Saturday, August 01, 2015

31st July (Friday),2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Intercontinental Hotels risks forceful closure over rice import debt


 Filed under: Agricultural Business,Economy |  

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it may be forced to shut down Intercontinental Hotels Lagos, following the alleged refusal of the hotel’s parent company, Milan Group, to pay rice duty.Speaking during a phone interview this morning on a radio programme by Ships and Ports, Wale Adeniyi, public relations officer, NCS, said this was because Milan Group, which has refused to pay rice subsidy after exceeding its rice quota for 2014, was housed in the same premises as Intercontinental Hotels and shared the same owners.“We are not unmindful that they have guests in the hotel. We are making representations to them to ensure that they either pay Customs duty or they evacuate their guests before we seal the hotel premises, because it is the hotel that houses Milan Group,” Adeniyi said.

Continuing, he said: “The owner of the companies is the same. So, we’ve given them options; either to make do their payment or we have no choice but to stop them from operating. We don’t want to create unnecessary scenes so we are going to be civil in our approach to the Intercontinental issue. The planned operation was due to government directives that the premises of all defaulting importers be sealed off.”The NCS has been given a directive to seal off business premises of all defaulting importers. “It is a directive from the Federal Government and we are going to carry it out. So, we’ll give them one or two days notice to get their guests and their customers informed so that we don’t end up embarrassing anybody,” he said.According to Adeniyi, some of the companies have falsely claimed that the quotas given to them were to be carried over to 2015.
“The documents conveying the quotas were explicit. The quotas were meant to bridge supply gap of 1.3 metric tons, estimated to be the volume needed by Nigeria to bridge the supply gap in 2014, and that it should be imported in a concessionary way.“Also, stated that any company that exceeded the quota will have to pay what others who didn’t get concessions would pay, and that is 70 percent duty,” he said.In this case, he said, Milan imported 750,000 metric tons in excess. Recall on June 28, names of four rice importers, owing the service over N23 billion debts for importing rice in excess of the government approved quota, were published.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE with wire report
BASMATI RICE EXPORTERS ADVISED TO BUILD BRAND IMAGE & REGAIN LOST MARKETS
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises ( UNISAME ) advised the basmati rice exporters to build their brand image and promote export of basmati rice and regain lost markets.   UNISAME thanked the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan ( TDAP ) and the ministry of commerce ( MINCOM ) for closing the   Quality Review Committee ( QRC ) rice inspection cell which proved futile and became a hurdle for basmati rice exporters.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver appreciated the positive step taken by MINCOM to disband the QRC and remove all impediments in the export of basmati rice. QRC became a hindrance and rice exporters now have a free hand to export their rice varieties as required by the buyers with or without pre-shipment inspection by third party.The staff of the QRC was served with a termination notice one month ago and yesterday was the last day. TDAP has directed the employees to collect their dues.
Thaver said the rice exporters are now in a position to export their own brands and urged them to register their brands and build brand image. However he requested the SME rice exporters to maintain the quality of all varieties of rice whether basmati or non basmati.He was confident that the rice exporters will do their best to promote the basmati rice which is our national heritage.He also requested the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan ( REAP ) to take up the matter of geographical indications for basmati rice and not procrastinate on the issue.He advised the SME exporters of rice to set up their own quality control systems and carry out quality inspections of the cargo before shipments and if need be by third party inspection companies.
QRC was given under TDAP since last 3 years after being managed by REAP for more than a decade. The management by REAP created conflict of interest and was challenged in the court of law which ruled that REAP could not compel rice exporters to become it's members and directed QRC to be made independent, transparent and impartial. It was then shifted to independent premises and placed under TDAP.However the audit report is awaited and the issue of property purchased by REAP in its own name from  QRC funds is questionable and the property will have to be returned and the TDAP officials who facilitated the transaction will be answerable
QRC CLOSED FOR GOOD
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises ( UNISAME ) thanked the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan ( TDAP ) and the ministry of commerce ( MINCOM ) for closing the Quality Review Committee ( QRC ) rice inspection cell which proved futile and became a hurdle for basmati rice exporters.President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver appreciated the positive step taken by Mincom to disband the QRC and remove all impediments in the export of rice.The staff of the QRC was served with a termination notice one month ago and today was the last day. TDAP has directed the employees to collect their dues.Thaver said the rice exporters are now in a position to export their own brands. 
However he requested the SME rice exporters to maintain the quality of all varieties of rice whether basmati or non basmati.He was confident that the rice exporters will do their best to promote the basmati rice which is our national heritage.He also requested the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan ( REAP ) to take up the matter of geographical indications for basmati rice and not procrastinate on the issue.He advised the SME exporters of rice to set up their own quality control systems and carry out quality inspections of the cargo before shipments and if need be by third party inspection companies.QRC was given under TDAP since last years after being managed by REAP for more than a decade.

The management by REAP created conflict of interest and was challenged in the court of law which ruled that REAP could not compel rice exporters to become it's members and directed QRC to be made independent, transparent and impartial. It was then shifted to independent premises and placed under TDAP.However the audit report is awaited and the issue of property purchased by REAP in its own name from  QRC funds is questionable and the property will have to be returned and the TDAP officials who facilitated the transaction will be answerable.

Customs Threatens to Shutdown Intercontinental Hotel over Unpaid Duties by Rice Importers

31 Jul 2015

Bags of rice

Crusoe Osagie รข€¨
The ongoing dispute between the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and large rice investors in the country has taken a new turn, as the NCS has threatened to close down one of Nigeria’s foremost hotels, Intercontinental Hotel Lagos.Regarded by industry observers as a sledge hammer approach, the NCS has threatened that it may shut down the Intercontinental Hotel, following the non-payment of retrospective duties by the hotel’s parent company, Milan Group.

This was disclosed thursday by Wale Adeniyi, Public Relations Officer of NCS.NCS shut down the Lagos warehouses of a number of rice importers this week over non-payment of duties on rice imports that had exceeded their quotas.Some of the major importers affected by the clampdown include Olam, Milan Group and Stallion Group – all owned by Asian nationals with vast investments in Nigeria.Investors in the rice sub-sector said the rice industry was still coming to terms with the action of the NCS, acting against the rule of law that has demanded determination to be made by the judicial system for the dispute on unpaid duties by importers of rice.Some of the investors have lodged cases in courts, claiming that the action of NCS was subjudice, illegal and unauthorised.
NCS is demanding retrospective duties from the rice investors for imports in 2014, while the investors have claimed that the quota allocations did not comply with stipulated regulations issued late only by December and were also biased against bonafide investors.Following the confusion that trailed the 2014 quotas, quotas for 2015 were also issued, cancelled and later reissued again. The implementation of the policy received a lot of criticism from the rice industry, as the presidential directives were not complied with in the process.The affected rice investors have invested billions of naira in the rice value chain and have been catalysts in Nigeria’s recent initiatives to be self-sufficient in rice production.

The immediate past Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, had said in August 2014 that, “our rice today in terms of total value added to our local economy in terms of gross value across all the states is N750 billion since we started in 2012”.NCS’s action, according to the rice investors, would slow down the momentum that was building in the area of food security at a time when the economy is struggling from the impact of lower oil prices and foreign exchange woes.They said that apart from Intercontinental Hotel, NCS’ actions and threats included closure of several unrelated industries promoted by the rice investors including factories that partner global multinationals and are driving industrial growth and employment.

With no clarity on import quotas for 2015, Nigeria may once again open itself only to be fed by smugglers through the borders, ironically denying NCS its rightful revenue, they argued.The industry hopes the new administration will direct a progressive forward-looking approach to ensure continued rice production operations by the affected investors, said one of the rice investors.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/customs-threatens-to-shutdown-intercontinental-hotel-over-unpaid-duties-by-rice-importers/216161/

Apps for farmers offered

BY PEACE S. FLORES
Friday, July 31, 2015
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute and Agricultural Training Institute presented a series of rice agriculture-related apps to farmers and members of the academe during a two-day Knowledge Sharing and Learning Session at PhilRice-Negros in Murcia town this week.Jerome Cayton Barradas, junior specialist at IRRI's Rice Knowledge Bank Content Development Training Center, said that the apps, that can be downloaded for free are a good means to empower farmers by giving them access to technology.Rice Crop Manager, a customizable crop and nutrient management guide, was designed by IRRI for use by crop advisors, extension workers, input and service providers, Barradas said.

MOET App, also developed by IRRI, computes appropriate field fertilizer requirements for particular rice cultivars. IRRI's Rice Doctor is a diagnostics tool for systematic identification and management of rice crop problems and Weed Smart, also by IRRI, deals with rice weed identification and management, he added.Barradas also recommended online resources for farmers such as Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank at http://www.pinoyrice.com and the Rice

Knowledge Bank at http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org.*PSF

NegOcc farmers get highest allocation from PhilRice for Visayas operations

 Friday, July 31, 2015
MURCIA – The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has an average annual budget allocation of at least P20 million for its Visayas operations, and about 80 percent of the fund goes to Negros Occidental.Edgar Libetario, acting director of PhilRice Negros, said this is because the center here covers Regions 6, 7 and 8 thus, more personnel are needed.Negrense farmers mostly avail of the programs, he added.In terms of seed technology, Libetario said Negros Occidental is the top user in the Visayas, utilizing 65 percent of the total seeds produced.

“The availability of quality seeds in Negros Occidental is therefore higher compared to other provinces in Visayas,” he said, adding that this further results to more developments in the local rice industry.PhilRice records showed that the province’s current degree of rice self- sufficiency is higher compared to previous years.This can be attributed to the programs implemented by PhilRice and its strong partnership with the provincial government, Libetario said.The provincial government’s quest for the establishment of PhilRice Visayas in Negros is an advantage, he added.“Negrenses now are much aware of the rice production scenario. Local farmers have better performance in crop management, utilization of rice produced, and investing on facilities that would increase the efficiency of output,” Libetario also said.

As a result, Negros Occidental is now one of the highest average yielding provinces in the country.It has even the highest average yield in terms of per hectare per cropping basis compared to the rest of the provinces in Western Visayas.

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on July 31, 2015.

Senate Asks FG to Stop Waivers on Rice Importation

31 Jul 2015

National Assembly complex
Says Nigeria lost N585bn to waivers between 2011 and 2014
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The Senate thursday asked the federal government to henceforth stop all waivers on rice imports and all other agricultural products.It also mandated the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, to ensure that all import duties due to government are recovered.The parliament also set up an ad-hoc committee chaired by Senator Adamu Aliero, to look into the duty waiver policy regime and simultaneously carry out a holistic review with a view to determining government revenues lost to the waiver policy.
The committee was also mandated to look into all issues relating to waivers, concessions and grants with a view to determining full government revenues in relation to this policy.The mover of the motion, Senator Adebayo Ibrahim (Kwara South), said the flagrant abuse of the waiver scheme had severely eroded the federal government’s local rice production policy by allowing importation of huge quantities of the commodity in excess of approved quota.According to him, a recent Senate interaction with CBN revealed how importers overshot their quotas and consequently owe the federal government import duties running into billions of naira.He further argued that instead of importers paying 70 per cent duties and levies to the federal government, they were granted waivers and thereby denied Nigeria legitimate revenue.


He also said instead of punishing defaulting importers, the outgone federal government under Goodluck Jonathan rewarded them with fresh waivers to import more in the twilight of the administration.Ibrahim disclosed that the federal government loses as much as N71 billion on duty waivers to importers of rice, palm oil, energy equipment, steel and vegetable oil annually, recalling how the federal government gave waivers to 10 rice and palm oil importers amounting to N150 billion in 2011.He regretted that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) which ought to enforce compliance with the duty policy at the borders has failed to live up to its responsibility.While supporting the motion, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto North), said findings on THE waivers had shown that N585 billion in waivers were granted by the federal government between 2011 and 2014.Gobir argued that if this sum was shared among the 36 states of the federation, each of the three senatorial districts in a state would get N5.3 billion which he said was enough to provide 5,000 jobs in various states.


He called for a complete stop of the waiver scheme.Also speaking, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) said recent findings showed that over N400 billion had been granted as waivers in recent times.He compared the issue of waivers to plea bargain, which he said was a good idea when conceived but has now been abused, alleging that the customs service had been conniving with importers to evade import duties.While advocating their removal, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), said waivers on rice, cement, palm oil, among others, stated that local content production should be enhanced while the Nigerian economy is protected like that of Malaysia

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/senate-asks-fg-to-stop-waivers-on-rice-importation/216157/


N23.6bn Excess Levy: Customs Seals Importers’ Warehouses

Jul 31st, 2015
The Nigeria Customs

Service (NCS), has sealed warehouses of defaulting rice importers over non-payment of N23.6 billion excess importation levy.The sealed companies are; OLAM, Stallion, Masco Agro, Ebony Agro and Conti Agro (Milan).The NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, made the disclosure in an interview with The Tide source in Abuja recently.He said “the four rice importers are indebted to the Federal Government to the tune of N23.6 billion.

“This drastic action was taken to compel them to make payment.’’Adeniyi said series of advertisements had been made in newspapers to make them pay for their excess importation.He added that an ultimatum was also given to them to pay the outstanding charges, which they did not comply with.“Today, we are no longer issuing ultimatum. We are ready to walk the talk with decisive action to recover outstanding duty due to the federal government of Nigeria.“That is why we have sealed their premises to prevent them from making importation into Nigeria.
“We have blocked them from our system so that they will not be able to make declaration and we will not allow them to discharge their imports in any of our ports.“All these will be done preparatory to instituting full legal proceedings to compel them to pay what they owe Nigeria when the courts are back from recess.

’’The customs public relations officer said the service was going to work with other agencies of government to achieve this, saying that “an offence against one is an offence against all.’’He appealed to genuine importers not to exercise any fear as this was not designed to witch-hunt anyone.Adeniyi said that the exercise was only about enforcing payments that were legitimately due to the Federal Government.These importers were beneficiaries of rice import quota policy that specified a preferential duty rate of 10 per cent and levy of 20 per cent on their imports.

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2015/07/31/n23-6bn-excess-levy-customs-seals-importers-warehouses/








How Government Can Boost Agriculture’

31 Jul 2015

Agriculture

Obinna Chima


Experts have stressed that increased investment in schemes aimed at subsidising agricultural production is highly required to boost agricultural production in the country.While commenting specifically on rice production, analysts at CSL Stockbrokers Limited, in a report also noted the need for greater commitment on the part of the government to backward integration polices.As part of a new National Rice Intervention Framework, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Tuesday that rice growers would now be able to access loans at a maximum interest rate of nine per cent. The loans will be accessed under the micro, small, and medium enterprises scheme from the CBN through commercial banks. Rice millers under the commercial agricultural credit scheme will also access loans to buy unsold stock from farmers.

The CBN had on 23 June restricted importers of 40 physical items, which included rice, from accessing US$ from the interbank market and bureaux de change. The CBN cited Nigeria’s huge and rising annual rice import bill as part of the reasons for the inclusion of rice on the restricted list. Data from the CBN showed that from January 2012 to May 2015, the country spent over $2.4 billion (N482 billion) on rice importation to the disadvantage of domestic rice growers and integrated rice millers.But the CSL report pointed out: “It is surprising that despite Nigeria’s rich farmland, the country remains a net importer of rice and other crops.  We believe that increased investment in schemes aimed at subsidising agricultural production and greater commitment on the part of the government to backward integration polices can help boost the agricultural sector.”Since 2011 the government has been making substantial efforts to encourage the domestic cultivation of rice and to completely eliminate imports using incentives such as subsidised loans, cheap fertiliser, free farm land, and, tax rebates. The government’s efforts to boost domestic production have, however, been curtailed by smuggled imports, which were selling for between 25-40 per cent lower than locally-produced rice last year.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/-how-government-can-boost-agriculture-/216120/





Scientists Develop New Eco-Friendly Rice Variety
IN RSS4 / BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN / ON JULY 31, 2015 AT 12:08 AM /

A big science discovery is recently obtained, as scientists have excelled wheat and build a genetically adapted diversity that in fact unleashes constantly less methane straight into the environmental surroundings.The new Eco-friendly advance kind is specified in an study. The discoveries associated with this astounding venture have already been found in the official notebook Nature therefore even that the wheat class exhibits valid likely to use on the fight global warming.Rice fields are among the biggest forms of methane around the market, particularly because augment are so needed for the success of millions of people. Due in to ever better population, wheat plants happen to gaining variety great over the last few decade, primarily growing the methane publication with them.
The group of world experts which has provide you with this amazing wide variety is enacting arena assessments installed for four years…


http://www.vocalrepublic.com/scientists-develop-new-eco-friendly-rice-variety/33948/

The rice industry should target the animal feeds industry


Dear Editor,

Like the myriad of concerned Guyanese, I have been following the vicissitudes of the rice sector, and like most, if not all, look forward to the early resolution of the circumscribing factors. While the National Rice Industry Conference was instructive, and at least in a cursory manner addressed the crop’s sustainable development, I am of the view that a key factor is being overlooked, viz, the diversification of production to target the needs of the animal feed industry.

The latter, to my mind, illogically spends a lot of foreign exchange on the importation of corn. Now, from a nutritional viewpoint, corn like rice is basically a carbohydrate concentrate. The only advantage of yellow corn over rice is its pro-vitamin A content which is necessary for the yellowing of the egg yolk; this can be cheaply substituted for anyway.

Against this background, it seems prudent that the rice industry czars in collaboration with the animal feed manufacturers determine an acreage for the cultivation of short grain varieties (or other IRRI recently developed varieties), which are generally higher yielding than the long grain varieties currently cultivated for human consumption. As an animal feed, the amount of milling necessary will be minimal as only the fibrous husk will need to be removed; there will be absolutely no need for polishing. The resultant savings in processing will therefore further redound to the benefit of the rice millers, who may then share the bonanza with the farmers.

The industry can then concentrate on satisfying a diversified local market for grain for human consumption, for animal feeds, and for blended flours ร  la Banks DIH; Caricom may then become the major external market.

Yours faithfully,
V O M McPherson
Animal Production Scientist



http://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/07/31/the-rice-industry-should-target-the-animal-feeds-industry/

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   






CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for July 31
Month
Price
Net Change

September 2015
$11.515
+ $0.080
November 2015
$11.775
+ $0.075
January 2016
$12.050
 + $0.080
March 2016
$12.255
 + $0.075
May 2016
$12.440
+ $0.075
July 2016
$12.440
+ $0.075
September 2016
$11.950
UNCH


Mississippi Holds Farm Bureau Summer Rice Grower Meeting and Field Day

Ward talks trade to a packed house in Mississippi
STONEVILLE, MS -- The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Summer Rice Grower Policy Meeting was held yesterday, and USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward and Government Affairs Vice President Ben Mosley were featured speakers. Ward spoke about the extensive promotion programs USA Rice conducts in 30 global markets and about exciting developments in new and developing markets around the world."Exports are vital for our industry which is why we are working so hard to secure access in Iraq, protect our Mexican market, and to open the Cuban and Chinese markets in viable ways," she told the crowd.

Mosley provided updates on Congressional outreach being conducted by USA Rice. "We are continuously meeting with our friends in Congress and also educating new Members to ensure our rice priorities are well understood," he said.Mosely also reminded attendees about 2014 Farm Bill provisions that USA Rice aggressively advocated for such as Price Loss Coverage and the new crop insurance products, Supplemental Coverage Option, and Margin Protection."We're working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and their Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency to ensure these programs work to the best benefit of rice farmers."
USA Rice staff also attended the Mississippi Rice Promotion Board meeting and the Mississippi Rice Field Day at the conclusion of the Farm Bureau Grower Meeting.




Contact:  Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541 July 31, 2015 3:33 pm
Crop engineering: Can green rice help save the planet?
Scientists develop the new SUSIBA2 strain which gives higher yields and results in less methane
ethane is the most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide and a significant contributor to global warming. And rice paddies are the largest single source of methane linked to human activity.So a report in the journal Nature of a new “high-starch, low-methane” rice, which gives higher yields than existing varieties while generating less methane, could provide an opportunity for more sustainable rice cultivation.FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best stories from across the webA team of Chinese and Swedish scientists developed the new SUSIBA2 strain by transferring a single regulatory gene from barley to rice.

The result is a plant that adds more starch above ground to its grains and stems, while incorporating less in its roots.Rice paddies are powerful sources of methane because of the methanogenic bacteria that live among the plant roots. To simplify the complex biochemistry, the new genetically modified variety provides less food for these soil microbes, particularly as the roots decay after harvest, so they generate less methane.Field trials of SUSIBA2 over three years in China confirm a reduction in methane, which the researchers measured by covering the paddies with transparent gas-collection chambers.

The genetically modified plants packed more starch into their grains (86.9 per cent by weight) than conventional controls (76.7 per cent).Commenting on the study, Paul Bodelier, a microbial ecologist at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, gives SUSIBA2 a warm welcome while warning that more research will be needed to assess the longer-term effects of rebalancing starch between rice roots, stems and grains. The researchers, he says, “have achieved the feat of making high-starch rice available, and this will spur scientists worldwide to conduct experiments to verify whether this variety will enable more sustainable cultivation of the crop that feeds half the human population
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/677caa5e-3565-11e5-b05b-b01debd57852.html


The rice industry should target the animal feeds industry


Dear Editor,

Like the myriad of concerned Guyanese, I have been following the vicissitudes of the rice sector, and like most, if not all, look forward to the early resolution of the circumscribing factors. While the National Rice Industry Conference was instructive, and at least in a cursory manner addressed the crop’s sustainable development, I am of the view that a key factor is being overlooked, viz, the diversification of production to target the needs of the animal feed industry.

The latter, to my mind, illogically spends a lot of foreign exchange on the importation of corn. Now, from a nutritional viewpoint, corn like rice is basically a carbohydrate concentrate. The only advantage of yellow corn over rice is its pro-vitamin A content which is necessary for the yellowing of the egg yolk; this can be cheaply substituted for anyway.

Against this background, it seems prudent that the rice industry czars in collaboration with the animal feed manufacturers determine an acreage for the cultivation of short grain varieties (or other IRRI recently developed varieties), which are generally higher yielding than the long grain varieties currently cultivated for human consumption. As an animal feed, the amount of milling necessary will be minimal as only the fibrous husk will need to be removed; there will be absolutely no need for polishing. The resultant savings in processing will therefore further redound to the benefit of the rice millers, who may then share the bonanza with the farmers.

The industry can then concentrate on satisfying a diversified local market for grain for human consumption, for animal feeds, and for blended flours ร  la Banks DIH; Caricom may then become the major external market.

Yours faithfully,
V O M McPherson
Animal Production Scientist

By
Staff Writer
July 31, 2015

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/07/31/the-rice-industry-should-target-the-animal-feeds-industry/




Wanted: Proposals for sustainable rice production

July 31, 2015 11:28 pm
by BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON

The Philippines and the United Kingdom have joined forces to support research projects that will boost resilience and sustainability of rice production in Southeast Asia.In a statement, the UK Embassy on Friday said “food security is one of the greatest global challenges we currently face.”To address this, the UK collaborated with four countries in Asia–China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.“In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal, enhancing rice production is a major priority.

The headlines report that El Niรฑo may be the most intense the country has experienced in recent years. Studies have shown that climate change will have a devastating effect on food security if it is not addressed now,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said.“Unli [unlimited] rice may no longer be a promo offer. This project will help farmer productivity and enhance trading in rice, when necessary. We encourage all researchers who are working toward the adequate supply of this staple food to submit their applications to the Newton Fund,” he added.The British Embassy in Manila has been calling for proposals on collaborative inter-disciplinary research that will focus on long-term sustainable production of rice, as well as utilizing combined strengths of academic research groups within China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.This initiative is supported by the UK Government’s Newton Fund, which helps build science and innovation partnerships with key emerging economies.

The UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK BBSRC) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council, in collaboration with Philippine Partners Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources Research & Development (DOST-PCAARD) and the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) are calling for submissions of research proposals that will address the following challenges in the Philippine context: greater resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses; improved resource use efficiency (including Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Water); improved quality of rice (including nutritional enhancement and grain quality); utilization of rice by-products; novel research tool and technology development supporting the above areas (including systems biology, bioinformatics, screening and characterization of germplasm for gene and trait discovery).


These priority areas in sustainable rice research have been agreed though a regional workshop in Bangkok in April, which brought together relevant funding agencies, key research organizations and leading academics from China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.The proposed projects should be up to a maximum duration of three years and will require
a UK Principal Investigator as well as a Philippine Principal Investigator with the options of additional Principal Investigators from other partner countries.The deadline for submission of applications is on August 13, 2015.For more information on this opportunity, the embassy invites researchers to visit the UK BBSRC website at
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.









Breaking news and analysis from the world of science policy


GOLDEN RICE HUMANITARIAN BOARD
Worth its weight in gold? Golden rice (right) protects against vitamin A deficiency in children.

Golden rice paper retracted after legal bid fails


Staff Writer
31 July 2015 3:00 pm
A controversial study that showed genetically engineered golden rice could alleviate vitamin A deficiency in children was retracted by theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition on 29 July, nearly 2 years after investigations found problems with how the study had been conducted. Supporters of golden rice are dismayed by the outcome, first reportedby Retraction Watch, but they point out that the data and conclusions remain robust.
Vitamin A deficiency is a major health problem in the developing world, causing blindness and impairing the immune system, particularly in children. Golden rice was first developed in the 1990s as a way to supplement diets lacking in vitamin A. Researchers added genes to allow rice to make beta-carotene, a precursor molecule for vitamin A synthesis. In 2008, Guangwen Tang of Tufts University organized a nutritional trial of golden rice. Working with colleagues in China, the researchers gave golden rice, spinach, or a supplement to 68 children aged 6 to 8 in Hunan province.
The findings, published in 2012, showed that the beta-carotene in golden rice was just as effective at alleviating vitamin A deficiency in children. A single serving of 100 to 150 grams of golden rice could provide about 60% of the daily requirement of vitamin A. The paper is one of several cited by IRRI, the nonprofit rice research institute in the Philippines, assupport for the potential of golden rice.Shortly after the paper was published, Greenpeace claimed that the children had been used as “guinea pigs.” Media outrage in China exploded, and Tufts began inquiries by internal and external panels.
 In September 2013, the panels reported multiple irregularities; for example, several consent forms had been received after the trial began. (The panels also concluded that the study had been safe and its conclusions valid.) The university announced it would bar Tang from working with human subjects for 2 years.Last year, Tang asked the Massachusetts Superior Court to stop the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition from retracting the article, arguing it would constitute defamation. Judge Kenneth Salinger denied the petition on 17 July and the journal proceeded to retract the study, citing insufficient evidence for approval by an ethics committee in China and consent forms from all participants.
Tang did not reply to a request for comment, but Adrian Dubock, executive secretary of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board in Switzerland disputes that there were any ethical irregularities and argues that the retraction is not warranted. He says it’s too soon to assess the impact of the retraction on political support for golden rice. “This is a low point, but I think it’s recoverable.” Tang and her co-authors could resubmit the paper elsewhere, and Dubock says this option had been discussed earlier. “I think they will,” he says.  
http://news.sciencemag.org/asiapacific/2015/07/golden-rice-paper-retracted-after-legal-bid-fails







N. Korean rice yields down 12%: UN FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization says production of rice, maize and other crops hit by drought
July 31st, 2015
Rice yields in North Korea will be approximately 12 percent lower this year than in 2014, according to a new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The FAO estimated North Korea rice production this year would fall to 2.2 million tons.The UN organization attributed the low rainfall, which eased in July, to the El Niรฑo ocean current which had similar effects in other countries around Asia.“The dry spell from mid-April to early July over the central and southern ‘food basket’ provinces of the country, coupled with extreme low irrigation water availability, have resulted in area planted reductions of the 2015 staple rice crop and adversely affected yield potential of early-planted crops, including also maize and soybeans,” the report reads.

The FAO added that the increasing rainfall in July came too late to undo the damage done by the drought.Although the FAO has little data to work with, they estimated maize yields would decrease by 15 percent compared to the previous year. However, the DPRK has enjoyed relatively good production of maize in recent years, indicating this year’s production might not be disastrously low.The report notes damage to maize crops may have been offset this year by “the Government’s efforts to provide supplementary irrigation through mass mobilization of people.”The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) had higher estimates for the drought’s effect on DPRK rice production.

“The 18 month drought, which included one of the lowest rainfalls on record for the month of May, will likely affect agricultural production and food security. Close to 30 percent of paddy cultivation in some areas has been impacted by the drought,” Damian Kean, Asia press officer for the WFP told NK News.The World Food Programme received extra aid from numerous donor countries this year, including Russia, which upped its donations to $4 million.While many aid agencies agree the drought appeared more severe in 2015, the extent of its effects on yields may be difficult to estimate until harvest time.“There is a lot of time until the harvesting season so we should not take FAO’s report to be completely accurate. We will not be able to confirm the production of maize and rice because maize is harvested in mid-August and rice is harvested in mid-September,” Kwon Tae-jin at the GS & J Institute told NK News.On July 21, DPRK state media announced coming rain fall in North Korea. The Korean Central News Agency article predicted “heavy rainfall” in the last week of July.
Featured Image: Harvest Workers in a North Korean Rice Field by Ray Cunningham on 2014-09-15 09:07:38



Nigeria: State, Others to Import 760,000 Tonnes of Thai Rice Sept


By Daniel Adugbo With Agency Report

The government of Thailand has struck preliminary deals to export a total of 760,000 tonnes from its huge stockpiles to several countries in Africa.The Thai Rice Exporters Association said Wednesday the rice will be supplied to Nigeria, Mozambique, and South Africa.This is coming despite the ban placed on importers of rice, and other items from the official foreign exchange market by the Central Bank of Nigeria.Reuters quoted Chukiat Opaswong, honorary president of the association, in a phone interview from Johannesburg, saying most of the rice going to Africa is parboiled and shipments will start in September.The rice would be sold at around $430 a tonne netting the government more than $325 million.
Nigeria is one of the major importers of the commodity from Thailand importing about one million tonnes of rice valued at about $700 million every year.Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Mr. Godwin Emefiele had on Tuesday bemoaned the high bill on rice importation which had resulted in huge unsold stock of rice cultivated by indigenous farmers as well as low operating capacities of the many integrated rice mills in the country.A research by Bloomberg revealed that Thailand Government currently holds around 17.8 milliom tons in stock piles and was keen on selling 10 million tons of stockpiled rice in 2015 and around seven million in 2016 through tenders.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201507310454.html

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