Tuesday, July 07, 2015

6th July (Monday),2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

July 6 ,2015
 
 


Vietnam urged to work with Thailand to control rice prices
VietNamNet Bridge - If Vietnam decided to cooperate with Thailand instead of competing fiercely, both of the countries would be able to sell rice at good prices instead of prices the Philippines wants.

Description: Description: Vietnam, rice export turnover, Thailand, inventories
Under the current mechanism, the Filipino National Food Authority (NFA) chooses rice suppliers through bidding. The suppliers selected have to offer the lowest prices, which must be under the ceiling prices set by NFA.If exporters all offer prices higher than ceiling prices, they will lose the bids. NFA then will organize the bids again, or discuss separately with each exporter, and will choose suppliers who accept to sell rice at prices lower than the ceiling prices.The mechanism, say Vietnamese analysts, allows the Philippines to gain the initiative, while exporters, including Vietnam and Thailand, stay passive. However, if Vietnam and Thailand cooperate with each other, they will be able to change the situation.The Philippines buys 1.8 million tons of rice every year, which is equal to 10 percent of both countries’ total annual rice export volume. 
If Vietnam and Thailand cannot sell rice to the Philippines, each of the countries will have one million tons of rice more in stock. Meanwhile, if Vietnam and Thailand insist on selling rice to the Philippines under the current mechanism, they will have to sell rice cheaply. The low prices will be referred to by other importers when negotiating contracts. This means that Vietnam and Thailand not only have to sell rice cheaply to the Philippines, but also have to apply the same low prices for all 18 million tons of exports.If Vietnam cannot gain the initiative in exporting rice, all of its efforts to develop rice production and ensure better profits for farmers will be in vain.
An analyst noted that Vietnam and Thailand together provide 50 percent of the total rice supply in the world market, and if they cooperate, they will not only gain the initiative in selling rice to the Philippines, but also will be able to control the world market price.In fact, the government has many times advised joining forces with Thailand and other countries to form a rice exporters’ association.Cooperation proves to be the best solution to help develop Vietnam’s and Thailand’s rice production and the only solution to protect Vietnamese and Thai farmers’ benefits.
According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Vietnam had exported 2.1 million tons of rice by the end of May, earning $870 million, a decrease of 10 percent in export volume and 13 percent price decrease in comparison with the same period in 2014.To date, Vietnam has signed contracts on exporting 3.5 million tons of rice, or 8 percent lower than the same period of last year. Thailand and India, the Vietnam’s biggest rivals, all have big inventories. Thailand is reported to have 15-16 million tons in stock, while India has 23 million tons.

TBKTSG

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/134802/vietnam-urged-to-work-with-thailand-to-control-rice-prices.html

Rice basmati firms up on fresh buying

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi  
July 3, 2015 Last Updated at 14:42 IST
Rice basmati prices rose by Rs 100 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on increased offtake by stockists. Traders said besides fresh buying by stockists, restricted arrivals from producing belts led to rise in rice basmati prices.In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety moved up by Rs 100 each to Rs 5,700-5,900 and Rs 4,600-5,800 per quintal, respectively. 

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
 

Wheat MP (desi) 2,350-2,700, Wheat dara (for mills) 1,515-1,520, Chakki atta (delivery) 1,530-1,535, Atta Rajdhani 10 kg) 220, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) 220, Roller flour mill 840-850 (50 kg), Maida 890-900 (50 kg) and Sooji 1,020-1,030 (50 kg).
 

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) 10,400, Shri Lal Mahal 10,000, Super Basmati Rice 9,500, Basmati common new 5,700-5,900, Rice Pusa (1121) 4,600-5,800, Permal raw 1,700-1,750, Permal wand 1,900-1,925, Sela 2,300-2,400 and Rice IR-8 1,600-1,625, Bajra 1,220-1,225, Jowar yellow 1,490-1,500, white 2,550-2,650, Maize 1,215-1,220, Barley 1,260-1,270.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/rice-basmati-firms-up-on-fresh-buying-115070300472_1.html

Rice prices poised to climb as drought deepens

A boy catches fish in a dried-up pond near the banks of the Ganges River in Allahabad, India, on June 4. The government says the country is headed for its first drought in six years
Photo: Reuters
BANGKOK - It is baking hot in the mid-afternoon just outside Laos' capital, Vientiane. Won, a local rice farmer, looks up at the cloudless sky. It should be humid and raining, but so far in June, this area close to the Mekong River, which separates Laos from Thailand, has only seen desultory showers every few days. Won has already planted rice on her 6 hectares of paddies, but just down the road other fields lay fallow, waiting for regular downpours that the rice crops need."We have some irrigation water but the water levels are much lower than last year, when the rain started earlier," she told the Nikkei Asian Review. "If rain doesn't come in July, I will let the rice die." Won said that the irrigation water will only last for a few weeks.
It is the same story in Fang, hundreds of kilometers away in Thailand's far north, near the border with Myanmar. Farmer Panbunta Kantapan said the situation is already desperate. "If the rain does not come soon there will be no point planting at all," he said, adding that he was considering planting a less water-intensive crop, such as corn.
El Nino is back
Heat waves and drought have gripped nations across South and Southeast Asia as El Nino has taken hold for the first time since 2009. It has brought heavier rainfall to the Americas and a hotter and drier summer to Asia.That is bleak news for rice production and exports as the three nations suffering the effects of the drought -- India, Vietnam and Thailand -- are also the world's leading exporters. The grain is the world's third-biggest crop after sugar cane and corn, according to the United Nations.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/rice-prices-poised-climb-drought-deepens#sthash.Nc4Fm5jM.dpuf
USA Rice Participates in LSU Rice Field Day; Reports to LA Rice Promotion Board  

USA Rice's Bob Cummings
CROWLEY, LA -- More than 400 rice farmers and industry stakeholders gathered here last week for the 106th Annual Louisiana State University AgCenter Rice Research Field Day. USA Rice is an annual sponsor of the field day where growers receive the latest rice research findings and crop production recommendations from AgCenter scientists and extension personnel. USA Rice's Bob Cummings reviewed the comprehensive report by the U.S. International Trade Commission on the global position of the U.S. rice industry.  The report, Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Rice Industry, is positive on the competitiveness of the industry, while also highlighting foreign government rice policies that could threaten U.S. ompetitiveness.  Cummings also talked about efforts to preserve our competitiveness in Mexico, the number one rice export market, and China, where USA Rice has been seeking access for nine years.Following the field day activities, USA Rice staff presented the annual USA Rice Council report to the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board, the governor-appointed producer board responsible for allocating funds from the state's rice promotion check-off.Cummings reviewed USA Rice's ongoing mechanisms for reporting activities to members and presented the financial report.  He also discussed domestic promotion activities, highlighting efforts to leverage food policy, educate registered retail dieticians, engage influential food and nutrition bloggers, educate school students, and continue outreach to foodservice.  Cummings also provided a look ahead at rice promotion plans during the 25thanniversary of September National Rice Month.  He stressed the value of having Louisiana producers involved in developing and guiding promotion programs.Jim Guinn, vice president of international promotion, reviewed market challenges and opportunities in top U.S. export markets focusing on Mexico, Central America, European Union, United Kingdom, Colombia, and Iraq, and outlined efforts to increase rice sales in each.
 Contact:  Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009
IARC Classifies 2,4-D as Possible Carcinogen                  
Description: Description: IARCLYON, FRANCE -- Last week the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed the pesticide 2,4-D as a "2B-possible" carcinogen.  The 2,4-D Research Task Force responded to the ranking, saying the IARC calssification of 2,4-D as a possible carcinogen is at odds with comprehensive cancer reviews completed by health and safety regulators worldwide. 

"No regulatory agency in the world considers 2,4-D to be a carcinogen," said Dr. Julie Goodman, an epidemiologist, board certified toxicologist, and consultant to the 2,4-D Research Task Force.  Dr. Goodman was an observer throughout the IARC meeting, which took place here June 2-9. 
Pesticide 2,4-D has been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies and regulatory reviews.  Government regulatory agencies charged with protection of public health in more than 100 countries have evaluated the science and concluded that 2,4-D does not increase health risks when used as directed.  In fact, no government in the world considers it a carcinogen, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and the WHO (which oversees IARC).
USA Rice is a member of the 2,4-D Task Force and has filed comments supporting the continued use of the product in rice.

Crop Progress:   2015 Crop 25 Percent Headed   
WASHINGTON, DC -- Twenty-five percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is headed, according to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report. 

Rice Headed, Selected States 
Week Ending
State
 July 5, 2014  
June 28, 2015  
July 5, 2015
2010-2014 average
Percent
Arkansas
10
14
8  
California
6
15  
16
1
Louisiana
53  
51
66
53
Mississippi
4
17
25 
13
Missouri
5
7
12 
Texas
19
26
43  
31
Six States
16 
16
25
15

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Preliminary):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for July 6
Month
Price
Net Change

July 2015
$10.565
+ $0.185
September 2015
$10.815
+ $0.180
November 2015
$11.090
+ $0.190
January 2016
$11.355
+ $0.190
March 2016
$11.555
+ $0.190
May 2016
$11.555
+ $0.190
July 2016
$11.555
+ $0.190

APEDA India (News)
Price on: 02-07-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Apricots
1
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5975
2
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5375
3
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
4375
Raisins
1
Californian Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t)
2394
2
South African Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t)
2266
Sultanas
1
Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t)
3004 
2
Iranian natural sultanas (Gouchan), CIF UK (USD/t)
1892
3
Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t)
2350
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 02-07-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Cachar (Assam)
Other
2000
2500
2
Bargarh (Orissa)
Other
2300
2500
3
Gumla (Jharkhand)
Other
2800
3100
Wheat
1
Dhing (Assam)
Other
1500
1700
2
Amirgadh (Gujarat)
Other
1300
1500
3
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1450
1600
Pine Apple
1
Harippad (Kerala)
Other
2500
3000
2
Sirhind (Punjab)
Other
1500
2500
3
Sohra (Meghalaya)
Other
2000
4000
Cabbage
1
Chala (Kerala)
Other
2800
2850
2
Bolangir (Orissa)
Other
2800
3000
3
Talalagir (Gujarat)
Other
1250
1260
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 02-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Ahmedabad
350
2
Nagapur
312
3
Namakkal
340
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 01-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Potatoes
Package: 50 lb cartons
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
23.50
23.50
2
Baltimore
Idaho
Russet
22
26
3
Detroit
Wisconsin
Russet
19
19.50
Cauliflower
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
California
White
22.50
23.50
2
Detroit
Michigan
White
13
15
3
Miami
Mexico
White
18
18
Apples
Package: cartons tray pack
1
Atlanta
Virginia
Red Delicious
19
19
2
Dallas
Washington 
Red Delicious
19
22
3
Detroit
Washington
Red Delicious
26
26.50
Source:USDA

Stagnant food exports


Description: Description: http://i.dawn.com/large/2015/07/55996d2969dfd.jpg?r=1366466170ISSUES ranging from geographical identification of basmati to lack of standardised processing of seafood to low value-adddition keep taking a toll on Pakistan’s food exports. Limited foreign markets as in case of meat, inability to create sustainable large export surpluses and delayed decisions on whether to allow exports of wheat and sugar also undermine our food export earnings.It is broadly for these factors that food exports have remained almost stagnant for last five years, with FY15 being no exception (see table).According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, food exports fell 1pc to $4.251bn in 11 months of FY15 from $4.293bn in a year-ago period.

Penetrating into a larger number of export markets is very much required to enhance forex earnings from meat and meat products


Exports of basmati rice dropped about 23pc in terms of value reflecting primarily a volumetric decline of 26pc. Rice exporters say domestic prices of paddy remained so high and domestic demand for packed basmati rice was so strong that they could not dare competing with Indian exporters. “Besides, non-resolution of the issue of geographical identification also continued haunting us which was another factor that discouraged basmati exporters,” says an official of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan.
“Paddy production in the country was sufficiently large and a little bit of planning could have averted a price-hike in local market,” he says “but larger than required procurement (by Passco) in the name of reserve stocks and smuggling of basmati to Afghanistan also made a dent in exports.”Export of non-basmati varieties of rice rose both in volume and value in FY15, which somewhat compensated the decline in exports of basmati. Exporters say this was in continuation of a trend that set in some years ago, adding that with faltering basmati exports, many rely on non-basmati varieties to keep their business running. Unlike basmati, local demand for other varieties does not rise dramatically for two reasons. First, urbanisation and change in life style is replacing demand of coarse rice with that of basmati and secondly production of non-basmati varieties has been growing steadily for last few years.
In 11 months of FY15, fruit exports, the biggest in food category after rice, remained unchanged at the year-ago level as shipments saw a 10pc decline. That happened as mangoes’ shipments were returned from some European destinations due to presence of fruit fly. Wooden crates in which mangoes and other fruits were shipped out were also found infested with bacteria in some cases. Though these two issues have now been taken care of, fall in fruit exports in FY15 keeps the challenge of creating enough exportable fruit surplus alive.
Official stats show a modest increase in fruit production in recent years. So, the decline in export volumes can be explained by higher domestic demand of fruits and rising local cost of exportable fruits. The entire fruit market is dominated by investors, contractors and commission agents who seek higher returns on investment and charge fatter fee for their services every year, exporters maintain.
This is elbowing out small and medium exporters from the scene leaving the export business exclusively in the hands of big players.
Exports of vegetables grew 8.4pc in value in 11 months of FY15 over the same period of FY14. But here again, additional forex earning was far lesser than what it should have been because it came on the back of a huge 24.3pc increase in export volumes. This is indicative of two things, exporters say. First, per-unit price of the exported veggies either remained stagnant or declined and second, export volumes of pricier vegetables didn’t rise as much as that of low-price veggies.
And, it is common knowledge that vegetable export earnings in the last year rose mainly due to one-time high volume export of potatoes whose production at home was high. High-price veggies like cabbages and cauliflower and lady-finger and turnip made little contribution to growth in exports.
Seafood and meat, two other major food export items, generally suffer from the lack of standardised processing and limited foreign markets, respectively. This is reflected in their inconsistent export growth, sometime witnessing a low-level increase and at other times in outright decline. In FY15, seafood exports fell both in terms of volume (4.7pc) and value (3.4pc).
Though the European Union has re-allowed two Pakistani firms to export fish and fish preparations to EU countries a majority of companies are still struggling to meet the EU standards. Recently a EU delegation visited and re-evaluated the fish processing conditions of five companies. According to official sources these companies, too, would be permitted shortly to restart exports to EU. If that happens, seafood exports may recover. But in a broader term, perennial issues like obsolete fishing boats and nets, over-reliance on traditional ways of fishing and least-scientific fish processing would have to be better tackled to push seafood exports.
Meat and meat products are mainly exported to the Gulf countries or Malaysia, though lately some exporters have started exploring such non-traditional markets like China, Bangladesh and Central Asian countries. Penetrating into a larger number of export markets is, thus, very much required to enhance forex earnings from meat and meat products. Besides, issues of proper packaging and development of more value-added meat products also need attention.
Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, July 6th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1192518/stagnant-food-exports

Rice Research Station Field Day attracts large crowd to see new varieties, technology

Jul 4, 2015Forrest Laws  | Delta Farm Press

Whoever was in charge of the weather for the 2015 Rice Research Station Field Day should have their contracted extended for 2016. Rain, which has been a constant companion for rice producers in the region, held off until all of the crowd was inside the rice dryer/auditorium at the station to hear presentations and enjoy lunch. Dr. Steve Linscombe talked about the field day and the impact weather has had in 2015 in this interview following the field day.
Watch Video on :http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/rice-research-station-field-day-attracts-large-crowd-see-new-varieties-technology

Wild rice making comeback on St. Louis River

  
 Tom Howes explained in Anishinaabe, then in English, why restoring wild rice to the St. Louis River is so important to the Fond du Lac people.
It’s here, along the 26-mile estuary upstream of Lake Superior, that his ancestors settled after a long journey from the east. They chose the river because of the plentiful food — especially manoomin, wild rice, which they believe is a gift from the creator who led them here.“We’re taking care of the gifts that were given to us,” Howes said on a sunny afternoon at Boy Scout Landing in western Duluth.Fond du Lac, he noted, is the French phrase for his people’s location at the end of waters, or end of Lake Superior.
Description: Description: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_860/public/field/image/RICE0704c1.jpg?itok=Up1ZsOQj “This is a very important place to us as Fond du Lac people. And this rice is a very important resource,” said Howes, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s natural resources program manager. “That’s why we’re doing this.”The band is playing a key role in the first major wild rice restoration project now underway on the St. Louis River estuary.For the past 125 years, the river’s rice wasn’t well taken care of. In the late 1800s the St. Louis was used as a log flume, with floating trees that trashed many wild rice beds. Then harborside industry — sawmills, steel mills and factories — did their part to destroy habitat, as did docks and dredged slips for grain elevators and iron ore loading facilities. Upstream paper mills fouled the water to the point rice couldn’t thrive.
Now, only a few pockets of wild rice are found in the 12,000-acre estuary.“This was at one time the single largest wild rice area in the region,” said Daryl Peterson of the Minnesota Land Trust, which is coordinating a wild rice restoration project on the river. “Nobody really knows, but we think there were probably about 3,000 acres of wild rice in the estuary before it was degraded. … We think we can bring back maybe a third of that. Maybe 1,000 acres is realistic.”Howes and Peterson are helping oversee the $200,000 effort. Work began in recent weeks to clear the way for wild rice to make a comeback on the estuary, with a giant weed-harvesting machine chewing away at lily pads, coontail, reeds, sedges and other plants that have filled in where rice once thrived.“We do it twice. We’ll come back at it after they (weeds) try to come up again,” said Terry Perrault, a Fond du Lac Natural Resources Program technician.Perrault was driving the clumsy-looking weed harvester that was cutting and gobbling up the weeds where the band will sow wild rice seeds this fall.
The band will try to use rice harvested in September from nearby beds or “definitely rice from within the watershed,” Perrault said as he piloted the harvester in Duck Hunter Bay, a 40-acre shallow backwater on the Wisconsin side of the river.“It’s a lot of work. It might take three or four seedings to get it going,” Perrault added, noting the tribe has done similar rice restoration efforts on several lakes within the Fond du Lac Reservation.A bald eagle soared overhead as Perrault guided the harvester. A great blue heron fished near shore. Now and then a fish would scurry to get away from the commotion.“This is perfect habitat. It’s the right depth … two to three feet, maybe four. This is a place there was probably rice before,” Perrault said.If he finds any stands of wild rice he avoids cutting that area.“There’s still some around, here and there,” Perrault said.In addition to the nonprofit Land Trust and the Fond du Lac band, the rice effort is joined by the Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Natural Resources, the 1854 Treaty Authority and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Funding comes from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sustain Our Great Lakes and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Both for its cultural importance and its value as a food for humans and wildlife, restoring rice beds is a key element of the larger St. Louis River estuary restoration effort.The lower St. Louis River is one of 43 so-called Areas of Concern along the Great Lakes, places severely degraded by development and pollution. It’s hoped that expensive efforts to remove that pollution, restore habitat and rehabilitate the river estuary could eventually get the St. Louis delisted as an Area of Concern, Peterson said.The rice effort is just one of 60 restoration projects either underway or planned for the estuary.“We can’t recover all of what the estuary was (before development). The lower estuary is always going to be a working harbor, and that’s good,” Peterson said at the boat landing. “But, up here, we can make a difference.”

Image: Terry Perrault, a natural resources technician with the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe, operates a weed harvesting machine on the St. Louis River recently. The weeds are being removed so wild rice can be restored. (John Myers / jmyers@duluthnews.com)
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3779399-wild-rice-making-comeback-st-louis-river

Let’s consume rice to ease high mealie meal price’


ESTHER MSETEKA, Lusaka
THE Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has urged the public to consume locally grown rice to help cushion the high prices of mealie meal.To this effect, JCTR has called on Government to speed up the implementation of the National Rice Strategy (NRS) policy to support rice farming across the country.This is according to a statement issued by JCTR media and information officer Mwiinga Shimilimo on Friday.
Ms Shimilimo said despite the agro-ecological zone being favourable for growing crops such as Irish and sweet potatoes, cassava and  rice, maize has continued to have a dominant effect on the agriculture system, consumption pattern and the economy.“Despite Government’s calls for diversification in the agriculture sector, the reality on the ground and in particular, in the rice sub-sector, bears little resemblance to the actual strategies of what works in terms of implementing and sustaining increased wealth creation and employment generation in the rice sub-sector,” she said.
Ms Shimilimo called on Government to improve infrastructure in the rice sub- sector such as rice shelling machinery and access to markets where rice can be sold.The JCTR’s rice advocacy and scoping studies reveal that most Zambian households prefer to eat local rice varieties such as Description: Description: rice potMongu, Nakonde or Chama rice as compared to imported ones as the local varieties have an aromatic flavour and are highly nutritious.Ms Shimilimo also said even though crops such as rice are readily available and have increased in production volumes, consumption still remains low among most households in the country.
https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=35645

PhilRice, IRRI test 766 rice varieties

 (The Philippine Star) | 

MUÑOZ, Nueva Ecija, Philippines  – The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have pilot-tested 766 rice varieties for planting in several locations in the country.The rice varieties are climate-resilient, higher yielding, resistant to major pests and diseases, and resistant to hostile environments.The collaborative project, titled “Accelerating the development and adoption of next-generation rice varieties for major ecosystems in the Philippines,” is an initiative under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), PhilRice and IRRI in partnership with the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, state colleges and universities, local government units (LGUs) and farmers. Description: Description: http://media.philstar.com/images/the-philippine-star/business/agriculture/20150412/green-super-rice-1.jpg
It involved the fielding of 206 PhilRice-bred lines, 488 IRRI lines and 72 other lines and was unveiled during an assessment and planning workshop in Subic, Zambales last month.Georgina Vergara, IRRI scientist, said the 766 rice varieties have been nominated for multi-location environment testing (MET).
She added that the project is intended to mitigate the impacts of climate change on rice production and food security with the development of varieties that could withstand multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
In 2014, more than 2,000 lines were screened for submergence, 12,000 for salinity, and 80 for drought, she also said.Thelma Padolina, PhilRice senior research fellow, said it usually takes six years of breeding work, three years of testing, and two years of commercial seed production before farmers can plant a new variety.The project, she added, would shorten that process and make the new varieties accessible to farmers.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/06/1473794/philrice-irri-test-766-rice-varieties#sthash.tBdFJUAD.dpuf

Manansala murals of Irri declared National Cultural Treasures
MASTERPIECES TO BE ON DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR FIVE YEARS
 By: Carla T. Gamalinda (Contributor)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:05 AM July 6th, 2015
TWO LARGE-SCALE Vicente Manansala paintings that have delighted employees of the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) are now shared with a wider audience at the National Museum as they land on the list of our National Cultural Treasures.Manansala was commissioned to do the paintings in 1962. They were put on display on the walls of the dining hall and cafeteria of the Irri headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.RAMON del Rosario and Dr. Emerlinda Roman unveiling the marker.
LESTER G. BABIERA
Through a partnership between Irri and the National Museum, and to protect and preserve the masterpieces, the paintings were transferred to the Irri Hall in the historic Legislative Building which houses the art exhibition galleries of the National Museum. The Irri Hall opened for public viewing last May 14.On the same day, the two artworks were elevated by the museum from being Important Cultural Properties to the status of National Cultural Treasures. This is the highest recognition in the Philippines for works of art that play a significant role in defining the identity of the Filipino people.An official heritage marker announcing the recognition has been installed by the National Museum.
As stated in Section 7 of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the two paintings will receive priority government funding for its protection, conservation and restoration; incentives will be provided for private support of its conservation and restoration through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ Conservation Incentive Program; and will be given priority protection by the government in case of armed conflict, natural disasters, and other events that may put them in danger.
‘Rice is life’
Robert Zeigler, director general of Irri, agreed to lend the two paintings to the National Museum for five years with the hope of introducing them to a broader audience.

DR. ROBERT Ziegler
Zeigler believes Irri is working for cultural heritage by empowering indigenous communities that produce traditional rice varieties. Irri preserves the nation’s heirloom that way, he says.“Rice is culturally intertwined with the lives of the Filipinos, and Vicente Manansala captured it perfectly in these national treasures.”The twin Manansala murals are a lighthearted narration of Filipino rural life. One is a joyful, pastel-colored medley of labor; scenes of fishing and rice-planting flank the two sides, while at the center, as focal point, is a woman bathing a child.The second painting is a spectacle of small-town festivities: on the left is a game of sipa, the national sport; on the right are two men competing in a carabao race. The stretch of canvas is lined with a crowd of people watching two roosters in midair cockfight .

JEREMY Barns
Description: Description: GUESTS view the painting of Manansala. LESTER G. BABIERADescription: Description: MITA Rufino from Friends of Manansala. LESTER G. BABIERAThe figures are rendered in trademark Manansala—with overlapping transparent polygonal cells that play up the two-dimensionality of the painting.Manansala, born in 1910, took up Fine Arts at University of the Philippines. He worked for several publications in the 1930s.He was awarded study grants abroad. He taught at University of Santo Tomas School of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1958.He was proclaimed National Artist in 1982, a year after he passed away.Manansala produced a significant number of murals, several of which are declared Important Cultural Properties. The Irri series is the first to be declared National Cultural Treasure
Description: Description: RAMON del Rosario and Dr. Emerlinda Roman unveiling the marker. LESTER G. BABIERA 
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Drought to cut Thai rice output to 11-year low
Lingering drought has left the world's biggest rice exporter, Thailand, on course for its weakest harvest in more than a decade, with a second year of below-average rains meaning moisture shortages even in irrigated areas.The US Department of Agriculture bureau in Bangkok slashed its estimate for Thai rice production in 2015-16 by nearly 2.0m tonnes to 18.0m tonnes, on a milled basis.The downgrade put Thailand on course for its smallest harvest since 2004-05, and showing a second successive year of production for the first time since the early 1990s.The declining trend reflects "unusual weather conditions", with Thai rainfall again coming in well below average levels in the first half of the calendar year.Rainfall up to the end of June was, at an average of 366mm nationwide, down 27% below the average for the 30 years to 2010, after coming in 23% below the mean in the first half of 2014.The globe is amid an El Nino weather pattern, which has a history of causing drought in South East Asia, and with many indicators leaning towards El Nino last year too.
'Struggling with drought'
The lack of rainfall is now affecting in particular growers in the central plain, which are reliant on irrigation to grow rice, but are seeing water allocations squeezed."Farmers are struggling with drought as the government is limiting water supplies for agriculture due to critical reservoir levels and almost six weeks of no rain," the bureau said.Besides meaning lower sowings in the main crop planting season, which started in the central plain in May, the shortage of water will likely limit production too from the second crop, which is seeded early in the calendar year.
"Despite anticipated normal precipitation in the remaining months of monsoon season, cumulative rainfall in 2015 will likely be even lower than the previous year's record low.
"Most double crops are impossible in the central plains in anticipation of low reservoirs in the beginning of 2016 due to lower-than-expected precipitation" in the past two months.
Export prospects
The bureau cut its forecast for Thai exports for 2015-16 too, by 1.0m tonnes to 10.0m tonnes, citing rather than the fall in production heightened competition from Vietnam, the second-ranked producing country, where prices have been some 10% cheaper.Thai rice exports eased by 1.4% to 3.8m tonnes in the first five months of 2015."Presently, the price difference between Thai and Vietnamese rice prices, 5% grade white rice, FOB, is $30 a tonne," the bureau said.However, it also flagged an increased reluctance by the government to sell down inventories - which soared to 12.8m tonnes at the close of 2012-13, lifted by a generous state purchasing programme which has now be scrapped.
"The government is cautious in selling its stocks," the bureau said, noting the potential for upward pressure on domestic prices, with some 2.1m tonnes sold in the first half of the year, compared with some 3m tonnes over the same period of 2014.Nonetheless, inventories will fall by 1.7m tonnes to a five-year low of 6.0m tonnes over 2015-16, the bureau forecast.

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