farmers last year doubled their production of medium-grain
rice, the variety that’s often exported. Figures for this year aren’t yet
available, but it’s clear the Southern growers are making inroads in countries
such as Lebanon, Turkey, Libya and Jordan.“Those countries will take Southern
rice if the California rice is not available,” said Nathan Childs, a U.S.
Department of Agriculture economist. “This movement was caused by the drought.
It was not a change in preference caused by taste.”One boon for
California is that sales to the major export markets, Japan and South Korea,
have remained intact, said Kirk Messick, senior vice president at
Farmers’
Rice Cooperative, a Sacramento-based
marketing company. Messick said he thinks the other customers eventually will
return.For now, though, Messick said the loss of business in the Middle East
and Mediterranean have hurt. Overall exports have fallen by more than 20
percent in the past year, and the prospects for this year’s stunted crop aren’t
terrific.“We’re going to lose demand,” Messick said. “We could lose domestic
markets as well.”The concerns aren’t limited to the rice business. The supply
of almonds,
one of the most important
commodities grown in California, is expected to shrink by 4 percent.
“We’ll just have to see how we can best satisfy that demand as the year
progresses with a smaller crop,” said Julie Adams, a vice president of the
Almond Board of California, in an email. California growers sold $4.2 billion
worth of almonds overseas in 2013, more than any other commodity. More recent
figures weren’t available.
Pistachio production seems to have been hurt by the drought as
well, although it’s too soon to say how big the crop will be and what impact
that will have on sales to China and other key markets. “With the high demand
that has been in place for pistachios around the world, we could sell much more
than what we have,” said Richard Matoian, executive director of American
Pistachio Growers, a trade group based in Fresno.Jock O’Connell, a Sacramento
economist and trade consultant, said international food processors and
importers are growing restless about California’s weather patterns and water
supplies, and are exploring alternatives.“Guys overseas are pretty shrewd,”
said O’Connell, who analyzes international trade trends for Beacon Economics of
Los Angeles. “They’re looking around and saying, ‘How reliable will California
growers be,’ and they have plenty of reason to be skeptical.
“There’s a lot of talk in the ag sector about the danger of
(California farmers) becoming unreliable suppliers,” he added. “There’s a chance
it will open up opportunities for growers in other regions of the U.S., and
other countries.”The California Department of Food and Agriculture says
California exported $704 million worth of rice in 2013, the last year for which
figures are available. That year, some 560,000 acres were harvested, a fairly
typical season. This year, the harvest will encompass only 375,000 acres,
according to the
California Rice Commission. Export sales are sure to fall.Ordinarily this is Durst’s
favorite season, the two-week sprint to bring in the rice crop. “It’s like
watching your child graduate from college,” he said. “It’s what you work
for.”This year, with only half his rice fields planted, the experience is
bittersweet.
The sharp cutbacks have as much to do with the timing of water
deliveries from the state’s government-run plumbing network as they do with the
total supply of water. Compared with areas south of the Delta, water is
actually fairly plentiful in the Sacramento Valley. But this spring,
regulators kept more water than
usual in storage at Lake Shasta, as part of a complicated effort
to keep water temperatures lower in the reservoir to assist winter-run Chinook
salmon. That meant much of the water didn’t arrive in time for spring
planting.“We couldn’t get our water deliveries when we needed them,” Durst
said.It was hardly a financial loss for most farmers. Though they couldn’t
plant their full crops, many in the Sacramento Valley were able to sell much of
the water that did arrive. A deal with the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water
Authority, a large agricultural agency in the parched San Joaquin Valley, generated
plenty of revenue: more than $600 per acre-foot of water.
Durst, one of those who participated in the sale, said he’ll
probably make more money from that transaction than he would producing rice.
But he called water sales a “Band-Aid” and not a permanent fix for the
Sacramento Valley’s water problems.“My business is to grow rice,” Durst said,
adding that the massive fallowing has hurt the regional economy. “Some of the
rice warehouses are struggling because they don’t have enough inventory. The
trickle-down effect is going to be felt here.”The impact is global. California
rice farmers have spent decades pushing to get their products sold overseas,
with considerable success.
While California generates only a quarter of U.S. rice production,
until recently it has been responsible for a third of the exports. A big part
of the story is a 1993 trade agreement known as the Uruguay Round, which opened
doors in Japan and South Korea. All told, anywhere from 55 percent to 65
percent of the California rice crop is exported, Messick said.Now, the industry
worries about backsliding.“You work very hard to gain markets and it takes a
long time to gain those markets back,” said Tim Johnson, president of the rice
commission. “Next year is far from certain, even if we have a normal planting
year.”
TOP EXPORT MARKETS
The leading international customers of California rice, in 2013:
1. Japan
2. South Korea
3. Jordan
4. Turkey
5. Canada
6. Taiwan
Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article36705894.html#storylink=cpy
Rice
millers refuse to procure paddy
CHANDIGARH: Paddy procurement plans of Haryana
government hit the roadblock on Monday as rice millers refused to buy produce
of farmers from the grain markets even as the state announced purchase three
days back. The situation may turn worse as a series of meeting between
office-bearers of Haryana Rice Millers Association and the government,
represented by additional chief secretary (food and supplies) S S Parsad,
failed on Monday.On the other hand, upset over non-starting of paddy
procurement, farmers staged an agitation and threatened to block rail tracks
and major national highway in case the government failed to start the process.
"We have been able to resume to the
procurement in Ambala and some other places. We are also in touch with the rice
exporters association as well. At the same time we are hopeful about millers
starting the procurement. We are quite positive about future," said ACS
Parsad.Rice millers' association president Hans Raj confirmed the failure of
talks with the state government. He ruled out possibility of starting
procurement until their demands were accepted."Government has been
deducting money on account of damage to rice. Besides this, millers are forced
to bear the brunt of irrational tax liabilities and electricity charges. The
new procurement policy is full of errors. Let the old policy prevail. We won't
procure even a single grain until our demands are fulfilled," Hans Raj
said.Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar and Fatehabad and some
parts of Yamunanagar are among the paddy growing areas of Haryana.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Rice-millers-refuse-to-procure-paddy/articleshow/49147719.cms
Texas Rice
Festival celebrates farming culture in Southeast Texas
By Michelle Heath
Updated 11:04 am, Monday,
September 28, 2015
Photo:
File Photo
Two
rice farmers work on changing the cutting blades of a mower at their farm.
SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES
Before refineries riddled the Southeast Texas landscape, settlers
came to the coastal area with a simple lifestyle in mind: rice farming.Even as
the number of rice farmers in the area dwindles, locals still come together at
the Texas Rice Festival in Winnie every year to celebrate the industry that
helped the Southeast Texas economy thrive in the late 1800s and early 1900s.The
1960s trade embargo with Cuba caused local rice farms to decline. There were
about 300 rice farmers before the embargo, and today there are only about 40,
according to previous Enterprise reporting.
But the culture the industry
created, it seems, won't easily go away.The Texas Rice Festival, created in
1968, is in its 47th year and kicks of Wednesday in Winnie.Rice farming started
more than a century before, around the 1850s, and the rice was mostly planted
by hand, according to the
Texas Historical Association.
The first major rice farmer in the
area, David French, sowed his first seeds by hand using an oxen to
plow.French's daughter was tasked with keeping the birds away from the short
rows of maturing rice.The rice was milled from its husk using a wooden mortar
and pestle, which was unable to get the white glistening rice familiar to
consumers today.
Make sure and try some of Johnny
O's Famous fresh squeezed Lemonade at the 43rd annual Rice Festival which
kicked off on Wednesday, October, 3, 2012 at the Winnie-Stoell Park. Photo
taken: Randy Edwards/The Enterprise
The 43rd annual Rice Festival
kicked off on Wednesday, October, 3, 2012 at the Winnie-Stoell Park. Photo
taken: Randy Edwards/The EnterpriseFrench's first yields were only
enough for his family. Any extra was used for chicken feed.Commercial
production of rice picked up in Texas after the completion of the
transcontinental railroad in 1883 and the establishment of a rice irrigation
and canal system, which led to the formation of the
Lower Neches Valley Authority.The family farms that were once passed down from one
generation to the next aren't seeing the same excitement from young people
today or even the youths going away to college in the 1990s, according to
Enterprise archives.
Since the late '90s, rice farmers
still haven't had it easy. The threat of the drought in 2012 caused many to
worry where they'd get their water from when the
Lower Colorado River Authority announced it would not provide water for Texas
farmers.Fortunately, Lower Neches Valley Authority sold the water to local rice
farmers.Local rice industry representatives believe that lifting the embargo
with Cuba might encourage some to get back into Southeast Texas rice farming,
according to Enterprise archives.But even if the industry completely fades from
the region's economy, the Texas Rice Festival is one way Southeast Texas will
keep the rice farming culture alive.Read the complete story in the
Beaumont Enterprise.Southeast
Texas Tales is a weekly feature that examines regional history.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Texas-Rice-Festival-celebrates-farming-culture-in-6534817.php
Farm-to-Fork Festival
draws 50,000
Attendees pack Capitol Mall on Saturday for celebration
Chance to meet farmers, taste produce is part of the attraction
Focus on agriculture and eating local continues to resonate with
city dwellers
Sacramento's third annual
Farm-to-Fork Festival on Sept. 26, 2015, featured lots of appetizing
give-aways. Debbie Arrington The Sacramento Bee
BY DEBBIE
ARRINGTON
Sacramento turned out in strength for Saturday’s free taste of
farm-to-fork fun.
An estimated 50,000 patrons – 15,000 more than last year –
strolled Capitol Mall during the third annual Farm-to-Fork Festival, the
largest event during the city’s three-week food-centric celebration.“When we
opened the gates at 11 a.m., it looked like midday last year,” said Steve
Hammond, CEO of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, which
coordinates the event. “It was so crowded. I thought people were just trying to
beat the afternoon heat, but the crowd was just as strong all afternoon.
”Armed with sunscreen and comfortable shoes, festivalgoers browsed
hundreds of displays, tasting locally grown products and collecting samples. In
addition to a fleet of food trucks, they found dozens of booths featuring
familiar restaurants offering special festival menu items.At stages set up in
the grassy median, chefs demonstrated recipes and talked about healthy eating.
Patrons stopped to sample locally brewed beer made from locally grown
hops.“It’s a beautiful experience,” said Dean Peckham, a partner in United Hops,
a Yuba City hop farm that supplies several local brewers. “The turnout for this
event keeps growing exponentially. It’s really energizing. A lot of people are
interested in the farm-to-fork or, as we put it, farm-to-glass movement.”At UC
Davis’ booth, Kelly Kong and Nancy Zheng made olive-branch wreaths decorated
with chive, oregano and yarrow blossoms for visitors to wear.“All of this was
grown at our student farm,” Kong said.
“This is a really great event. I’m surprised by how many people
are here.”Added Zheng: “A lot of people don’t think about where their food
comes from. This is a simple way to show that connection.”That connection is
key, said Jim Morris of the California Rice Commission, which brought out a
huge combine along with rice-related giveaways such as bamboo serving paddles.
“Of the rice California produces, 97 percent is grown in the Sacramento Valley,
yet locally, most people don’t know that.”Part of the fest’s appeal was meeting
farmers face to face and learning about their crops.“People want to eat healthy
and support local farms,” said Citrus Heights’ Bal Bains, who was attending the
fest for the first time with her husband, Randy. “It’s great to meet the
farmers and see their fresh produce.
”“We love all the vegetables and fruit,” Randy Bains said. “We
wanted to see what this was all about, and it’s pretty nice.”A first-time fest
vendor, Jordan Henry of Roseville’s Fresh Way Fish, was busy selling steelhead
trout fillets at his farmers market booth.“I just love the variety of vendors –
everybody is here!” Henry said. “It makes it a pretty awesome
event.”Sacramento’s branding as “America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital” is taking
hold, said attendees and participants.“We’re very much into the farm-to-fork
experience,” said Sacramento resident Tony Panariello, another festival
first-timer, who attended with wife Cheryl. “When you think about it, we’re in
the middle of all this agriculture. It makes sense.”Sunday evening’s
$175-a-plate bridge dinner gala wraps up Sacramento’s farm-to-fork festivities,
which started with the inaugural
California Craft Beer Summit on Sept.
11.
Other events included Restaurant Weeks, with local eateries
serving special locally sourced menus, and Legends of Wine, with area
winemakers toasted on the steps of the Capitol.Meanwhile, F2F Fest has
quintupled in size in three years. The first fest in 2013 drew about 10,000
people.“We’re very encouraged by the attendance,” Hammond said. “Several
vendors have already asked me about getting additional space next year. No
question, we’ll have to expand further up the mall, not only to accommodate the
vendors, but all the people. We couldn’t have dreamed by year three that we
would have this sort of support. ... The community has embraced (farm-to-fork)
because it’s genuine.”
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article36731439.html
El Niño takes toll on US rice farmers – and points to
even higher prices
Weather has caused planting delays in the southern states and
while the price hike is limited to the US, experts wonder if parts of Asia will
be next
El Niño made its mark in south-east Asia, too,
causing harvest shortfalls because of weather extremes such as floods in Burma
and droughts in Thailand. Photograph: Luong Thai Linh/EPA
Blame El Niño. The weather phenomenon is causing havoc for US
rice farmers and a sharp price spike in the world’s most important staple food
may foreshadow possibly higher prices in Asia in the coming months.While other
commodities have hit recent lows, US rice futures prices are up nearly 40%, to
about $12.90 per hundredweight, their highest level since August 2014.
In sharp contrast, soybean and cotton prices are at their lowest
level since early 2009, while sugar prices are just off their lowest levels
since 2008. And matters are likely to get worse.The latest El Niño pattern is cheering some in drought-ridden California where it promises some much needed
rain and snow. But it caused planting delays this spring in the Mississippi
Delta – Arkansas, Missisissipi and Louisiana – and Texas, the main US
rice-growing regions. During the growing season, perpetually cloudy days and
warm nights, caused by another weather system, created the worst conditions for
rice production, said Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors,
an agricultural advisory firm. He noted harvests in Arkansas and Texas are
likely to be about 15 to 20% below average.
“The crop is an
unmitigated disaster,” he said.So far the price rally is limited to US rice
prices, as Asian prices are still reflecting a large overhang in supplies, largely
because of the former Thai government stockpiling rice – as much as a
three-year supply, said Jack Scoville, vice-president at Price Futures Group,
under a vote-buying scheme. All that rice caused prices to crater, so in the
past few years farmers haven’t planted as much. Demand, though hasn’t changed,
and a lot of the stocks that were built up are quickly vanishing.And El Niño
made its mark in south-east Asia, too, causing harvest shortfalls because of
weather extremes such as floods in Burma and droughts in Thailand. Earlier this
month the US Department of Agriculture reduced its forecast for global rice
production because of lower harvests in several key countries. This is the
first year-to-year decrease in global rice production since 2009-10, they said.
The world is quickly eating through big supplies created in the
past few years. USDA’s forecast for the 2015-16 growing season estimates
globally there will be 90.85m tonnes (metric tons) of rice available after
accounting for supply and demand. While that seems plentiful, it’s down from
101.8m tonnes last year and 107.4m tonnes the year before. Bill Nelson, senior
economist at Doane Advisory Service, said the average global inventory over the
past 25 to 30 years is typically 100m tonnes or more, and that the last time
the world had such small reserves was in 2007, when prices eventually hit
record highs.El Niño is expected to strengthen and peak later this year, but
the impact of the weather anomaly could still be felt for four or five months
afterward, possibly as late as early February, said Dale Molher, expert senior
meteorologist at Accuweather.com.
That could spell trouble for farmers in south-east Asian
countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia who will face these
ongoing dry conditions as they prepare to plant again soon. Because of less
rain earlier in the year, reservoir levels are down, meaning less water to
irrigate crops, Hackett said. As it is, the Thai government is restricting how
much farmers can plant because of the drought.The low Asian rice prices may not
last as the combination of this summer’s harvest shortfalls, farmers possibly
planting less and forecasts for detrimental weather will have future
ramifications.“El Niño is still going to be a major force as we move forward.
Most of the effects are really yet to come. Production will be impacted, but no
one knows how much,” Scoville said.
Currently, the price for high-quality Thai rice, a global
benchmark, is around $350 a tonne. Comparatively, the US price, calculated in
tonne, is $550. Normally US and Thai prices have only about a $60 to $70
difference, Hackett said.Hackett and Scoville said there are signs Asian buyers
are concerned about future supply which may boost prices there. The Philippines
is importing rice because of harvest shortfalls, and Indonesia may import rice
for the same reason, they said. In August, Burma put an export ban in place
because of low supplies.“So far the Asian price has been stable to weak because
of the Thai [situation] and India had a pretty good crop. But I think the worm
is going to turn over there … sooner than later,” Scoville said, who said
prices could start to move by the end of the year.Hackett said Thai prices
could rise to $500 or $600 a tonne, perhaps by spring.
It is important to keep an eye out on rice prices because rice
is one of the three main cereal crops, along with wheat and corn. Those three
crops make up two-thirds of what the world eats, according to the FAO. How much
of an impact rising rice prices will have on consumers is unknown. Luckily for
eaters, no one is forecasting a return to the sharply higher price seen in 2007
and 2008 when riots broke out over record high rice prices. Back then, supplies
of all staple food crops such as rice, wheat and corn were low and prices high,
so there was no alternative for buyers.But we’re not likely to see riots this
time around, as countries like the Philippines are seeking to add to their
wares. This year, Nelson said, although rice supplies are tight, wheat supplies
are at record levels and prices are low, so he said people most affected by
high prices could gravitate to buying wheat-based foods. Still, high rice
prices can affect the poorest of the poor.The global economic situation now is
also different than 2007-08, Hackett said.“We’re not necessarily going to see
that kind of a wild, unbridled spike … because we’re dealing with a
deflationary commodity environment. But having said that, higher prices will be
seen in medium term,” he said.
In praise of a
high-protein whole grain you probably haven’t eaten lately
By Joe Yonan Food and Dining Editor September 28 at 7:00 AM
Wild Rice, Pear and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With
Walnuts. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)
I’m attracted to underdog ingredients: the lesser-known, the
slightly obscure, the quirky. When kale is the green of the moment, I want to
talk aboutmustard greens. When all I hear is quinoa, quinoa, quinoa, I’m apt to
bring upbarley. Sell me on tofu, and I’ll counter with tempeh.Joe Yonan is the Food and Dining editor of The
Washington Post and the author of "Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for
the Single Cook." He writes the Food section's Weeknight Vegetarian
column. I’ll defend those preferences to the end, but I’ll also
acknowledge that they make me run the risk of seeming like the culinary
equivalent of those too-cool-for-school music fans. You know, the ones who
would sooner die than admit that the latest Taylor Swift song has an appealing
hook, and whose fandom always seems in directly inverse proportion to record
sales.That is what brings me to wild rice. When is the last time you cooked
with it? I’ll bet it was last Thanksgiving, or possibly the Thanksgiving before
that, if not still longer ago. I’ve had a bag crammed among dozens and dozens
of other grains in my pantry for months and months now, and I’ve been waiting
for a recipe to come my way that would inspire me to break it out.
The one that did the trick is from Robin Asbell’s new cookbook,
“The Whole Grain Promise” (Running Press, 2015): You cook the wild rice, then
toss it with roasted sweet potato chunks, pears, scallions and parsley, coat
the whole affair in a simple maple-lemon dressing, and sprinkle walnuts on top.
This autumnal beauty could be a simple salad on any given weeknight, or a
festive side dish for a holiday party.
Besides its delightfully chewy texture and nutty flavor, wild
rice turns out to have one of the highest levels of protein of any whole grain
(it’s technically a grass). Higher, even, than quinoa (which is technically a
seed). But the fact that it’s underused might be the best selling point of all.
In Asbell’s book, with its multiple choices of recipes that feature buckwheat
and oats and brown rice, guess how many call for wild rice?
Just one. Which makes it perfect for me.Wild Rice, Pear and
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Walnuts
6 servings (makes about 7 cups)
Truly wild rice and cultivated wild rice have different cooking
times; the following directions give times for both.
MAKE AHEAD: The finished salad can be refrigerated in an
airtight container for a day or two. If you want to store it for another day or
so, leave out the pears; chop and add them just before serving.
Adapted from “The Whole Grain Promise: More Than 100 Delicious
Recipes to Jumpstart a Healthier Diet,” by Robin Asbell (Running Press, 2015).
INGREDIENTS
3 cups water
1 cup wild rice or a rice blend (see headnote)
1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 medium ripe pears, cored but not peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped, for garnish
STEPS
First, cook the wild rice: Add the water to a 2-quart pot and
bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and return to a boil, then reduce
the heat to medium, cover and cook. For hand-harvested wild rice, start
checking in 20 minutes. Cultivated rice may take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once the
rice is tender and just starting to split apart at the ends, drain well. Let
cool.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet
potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast
until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.Combine the wild rice, sweet
potatoes, parsley, scallions and pears in a large mixing bowl. (If you’re
planning to refrigerate the salad for a few days, leave out the pears at this
point.)
Whisk together the remaining oil, the lemon juice, maple syrup,
salt and pepper in a small bowl, until emulsified.
Pour the dressing over the wild rice mixture and toss to coat.
Serve topped with walnuts.
A previous version of this article omitted lemon juice from the
ingredients list. This version has been corrected.
Nutrition | Per serving: 370 calories, 7 g protein, 52 g
carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 7
g dietary fiber, 15 g sugar
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/in-praise-of-a-high-protein-whole-grain-you-probably-havent-eaten-lately/2015/09/28/34a74884-63bc-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html
Exports to Peru Continue to Skyrocket
Chef Israel Laura preparing fresh
paella
LIMA, PERU -- U.S. rice exports to
Peru continue to climb, with a dramatic increase of more than 970 percent from
2013 to 2014. Because local production
is not sufficient to meet consumption needs, exports have again increased 5
percent (to more than 5,500 MT) in the first seven months of this year compared
with the first seven months of 2014.
Promotional efforts in the country are keeping
pace. Earlier this month, USA Rice
teamed up with the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) to present a
series of cooking workshops featuring American rice and poultry.The first
seminar was conducted at Comercial Tres Estrellas S.A., a wholesale company
with 30 years' experience marketing food to the hotel, restaurant, and
institutional sectors of Peru. The
government of Peru is actually their primary customer.
"Our company has a social
responsibility [to] the Peruvian state...providing food of high quality and
safety," said Walter Medina Quispe, head of the department of nutrition at
Comercial Tres Estrellas. "We
ensure our raw materials [are] of the highest quality and our staff [is
properly trained]. Seminars like this
help make all of this possible."
At the workshop, participants
learned about the U.S. rice industry, preparation techniques, and how to
increase profits using U.S.-grown rice.
Israel Laura, renowned executive chef, culinary professor, and TV
personality, conducted the seminar with plans for two more before the end of
September.
"It's amazing what you can do with
rice," Laura said. "This seminar provides a comprehensive
understanding of the types of U.S. rice available here, and how to combine
these American ingredients of the finest quality with the cooking techniques
and flavors of Peruvian cuisine."
Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457
National
Rice Month Promotional Item of the Week
Order these Think Rice croakies and other promotional items at the
USA Rice Online Store or print and mail the item order form.
Crop Progress: 2015 Crop 69 Percent
Harvested
|
WASHINGTON, DC --
Sixty-nine percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is harvested, according
to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report.
|
|
Rice Headed, Selected States
|
|
Week Ending
|
|
State
|
Sept 27, 2014
|
Sept 20, 2015
|
Sept 27, 2015
|
2010-2014 average
|
|
Percent
|
|
Arkansas
|
59
|
57
|
72
|
68
|
|
California
|
12
|
15
|
35
|
13
|
|
Louisiana
|
96
|
95
|
98
|
98
|
|
Mississippi
|
69
|
59
|
76
|
72
|
|
Missouri
|
44
|
20
|
48
|
56
|
|
Texas
|
98
|
97
|
98
|
99
|
|
Six States
|
57
|
55
|
69
|
63
|
|
|
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice
Futures
|
CME Group
(Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for September 28
|
November 2015
|
$13.340
|
+ $0.070
|
|
January 2016
|
$13.630
|
+ $0.070
|
|
March 2016
|
$13.845
|
+ $0.070
|
|
May 2016
|
$14.000
|
+ $0.070
|
|
July 2016
|
$14.035
|
- $0.010
|
|
September 2016
|
$13.090
|
UNCH
|
|
November 2016
|
$13.090
|
UNCH
|
|
State's
rice harvest down from '14 Midway into season, up to 10% decline expected for
year
Posted: September 26, 2015 at 2:47 a.m.
Benjamin KrainRice is harvested Thursday in a field near Stuttgart. Arkansas
farmers planted about 1.1. million acres of long-grain rice this year,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The 2015 Arkansas rice harvest is about half over, and industry
experts said this week they expect yields to decline from last year's record
performance.
A truck waits for unloading Thursday at the Riceland complex in
Stuttgart. (By: Benjamin Krain)
"It's been far from the yield we would like to see," said
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture.Hardke said he expected average rice yields statewide
to decline between 5 percent and 10 percent, from 168 bushels per acre in 2014
to about 155 bushels in 2015.Hardke said he had initially expected a statewide
drop of between 10 percent and 15 percent. As the harvest progressed, however,
he said that production improved on farms north of Interstate 40, raising the
expected statewide average.
He noted that yields vary by location and rice variety, and he
said individual growers could get sharply varied results.Joe Christian, who
planted 1,450 acres of long-grain rice near Cash in Craighead County, was among
the North Arkansas farmers who had not seen improvement."It's
terrible," he said of his yield.Christian said hybrid varieties that
should yield 200 bushels per acre were yielding only 185, while conventional
varieties that ought to produce 170 bushels per acre were yielding closer to
140.Hardke attributed much of the decline to a rough growing season.Planting
was delayed by cold, wet weather that extended through May, he said. Some
farmers were able to plant during brief periods in March and early April, he
said, but most probably put in their rice between late April and late May. The
entire crop was not in the ground until June, Hardke said.Farmers then saw
their rice stressed by a cold snap that was followed by extreme heat, he said.
Arkansas rice grows best when when temperatures range between 90 degrees during
the day and 70 degrees at night, he said."If it's hot to you, it's hot to
rice," Hardke said. "We like it warm but we don't like it scalding,
and neither does rice."
The state's total rice acreage also declined in 2015.Scott Stiles,
an extension economist, said May's rice futures prices were $4.40 per bushel,
the lowest they had been since July 2010, and that probably led farmers to
devote fewer acres to rice.Arkansas farmers planted about 1.1. million acres of
long-grain rice, by far the most common type in the state, during 2015,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was down from almost 1.3
million acres in 2014, the USDA said.Rice futures have risen since May and
closed Friday at about $5.48 per bushel, excluding transportation and storage
costs, Stiles said.Christian, a member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Board, said
that price wasn't sustainable because it costs more than $6 to produce a bushel
of rice."I wouldn't doubt we'll lose more farmers," he said, predicting
"a long, cold winter in the rice industry."
U.S. rice producers are expected to gain access to China later
this year, and they hope to win permission to export their crop to Cuba as
relations between that country and the U.S. improve.Hardke said he expected the
Arkansas rice harvest would wrap up in mid-October.
Business on 09/26/2015
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:As9YhZ0Blc0J:www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/26/state-s-rice-harvest-down-from-14-20150/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Paddy procurement faces rough weather
the paddy procurement scheme, launched by the State
government through Supplyco, is facing rough weather. Over 10,000 hectares of
paddy fields spread over Kuttanad, Ambalappuzha, and other areas are facing
uncertainty over the procurement of the second crop.Though Supplyco is expected
to commence procurement on October 1, non-cooperation of millers is bound to
create serious problems. In many areas, paddy shoots have fallen down, posing
damage to the crop. If not harvested at the earliest, there is the danger of
germination of paddy.
Even those who have harvested the crop are unable to
remove paddy from the fields as the procurement is done at the fields. In the
past, farmers were given procurement advice by the officials concerned well in
advance so that the harvested paddy could be directly transported from the spot
to the assigned millers.This time, the millers have decided to desist from the
procurement drive, demanding a hike in handling charges. As the dispute drags
on, the farmers could be the worst hit. If Supplyco fails to take a decision at
the earliest, it could sound the death knell of the procurement process,
leading to an alarming situation in the paddy farming sector.
Intervention sought
“The government should intervene in the matter
urgently,” says Kuttanad Vikasana Samithy executive director Fr. Thomas
Peelianikkal. The information that procurement would start only on October 1
has been passed on to the farmers late. There is lack of coordination between
the Civil Supplies and Agriculture Ministries, he says.“The issue needs urgent
attention from the government,” says P.T. Scaria, district president, Karsha
Congress. Farmers’ problems should be resolved on a priority basis, he
says.Rice millers used to collect paddy from the fields, process it, and send
it to wholesalers.
The Kerala State Rice Mill Owners Association
contends that it has been incurring increased expenditure, rendering the job
unprofitable.The moisture content in the paddy being collected from the fields
has exceeded stipulated limits, according to association president K.K. Karnan.
It results in reduced output of rice, but the millers are bound to meet the
quantity requirements as per contract, causing loss. Over 30 mills, among the
100 plus rice mills in the State, have been closed down unable to bear the loss
in the past few years, the owners say.
If not harvested at the earliest, there is the danger of
germination of paddy.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/paddy-procurement-faces-rough-weather/article7696776.ece
Indonesia has
adequate rice stock: President
28.09.2015
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has stated that the national rice stock
is adequate currently, therefore rice import is not necessary."Our rice
demand can be fulfilled by our farmers rice production, no need for import.
Until this second, there is no import, although we have received many
pressures," the president said after visiting rice fields in Karawang,
here, Sunday.Indonesias rice stock reaches 1.7 million tons at present. In
October and November, there will be more rice harvests, he added."Its
adequate, and safe," he remarked.Parks of the stock will be used for poor
families and reserves as the nation is facing El Nino. Basically, the stock is
adequate for December and January.
There is also a potential stock of 15 million tons from next
harvests until December."The future challenge is how to provide incentives
for farmers to encourage them to produce more rice," he noted.The
government has designated six provinces - West Java, East Java, Central Java,
North Sumatra, South Sumatra and South Sulawesi, as regions that support food
nationally.President Jokowi was accompanied by First Lady Iriani when visiting
Cikarang village, Banyusari subdistrict, Karawang district, which is one of the
countrys major rice producers.
Rector of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) Herry
Suhardiyanto explained that paddy of IPB 3S and IPB 4S varieties were planted
on rice fields measuring 730 hectares in Karawang.
Among officials present in the event were Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman,
Head of the National Logistic Board (Bulog) Djarot Kusumayakti, Deputy Governor
of West Java Deddy Mizwar, acting District Head of Karawang Selly, and Chief of
Staff of the Army General Moelyono
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/indonesia-has-adequate-rice-stock-president
Rice exports face difficulties
Vietnam is encountering difficulties
in exporting rice in the face of fierce competition from Thailand, India and
Myanmar.
Rice for exports (Photo:VNA)
The
statement was made by Vo Hung Dung, Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce
and Industry – Can Tho branch, at a workshop in the Mekong Delta city on
September 25 to seek solutions for rice producers and exporters.Statistics from
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that in the first
eight months of 2015, Vietnam shipped 4.1 million tonnes of rice abroad and
earned US$ 1.76 billion, down 8.6 percent in volume and over 13 percent in
value compared to the same period last year.Notably, China, which remains
Vietnam’s largest rice importer with 32 percent of the country’s total market
shares, is decreasing its imports from Vietnam. In 2012-2013, around 65 percent
of China’s imported rice came from Vietnam but the figure reduced to 53 percent
in 2014 and 47 percent in the first four months of this year.
In
addition, Vietnam’s two other major importers, the Philippines and Indonesia,
which account for 12 and 5 percent of the market shares, respectively, are
striving to boost production towards self-sufficiency.At the workshop, Chairman
of the Vietnam Food Association Huynh The Nang introduced several measures to
help businesses improve their competitiveness.
According
to Nang, the long-term solution to effectively stabilising production and
exports is to provide loans for export businesses’ rice stockpiles.He also
suggested reducing risks in harvesting, stocking and distributing rice while
striving to building trademarks for the Vietnamese product.The Ho Chi Minh City
Development Bank (HDBank) also took the occasion to introduce its programme to
support rice exporters.
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/Economy/2015/9/115561/
Gov`t to Conduct Market Operation to
Reduce Rice Prices
SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER, 2015 |
14:28 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Karawang - President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo
announced on Sunday that this week the government is set to conduct a market
operation to reduce the price of rice."Our priority is enough rice supply,
smooth distribution and affordable piece. This will be a market operation in a
big scale. This week. So that the price of rice can be reduced,” Jokowi said
during a paddy harvest in Karawang on Sunday (27/9).According to Jokowi, the
government also has to ensure rice supply security due to the impacts of El
Nino. He also said that the government still has to calculate the impacts of El
Nino."We need to have enough supply of rice to anticipate the impacts of
El Nino in December and January," he added.
http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/09/27/056704204/Govt-to-Conduct-Market-Operation-to-Reduce-Rice-Prices
Water resources, eroding land need saving
Water management has
become a major topic of discussion in recent years among Viet Nam's lawmakers,
experts and society. The country has been struggling to deal with water-related
issues such as a rising sea level, land subsidence and saline intrusion in the
Mekong Delta. Lawmakers and experts shared their views on water management with
Viet Nam News reporters Thu Van and Hoang Anh.
Nguyen Thai Lai, deputy
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment
What
are the major problems that Viet Nam is facing in water management?
There is an actual risk
of the degradation and depletion of water resources due to the impact of
climate change and an increase in the exploitation and use of water in upstream
countries. It is shown on the following aspects:
Firstly, the resources of Viet Nam depend heavily on international
waters and are facing the challenge of water security by upstream countries to
strengthen groundwater extraction.Most of the major river systems of Viet Nam
are all related to the flow coming from outside the country. The area outside
Viet Nam's territory of the shared international river basins comprises over 70
per cent of the total water of the whole river basin.
As countries in the
upstream are conducting many hydro-power plants and reservoirs, it is certain
that water flows to Viet Nam will decline.Secondly, water resources are
distributed unevenly, both geographically and over time, which has led to the
emergence of the problem of water scarcity and water shortages in the dry
season. The dry season usually lasts from six to nine months, and the amount of
natural flow in the dry season accounts for 20-30 per cent of annual
flow.Third, the exploitation and use of water resources is irrational and
unsustainable, leading to the deterioration of water resources while water use efficiency
is low.
The exploitation of reservoirs for agricultural irrigation and
hydro-power development is causing many problems of shared water basins, water
supply and maintaining environmental flows for the downstream.Fourth, the
demand for water is increasing while we are also facing the risks of water
pollution and degradation, scarcity and depletion. Wastewater from many urban
areas, industrial zones, and villages shows signs of local pollutants, like
Nhue, Day, Cau and Dong Nai rivers.Fifth, increasing climate change is causing
profound impacts on water resources. Viet Nam is one of the five countries that
is most heavily affected by climate change, which has a strong impact on water
resources.
According to forecasts, the impacts of climate change will make
the dry season flow in the Mekong Delta decline by 4.8 percent in 2020, by 14.5
per cent in 2050 and by about 33.7 per cent in 2100. The effects mentioned
above, coupled with the impact of climate change and the increasing water
demand, will surely worsen water shortages and water scarcity.
What
solutions are needed for the sustainable development of water resources?
To achieve the goal of sustainable development in the context of
water resources that are seriously degraded at present, we need to focus on
five key groups of measure.First, we have to continue to improve the legal
system and strengthen the inspection of enforcement of policies and legislation
in the management and protection of water resources.Second, we have to
strengthen regional and international co-operation, and enlist the support of
international assistance to protect national water security.
Third, it is necessary
to promote surveys, observation, monitoring, forecasting and prevention to
catch up with the development of national water resources.Fourth, we need to
develop and implement water resource planning for the whole country, conduct
water resources planning for large and interprovincial rivers and planning of
water resources in each locality in order to solve the sharing, distribution,
protection of water resources and to prevent and respond to harm caused by
water.Fifth, it's very important to enhance communication to raise societal
awareness about water security, as well as the responsibility to protect and
use water economically and efficiently.
Currently,
water exploitation of some neighbouring countries along the Mekong River has an
impact on water use of Viet Nam. What do you think we should do to balance the
regional benefits while protecting ours?
The decrease in flow, sedimentation, nutrients, fishery,
biodiversity and the increase in sea water intrusion and bank erosion... may
upset the life, livelihood and production activities of 17 million people and
also influence the regional environment.Ssolving the problem of balancing the
benefits between all countries has to be based on fair and reasonable
principles, and must also prevent significant harms to riparian countries.To
protect our benefits, Viet Nam and other neighbouring countries are studying
the impacts of hydro-power plants on the main stream of the Mekong River to
assess the impacts on water sources, salinity intrusion, decrease of
sedimentation and biodiversity.
On that basis, Viet Nam will discuss with related countries the
specific measures to minimise those impacts under the principles of fairness
and reason in accordance with international standards and the Mekong Agreement.
Assoc. Prof. PhD in
Earth Sciences Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director, Research Institute for Climate
Change (DRAGON institute-Mekong) Can Tho University
We are living in a world
where everything is inter-connected. The declines of water supply to the Mekong
Delta will not only affect its population, of which most are farmers who rely
on agricultural production to sustain their livelihood, but also the country's
food and social security.
Viet Nam's rice export
accounted for some 20 per cent of the global rice market with the majority of
it going to poor countries, who are desperately trying to feed their
populations. Plunging rice production in the Mekong Delta may very well affect
global food security.
Viet Nam will have to make a trade-off somewhere. If there is
nothing we can do to support other countries, they will have to find ways to
support themselves. This is where the role of Viet Nam's Government is vital in
negotiating with other countries sharing the same rivers.There is a need for
the whole country to unite on this matter. I'm aware that some Vietnamese
businesses have taken interests in hydro power projects in foreign countries
that may in turn complicate the issue of water management in the Mekong Delta.
The Government must take a firm stand on this particular matter
and seek support from not only neighbouring countries and international
organisations but also Vietnamese business communities.Looking at the bigger
picture, countries that share the same rivers must continue to discuss shared
responsibilities and benefits. It is ideal that countries, with the help of
environment and water management experts, establish codes of conduct to
supervise and manage the exploitation of water resources.
Saline
water intrusion has happened at an alarming level in many areas in the Mekong
Delta in recent years. This has tremendously affected agricultural production
and the lives of millions of people. What are the causes behind it?
Saline intrusion is not a new problem for the Mekong Delta. The
delta lies between the Pacific on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other on
top of its massive network of rivers and canals and has always been susceptible
to saltwater intrusion.Firstly, there has been less water carried by the Mekong
River to the delta, especially during the dry season. This was because of a
decreased amount of rainfall in the region and increased water use by up-river
countries. When there is less fresh water in the delta it is easier for salt
water to intrude.
Secondly, the sea level has been rising and global warming
increasing while the Mekong Delta is subsiding steadily over the years at a
rate that according to some researches is even greater than the rise of sea
level, at 2-3 cm at some sites.Thirdly, our population is increasing. A greater
population naturally requires more water in agricultural production and higher
risk of protected forests being destroyed or damaged.A large amount of water
pumped from under the ground abruptly resulted in an even faster rate of land
subsidence, and it formed a vicious circle.
What
are the solutions to stop saltwater intrusion? Are there international
experiences Viet Nam can learn from on this particular issue?
Saltwater intrusion is caused by several factors. The solutions
must also be able to cover them all at the same time to maximise their
effectiveness.For example, measures must be taken to manage the amount of water
being taken from under the ground. It does not mean forbidding people from
getting the water they desperately need. It just means we need to have some
kind of master plan for our water use to avoid waste and polluting water
sources, in case of inadequate drilling technology.Another solution was to
store more rain water. There is quite a lot of rain in the Mekong Delta but
without storage facilities people won't be able to retain it. Also, we must
focus in planting more protective forests along the coast line and river banks
to protect our water sources.
In term of agricultural production, we can switch to crops that
require less water. For example, we do not need to grow that much rice any
more. We are maintaining our status as a large rice exporter at the expense of
our living environment.Alternatively, we can also choose to grow varieties of
rice and other crops that require less water, too. Can Tho University has been
working to develop saline-resistant varieties of rice as well as
water-efficient cultivation techniques to help farmers save water. It is easier
and cheaper to save a cubic metre of clean water than to purify it after it was
polluted.Another solution being researched at the moment is how to move part of
the water during the Mekong Delta's flood season under the ground and store it
for later use. It will serve to provide water for human use and also prevent or
slow down the region's subsidence.
There have been
successful models of this solution in the cases of Australia, the Netherlands and
Germany. The principle remained the same: to move part of the abundant amount
of water during rainy season under the ground for later use during the dry
season.
Tran Nhon, former deputy
Minister of Water Resources
What
do you think of the State's policies on water management?
In my opinion, the State's water management policies have become
out-dated and ineffective, given the country's socio-economic development.
At the central level, water management is divided into many parts
and assigned to many offices, resulting in duplicated - but unclear -
responsibilities. Water management duties pertaining to river basins and
administrative localities are also overlapping and unclear.
This leads to the fact
that Viet Nam's water resources are seriously polluted and overexploited, and
they have been used wastefully.
Due to its complicated
chain of command, water resources need to be placed under an integrated
management scheme.
What
measures do you think are necessary to better manage the country's water
resources?
Water resources management should be placed under the market
economy mechanism. The use of water resources should bear fees, just like the
use of any other natural resource. Water should be considered a kind of good in
the market.However, it's still important to note that water supply services
belong to both the economic infrastructure and social infrastructure.
Therefore, while water supply should be largely managed as a business matter,
it should also be regulated with proper social policies.The elimination of a
subsidy mechanism in water supply doesn't mean the elimination of proper State
support for water in remote areas or for those with special needs.
It's also of crucial importance to create an integrated water
management agency. In the past, the agriculture ministry and the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) shared the water management
responsibility.After several reforms, MONRE is now assigned the task. However,
huge personnel resources who have profound knowledge and skills in water
management still work in the agriculture ministry. In order for MONRE to
fulfill its task properly, I think these staff should be transferred to
MONRE.Along with this, we can gradually reduce the involvement of the State in
water management and start to privatise State enterprises that are operating in
this industry. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/opinion/in-the-spotlight/276353/water-resources-eroding-land-need-saving.html
Vietnamese farmers suffer from price fall
VietNamNet
Bridge - Farmers in the Mekong Delta are "crying" because of the drop
in prices for agricultural products such as rice, pitaya, and sweet potatoes.
At the same time, shrimp breeders are suffering because of crop disease and the
sharp fall of prices, the lowest in many years.
Now is the harvest time for the summer-autumn paddy
crop, and as a rule, the rice prices are low. However, many farmers have
decided to sell paddy on the spot because they could not stock rice to wait for
higher prices.Nguyen Cong Ly, a rice farmer in Phuong Thinh commune, Cao Lanh
district of Dong Thap province, said: "I planted a fragrant rice variety,
a specialty of Dong Thap, but the price is just VND4,100 per kilo. It is lower
for other fragrant varieties of rice like OM 4900 and Jasmine (VND4,000/kg) or
IR 50404 (VND3,800/kg). At these prices, farmers do not make a profit or even
suffer heavy losses if they used hired labor."Ly said farmers had to sell
paddy in the field at low prices because they were afraid of the cost for storage
and the reduction of rice quality due to unpredicted weather.Growers of pitaya
and sweet potatoes in Tien Giang, Long An and Vinh Long provinces are also in
the similar circumstance.
Dragon fruit is piled up on the sidewalks in HCM City
and other towns, priced only VND3,000/kg.Tran Van Hoa, Deputy Head of the
Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Cho Gao district, said the
district has 4,053 hectares of dragon fruit, with a capacity of about 15 tons
per hectare. This year farmers incurred losses because of the low price for
this fruit.Hoa said premium dragon fruit for export accounts for about 30% of
the output. The remaining is classified as second and third class, with very
low prices, about VND1,000/kg at the garden. On the sidewalks, it is priced VND3,000.Shrimp
breeders afflicted by disease, low pricesAccording to incomplete statistics in
Tra Vinh province, more than 1 billion breeding shrimp of 25-40 days of age
died of diseases, causing huge losses for breeders.
Dragon
fruits are piled up on the sidewalk, priced VND10,000/3kg.
In the provinces of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Soc Trang,
the areas of shrimp-breeding areas affected by diseases were also vast. The
main reason was weather and disease epidemics. Many households had to stop
business to avoid further losses.Besides disease, the price for shrimps fell to
the lowest level in many years.Le Minh Tuan, a farmer in Hamlet 4, Binh Thoi
commune, Binh Dai district, Ben Tre province said he had losses of VND25
million ($1,200) for feed and baby shrimp, which died en masse. He was not the
only one that suffered shrimp epidemics.
Tuan also said that the price for shrimp was also very
low, with VND80,000 (nearly $4) for a kilo of white-legged shrimp (100
shrimps/kg) and VND100,000for a kilo with 70 shrimp, from VND30,000 to
VND40,000 ($1.5-$2) less than the same period last year.Nguyen Van Vinh, a
shrimp breeder in Binh Thoi commune, Binh Dai district, Ben Tre province said
many farmers have become debtors.Experts said that the poor situation of agricultural
production in the Mekong Delta was due to recent difficulties in exports.
Mai Nguyen
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/142302/vietnamese-farmers-suffer-from-price-fall.html
Low-Carb… Carbs? How
to Hack Your Rice With Coconut Oil
White rice is a great source of
carbohydrate – in moderation and at the right time of day. And we all
know that coconut
oilprovides useful
energy on the Bulletproof Diet.But what about the two together? New
research on what happens when you cook rice with coconut oil might blow your
mind!
Cyclical fat burning (ketosis) with
occasional carbs is an important part of the Bulletproof Diet, and white rice
is one of the most Bulletproof carbs around.Turning brown rice into white rice
removes phytate – an anti-nutrient that stops us from absorbing minerals – and
leaves both a clean source of starch and an excellent base for several easy
meals. It also reduces arsenic – brown rice was found to have up to 80
times more arsenic than white rice. White rice is the perfect vehicle for all
kinds of tasty things: bacon, grass-fed butter, veggies…the list goes on.With
so many delicious additions you might find it easy to overindulge on rice, and
too much rice too often is no good.
Your body converts white rice to glucose
quickly, which is why too much of it, like too much of any carbohydrate, can
trigger insulin resistance, fatigue, weight gain, and a host of other
issues.But what if you could hack your white rice to avoid this problem? What
if you could decrease its glycemic index, increase its health benefits, and
make it more Bulletproof, all with a simple change to the way you cook it?
Well, some new observations imply that you
can, and it’s very easy to do. All it takes is a little coconut oil.
Why You Should Upgrade Your Rice With
Coconut Oil
While it’s not a very efficient way to get
true biological MCTs, coconut oil serves an important role in your diet. It may
not boost your brain and metabolism like Brain Octane Oil, but it’s an
excellent source of cheap and abundant lauric acid, and it’s a beneficial
addition to any diet.According to a group of researchers who presented at The
American Chemical Society in spring 2015, coconut oil may also be the key to
upgrading your rice. Though the research on this is still preliminary, the
results look promising, and doing it now doesn’t appear to have any risk.
The researchers steamed rice normally,
making just two modest changes: they added coconut oil before cooking the rice,
and afterward they cooled the rice down in a fridge. Researchers already knew
that cooked-and cooled or parboiled rice were higher in resistant starch than
freshly-steamed rice. The
results were profound, though not for the reason the researchers report.
The team focuses on the fact that the calories in the rice decreased by
10-12%, and they’re optimistic that with more research, they
can raise that number to 60%. However, if you’ve been reading about the Bulletproof Diet you know
that calories
don’t mattercompared
to hormones, and that when it comes to your health, quality trumps quantity.But
it’s nice to be able to eat a lot more rice without overloading on carbs!
So you don’t need to pay a lot of attention
to the decreased calories themselves – but you DO want to care about the reason
behind the decrease in calories.When you cook coconut oil and rice together,
the oil binds to the digestible starch in the rice – that’s the starch that
converts to glucose. Once bound with the oil, the digestible starch begins to
crystallize, creating another form of starch: the resistant variety. The
researchers found that cooling the rice after cooking it promoted
crystallization, leading to a shocking 10
to 15-fold increase in resistant starch compared to normally prepared white
rice.They haven’t published their study yet, but the preliminary research shows
promise.
Why Resistant Starch Matters
Resistant starch can be helpful for some
people, although loading up on potato starch and the like isn’t a great
strategy for many of us. (Read up on resistant starch here.) In short: taken as a supplement,
it can improve insulin sensitivity, enhance sleep quality, increase energy
levels, and promote mental clarity.When it comes resistant starch in rice,
there is another benefit. Our bodies convert digestible starch into glucose,
which raises blood sugar levels. Humans don’t digest resistant starch, on the
other hand, so it doesn’t raise blood glucose at all. In fact, for some people,
certain types of resistant starch can lower glucose and insulin levels after meals. For others, it causes
digestive distress.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/low-carb-carbs-how-to-hack-your-rice-with-110051764.html
Pollution agency plans
to stick with draft sulfate standards for wild rice
September
28, 2015Updated Sep 28, 2015 at 5:48 PM CDT
Minneapolis, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) plans to stick with its draft approach for setting sulfate
standards for wild rice protection.The
draft proposal says sulfate levels should be based on location-specific factors
rather than a single sulfate level for all wild rice waters.The MPCA says
scientists will continue to work on a final wild rice plan, but say it is
expected to mirror their suggestion of location-specific factors.The agency
originally started re-evaluating sulfate standards after groups voiced their
concern with the current standard being too low.They plan on asking for more
comments from the public in October.
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/iron-range/Pollution-agency-plans-to-stick-with-draft-sulfate-standard-for-wild-rice-329850711.html
Billion Dollar Green Campaigns Kill Poor
Children
By Gil Ross |
September 28th 2015 11:47 AM |
In a recent lecture at Cornell University entitled
"Check Your Green Privilege: It's not environmentally friendly to allow
millions to die," British Member of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson
exposed the deadly facts behind the "green" charades perpetrated by
activist groups, exemplified by Greenpeace.Mr. Paterson scathingly castigates
the rich "environmental" (green) groups that are funded by wealthy
elites and foundations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
Environmental Working Group (EWG), Friends of the Earth, and (especially)
Greenpeace, for their baseless but well-devised campaigns to manipulate
consumers' fears and spread suspicion and mistrust among the public.
These well-heeled groups - the news is probably
shocking to an undergraduate audience - arenot devoted to saving the earth and its
precious biodiversity, as they often claim; instead, their motivation is first
and foremost financial and their methods are political and cultural. But
most tragically the consequences are felt by the malnourished poor in Asia and
Africa. And they are heavily backed by interests having nothing to do with
Mother Earth: Big Organic has invested in anti-GMO crusades like the "Just
Label It' movement, which wants warning labels on non-organic food, and the
U.S. Right To Know group, which exists to smear scientists who stand up to
anti-science rhetoric.
Mr. Paterson has been an MP for almost 20 years, and
served as David Cameron's Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from
2012-2014. He was sacked in no small part due to his opposition to the baseless
ban on the neonicotinoid class of pesticides over phony bee-colony toxicity
allegations.His talk was sponsored by Cornell's Alliance for Science speaker series, whose mission is to
use facts to counter the perceived tendency of college students to follow the
environmentalist mantra without too much thought — a problem that seems to be
growing among the population at large as well, as evidenced by the growing
"concern" about biotechnology and GMOs.
These fears are being promoted by green activist
groups, whose vast resources help spread the fear-mongering against the clear
science- and evidence-based benefits of agricultural biotechnology. For anyone
with any grounding in science, including genetics or biochemistry, the concept
of being afraid of genetic engineering is akin to looking under the bed for
hobgoblins such as Godzilla, awakened by the atomic tests of the Cold
War. Paterson sets out to explain how genetically-engineered crops are not
so different from millennia-old plant breeding techniques, the main difference
being the microscopic precision scientists can now use to transfer one or two
genes accurately. He further notes that GMO crops are now being planted in more
under-developed lands than in wealthier countries, and that small freeholders
are gaining the benefits in terms of crop yields, no-till methods, labor
saving, and higher income.
Greenpeace is called out because its campaign against
Golden Rice - basically, a public domain bowl of vitamin-enriched rice - is not
just anti-science, it is anti-human. Paterson illustrates in sickening detail
the consequences for the impoverished, malnourished poor in the Third World
where vitamin A deficiency is common, suffered by 200 million or more in areas
unseen by wealthy bureaucrats and NGO leaders in Brussels, Berkeley and New
York. While such deficiencies are vision-impairing, the attendant immune
deficiencies lead to premature death of perhaps a half-million infants and
children each year. The remedy has been close at hand for 15 years now: Golden
Rice, gene-modified to supply vitamin A precursors in the form of golden rice —
but kept away from those poor children by a pervasive pressure campaign led by
Greenpeace.
A typical tactic of the anti-GMO lobby is to
tar all such products with the "Big Agrobusiness" label, attempting
to tie all GMOs to Monsanto and other disfavored companies. They fail to
acknowledge that the discoverer of Golden Rice, Dr. Ingo Potrykus, and his
colleagues developed the strain while working in the public labs of the
International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, and that he has
pledged that all profits (if any) would be donated to public
charities. Mr. Paterson points out that the Greens and their acolytes
initially claimed the modified rice would not work; when that was shown to be
false, they then called for more evidence, more experimentation. But then, in
2011 and 2013, they unleashed vandals disguised as grassroots anti-GMO farmers
to trample and pull out plants in experimental fields, preventing accumulating
the evidence they allegedly sought. Let's conclude with Mr. Paterson's own
words:
"The question must be asked, when did this
'humanitarian' organization and so many others like it become so disdainful
about the lives of the desperately poor? Do Greenpeace supporters understand
that the conduct of the organization that they give to has been truly wicked?
"Patrick Moore, one the early leaders of Greenpeace in the 1970s when it
took account of science and respected human life, has broken with his old
organization for just this reason. He now works to expose Greenpeace’s actions
in the developing world and has joined with Golden Rice inventor Ingo Potrykus
in calling for the organization to be tried for crimes against humanity."
http://www.science20.com/tip_of_the_spear/billion_dollar_green_campaigns_kill_poor_children-157299
Rice exports forecast to reach 6 million ton this year
Monday, Sep 28, 2015, Posted at: 12:34(GMT+7)
Vietnam’s
rice export is forecast to get this year target of over six million tons,
according to chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Huynh The Nang.Export is
likely to recover in the rest of 2015 and next year because El Nino has caused
dry weather reduce output in many import nations of Vietnam, Nang added.
Vietnam has won a bid to export 450,000 tons out of 750,000 tons of rice that
the Philippines opened for tenders on September 17. The country is expected to
import more Vietnamese rice in the last months this year.In addition, Indonesia
might purchase Vietnamese rice to make up local
shortfall.Vietnamese businesses have exported over 4 million tons of rice by
the end of August, a reduction of 10 percent over the same period last year.The
number approximated five million tons if including small volume export through
the border to China, equivalent to the same period last year.By Minh Tuan –
Translated by Hai Mien.
Farmers sell rice to traders right
after harvest in the field in the Mekong Delta (Photo: SGGP)
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/2015/9/115566/
Rice exporters blame
state, Centre for basmati growers' plight
Press Trust of India | Chandigarh September 27, 2015 Last Updated at 16:48 IST
With growers in Punjab lamenting lower prices of PUSA basmati
1509 variety, rice exporters today blamed the Punjab government and the Centre
for the "plight" of growers, saying they were not discouraged from
plantation of the crop despite poor response from buyers. With PUSA 1509 variety arriving in
mandis of Punjab and Haryana, its prices are hovering around Rs 1,200-1,300 per
quintal which is even lesser than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1,450
per quintal for Grade-A variety, traders said. In Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the variety is
fetching price in the range of Rs 800-1,000 a quintal, they further said. "It is the failure of the governments
both Punjab and Centre for not discouraging growers from sowing PUSA basmati
1509 variety in the state despite warning them numerous times that this variety
was not acceptable to buyers," Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters
Association, Director, Ashok Sethi told PTI today.
Sethi claimed that farmers in Punjab brought
uncertified and unrecommended seed of short-duration 1509 variety and planted
it without considering its results. Exporters
pointed out that rice millers had witnessed high broken content in 1509 variety
during processing last year. Besides grain turning weak, rice of this variety
became blackish, which was not acceptable to overseas buyers, they said adding
that exporters and millers were unnecessarily being accused of not paying higher
rates for this crop. They claimed
that PUSA 1509 variety was not suitable for plantation in Punjab and Haryana. "We had spent Rs 8-10 lakh on
advertisements just to discourage farmers not to plant 1509 variety. But
despite that fact this year 2 crore bags of this variety was expected to arrive
in mandis in Punjab alone," he said.
A vigorous campaign was also launched this season
in paddy growing areas of Punjab and Haryana, asking growers not to sow PUSA
Basmati 1509 before July 15 after basmati exporters complained of high incident
of broken content because of pre-mature plantation. Exporters said farmers planted crop
before July 15 despite being told not do so. Developed
by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), PUSA Basmati 1509 variety has
seen its acceptability among growers both in Punjab and Haryana in a big way because of its high yield and
short duration (90 days). Its
yield is about 25 quintals per acre, more than the other aromatic variety of
PUSA 1121 whose yield is 20 quintals per acre. After basmati 1509 variety fetched
higher returns in 2013 when this came for the first time, farmers, who planted
it early, fetched Rs 4,000 per quintal for paddy, industry insiders said.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/rice-exporters-blame-state-centre-for-basmati-growers-plight-115092700468_1.html
Turning opera inside out: how I got Lost
in Thought
Shoeless and armed only with a swizzle stick, Stuart Jeffries
attempts to banish distracting thoughts and be part of the world’s first
mindfulness opera
‘Music
is doing what it always does – dividing up time, but this time in order to
structure our work’ Lost in Thought: a mindfulness opera, by Rolf Hind, at LSO
St Luke’s. Photograph: Simon Jay Price.It’s 6pm at the basement cafe of St Luke’s church in London and
the audience is being advised how to behave during the world premiere of Lost
in Thought: A Mindfulness Opera. “We ask that you observe silence for four
hours,” says our mindfulness guide. “Bring a sense of curiosity and
playfulness. Hand in phones and writing materials. You can use the bathroom at
any point.”
Vertical time: where mindfulness and music meet
I scan the room. There are 100 of us – lithe yoga fiends,
spiritually questing folk in sensibly loose clothing, uncomfortable aesthetes
who look as though they’d rather be at the new production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and a cabal of critics who
decline to hand in our notepads. This isn’t – yet – North Korea.
Audience members are handed a postcard that offers a synopsis of
the coming evening. Lost in Thought is an opera, but its plot is simpler than
The Marriage of Figaro. The card reads: “Sit. Walk. Sit. Eat. Wash up. Sit.
Rest. Waking up. Sit. Play. Walk. Chant. Sit. Breaking the silence.” It is suggested
we meditate in the next four hours on what it is to sit, what it is to walk,
what it is to eat. Part of me wants to run out on to Old Street and meditate on
the value of self-liberation.
For ages nothing happens but breathing. Critics complain about
the longueurs in Wagner. They know nothing.
One fellow critic writes in her notebook: “Oh God.” But that
really isn’t the attitude: yes, some of us are giggly with trepidation, but if
we’re going to get anything out of the opera then we should check our inhibiting
attitudes, if not critical faculties and notebooks, at the door. Pianist and composer Rolf Hind’s hope is that the
music he has written for a soprano and seven-strong ensemble (clarinettist,
violinist, cellist, harpist, accordion player, percussionist, pianist) can help
structure tonight’s short, silent retreat – ironically, by breaking the
silence.
Upstairs, rows of blue yoga mats and orange cushions face
musicians’ instruments. We lose our shoes and sit down. Mezzo-soprano Lore
Lixenberginvites us to close our eyes and concentrate on our
breathing. “The distracted mind,” she says repeatedly throughout the next four
hours, “returns to the breath.” I find this very helpful: distracting thoughts
(will I get back for Newsnight? No way I’m washing dishes at the opera) come,
but can be sent whence they came on the exhaled breath.
Return
to the breath … Lore Lixenberg leads the group meditation in Rolf Hind’s Lost
in Thought. Photograph: Simon Jay Price
For ages nothing happens but breathing. Critics complain about
the longueurs in Wagner. They know nothing. Perhaps, I think, there are no
musicians and this is the emperor’s new clothes with the twist that there’s no
emperor. Or maybe, I muse grimly, this isn’t a mindfulness opera at all, but an
allegory of how late capitalism transfers work from those who are paid for
services to paying punters, as Lynne Truss argues. I banish that distracting thought
by concentrating on breathing. What is really happening, of course, is opera is
being turned inside out: instead of watching a drama played out on stage, we’re
– ideally – attending to our own inner journey.
It's turning opera inside out: instead of watching a drama on
stage, we’re attending to our own inner journey.
Then, very slowly, our breathing (some around me are
demonstrating their virtuosity in noisy Ujjayi breathing) has a growing accompaniment. A bell
(tubular? sleigh? church?) rings out at intervals of perhaps two minutes. Music
is doing what it always does – dividing up time – but this time in order to
structure our work. Then a violin scratches out a breathing rhythm, joined by a
clarinet and an accordion. Lixenberg invites us to open our eyes: the ensemble
is now sitting before us working at their instruments, gently helping us to
concentrate on breathing.She invites us to stand and walk. Soon, most of us are
walking slowly anticlockwise around the ensemble, slyly checking out their
scores, appreciating the weird noises pianist Siwan Rhys is plucking into being
from under her lid and wondering why percussionist Sam Wilson has quite so many
coloured swizzle sticks next to his playstation.
Everybody is heading in the same direction. Later, the Spectator
critic will tell me how it’s just such moments that make her realise how
biddable humans are, how easy it is for societies to be herded into
totalitarianism. Intriguing point, but we all agreed to this, and will soon be
back home to watch rugby highlights, which wasn’t quite what happened in Nazi
Germany.After more seated breathing, we’re invited to hold out our hands with
our eyes closed. Something is placed on my hand. A plum? We’re invited to
mindfully contemplate its size and temperature, before placing it between our
teeth. I bite in, before Lore tells us to. A grape. Disappointing. I appreciate
the grape’s taste and texture as I have never done before. Is there any music
going on while I do so? I forget – I was mindfully attending to the grape. And
that is the problem with the opera – if its function is to make us mindfully
attend to the quotidian, to walking, breathing, and the rest, the music is at
most ancillary, at worst redundant.
‘The
mindfulness leaders hand out swizzle sticks to wave above our heads … I can’t
tell you how happy I am.’ Photograph: Simon Jay Price.The grape is just the
starter. We stand en masse once more and walk to some tables where bowls of the
inevitable basmati rice and dal have been laid out. I attend to the flavours
and textures of my meal more than I have done for recent curries and listen to
the audience symphony of metal forks clicking on china. Then we have to wash up
our bowls. As the Spectator critic rightly complains later, this may be
communal and mindful, but using the same lukewarm water for 100 bowls is hardly
sanitary.
One person seems to be making a noisy fuss of washing up,
banging his plastic stick against a bowl. It’s the percussionist, and his
rhythm gets taken up by the rest of the ensemble; the piece, I note from
glancing at the score, is called Kitchen Dervish. We return to our seats while
this plays. It’s perhaps the most traditional part of the evening: we’re
listening to music, not mindfully attending to our bodies.Then, slowly, the
lights are dimmed and Lixenberg invites us to close our eyes and rest. It’s the
same kind of controlling vibe that you get from cabin crews after dinner on a
long-haul flight. I’ve been choosing my own bedtime since I was 37, thanks very
much. That said, I was nodding off happily until the woman behind me kicked me
in the head. That didn’t happen when I fell asleep during Wozzeck.
… to walking, breathing, and the rest, the music is at most
ancillary, at worst redundant.
Perhaps 15 minutes later we’re walking in circles again. What
are those strange, otherworldly sounds? Are they coming from the accordion? No,
the mindfulness leaders are handing out swizzle sticks to wave above our heads.
One is given to me. I can’t tell you how happy I am, twirling and walking,
walking and twirling, making a sound like the owl of Minerva hooting wisely in
the twilight of its existence. Possibly. Then a mindfulness leader approaches
me as I walk, and suggests with an eloquent eyebrow that I surrender the
swizzle stick to someone else. I do and feel intensely not just the pleasure of
giving, but the pain of loss. I loved that swizzle stick and the noise it made.
Again, we’re all walking anticlockwise as directed by Lixenberg
– except, that is, for one man who walks clockwise. It’s Rolf Hind, who looks
like he’s more mindful than the rest of us put together. Nice touch,
maestro.Lixenberg intones the only words in the libretto.
I surrender the swizzle stick. I do and feel intensely not just
the pleasure of giving, but the pain of loss
“I have lived on the lip / of insanity, wanting to know reasons
/ knocking on a door. It opens. / I’ve been knocking from the inside.”Then
she’s standing face-to-face with the percussionist and repeatedly singing these
words mantra-like to the rhythm he sets up by rubbing two wooden blocks
together. In an evening already filled with mysteries, I wonder how he gets
that sound (sandpaper?) and why Lixenberg is singing so close to his face,
reminding me unfortunately of Freddie Mercury cod-ecstatically shouting We Will
Rock You while invading the drummer’s personal space. Not for the first or last
time tonight I let distracting thoughts go and return to my breathing.
‘Soon,
most of us are walking slowly anticlockwise around the musicians, slyly
checking out their scores.’ Photograph: Simon Jay Price
The words she sings are from Rumi and fit with the proselytising tenor of the opera. If we are
driven to the lip (weird) of insanity by modern frenetic living, by the
manifold distractions of putatively enabling gizmos (our silenced phones now
immobilised in the cloakroom, in particular), then we have it within ourselves
to reverse from the edge. That, I guess, is what mindfulness is about.
Contemplate the grape in its phenomenological beauty, not your Twitter
followers. Or something like that.
The transfer of work from musician to audience continues in the
last hurrah of the opera. After a frenetic passage in which the rhythms of the
ensemble give way to chanting, the musicians mingle with us, relying only on
their voices. We are wordlessly invited to join in the chant. I’m bashful. How
does it go again? The way I’m chanting is more “Pooh Bear tiddily pom” than “om
mani padme hum”. But at least it’s a start. And this seems to be how the opera
ends, not with us sobbing over the death of a consumptive courtesan, but
shoeless in London singing out of tune while the musicians look on as benignly
as they can manage.
The opera ends with us shoeless singing out of tune while the
musicians look on as benignly as they can manage
There is, though, a coda. The musicians hand out objects and
invite us to make percussive noises – bang two plastic forks together, scratch
cushion fabric with fingernails in time to some gathering rhythm. Lore is
suddenly among us gargling water from noisy counterpoint to scratched cushion
covers. Audience members start to get rambunctious as the clattering rhythm
quickens, like overtired toddlers at the end of an overextended play date. A
giggly cushion fight breaks out.At every kids’ party I’ve ever presided over,
I’ve had two feelings: one that this could go Lord of the Flies at any moment
and, two, that I wish I’d brought my book. I have those feelings now.
Thankfully, it is the end of the opera. The musicians start chatting to
themselves and us. We are back in the verbal world of infinite distraction.
As I unchain my bike from churchyard railings, it’s 10.15pm, I’m
feeling rested, calm, serene – but also, like Martin Luther King, free at last. Does the mindfulness inculcated by
opera make one a more attentive road user or just a zoned-out liability?
Frankly, I don’t know, but certainly, until that coda with its retro-East
German-holiday-camp-cum-group-mind-meld mood of compulsory fun, I found the
experience offered by Lost in Thought oddly touching, inspiring and, like life
itself, absurd.Lost In Thought will next be performed at the Lowry in Salford next month. I recommend you go
along. You have nothing to lose but your inhibitions, shoes and mobile phones,
and then only for a few hours.
The guardian
APEDA COMMODITY NEWS FROM INDIA
|
International
Benchmark Price
|
|
Price on: 28-09-2015
|
|
Product
|
Benchmark
Indicators Name
|
Price
|
|
Apricots
|
|
1
|
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD cent/t)
|
4875
|
|
2
|
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
4375
|
|
3
|
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
3625
|
|
Sultanas
|
|
1
|
Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
2923
|
|
2
|
South African Orange River, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
2579
|
|
3
|
Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t)
|
2100
|
|
Peanuts
|
|
1
|
South Africa, HPS 70/80 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
|
1200
|
|
2
|
South African, HPS 40/50 peanuts CFR main European ports
(USD/t)
|
1592
|
|
3
|
Argentinean 40/50 runners, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
1150
|
|
Source:agra-net
|
For more info
|
|
|
Market
Watch
|
|
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on
28-09-2015
|
|
Domestic Prices
|
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Variety
|
Min Price
|
Max Price
|
|
Maize
|
|
1
|
Haliyala (Karnataka)
|
Local
|
1350
|
1500
|
|
2
|
Pune (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
1650
|
1725
|
|
3
|
Khanna (Punjab)
|
Other
|
1030
|
1465
|
|
Paddy(Dhan)
|
|
1
|
Vyra (Gujarat)
|
Other
|
1225
|
1385
|
|
2
|
Kota (Rajasthan)
|
Other
|
1221
|
1301
|
|
3
|
Samsi (West Bengal)
|
Fine
|
1190
|
1210
|
|
Pine
Apple
|
|
1
|
Chala (Kerala)
|
Other
|
2500
|
2560
|
|
2
|
Nagpur (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
1000
|
2600
|
|
3
|
Jagraon (Punjab)
|
Other
|
1500
|
2000
|
|
Brinjal
|
|
1
|
Sarankul (Orissa)
|
Other
|
1600
|
1800
|
|
2
|
Shillong (Meghalaya)
|
Other
|
3000
|
3500
|
|
3
|
Mumbai(Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
1000
|
1600
|
|
|
For more info
|
|
|
Egg
|
Rs per 100 No
|
|
Price on 28-09-2015
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Price
|
|
1
|
Pune
|
317
|
|
2
|
Chittoor
|
303
|
|
3
|
Nagapur
|
297
|
|
|
|
|
Other
International Prices
|
Unit Price : US$ per package
|
|
Price on 28-09-2015
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Origin
|
Variety
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Potatoes
|
Package: 50 lb cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Colorado
|
Russet
|
21.75
|
21.75
|
|
2
|
Baltimore
|
Idaho
|
Russet
|
15
|
18
|
|
3
|
Detroit
|
Idaho
|
Russet
|
11
|
14.50
|
|
Cauliflower
|
Package: cartons film wrapped
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Mexico
|
White
|
24.50
|
25.50
|
|
2
|
Baltimore
|
California
|
White
|
18
|
21
|
|
3
|
Dallas
|
Mexico
|
White
|
20
|
20
|
|
Grapefruit
|
Package: 7/10 bushel cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
California
|
Red
|
24.75
|
26.50
|
|
2
|
Chicago
|
California
|
Red
|
21
|
21
|
|
3
|
Dallas
|
California
|
Red
|
24
|
24
|
|
Source:USDA
|
|
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
A comprehensive daily commodity market report for Arkansas
agricultural commodities with cash markets, futures and insightful analysis and
commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity analysts.
Noteworthy benchmark price levels of interest to farmers and
ranchers, as well as long-term commodity market trends which are developing.
Daily fundamental market influences and technical factors are noted and
discussed.
Soybeans
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
916
|
834
|
|
New Crop
|
909
|
839
|
|
|
Riceland Foods
|
|
|
Cash Bids
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
|
New Crop
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nov '15
|
892.00
|
875.75
|
876.75
|
-12.50
|
|
Jan '16
|
896.00
|
879.75
|
880.75
|
-12.50
|
|
Mar '16
|
900.00
|
884.50
|
885.25
|
-12.25
|
|
May '16
|
901.75
|
887.50
|
888.25
|
-11.25
|
|
Jul '16
|
905.50
|
892.25
|
893.00
|
-10.75
|
|
Aug '16
|
905.00
|
892.25
|
892.50
|
-10.50
|
|
Sep '16
|
890.50
|
885.75
|
885.75
|
-9.75
|
|
Nov '16
|
895.00
|
883.25
|
884.00
|
-9.00
|
|
Jan '17
|
895.00
|
889.00
|
890.00
|
-8.75
|
|
|
Soybean Comment
Soybeans closed sharply lower today in the face of
profit taking and lower than expected export inspections today. Soybeans
continue to face difficulty holding onto to gains as export demand remains
volatile and uncertainty continues to surround U.S. production levels. There remain
a lot of negative factors surrounding this market as South America prepares for
another record crop, the Brazilian Real and U.S. Dollar exchange rate at record
levels, China demand is expected to slow in the 4th quarter, and global stocks
are forecast to be ample to start 2015/16. Soybeans are likely to face a
bearish outlook for some time and will rely on gains in corn to help support
prices and minimize losses.
Wheat
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
--
|
--
|
|
New Crop
|
515
|
413
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec '15
|
515.50
|
500.00
|
505.50
|
-2.25
|
|
Mar '16
|
522.25
|
507.50
|
512.75
|
-2.25
|
|
May '16
|
526.50
|
512.25
|
517.50
|
-2.00
|
|
Jul '16
|
529.00
|
515.25
|
520.00
|
-2.75
|
|
Sep '16
|
537.00
|
524.00
|
528.25
|
-2.50
|
|
Dec '16
|
549.75
|
537.75
|
541.75
|
-2.75
|
|
Mar '17
|
556.00
|
556.00
|
553.50
|
-2.75
|
|
May '17
|
|
|
551.75
|
-2.50
|
|
Jul '17
|
|
|
533.25
|
-2.50
|
|
|
Wheat Comment
Wheat prices started the day out higher and were
leading other commodities higher; however, strength faded late and prices ended
the day a couple of cents lower. Gains over the last couple of weeks have
helped improve wheat’s technical picture, which will add pressure to prices
limiting gains. With fundamentals as weak as they are there is little support
for prices to move higher.
Grain Sorghum
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
400
|
331
|
|
New Crop
|
399
|
363
|
|
|
Corn
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
395
|
336
|
|
New Crop
|
379
|
346
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec '15
|
392.50
|
383.75
|
386.75
|
-2.25
|
|
Mar '16
|
403.50
|
394.75
|
398.00
|
-2.25
|
|
May '16
|
410.50
|
402.00
|
405.00
|
-2.50
|
|
Jul '16
|
415.75
|
407.00
|
410.25
|
-2.50
|
|
Sep '16
|
408.25
|
400.25
|
402.75
|
-2.25
|
|
Dec '16
|
413.75
|
406.00
|
408.75
|
-2.25
|
|
Mar '17
|
422.00
|
417.00
|
418.50
|
-1.75
|
|
May '17
|
423.00
|
422.50
|
424.50
|
-1.00
|
|
Jul '17
|
430.00
|
425.00
|
427.00
|
-0.75
|
|
|
Corn Comment
Corn prices closed lower today as weather conditions
look favorable for harvest to remain strong over the next couple of weeks.
Prices continue to remain volatile as harvest pressure and demand concerns
continue to pressure prices; while, reports of lower than expected yields
remain supportive of prices. In the short term prices are likely to continue
their sideways trade as there is not enough support to move prices
significantly higher. If the USDA begins confirming the smaller yield reports
look for price to trend higher offering additional pricing opportunities
towards the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016.
Cotton
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct '15
|
60.31
|
60.3
|
59.8
|
0.16
|
|
Dec '15
|
60.95
|
60.1
|
60.75
|
0.11
|
|
Mar '16
|
60.56
|
59.79
|
60.41
|
0.07
|
|
|
Cotton Comment
December cotton traded within Friday's range before
closing higher. The market is building support at Thursday's contract low of
59.70, which was the day the market charted a bullish reversal. The market has
a chance to continue to follow through on the positive chart signal as wet
weather forecast for the end of the week could slow harvest and impact the
quality of the crop in some areas.
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Long
Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long
Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nov '15
|
1337.5
|
1316.5
|
1334.0
|
+7.0
|
|
Jan '16
|
1366.0
|
1345.5
|
1363.0
|
+7.0
|
|
Mar '16
|
|
|
1384.5
|
+7.0
|
|
May '16
|
|
|
1400.0
|
+7.0
|
|
Jul '16
|
|
|
1403.5
|
-1.0
|
|
Sep '16
|
1310.0
|
1310.0
|
1309.0
|
0.0
|
|
Nov '16
|
|
|
1309.0
|
0.0
|
|
|
Rice Comment
Rice futures have rallied to their
highest level in 14 months in the nearby contract, with November setting a new
contract high again today. Reports of disappointing yields across the south
coupled with smaller acreage has fueled the recent rally. Concerns about Asian
production are also a factor, as an El Nino weather pattern has caused drought
in major production areas.
Cattle
|
Futures:
|
|
|
Live Cattle:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct '15
|
133.500
|
131.550
|
131.825
|
-1.875
|
|
Dec '15
|
137.900
|
136.275
|
136.975
|
-0.025
|
|
Feb '16
|
138.500
|
137.100
|
137.925
|
+0.425
|
|
Apr '16
|
137.125
|
135.675
|
136.675
|
+0.625
|
|
Jun '16
|
128.825
|
127.350
|
128.300
|
+0.250
|
|
Aug '16
|
126.850
|
125.150
|
125.850
|
+0.125
|
|
Oct '16
|
129.225
|
127.700
|
128.050
|
-0.825
|
|
Dec '16
|
130.000
|
128.375
|
128.700
|
-1.325
|
|
Feb '17
|
128.250
|
128.000
|
128.050
|
-1.450
|
|
|
|
Feeders:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct '15
|
186.650
|
183.650
|
184.850
|
+0.250
|
|
Nov '15
|
183.225
|
180.300
|
181.000
|
-0.600
|
|
Jan '16
|
177.650
|
174.775
|
175.200
|
-0.950
|
|
Mar '16
|
175.275
|
172.500
|
172.675
|
-1.325
|
|
Apr '16
|
175.650
|
172.900
|
173.300
|
-1.325
|
|
May '16
|
175.225
|
172.550
|
173.250
|
-0.925
|
|
Aug '16
|
175.900
|
173.300
|
173.750
|
-0.875
|
|
Sep '16
|
|
|
170.475
|
-0.275
|
|
|
Cattle Comment
Cattle prices closed mixed today.
The nearby contract continued to move lower while other contracts closed
higher. Cattle prices remain under pressure as demand concerns and weak overall
economy remain negative for prices. While supply reports remain somewhat
bullish for cattle, the large stocks reported last week continue to overshadow
production and could keep prices trending lower.
Hogs
|
Futures:
|
|
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct '15
|
72.500
|
71.150
|
71.525
|
-0.350
|
|
Dec '15
|
66.450
|
65.275
|
65.925
|
+0.150
|
|
Feb '16
|
69.825
|
68.800
|
69.250
|
+0.300
|
|
Apr '16
|
72.550
|
71.800
|
72.150
|
+0.300
|
|
May '16
|
76.875
|
76.725
|
76.825
|
+0.150
|
|
Jun '16
|
80.300
|
79.525
|
79.975
|
+0.150
|
|
Jul '16
|
79.350
|
78.850
|
79.175
|
+0.225
|
|
Aug '16
|
78.525
|
78.075
|
78.525
|
+0.300
|
|
Oct '16
|
|
|
67.475
|
+0.200
|
|
|
Hog Comment
Shell Eggs
National Turkeys
Delmarva
Broilers
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