Today Rice News Headlines...
·
World Rice Production 2015/2016
·
Hassad makes strides in Qatar's food
security
·
Rice import duty doubled Syed Samiul Basher
Anik
·
IISc scientist wins Third World Academy award
·
Home among the heirlooms
·
Historian’s cut: IRRI’s introverted “mad”
scientist (full interview)
·
PH conditions dampen global rice output CROPS
DAMAGED BY ‘LANDO,’ EL NIÑO
·
It’s the wow season at W Bangkok
·
Scientist does IISc proud, bags international
award
·
Scamming Indian Agriculture Through Cronyism, Corruption
·
Hybrid rice plantings could expand
significantly in coming years
·
Farmers worried about low paddy purchase target
·
And now, CAG finds Rs40,564-cr lapses in PDS
paddy procurement news
·
Brown Basmati and Chana Dal Khichri
·
USA Rice daily news
·
APEDA Rice Commodity News
·
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
News Detail...
World Rice Production 2015/2016
December 2015
This month the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the World Rice Production 2015/2016 will be 469.32 million metric tons, around 4.18 million tons
less than the previous month's projection.
Rice Production last year (*) was
478.18 million tons. This year's 469.32 estimated million tons could represent
a decrease of 8.87 million tons or a 1.85% in rice production around the globe.
Rice Production by Country
(Values in Metric Tons)
China: 145,500,000
India: 100,000,000
Others: 40,034,000
Indonesia: 36,300,000
Bangladesh: 34,600,000
Vietnam: 28,200,000
Thailand: 16,400,000
Burma: 12,200,000
Philippines: 11,250,000
Brazil: 8,000,000
Japan: 7,900,000
Pakistan: 6,900,000
United States: 6,057,000
Cambodia: 4,350,000
Korea, South: 4,327,000
Egypt: 4,000,000
Sri Lanka: 3,300,000
Next Update will be January 12, 2016.
https://www.worldriceproduction.com/?Referer=Newsletter
Hassad
makes strides in Qatar's food security
08/12/2015
(MENAFN
- Gulf Times) Hassad Food has announced the company's latest achievements in
the fields of livestock, grains, rice, poultry, flowers, dates and olive oil in
addition to agricultural technology.The Doha-headquartered company is a leading
investor in the food and agri-business sectors.Hassad Food has launched four
"high-quality" rice brands in the local market. Hassad Food chairman
and managing director Nasser Mohamed al-Hajri said: "In line with our
strategy of investing in global markets to secure high-quality food resources
for Qatar, we are proud to introduce a wide range of the finest Basmati rice
variants to the local market, all best suited for the discerning local consumer's
requirements."
From the plains of India, Hassad Food has
brought Danat for its connoisseur consumers in Qatar, offering
"premium-quality, extra-long" Indian Basmati rice while Nathry is a
"high-quality" long grain Basmati rice variant reaped from the Punjab
region of Pakistan. Nathry Mezzah is a "high-quality long grain parboiled
(Sella) Basmati rice variant" and the fourth brand, Thameen, is made
especially for the hospitality sector.
Meanwhile, the total amount of Australian sheep
supplied by Hassad Australia will exceed 330,000 heads of sheep by the end of
December. This represents more than 50% of the local market demand for
Australian sheep, all supplied according to specifications set by Widam, a
Hassad statement explains.Over the course of this year, Hassad Australia -
Hassad Food's first international investment - supported the local market
demand by supplying three batches of Australian sheep (chilled carcasses). The
first batch had more than 50,000 chilled carcasses, supplied between January
and February, followed by a bigger batch of more than 100,000 carcasses,
supplied in June and July, to cover the peak season (Ramadan).
Finally, they supplied the local market with
more than 175,000 for the third batch, which arrived in August and would
continue to be distributed until end of the year. Hassad Austral has also
carried out a programme of breeding the Syrian Awassi sheep on its Australian
farms to support the ongoing local market demand. In terms of grains
production, Hassad Australia has planted more than 73,000 hectares of
commercial crops in 2015, including wheat, barley, canola and others. The 2015
harvest commenced in October and would last until January 2016.Over the past
years, Hassad Qatar has become the largest supplier of fodder products in the
local market, the statement notes. Hassad Qatar is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Hassad Food.
Spanning over 650 hectares, Hassad Qatar's
commercial operations cover four farms: Al Riffa, Al Sailiya, Irkiyyah and Um
Selal, with a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes. There are plans to expand
the commercial operations of these farms in addition to Um Barraka farm in
north Qatar, to reach 950 hectares by 2018.
With a yearly production capacity of 10,000
tonnes of rice, Senwan Pakistan - another wholly owned subsidiary of Hassad
Food - has started exporting "high-quality" rice products to Qatar in
line with Hassad Food's strategy of investing in global viable markets to
secure food resources for Qatar.This year, Hassad Food has become the major shareholder
in A'Saffa Foods, the largest integrated poultry project in Oman, with 33% of
the shares. A'Saffa plans to expand its annual poultry production capacity from
20,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes over the next three years.
The new generation of hydroponic greenhouses
tops the achievements of Zulal Oasis, launched through a partnership between
Hassad Food and Oasis Agrotechnology to develop and promote cost-effective
hydroponic technology to support the local farming mechanism.The statement
notes that Qatar-based Roza Hassad currently produces over 3mn
"high-quality" flowers annually in the local and regional markets.
Additionally, it has launched a pilot project to produce chemical free
vegetables and bedding plants.Mahaseel is Hassad Food's marketing arm,
responsible for delivering Hassad's investment to the end user.
MENAFN
- Gulf Times
Rice import duty doubled
Syed Samiul Basher Anik
Despite self-sufficiency in
production, rice import by private sector continues
Photo- DHAKA TRIBUNE
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has doubled the regulatory
duty on rice import to 20% from the existing 10% to ensure fair price for local
farmers.The customs wing of the NBR on Monday issued a statutory regulatory
order (SRO) signed by NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman to the effect of the duty
hike.According to the decision, 20% duty will be imposed on husked (brown)
rice, fortified rice kernels, broken rice, and on semi-milled or wholly milled
rice, whether or not polished or glazed during import stage.Nojibur Rahman told
the Dhaka Tribune that the duty was hiked to ensure that farmers in Bangladesh
get the fair price for the rice they produce.
The revenue authority issued the SRO within two weeks after Food
Minister Quamrul Islam in November announced that the government was going to
increase the import duty on rice to 20% from existing 10% to ensure fair prices
for local growers.Inn May this year, the government imposed 10% duty on import
of above-mentioned rice patterns, except the fortified rice kernels with the
same view.The duty was imposed in line with recommendations from the Food
Ministry to protect local farmers from fall of rice prices because of excessive
import of the item and of increased domestic production.
Although Bangladesh is now self-sufficient in rice cultivation,
the private sector has long been importing rice from other countries, mostly
from neighboring India due to its cheap price.According to the ministry data,
the private sector has imported 2.03 lakh tonnes of rice from July to December
6 of ongoing fiscal year. The figure was 14.9 lakh tonnes in fiscal year
2014-15, the highest quantity since the financial year 2010-11.Farmers have
long been urging the government to increase duty on rice import as they were
reportedly unable to recover cultivation costs because of imports from India at
cheaper rates. Many millers have given up rice milling due to its excessive
imports from India.Millers, however, feared that the duty hike may not have
that much impact if rice price falls in India.Bangladesh Auto, Major and
Husking Mill Owners Association general secretary KM Layek Ali told the Dhaka
Tribune local millers were avoiding milling paddy fearing tough competition in
the wake of rice import from India.“Usually, rice price decreases in India
whenever any such move is taken in Bangladesh. If the rice price does not fall
in India, the duty hike will surely help local growers get proper price
required for them to be in the market,” he hoped.In India, non-basmati rices
were selling at Tk29 per kg against Tk35 last year in the wholesale market, as
reported in November. On the other hand, the wholesale price of premium basmati
rice was sold at between Tk53 and Tk54 a kg down from Tk73-Tk75 last
year. However, according to a study by Associated Chambers of Commerce of India,
rice prices may shoot up and reach a boiling point in coming months creating
trouble for consumers if timely adequate safeguards are not taken.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2015/dec/09/rice-import-duty-doubled#sthash.cm8Wsq64.dpuf
IISc scientist wins Third
World Academy award
TNN | Dec 9, 2015, 06.33 AM IST
BENGALURU: Professor U Ramamurty of the Indian Institute of
Science has bagged the 2015 Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) prize, which
carries a cash prize of $15,000, in the engineering category. Prof CNR Rao, who was a former president of TWAS, told TOI:
"This is a prestigious award because you are competing with some of the
best scientists from China, Korea, Brazil and other countries. Prof Ramamurty
deserves the recognition. I hope this will encourage more people in the country
to do research.
" Ramamurty said
there are plenty of opportunities for science in India and there needs to be
more encouragement for those pursuing excellence. Stressing the need to
increase research funding in the country, he said: "I left the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and came to India because I knew there is
potential here. There must be more encouragement and funding. More Indians
getting these kinds of awards will make our future generations confident of
carrying out research here." The
administration and financial operation of TWAS is undertaken by Unesco.
Every year, TWAS awards eight prizes of $15,000
each in the fields of agricultural sciences, biology, chemistry, earth
sciences, engineering sciences, mathematics, medical sciences and physics.
Candidates for a TWAS Prize must be scientists who have been working and living
in a developing country for at least 10 years immediately prior to their
nomination. The other
Indians who got the award this year are Jagdish Ladha from the International
Rice Research Institute-?International Rice Research Institute, New Delhi, in
the agricultural sciences category and Sandip Trivedi of the Tata Institute for
Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in the physics category.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IISc-scientist-wins-Third-World-Academy-award/articleshow/50100563.cms
Home among the heirlooms
Text
by Alaric Francis Santiaguel | Photos by Jec Narciso | Dec
9, 2015
|
Neneng
Wadingan once left her home town to seek greener pastures abroad, a dream
shared by many Filipinos. But she found her true calling and economic
success when she returned to tend her ancestors’ land and heirloom rice.
Neneng Wadingan (in green) reaps the rewards of
her hard work and perseverance.Finding work outside their country has become
the economic Holy Grail for multitudes of Filipinos. It is a dream they dream
despite the stiff price that comes with it: particularly the painful distance
that wedges itself between them and their family. Accounts of how, for some,
the ticket out of poverty turned out to be a one-way ticket to tragedy are
often ignored. Even the sensational crash-and-burn stories that set off media
firestorms and national uproars eventually fade and fail to dissuade many
Filipinos from pursuing that hope of improving the lives of their loved
ones.Saturnina “Neneng” Wadingan from Bauko, Mountain Province in the
Philippine Cordillera Region, held the Holy Grail in her hand not once but
twice.
By local
standards, Neneng has got it made. She was living the dream of the masses. But
she had to let it go when her parents, who were becoming too old to tend their
family rice farm, asked her to come home and take over.Neneng, as most
Filipinos are wont to do, returned to her hometown out of respect for her
elders.I met Neneng when I joined a team from the
Heirloom Rice Project, a
collaborative activity of the Department of Agriculture and the International
Rice Research Institute, to interview some heirloom rice farmers in the region.
The team was interviewing rice farmers in the region, documenting their
experiences and seeking their opinion on how the project can further help
them.Like millions of Filipinos, Neneng wanted to seek greener pastures abroad.
Reluctant farmer
“We’ve had this farm for 200 years since the time of our ancestors,” Neneng
said. “My grandmother inherited it from her mother and my mother inherited it
from my grandfather.”
Yet she
started out as a reluctant farmer. Because all her siblings have relocated
elsewhere, the responsibility of running their family farm fell on her
shoulders. At the time, Neneng was based in Baguio, a thriving metropolis in
the neighboring province of Benguet, where she sold vegetables and real estate.
“I
didn’t do any full-time farming before,” she recalled when she returned to
Bauko to help her parents with the farm. “At first I wanted to cry. I asked
myself ‘what is this work’? I couldn’t accept it. But I helped in planting our
field with rice.”In 2008, after planting a crop of rice, Neneng left her
hometown to work in Macau on the southern coast of the People’s Republic of
China. But she couldn’t take her mind off their farm. “I returned after a month
and half because my father said the rice crop I planted was growing very well.
Just looking at the rice plants filled me with joy.”After harvesting that crop,
she planted rice again—and then she left to work, this time in Shanghai. Six
months later she returned when her father died.
“Before
my father died, my parents would ask me about what would happen to our farm if
no one took care of it,” she said. “They were hoping I would stay since I was
the only one in the family who seemed interested.”The following year, her
mother passed away. Neneng knew she had to continue their legacy. Like her
parents before her, She became her generation’s family farmer, taking care of
the land that she and her siblings inherited.
Land, seed, and wisdom
Land was not the only thing her parents left her. “They always stored the seeds
of several rice varieties they have been planting all these years. They
carefully kept them inside plastic drums and labeled them properly.”These
include rice varieties with exotic names such as
Balatinaw, Gilgilan, Lad-ukan, Intan-dolimas, Oskil,
Apolog, Gudalakan, Balahangoy, Buyaw, and Pat-ungay. The lineages of these
varieties are so old they have been lost even to Neneng. All she knows is they
were the rice her ancestors planted on their farm. “All municipalities and
provinces have their own varieties,” Neneng said. “
The
seeds come with the land.”
In her element
The Neneng I met was not the same disheartened farmer on the verge of tears.
This version of Neneng was confident and totally in her element working in
their farm. She took us to their rice field that, together with the farm lands
of others, formed the famed rice terraces. Her expertise was very apparent. She
was an authority on the profuse assortment of traditional rice varieties and
the right time for sowing a particular variety. She was an expert at selecting
the seeds for the succeeding planting season, the right time for harvesting,
and the proper drying of the grains. She holds a body of knowledge that, like her
land and seeds, is a form of birthright.From a hesitant farmer, Neneng has
become confident community leader and totally in her element working in their
farm.
From a
hesitant farmer, Neneng has become confident community leader and totally in
her element working in their farm.“I finally focused on farming in 2009 after I
met
Vicky
Garcia,” she said. Ms. Garcia established Philippines
nonprofit RICE, Inc. to preserve heirloom rice grown in the Cordillera region
as well as the culture of the rice-based community. Ms. Garcia helped create an
export market for the heirloom rice through Mary Hensley, founder of
Eighth Wonder Inc., which
sells the rice in the U.S. “Vicky told us that we were planting heirloom rice.
We didn’t know that. To us they are rice that we plant and eat. I was inspired
by what Vicky said about our rice being more nutritious and aromatic.”
Tradition and innovation
Neneng
stayed faithful to the traditional organic farming methods of her parents such
as using the sunflower plants that grow ubiquitously in the area as
fertilizers. “My parents never used chemical fertilizers. They used natural
farming,” she said. Before the planting season, they would place the cut stems
and leaves of the sunflowers as well as weeds into their flooded field until
they disintegrate and become part of the cycle of life.
However,
she is not afraid to try new things. “I like to test things see what works and
what not to do.” Neneng recalls how farmers were once encouraged to plant
modern high-yielding varieties instead of their heirloom rice. “They said our
rice produced only a few tillers. So I did some experimenting on my own. If an
heirloom rice variety produced only 2 tillers I would plant 2 seedlings so
together they would produce more tillers. I also found that applying compost at
the right time will make a single heirloom rice plant produce up to 4 tillers.”
Even
golden
apple snails do not
faze Neneng. The invasive species was introduced into the Philippines in the
1980s. The plan was to raise the snails for export to the European market. When
that didn’t pan out, the goldmine turned into biological debacle. The
snails—which escaped or were discarded—reached the perfect environment for
breeding and feeding: rice fields. With their rapid reproduction, they can
reach population levels that can decimate entire rice crops. Today, golden
snails have become a dreaded, serious pest in many rice areas in
Asia. Neneng turned the golden snails into nutritious lemonade—for her
crop, that is.
“When we
see a lot of golden snails, we put a net trap in the middle of the field and
use sweet potato leaves as bait,” she said. “When all the snails have flocked
to eat the bait, we just pull up the net and harvest them. Then we ferment and
spray them on our rice plants 3 months after transplanting.” The snail’s high
protein content makes them cheap but effective nourishment for the rice
seedlings.While it may make other rice farmers wince, Neneng would actually put
golden snails in her field! “Snails can be useful, too,” she said. “When there
are no more golden snails in the field we put a some of them back when our
transplanted rice is too big for the snails to eat. The snails help us clear
the field of weeds.”
Born to lead
Although she started out as hesitant farmer, Neneng eventually assumed a
leadership role in her community.The export market demand for the
purple-colored Balatinaw, the heirloom rice that she and other farmers sell to
Eight Wonder, brought significant economic benefits. Every year she is able to
supply around 100 kilos of processed Balatinaw for export valued at about USD
170.00, which is twice the price of “non-fancy” varieties. The rest she
sells in Baguio. “I can save money for my family’s needs, especially for my
children’s education. My son was able to finish school because of heirloom
rice.”
Neneng
now sees heirloom rice farming as her ticket to a better future.“I noticed the
lives of rice farmers started to improve as more people started buying heirloom
rice,” she said. “I realized that our heirloom rice was important to our
community. We need to keep planting them because some varieties are starting to
disappear. We need to share them with other farmers and consumers who want to
buy them.”Thanks to heirloom rice Neneng is able to save money her family’s
needs and her children’s education.
Neneng
not only shared some of her inherited seeds, she shared her know-how and even
organized the farmers who were willing to plant heirloom rice. The informal
group became Blooming Hills Rice Terraces Farmers’ Cooperative which is
officially recognized by the Philippine government. It currently has 56 farmer
members. “I wish more farmers will join us. That would make me very happy.”
While
farmers like her are reaping the rewards of the
growing popularity of their heirloom rice, Neneng
knows there is much room for improvement.“We need financial help from the
government,” she said. “Yes, we have rice and land but we don’t have enough
money for farming. We need money to purchase water buffalos for plowing, not
tractors because they are not suited for our terraced farms.”In recent years,
they have started to experience water shortage. Neneng recommends an irrigation
system so that all farmers can have access to this important resource.
“Our
association could also use a portable thresher with blower that we can bring
closer to our rice fields so our farmers can minimize their postharvest losses.
Collapsible drying canvass will be very helpful so that we can protect our
harvested grains if it suddenly rains.”
Home at last
At one point, Neneng found herself thousands of kilometers from her hometown
pursuing a dream out of necessity. Upon her return, she realized that her heart
and her soul have never really strayed far from the rice fields of her
ancestors. Neneng, the heirloom rice farmer, is now where she wants to be. She
is where she is needed. She is finally home.
http://ricetoday.irri.org/home-among-the-heirlooms/
Historian’s cut: IRRI’s introverted “mad” scientist (full
interview)
Interviewer’s note: In observing IRRI Director
General Robert S. Zeigler’s last week at the Institute (6-12 December 2015)
before retirement, Rice
Today publishes
the full 4-hour interview that he granted on 28 August 2015. Excerpts from this
interview were previously published in
the October-December 2015 issue of Rice Today.
Bob
Zeigler, an internationally respected plant pathologist with more than 30 years
of experience in agricultural research in the developing world, has been the
director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for the
last 10+ years—the second longest tenure for an IRRI DG, after only the
Institute’s founding DG, Robert F. Chandler, Jr. (1960-72).
As DG, Bob set the Institute’s strategic direction and has also been a
passionate spokesperson on a wide range of issues that affect rice growers and
consumers worldwide. He retires in mid-December 2015.
Proclaiming
himself an introvert, he gave this IRRI pioneer interview with his customary
wit and candor. In addition to his early years, he covers his professional
life, which has spanned time spent in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the
United States.Bob has had a productive research career on diseases of rice that
focused on host-plant resistance, pathogen and vector population genetics, and
their interactions to develop durable resistance and sustainable disease
management practices. As Bob’s career moved increasingly towards research
management, his interests expanded to include broader crop management issues,
the social forces shaping the agricultural environment, and finally the
economic and political arena that frames food security and poverty issues. He
has published more than 100 scientific works in these areas and often serves as
an expert resource on rice security in the regional and global media.
Agricultural
beginnings on Pennsylvania dairy farms
When I was a kid growing up, both my parents came from farming families—they
were dairy farmers. My father’s farm was in southeastern Pennsylvania; my
mother’s in southwestern Pennsylvania. I was probably mostly influenced by my mother’s
side of the family. They were pretty much very small dairy farmers, scraping to
get by. I didn’t realize it at that time that they were very poor; I thought
that’s what everybody was. The men worked in the
bituminous
coal mines of Cambria County. They got up at 4 o’clock in the morning,
milked the cows, did a full shift in the coal mines, came back to milk the
cows, raised their families. That was the way things were and I thought that
was normal.
I just
had the greatest admiration for those people. On weekends and during the
summertime, I worked with them on the farms. I remember my jacket—I would have
a lightweight jacket in the spring and in the fall and it took on the smell of
the dairy barn. Then, I would wear that to school the following week with great
pride that I smelled like a barn. I never understood why the girls would say,
“Ewww, you smell like a barn!” I would say, “Yeah, that’s great; I smell like a
barn, ain’t that the greatest perfume.” That probably explains a lot about my
great history of dating as time went by.And so, those were my formative years,
which instilled in me a very deep admiration for farming and the pride people
take in their farms. That somehow rubbed off on me and that’s something I’ve
never lost.
A fourth grader’s wish: to be a mad scientist
Science always grabbed my attention as a kid. I was probably just wired that
way. I loved plants. My earliest memories are of me working with my mother. She
always had a vegetable garden and I just loved it when the plants came up,
especially the first flowers in the spring. It just gave me a sense of
indescribable joy and a love of nature, life, plants, and gardens that I have
to this day.
That
led to a curiosity that transferred into science. I liked the 1950s’
science fiction movies,
The
Killer Shrews and
The
Bride of Frankenstein. Then, there were all the comic book
superheroes such as the
Flash,
Atom,
Green
Lantern,
Superman, and
Batman. They had
in them the good and the evil of science all wrapped throughout. I took the
good and thought it was exciting. This was pretty instrumental in shaping how I
view the world, I think, in retrospect. The mad scientist role was a career
model! I could be a mad scientist.I had
chemistry
sets back in the 1950s and ’60s. You could buy
unbelievable sets that were toxic and explosive. My favorite pastime was to see
if I could blow things up—a natural child’s pastime. I had very early on had an
orientation towards science, plants, and discovery. The mad scientist role, I
think, was that one could do things with science that were not normal.
Biology was mind-blowing
We had
moved from State College, Pennsylvania, the home of Penn State University where
my father was employed, to Urbana, where my father took a new job at the
University of Illinois. My
mother was a very devout Roman Catholic. She agreed to move from Pennsylvania
to Illinois only if I could go to a Catholic school. So, I did; it was great.
Before that, I was a terrible student—and I mean terrible! I was probably in
the lowest quarter of students in terms of performance—barely passing. When we
moved to Illinois, I had a fresh start. And in this Catholic school [
St.
Mary’s in Champaign, Illinois], I went into the 8th grade where there was
only one classroom for 25 of us. It was a pretty ordinary level of education
and I did extremely well. I got my feet on the ground. I did extremely well at
the Catholic school. I made friends that I have to this day. I was the worst
student in terms of religion. We antagonized the mother superior in that class
to the extent that, a few years later, she quit being a nun. I’d like to think
that, to some extent, we had some responsibility for that.
When I
rejoined the regular public school system in 9th grade [
Urbana High School], I was
put in the dumb track—a track for the kids who were not very well prepared.
That meant, in 9th grade, instead of taking biology, I had to take general
science. All the smart kids took biology in 9th grade and in 10th grade they
went on to other things. But, the dumb kids took general science in 9th grade
and biology in 10th grade, which turned out to be one of the best things that
ever happened to me. The general science curriculum in 9th grade, even though
it was for dumb kids, was actually very broad and quite rigorous—and I loved
it.
I got
the broad general science, physics, and chemistry; I did not touch biology. And
I excelled. I was by far away the brightest kid in the class since most of the
others were juvenile delinquents. Then, in 10th grade, I took biology and again
the biology that was offered in the 10th grade, even though it was for the dumb
kids—to use that politically incorrect term—the curriculum was actually much
more rigorous. I was exposed to biology in a way that was just mind-blowing and
I loved it. By being tracked with the dummies, I ended up actually being
exposed to a much more rigorous curriculum, and I thought this is fantastic.
I really got turned on by science. Photo by Gene
Hettel, IRRI (16).I really got turned on by science in a way that was academic
as opposed to the mad-scientist comic book/science fiction movies. I thought,
“Hey this stuff is really deeply neat.” It just helped change the way I saw
things in the world.I could have gone with the hoodlums or with the kids who
were really smart. It was going to be one extreme or the other. Eventually, I
fell in with the really smart kids because they were sort of social outcasts
and so was I.
When I
was in high school with these really smart kids, we were part of a boy scout
explorer course. One of our great activities was to go backpacking. We would
take summer trips out to the Rocky Mountains and to glacier parks and spend two
weeks hiking through these mountains, and that, to me, was mind-blowing and eye
opening. Oddly enough, once I got turned on by biology and general science, my
whole attitude towards learning changed, and I thought all this stuff were
pretty cool. Somehow, I made the switch and got my brain so I could function
within a normal school environment.
http://ricetoday.irri.org/zeigler-full-interview/
PH conditions dampen global rice output CROPS DAMAGED BY ‘LANDO,’ EL NIÑO
03:43 AM December 10th, 2015
The decline in Philippine rice output due to Typhoon Lando
(international name: Koppu) continues to weigh down on the global production
outlook, with the volume for 2015 remaining one percent lower at 491 million
tons.According to the latest monthly Market Monitor report of the Agricultural
Market Information System (Amis) administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization,
the situation in the Philippines was a major driver of decline along with those
in India and Thailand.The outlook also remained in the shadow of the strong El
Niño, which is expected to peak at the end of December.“Rice conditions remain
mixed in part due to the El Niño event affecting large parts of Asia,” the Amis
said.
“In the Philippines, conditions are poor in large parts of the
northern and central regions due to widespread damage caused by Typhoon
(Lando),” the organization said. “In the rest of the country, conditions are
generally favorable, however there is some concern in the south over
dryness.”Amis said conditions are drier than average in the Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.Last Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
(Abom) said the El Niño phenomenon was nearing its peak. However, it could fall
short of being the worst on record as temperatures were already going
down.“While sea surface temperatures remain close to record-high values, some
El Niño indicators are now showing signs of easing,” the Abom said in its
latest fortnightly update.
“However, the current El Niño is likely to persist well into
2016,” the agency added. “El Niño indicators, notably sea surface and
sub-surface temperatures, westerly wind anomalies in the central Pacific, and
cloudiness near the (international) date line, remain well above El Niño
thresholds.”The bureau said while the current El Niño is likely among the three
strongest occurrences of the phenomenon in the past 50 years, it has yet to
surpass temperatures recorded in 1997-1998 and in 1982-1983.These include
readings below the Pacific Ocean’s surface, which showed more than 12 degrees
Celsius above average in 1982-1983 but has so far peaked at around 8 degrees
Celsius above average this year.
It’s the wow season at W Bangkok
Wednesday,
December 09, 2015
There's always a WOW reason to keep coming back to W Bangkok.
(Contributed photo)
HEADING to Bangkok? Now’s a good time as December is Bangkok’s
high season in many ways. The great weather and festive atmosphere make for
events and parties galore. Here are three wow reasons why you should find your
way at W Bangkok.First, after a long flight it’s always good to relax and
recharge before hitting the exhilarating Bangkok cultural, shopping, dining and
party scenes. That’s a lot on the list and you need to be fully charged,
invigorated and ready for action to get through the entire list. It’s always a
good idea to look and feel your best.W Bangkok’s AWAY Spa is where you will
experience a unique W styled metamorphosis, a place that promises a spa
experience like no other, a place to get away from it all and get ready to be
highly charged for the exploration of the Big Mango.
At AWAY Spa, one walks through four chic zones to achieve full
metamorphosis: the Welcome and Decompression Zone (the reception and
consultation lounge); the Delight Zone (where treatment rooms have unique
glowing beds which the color can be changed into 4 colors to suit the moods:
Green – calm and peacefull; Red – increasing body energy; Purple – happiness
and Pink – romantic and sensuality); the Detox Zone (the wet facilities); and
the Refuel Zone (an outdoor chill-out area for after treatment mind
reactivation).With the spa’s current Escape & Recharge promotions running
throughout December, it’s the perfect time to go.The treatments have been
designed to provide thorough revitalization and beautification.
The “Golden Retreat” (THB 3,999++ / 120 minutes) was brought
back by popular demand. It promises to let you shine like never before with 24K
gold treatments that will leave your skin glowing.Two hours of bliss comprising
30-minute Gold Body Scrub, 60-minute Golden Body Oil application and 30-minute
Mini Facial with 24K Gold Facial Mask.“Take It Easy” (THB 2,999++/ 90 minutes)
is designed to detoxify your body from the weighed exhaustion from work with 90
minutes of pure relaxation. Choose from Abhyanga Massage, an Ayurvedic therapy
for healing and detoxifying where warm aromatic oils are applied along the
body’s energy channels to restore flow of vital energy, or the Foot Reflexology
Massage, a technique that involves targeted application of pressure to the feet
as well as hands to effect physical change in other areas of the body.
Having traveled for almost half a day (including prep and
waiting time) from Davao to Bangkok, I opted for “The Jetsetter” (THB 2,599++/
75 minutes) in the Green room. It’s AWAY’s perfect solution to get rid of the
exhaustion (or the jet lag for those who took a longer journey). The 75-minute
massage is designed to stimulate and tone the body triggered by soothing long
strokes.
Emerge transformed, like I did.Second, head to the Kitchen Table
and revolutionize your dining experience. W Bangkok’s dining space upturns
culinary traditions and infused it with visionary tastes, presented by dynamic
chefs who are redefining gastronomy.
The Kitchen Table is W Bangkok’s all-day dining restaurant, a
favorite haunt among jet-setters with adventurous palate who adore
quality.Bangkok’s finest creations are served here including fresh seafood,
succulent steaks and signature dish from international kitchen.I was in luck,
they have a new menu and I got to try some of the dishes prepared by Chef de
Cuisine Manoj Kottarathil. Of course, it had to be according to my dietary
preference- no pork or beef, and to my surprise he filled the table with the
house specialties (marked with the vivid fuchsia W on the menu) of seafood and
poultry. Who am I to complain?
From the starters to dessert, it was wow all the way.Three appetizers were set
to the table right away and Chef Manoj took time to present the dishes to us (I
had to bring two food lovers with me or my food tasting would end after one
dish).The Lab Pla Salmon and Tuna (THB 420++), Fresh Salmon and Tuna, Salmon
Roe, Chili, Lime and Aromatic Herbs, was the take on the ceviche. “The tray of
condiments is for you to flavor your dish according to your taste,” said the
chef.The fresh tasting Tomato Peas and Quinoa Salad (THB 360++), served with
Halloumi Cheese and Mint and Lemon Dressing, made a perfect accompaniment to
the Miang Goong Yum Ka Ton (THB 520++), a dish of grilled Tiger prawns with a
surprising twist—a delightful, sweet and sour dressing using Santol as the main
ingredient.
It was mixed with cashew nuts, betel leaf and sweet chili
palm.For the main course, the chef brought out three of the most tasting dishes
from the kitchen starting with the Gaeng BeuaPuu Cha Plu (THB 740++), a hot and
spicy Southern Style yellow curry with coconut milk, crab meat and Betel leaf
served with Jasmine rice, which reminded of Isan cuisine I first had in Phuket.
It is rich in flavor, spicy and delicious.The Indian dish of Butter Chicken
(THB 580++), Tandoori Chicken Curry served with Naan Bread, Basmati Rice,
Cucumber Raita, Pickle and Pappadam, showcased the chef’s native cuisine. The
chicken must have been stewed long enough for the flavors to penetrate deep
into the white meat making every of the chicken delectable.An Italian dish completed
the trio of dishes, the Arborio Risotto with Lobster Medallion ad Foie Gras
(THB 780++) with fennel and green pea. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a rich,
buttery rice dish with two of the best toppings to go with it—lobster and
foiegras?
I made sure I had enough space for the most important part of
the meal. To conclude the feast, Chef Manoj brought in two of the bestsellers
created by the pastry chef- the Crystal Ball (THB 330++), Valrhona 36%
Chocolate Caramel flavored mousse on Choco Rice Crisps. With a preference to
“not to sweet” desserts, this one made it to the list. The ingenuous
presentation made it even more fun to eat.The surprise of the evening would be
the Compressed Watermelon (THB 290 ++) served with Parmesan Ice Cream and
Italian Basil and green Apple Sorbet.
The watermelon was a refreshing way to end a meal, sort of a
tongue cleanser like the sorbet on the dish. The scoops’ flavors provided an
exciting interplay of flavors to the taste buds—the sorbet’s mixed flavors of
fresh, tangy and minty and the intense cheesy flavor and gritty textured ice
cream. I will have a go at these scoops on mt next visit to Bangkok.Third, have
a drink at the fully restored The House on Sathorn, the former residence of the
royalty the avenue was named after.With the original fixtures still intact, the
19th century mansion is now home to multi-themed rooms comprised of a
restaurant, cocktail bar, private rooms and a large courtyard for al fresco
sips and bites.It’s chic and I want to go back to explore and experience its
offering soon.
***
www.sunstar.com
Scientist does IISc proud, bags
international award
• NYOOOZ
• Bengaluru
• Wed,09 Dec 2015
Summary: The other Indians who got the award this
year are Jagdish Ladha from the International Rice Research
Institute-International Rice Research Institute, New Delhi, in agricultural
sciences category and Sandip Trivedi of the Tata Institute for Fundamental
Research, Mumbai, in the Physics category . Every year, TWAS gives eight prizes
of $15,000 each in the fields of agricultural sciences, biology, chemistry ,
earth sciences, engineering sciences, mathematics, medical sciences and
physics. BENGALURU: Professor U Ramamurty of the Indian Institute of Science has
bagged the 2015 Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) prize, which carries a
cash prize of $15,000, in the engineering category .
"
Ramamurty said there are plenty of opportunities for science in India and there
needs to be more encouragement for those pursuing excellence. Prof CNR Rao,
former president of TWAS, told TOI: "This is a prestigious award because
you are competing with some of the best scientists from China, Korea, Brazil
and other countries.BENGALURU: Professor U Ramamurty of the Indian Institute of
Science has bagged the 2015 Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) prize, which
carries a cash prize of $15,000, in the engineering category .
Prof CNR Rao, former president of TWAS, told TOI: "This is
a prestigious award because you are competing with some of the best scientists
from China, Korea, Brazil and other countries. I hope this will encourage more
people in the country to do research." Ramamurty said there are plenty of
opportunities for science in India and there needs to be more encouragement for
those pursuing excellence. Stressing on the need to increase research funding
in the country , he said: "I left the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and came to India because I knew there is potential here.
There
must be more encouragement and funding. More Indians getting such awards will
make our future generation confident of doing research from here." The
administration and financial operation of TWAS is undertaken by Unesco. Every
year, TWAS gives eight prizes of $15,000 each in the fields of agricultural
sciences, biology, chemistry , earth sciences, engineering sciences,
mathematics, medical sciences and physics. The other Indians who got the award
this year are Jagdish Ladha from the International Rice Research
Institute-International Rice Research Institute, New Delhi, in agricultural
sciences category and Sandip Trivedi of the Tata Institute for Fundamental
Research, Mumbai, in the Physics category ..
Scamming Indian Agriculture
Through Cronyism, Corruption
The CAG report reveals how tens of thousands of
crores of rupees continue to be looted in the name of the poor
09December, 2015by Sutanu Guru
CAG reports sometimes lead to the unearthing of
explosive scandals. The CAG reports on the allocation of spectrum to
"telecom" companies and allocation of coal blocks to
"infrastructure" companies resulted in the unraveling of the
notorious 2G and coal block scams. Another CAG report on the Delhi airport
privatization was no less damning and damaging. But the beneficiary of this
alleged "scam", the GMR group seems to have escaped sustained scrutiny.
And then, the CAG report on the Krishna Godavari gas basins involving Reliance
Industries Ltd continues to raise questions. But not all CAG reports, no matter
how damning, lead to sustained media scrutiny and hysterical debates on prime
time TV.
One such report that looks destined to be
buried is a CAG report on how an at least Rs 40,000 crore scam in the
procurement and milling of paddy for the public distribution system that seems
to be going on since the last five years. Congress leaders were busy screaming
"vendetta politics" when this report was tabled in the Parliament on
December 8, 2015. So it has gone largely unnoticed. This author could not see
any detailed news report or any debate over the scam in any channel yesterday.
Fortunately, most newspapers have carried prominent stories today about the
report. But make no mistake, the disruption of Parliament, the fate of the
benighted GST Bill, the public swagger of the Gandhis and Indo-Pak cricket will
so dominate headlines that nothing further would be heard about this particular
CAG report.
Yet, this report provides a crystal clear
example of how cronyism, ad hocism and corruption continue to flourish in the
socialist paradise that is India. It also reveals how tens of thousands of
crores continue to be looted in the name of the poor. Here are some facts.
Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, Rs 17,985.49 crores was paid in the form of
minimum support prices to farmers who were in all probability fictitious.
According to the CAG report, these payments were made to farmers without proof
of land holdings, without proof of bank accounts and without procurement
certificates. In simple language, these were "ghost" farmers and Rs
18,000 crores was looted in their name in this time period. That's not all. The
CAG report says it computes the figure of Rs 18,000 crores after looking into
the procurement process in the states of Andhra Pradesh (now Andhra and
Telangana), Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. How much bigger would be the
extent of this "ghost" payment scam if the CAG conducts a rigorous
scrutiny of procurement practices in all states?
The CAG report also highlights how rice millers
were delivered a bonanza by the procurement process. It examined the operations
of a cross section of the millers in the four states of Andhra Pradesh,
Chattisgarh, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh. What did it discover? Millers in
these four states benefited from "excess net realization" of Rs 3,743
crores. The sample scrutinized by the CAG represents merely 15% of the total in
the country. If we assume that other millers too benefited from the same levels
of "excess net realization", the money siphoned away by rice mills
amounts to more than Rs 40,000 crores.
Even more interesting, the CAG report talks
about exorbitant transport charges and details how the number plates of trucks
that allegedly transported the paddy belonged to scooters and motorcycles.
What's more, another "sample survey" conducted by the CAG in selected
districts of Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana
revealed that rice valued at Rs 7570.78 crores was never delivered back by rice
mills to the Food Corporation of India and other state agencies responsible for
public distribution of subsidized rice. No action was taken against them. Once
again, if a nationwide wide survey is conducted, the amount of the loot would
be significantly higher.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been
committing suicide every year in the meanwhile. In 2015, there has been a
significant spike in suicides of sugarcane farmers, particularly in Karnataka
which lags far behind Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in sugarcane production.
And yet, according to available data, sugar mills have not paid dues worth Rs
22,000 crores to sugarcane farmers as of 2015. Meanwhile, the government t is
luring thousands of crores into the coffers of sugar mills to help them clear
their dues to farmers. This author wonders what a future CAG audit of this
would reveal.The CAG report reveals how tens of thousands of crores of rupees
continue to be looted in the name of the poor
09December, 2015by Sutanu Guru
CAG reports sometimes lead to the unearthing of
explosive scandals. The CAG reports on the allocation of spectrum to
"telecom" companies and allocation of coal blocks to
"infrastructure" companies resulted in the unraveling of the
notorious 2G and coal block scams. Another CAG report on the Delhi airport
privatization was no less damning and damaging. But the beneficiary of this
alleged "scam", the GMR group seems to have escaped sustained scrutiny.
And then, the CAG report on the Krishna Godavari gas basins involving Reliance
Industries Ltd continues to raise questions. But not all CAG reports, no matter
how damning, lead to sustained media scrutiny and hysterical debates on prime
time TV.
One such report that looks destined to be
buried is a CAG report on how an at least Rs 40,000 crore scam in the
procurement and milling of paddy for the public distribution system that seems
to be going on since the last five years. Congress leaders were busy screaming
"vendetta politics" when this report was tabled in the Parliament on
December 8, 2015. So it has gone largely unnoticed. This author could not see
any detailed news report or any debate over the scam in any channel yesterday.
Fortunately, most newspapers have carried prominent stories today about the
report. But make no mistake, the disruption of Parliament, the fate of the
benighted GST Bill, the public swagger of the Gandhis and Indo-Pak cricket will
so dominate headlines that nothing further would be heard about this particular
CAG report.
Yet, this report provides a crystal clear
example of how cronyism, ad hocism and corruption continue to flourish in the
socialist paradise that is India. It also reveals how tens of thousands of
crores continue to be looted in the name of the poor. Here are some facts.
Between 2009-10 and 2013-14, Rs 17,985.49 crores was paid in the form of
minimum support prices to farmers who were in all probability fictitious.
According to the CAG report, these payments were made to farmers without proof
of land holdings, without proof of bank accounts and without procurement
certificates. In simple language, these were "ghost" farmers and Rs
18,000 crores was looted in their name in this time period. That's not all. The
CAG report says it computes the figure of Rs 18,000 crores after looking into
the procurement process in the states of Andhra Pradesh (now Andhra and
Telangana), Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. How much bigger would be the
extent of this "ghost" payment scam if the CAG conducts a rigorous
scrutiny of procurement practices in all states?
The CAG report also highlights how rice millers
were delivered a bonanza by the procurement process. It examined the operations
of a cross section of the millers in the four states of Andhra Pradesh,
Chattisgarh, Telengana and Uttar Pradesh. What did it discover? Millers in
these four states benefited from "excess net realization" of Rs 3,743
crores. The sample scrutinized by the CAG represents merely 15% of the total in
the country. If we assume that other millers too benefited from the same levels
of "excess net realization", the money siphoned away by rice mills
amounts to more than Rs 40,000 crores.
Even
more interesting, the CAG report talks about exorbitant transport charges and
details how the number plates of trucks that allegedly transported the paddy
belonged to scooters and motorcycles. What's more, another "sample
survey" conducted by the CAG in selected districts of Bihar, Odisha,
Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana revealed that rice valued at Rs
7570.78 crores was never delivered back by rice mills to the Food Corporation
of India and other state agencies responsible for public distribution of
subsidized rice. No action was taken against them. Once again, if a nationwide
wide survey is conducted, the amount of the loot would be significantly higher.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been
committing suicide every year in the meanwhile. In 2015, there has been a
significant spike in suicides of sugarcane farmers, particularly in Karnataka
which lags far behind Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in sugarcane production.
And yet, according to available data, sugar mills have not paid dues worth Rs
22,000 crores to sugarcane farmers as of 2015. Meanwhile, the government t is
luring thousands of crores into the coffers of sugar mills to help them clear
their dues to farmers. This author wonders what a future CAG audit of this
would reveal.
Hybrid rice plantings
could expand significantly in coming years
Farmers in the United States and China now plant about 50
percent of their acres to hybrid rice, according to Michael Gumina, global CEO
for RiceTec Ag, a seed company that focuses primarily on the relatively new
type of rice.If the world population continues to grow at the present rate and
the world economy doesn’t falter too badly, growers in both the U.S. and China
could be planting 75 to 80 percent of their rice in hybrids in the next 20
years, he says.
That’s on top of gains in hybrid rice in other regions of the
world where increasing food production will be a major goal over the next two
decades, says Gumina, who was a presenter during one of the latest in the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture System’s Food and Agribusiness
Webinar series.“When we look out in our crystal ball here over the next 20
years, this is what we are projecting for the market,” he says. “For the Mercosur
(South America), we are at 4 percent today. We think that will jump up to 34
percent by 2035. India is at 7 percent today for hybrid rice, and we think that
will move up to 28 percent. The rest of Southeast Asia will be at 35 percent in
20 years.”
Gumina, who has been involved in the seed industry for 35 years,
says those forecasts will depend on whether his company has success in
promoting hybrids in the marketplace. “If we do, if we can show the same kind
of hybrid vigor kick, I think the world will certainly grow its percentage of
hybrid rice.”
Farmers worried about low
paddy purchase target
TNN | Dec 9, 2015, 03.06 PM IST
Kendrapada: The fate of large numbers of farmers
in Kendrapada district is at stake at the start of the harvesting season as the
authorities have decided to procure only three lakh quintals of paddy.Farmers
are all set to harvest eight lakh quintals of paddy this year, said president
of the District Krushak Sabha Umesh Chandra Singh.Farmers of Rajnagar,
Rajkanika and Aul have already started harvesting paddy whereas farmers of
Pattamundai, Derabishi, Garadapur, Marsaghai and Mahakalapada will harvest the
crops within two weeks, said farmer leader Babaji Parida.Odisha State Civil Supplies
Corporation Ltd (OSCSC) has decided to procure only three lakh quintals of
paddy in the first phase. "Later, we will take a decision on procuring
more paddy from the farmers. We have entrusted 109 primary agriculture
cooperative societies (PACSs) with procuring paddy from the farmers from
January 1, 2016," said civil supplies officer Ramanath Sahoo.
After purchasing paddy from the farmers , the PACSs will hand over the paddy to
19 rice mills in the district. "The millers will provide rice to us. Four
years back, we blacklisted two rice mills for not abiding by the rules,"
said Sahoo.ast year, 19 millers purchased 3.66 lakh quintals of paddy and
provided OSCSC 2.42 lakh quintals of rice, added Sahoo.The authorities have
fixed price of a quintal of fair average quality of paddy at 1,410, added the
officer.After paddy procurement, large number of farmers are compelled to sell
their stocked paddy to meet the daily expenses at throwaway prices, said the
farmer leader.
During this time, mill owners hand in glove with
the government officials and agents purchase paddy from the hapless farmers at
a lower price. But the authorities do not take any steps to check the distress
sale," alleged Bhagabat Rout, a farmer of Rajkanika."Some mill owners
and businessmen have started purchasing paddy at Rs 1,000 per quintal from the
farmers as the latter have already harvested crops. The farmers are incurring
losses as the price is Rs 410 below the maximum retail price fixed by the
government," said Singh.
And
now, CAG finds Rs40,564-cr lapses in PDS paddy procurement news
09 December 2015
Irregularities in procurement and milling of
paddy meant for distribution of rice to the poor through public distribution
system (PDS) at subsidised rates have caused losses to the tune of Rs40,564
crore to the exchequer, says a report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of
India.
The CAG report tabled in parliament on Tuesday
points to undue benefits to the rice millers and discrepancies in payment of
nearly Rs18,000 crore as support price to paddy farmers without
authentication.CAG said Rs3,743 crore worth of benefit was passed on to millers
by not including the value of by-products in the price they have to pay for
milling paddy.
The government, however, refutes this saying
the rate paid includes value of by-products like rice husks and rice bran.CAG
listed as many as nine major cases of irregularities, all of which put together
add up to Rs40,564.14 crore. There were also a number of smaller cases amounting
to the irregularities of over Rs10,000 crore - taking the total amount to well
above Rs50,000 crore."These deficiencies also contributed to avoidable
increase in food subsidy expenditure of the government of India," CAG said
about its audit conducted for the period between April 2009 and March 2014.The
CAG also flagged concerns over the quality of paddy procured, saying, it was
not clear as to how Chhatishgarh government ensured the minimum quality
standards for paddy worth Rs21,115.13 crore procured without necessary checks.
CAG scrutinised records of the central
government agency, the Food Corporation of India (FCI), as also that of state
governments and their agencies in Chhattisgarh, UP, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab,
Odisha, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana.The CAG has suggested revisiting the existing
procurement and milling plans and suggested the government should transfer
minimum support price to accounts of farmers directly.The government,
meanwhile, said it has set up a traffic commission to study the milling cost
and value of by-products and suggest a new rate by December, based on which the
government will decide on revising the milling charges that have not been
revised since 2005."Delay in revising the milling charges and poor control
over custody of paddy/rice resulted in not only undue gains to the rice millers
but also widespread and large scale non-delivery of paddy and rice by
them," CAG said in the report titled 'Procurement and Milling of Paddy for
the Central Pool'.
http://www.domain-b.com/economy/Govt/20151209_auditor.html#sthash.4G9HrBRY.dpuf
Brown Basmati and Chana Dal Khichri
Brown Basmati and Chana Dal Khichri
Inspired by the regal Bengali
Cholar Dal, this wholesome khichri is made with the added goodness of brown
basmati. The nutty warmth of the rice and lentils are perfectly matched with
the delicate sweetness of the coconut, ghee and caramelised sugar in this dish.
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 30 minutes soaking time for dry rice and lentils)
Cook time: 35 minutes for dry rice (or approx. 30 minutes for steamed rice)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 250 gm
Tilda® Brown Basmati Rice
or
- 3 packs of
Tilda® Steamed Brown
- Basmati
Rice
- 80 gm
chana lentils (also known as yellow Bengal gram)
- 1 large
bay leaf
- 4 green
cardamom pods
- 1 inch
cinnamon stick
- Half tsp
sugar
- 1 tsp
grated/finely chopped ginger
- 1 tsp
turmeric
- Half tsp
garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp
ghee
- Handful of
coconut chips to garnish
Method:
- If using
dry rice, wash both the rice and the lentils thoroughly in a sieve until
the water runs clear. Place both in a bowl, cover with fresh cold water
and leave to soak for at least half an hour
- Put a
large pot on medium heat, add the ghee and when hot, add in the bay leaf,
cardamom pods, cinnamon and sugar. As the sugar caramelises, stir in the
ginger
- Drain the
rice and lentils and mix in with the ingredients in the large pot. Stir
well, adding the turmeric, salt and four cups of cold water. Stir again to
mix properly
- Bring the
pot to the boil and then lower to a medium-low heat, letting the rice and
lentils bubble away until cooked. This will take a good 30- 35 minutes,
but if the rice begins to dry out you can stir in another cup of water
- To finish,
mix in the garam masala and season with salt to taste
- Toast some
coconut chips in ghee and sprinkle over the top to garnish
- If using a
pouch of Tilda® Steamed Brown Basmati Rice, soak and cook the lentils as
above with three cups of water. Cook the lentils for around 25 minutes, or
until when the lentils are soft but still whole, then mix in the contents
of the steamed pouch. Add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cinnamon, sugar and
ginger and stir well. Cook for 4 minutes and add a pinch of salt to taste,
before topping with toasted coconut chips to serve.
Recipe created by Mallika Basu for
Tilda.
For more recipe inspiration from
Mallika Basu and Tilda Basmati, visit tilda.com
USA
RICE DAILY NEW
In Memory: Billy Glen Knowlton
The U.S. rice industry is deeply saddened by
the passing of Billy Glen Knowlton, 76, in West Columbia, Texas, on December
3. Knowlton made his career in the rice
industry, working for Riceland Foods, American Rice Inc., Farmers Grain
Terminal, and Affiliated Rice Milling.Knowlton also served in the U.S. Air
Force, where he was recognized as Outstanding Airman of the Year for his
squadron in 1960."I knew Billy since 1969 when he got started in that
grading lab," said Dick Ottis, president of Rice Belt Warehouse. "He was a quiet person, but very
knowledgeable, intelligent, and a good friend.
He was one of those quiet types - a man of few words, but when he
talked, it was in your interest to listen, because he was probably going to
teach you something. We had lots of good
conversations and times over the years, and I'm going to miss him a
bunch."A celebration in honor of his life will be held at 2 p.m. on
Sunday, December 13, at Columbia Lakes Country Club in West Columbia.USA Rice
extends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Billy Knowlton.
USARiceOutlook News in 140
Characters or Less
Seth Fiack reporting live
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Cue the Cajun music and pass
the red beans and rice - the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference starts
tonight!
Whether you're already here or keeping tabs
from the home front, stay connected with all the happenings with the 2015
#USARiceOutlook on Twitter. Members are
encouraged to use the official hashtag throughout the conference. Snap a
picture of your favorite exhibit booth, or type out an interesting quote from
one of the many engaging sessions and share your experience with your social
media followers.USA Rice will also be live tweeting all the excitement as it
unfolds so stay up-to-date on everything that's happening by tracking
#USARiceOutlook.
Contact:
Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
Rice Leadership
Class Member Wins Top Honor in Arkansas
Shannon
& Derek Haigwood
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- In acknowledgement of the
high caliber of people chosen to participate in the Rice Leadership Development
program, another member has won a Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement
Award: Derek Haigwood in Arkansas.
Last week, Derek and his wife, Shannon, of
Newport, Arkansas, took top honors at the Arkansas Farm Bureau's annual
competition here. The Haigwoods are a
fourth generation row-crop farm family whose long-term goal is to leave a
sustainable farming legacy for their son.
Chuck
Wilson, executive director of The Rice Foundation and manager of the Rice
Leadership Development Program, said, "It's no coincidence that our Rice
Leadership members are being recognized as leaders in the ag community. Derek and his fellow classmates graduate next
year but, as you can see, they are already having a tremendous impact on the
industry. These accolades and honors
earned by our program graduates should be great incentive to anyone thinking
about submitting an application."
The
Haigwoods earned an expense-paid trip in January to the American Farm Bureau
Federation national conference in Orlando where they will compete for national
awards against at least one other Rice Leadership Development alumnus - Timothy
Gertson, who took Texas' honors last week as well.
Contact:
Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444
|
WASDE
Report Released
|
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. 2015/16 rice supply and
use is changed very little from a month ago. The all rice import forecast is
lowered 1 million cwt to 24.5 million, all in long-grain, as the pace to date
is slower than expected. No changes are made to 2015/16 use. All rice
domestic and residual use and exports are forecast at 127 million cwt and 98
million, respectively. All rice ending stocks are lowered 1 million cwt to
38.8 million, all in long-grain. Long-grain ending stocks are forecast at
20.8 million cwt and medium- and short-grain stocks at 16.1 million.
The 2015/16 long-grain season-average farm
price range is projected at $11.50 to $12.50 per cwt, unchanged from last
month. The medium- and short-grain farm price range is projected at $17.00 to
$18.00 per cwt, down 60 cents per cwt on each end of the range. The
California medium- and short-grain rice price, at a midpoint of $21.00 per
cwt, is down 50 cents per cwt from last month. The Other States medium-and
short-grain rice price, at a midpoint of $12.30 per cwt, is lowered 70 cents
per cwt. The all rice season-average farm price is forecast at $13.10 to
$14.10 per cwt, down 20 cents per cwt on each end of the range.
Lower-than-expected prices published by the National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) for October along with price expectations for the remainder of
the marketing year support the downward adjustment in rice prices from a
month ago.
Global 2015/16 rice supplies are lowered more
than the decline in use resulting in a reduction in ending stocks. This is
the third consecutive year that global consumption exceeds production leading
to a drawdown in world ending stocks. Global production is lowered 4.2
million tons to 469.3 million tons, down about 8.9 million tons from the
preceding year, and the smallest crop since 2011/12. Production forecasts are
lowered for Australia, India, Madagascar, and the Philippines. The 2015/16
India crop is lowered 3.5 million tons to 100.0 million, the smallest crop
since 2010/11. The reduction is due to a drop in expected Kharif rice
production as early harvest reports indicate lower-than-expected yields
across the northeastern rice growing region. Additionally, the slow pace of
plantings of the Rabi rice crop due mostly to dryness is expected to lower
expected yields and production. Rice production in Australia is lowered
254,000 tons as area is lowered 36,000 hectares to 30,000 hectares. This is
the smallest area in production since 2008/09. Rice production in the
Philippines is lowered 250,000 tons to 11.3 million due to cyclone damage.
The rice crop in Madagascar is lowered 256,000 tons to 2.4 million because of
lower yields.
Global rice consumption for 2015/16 is lowered
1.6 million tons to 484.6 million tons, still a record. Consumption forecasts
are lowered in India, Madagascar, Nigeria, Thailand, and Vietnam. Global
exports are unchanged at 41.3 million as India is lowered and mostly offset
by increases for Thailand and Vietnam. Imports are lowered for Nigeria and
the United States. World 2015/16 ending stocks are lowered 2.6 million tons
to 88.4 million, largely due to decreases for India, Nigeria, and Thailand.
Stocks are down 15.3 million tons from the preceding year and the smallest
since 2007/08. The 2015/16 stocks-to-use ratio is projected at 18.2 percent,
down from 21.5 in 2014/15, and the smallest since 17.9 percent in 2006/07.
The full report
can be read here.
|
|
CCC
Announces Prevailing World Market Prices
|
WASHINGTON, DC -- The
Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporationtoday announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled
and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the
resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates
applicable to the 2015 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from
the previous announcement.
|
|
World Price
|
MLG/LDP Rate
|
|
|
Milled Value ($/cwt)
|
Rough ($/cwt)
|
Rough ($/cwt)
|
|
Long Grain
|
15.10
|
9.53
|
0.00
|
|
Medium/Short Grain
|
14.60
|
9.79
|
0.00
|
|
Brokens
|
9.11
|
----
|
----
|
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the
following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:
|
|
U.S. Milling Yields
Whole/Broken
(lbs/cwt)
|
Loan Rate
($/cwt)
|
|
Long Grain
|
55.01/13.46
|
6.50
|
|
Medium/Short Grain
|
61.81/8.43
|
6.50
|
The next program announcement is scheduled for December 16, 2015.
|
|
CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
CME Group
(Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for December 9
|
January 2016
|
$11.005
|
+ $0.035
|
|
March 2016
|
$11.275
|
+ $0.040
|
|
May 2016
|
$11.560
|
+ $0.035
|
|
July 2016
|
$11.820
|
+ $0.035
|
|
September 2016
|
$11.745
|
+ $0.035
|
|
November 2016
|
$11.760
|
+ $0.035
|
|
January 2017
|
$11.760
|
+ $0.035
|
|
APEDA
Rice Commodity News
|
International
Benchmark Price
|
|
Price on: 09-12-2015
|
|
Product
|
Benchmark
Indicators Name
|
Price
|
|
Apricots
|
|
1
|
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
4875
|
|
2
|
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
4375
|
|
3
|
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
|
3625
|
|
Honey
|
|
1
|
Argentine 85mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
2860
|
|
2
|
Argentine 50mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
2970
|
|
3
|
Argentine 34mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
3080
|
|
Peanuts
|
|
1
|
South Africa, HPS 70/80 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
|
1875
|
|
2
|
Argentinean 38/42 runners, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
1200
|
|
3
|
Argentinean 40/50 runners, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
1170
|
|
Source:agra-net
|
For more info
|
|
|
Market
Watch
|
|
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on
08-12-2015
|
|
Domestic Prices
|
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Variety
|
Min Price
|
Max Price
|
|
Jowar(Sorgham)
|
|
1
|
Gulbarga (Karnataka)
|
Hybrid
|
1450
|
1750
|
|
2
|
Pune (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
3200
|
3800
|
|
3
|
Palanpur (Gujarat)
|
Other
|
3105
|
3905
|
|
Maize
|
|
1
|
Haveri (Karnataka)
|
Local
|
1290
|
1400
|
|
2
|
Dhing (Assam)
|
Other
|
1325
|
1400
|
|
3
|
Dahod (Gujarat)
|
Yellow
|
1525
|
1555
|
|
Mousambi
|
|
1
|
Aroor (Kerala)
|
Other
|
4000
|
4200
|
|
2
|
Batala (Punjab)
|
Other
|
2400
|
2800
|
|
3
|
Mechua (West Bengal)
|
Other
|
2900
|
3400
|
|
Brinjal
|
|
1
|
Palayam (Kerala)
|
Other
|
2500
|
2800
|
|
2
|
Nagpur (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
1200
|
1500
|
|
3
|
Jatni (Orissa)
|
Other
|
1600
|
1800
|
|
|
For more info
|
|
|
Egg
|
Rs per 100 No
|
|
Price on 09-12-2015
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Price
|
|
1
|
Ahmedabad
|
415
|
|
2
|
Mysore
|
390
|
|
3
|
Nagapur
|
385
|
|
|
|
|
Other
International Prices
|
Unit Price : US$ per package
|
|
Price on 09-12-2015
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Origin
|
Variety
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Potatoes
|
Package: 50 lb sacks
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Colorado
|
Russet
|
15
|
15.25
|
|
2
|
Chicago
|
Idaho
|
Russet
|
9
|
11
|
|
3
|
Dallas
|
Washington
|
Russet
|
13
|
14
|
|
Cabbage
|
Package: 50 lb cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Georgia
|
Round Green Type
|
9
|
10.50
|
|
2
|
Detroit
|
Canada
|
Round Green Type
|
11
|
12
|
|
3
|
Miami
|
Georgia
|
Round Green Type
|
12
|
14
|
|
Grapefruit
|
Package: 4/5 bushel cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Florida
|
Red
|
17
|
17
|
|
2
|
Chicago
|
Florida
|
Red
|
18
|
22
|
|
3
|
Miami
|
Florida
|
Red
|
25
|
26
|
|
Source:USDA
|
|
Arkansas
Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Long
Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long
Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
ROUGH RICE
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan '16
|
1102.0
|
1086.5
|
1100.5
|
+3.5
|
|
Mar '16
|
1128.0
|
1114.5
|
1127.5
|
+4.0
|
|
May '16
|
|
|
1156.0
|
+3.5
|
|
Jul '16
|
1170.5
|
1170.0
|
1182.0
|
+3.5
|
|
Sep '16
|
1179.0
|
1170.0
|
1174.5
|
+3.5
|
|
Nov '16
|
1182.0
|
1182.0
|
1176.0
|
+3.5
|
|
Jan '17
|
|
|
1176.0
|
+3.5
|
|
|
Rice Comment
Rice
futures may be attempting to stabilize after the recent downturn which took
over $1.50 off the market in a matter of a few short days. The domestic cash
market is quiet and export demand is slow as well, which is typically the case
around the holidays. The monthly supply/demand report showed little change,
with only a 1 million cwt decrease in imports into the U.S. and use unchanged.
Exports were pegged at 98 million cwt, and ending stocks were cut to 38.8
million cwt. The average on farm price for long grain remained $11.50 to
$12.50. Global rice stocks are forecast to decrease for the third year in a row
as consumption is expected to outpace production. Production was lowered to
469.3 million metric tons, down approximately 8.9 million tons from the
preceding year. There is little support seen for January above the $10.50
level, while March is testing the $11 level.
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