Wednesday, August 12, 2015

11th August (Tuesday),2015 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

State rice deal with China set for September

11 Aug 2015
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
A worker drives a forklift to load bags of rice at a processing plant in Ayutthaya province. The government plans to sign deals to sell another 2 million tonnes of rice to China. WALAILAK KEERATIPIPATPONG
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Thailand is set to sign a government-to-government deal with China next month to sell 1 million tonnes of rice, with delivery starting in December.Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said after his return from China last week that the deal would be signed on Sept 13 or 14.The grains, which are mainly new 5% white rice and Hom Mali fragrant rice, are part of 2 million tonnes of rice for which Thailand and China signed a memorandum of understanding last December.The contract will be made through the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation, the giant state enterprise that oversees rice imports, as a way of ensuring transparency.Gen Chatchai said Thai authorities would discuss further with Chinese counterparts about the proper period for the deal for the remaining 1 million tonnes to be signed.The transaction with China is unrelated to an earlier deal for 1 million tonnes struck by the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Thailand has already delivered 600,000 tonnes as part of that deal.

The present government has vowed to dispose of 17 million tonnes of rice in state stockpiles accumulated from the previous government within two years, with 10 million tonnes to be sold this year.
Since Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha took office, the Commerce Ministry has held eight bids to speed up disposal of 18 million tonnes of state stocks. It has sold 3.88 million tonnes for 40.9 billion baht.The government now controls 14.3 million tonnes of rice, with 4.6 million categorised as low-quality grains, 1.29 million as rotten and about 8 million dubbed as Grade P, meaning its quality passes Commerce Ministry certification and it is a mix of Grades A and B.
In the first half of this year, Thailand shipped 4.457 million tonnes of rice, down by 4.7% to a value of US$2.21 billion.

Nigeria was the largest importer of Thai rice at 475,362 tonnes, up by 105% year-on-year, followed by the Philippines at 422,110 tonnes (up 255%), China at 361,106 tonnes (up 9%), South Africa at 270,291 tonnes (up 17%) and the US at 226,497 tonnes (down 1.8%).

 

Govt to ship 10,000 tonne of rice bran after eased restrictions on its bulk sale

Aug 11, 2015
Following to the eased restrictions on rice bran oil bulk sale, Government is expecting to ship 10,000 tonne of rice bran oil this financial year which will be a boost to small rice millers.SEA Executive Director B V Mehta stated: “Lifting of the government restriction is a great boost to the industry and will help small rice millers across the country. We expect to export 10,000 tonne rice bran oil during this financial year”.Mehta said SEA is now looking at new export destination for shipping of rice bran oil, which fetches a premium over other edible oils.Also rice bran oil is considered healthier and meets the recommendation of a well blended combination of SFA, MUFA and PUFA.

“There has been very good demand from countries like Japan and Thailand. We will also start exploring new destinations like Australia, New Zealand, the US for exports of rice bran oil,” he added.India was the highest producer of rice bran oil with an output of 9.5 lakh tonne in 2014-15, followed by China with 2 lakh tonne and Japan 80,000 tonne.


Chef Chele Gonzalez Takes Back and Elevates the Humble Paella

BY CAI SUBIJANO

AUGUST 11, 2015


The way people talk about carbs is kind of a bummer. And in a carbs-obsessed country like the Philippines, it’s difficult to adjust to the concepts of gluten-free, wheat-free, and protein-rich. And while we do celebrate every new restaurant that champions a healthy lifestyle, we can’t help but embrace the ones that willfully don’t.ArroZeria’s new menu definitely features more than its fair share of carbs. According to Chef Chele Gonzalez, he wanted to put the focus on their paella, while introducing some new dishes, like the Fideua Callos, a paella cooked with thin noodles, garbanzo beans, pork, and tripe; Arroz Gratinado Longaniza, house-made longganisa, broccoli, and garlic-rich aioli in a rice dish that is run under a broiler; a refreshing and tender Salpicon de Pulpo (octopus) bathed in capsicum and onion vinaigrette; Pimiento Rellenos, piquillo peppers stuffed with braised oxtail; a classic Chorizo y Gambas; and Lengua Frita, deep-fried Angus beef tongue coated in béchamel sauce and breadcrumbs.
ArroZeria opened its doors in Century City Mall earlier this year, backed by the same team behind Vask and Gallery Vask: Chefs Chele, Ivan Saiz, and Keith Fresnido.At the launch of the new menu, Chef Chele explained the vast difference between the way Filipinos enjoy the traditional rice dish in comparison to Spaniards. As he puts it, we like it “soft and wet,” and chunky with meats and vegetables, while the Spanish manner is to enjoy it “al dente and thin,” with more rice than meat. Of course he says, ArroZeria will serve their paella both ways, according to how their customer likes it.
The Lengua Frita is deep fried angus ox tongue coated in béchamel and tartar sauce.
While we snacked on tapas like the Diabilito (spicy chorizo in corn bread), the Lengua Frita, Croquetas, and Costillas Glaseadas (glazed pork ribs on mashed potato), the real attraction were the large pans of paella that eventually made their way into the main dining area.In their quest to make paella “as close as you can get to eating paella in Spain,” the team behind ArroZeria partnered with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños. They brought samples of arroz bomba, the Spanish variety of rice typically used in paella and other rice dishes, for the scientists to study. They determined that the Ifugao heirloom rice variety tinawon had all the characteristics of bomba. (If you’re a regular diner at Vask, you’ll notice that the Ifugao tinawon is the same variety that Chef Chele uses for his buro.)
The result is paella that tastes as authentic as if you were in the seaside city of Valencia. As each separate grain of rice glistens, a thin layer crusts around the bottom and edges of the paellera. There is a bite to the rice, al dente, each spoonful so flavorful that meat or seafood are superfluous.
Arrozeria. 4/F, Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. For reservations and inquiries, call (0920) 974-4742 or e-mail info@arrozeriamanila.com.


APEDA INDIA NEWS

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 10-08-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Apricots
1
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5875
2
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5125
3
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
4125
Raisins
1
Californian Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t)
2634
2
South African Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t)
2337
Sultanas
1
Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t)
2982
2
Iranian natural sultanas (Gouchan), CIF UK (USD/t)
1994
3
Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t)
2400
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 10-08-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Jhagadiya (Gujarat)
Other
1900
3060
2
Cachar (Assam)
Other
2000
2500
3
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
3000
3200
Wheat
1
Amirgadh (Gujarat)
Other
1400
1430
2
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1450
1600
3
Sainthia (West Bengal)
Other
1470
1490
Mango
1
Nilagiri (Orissa)
Other
2500
3000
2
Haldwani (Uttrakhand)
Other
1600
3500
3
Samsi (West  Bengal)
Other
1480
1520
Cauliflower
1
Palayam (Kerala)
Other
2200
2500
2
Surat (Gujarat)
Other
1500
1900
3
Nabha (Punjab)
Other
1600
2500
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 10-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
348
2
Chittoor
358
3
Hyderabad
324
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 10-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Yellow
26.50
27.75
2
Dallas
California
Yellow
20
23.75
3
Detroit
Washington
Yellow
18
21
Cucumbers
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
Canada
Long Seedless
9
10
2
Baltimore
Canada
Long Seedless
7
9
3
Miami
Honduras
Long Seedless
10
10
Apples
Package: cartons tray pack
1
Atlanta
Virginia 
Red Delicious
20
21
2
Dallas
Washington 
Red Delicious
18.50
19
3
Miami
Washington
Red Delicious  
23
25
Source:USDA

USA Rice Launches New Online Home  
New website screengrab
Home Sweet Home
ARLINGTON, VA - USA Rice officially launched its new online home, www.usarice.com. The site has a modern look and feel, is greatly slimmed down, streamlined, and fully functional on mobile devices."We went through more than 15,000 pages of content to get rid of clutter and organize the information in a logical way both on the front end for users, but also on the back end for staff," said Amy Doane who worked on the new site's architecture. "The new site is light years ahead of where we were and we're excited to improve this valuable tool for our members."
 
New Website
New and improved features
"Members told us local weather and market prices are among the most important pieces of information they look for every day, so we added that to the home page," explained Katie Maher who led much of the redesign. "Users click on the weather icon, enter their zip code one time, and the site will remember that is the weather, radar, and forecasting you want."Maher explained the site is now organized around the USA Rice Daily, that you are reading right now.
 "The Daily and the tags associated with each story serve as the backbone of the new site, linking and organizing information logically," she said. "Not only do we add stories every day, but we are also working backwards, adding archived stories to give visitors a full picture of what each issue means for rice and how that issue has evolved over time."
 Maher added that members only sections, including RMA Online and USA Rice PAC, are up and ready for use, and that any members having trouble logging in should request a password reset from their staff liaison.
 Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Rice exporters worry about reduced demand from China
VietNamNet Bridge - China, the biggest Vietnam rice importer since 2012, hsa unexpectedly reduced imports in the first months of the year, raising controversial predictions about the level of demand from the world’s most populous country.
With 95 million hectares, China’s food crop growing area accounts for only 13.1 percent of crop area worldwide, but with an output of 0.5 billion tons, China makes 20 percent of the total food produced in the world.However, analysts said China faces three problems with its rice production.First, though China has stopped the downward trend in the rice growing area and has maintained high productivity, food security has fallen sharply.In 1970, rice accounted for 55.3 percent of the ‘food basket’ of the country (rice, wheat and maize). The proportion dropped dramatically to 29.8 percent in 2014. Counting only rice and wheat, the proportion dropped from 72.5 percent 53.5 percent.Though Chinese favor rice, they now use more wheat, a factor that has influenced the sharp rise in Chinese rice imports in recent years.
Second, the measures taken to restore the rice growing area to ensure food security has turned China into a big rice importer as the world’s rice price falls.According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 2005 China spent $2.559 billion to support domestic food production. Meanwhile, the figure soared to $30.21 billion in 2011 and $29.562 billion in 2014.A report showed that Chinese direct support to its farmers has increased rapidly from $1.94 billion to $2.5 billion, which has contributed to the rise in rice prices.The Chinese government has also supported Chinese farmers by raising the purchasing price of Japonica rice 2.56 times over an eight year period. As the domestic price is on the rise, Chinese are importing more rice from other countries.Third, Chinese seem to favor less Chinese rice as imports are more competitively priced.

Are there great opportunities for Vietnam rice?

It’s unclear if China will increase imports from Vietnam in the upcoming months. But according to FAO’s and USDA’s prediction, the answer would be ‘yes’ for two reasons. First, the rice sale prices are now at the deepest low. Second, El Nino is expected to be stronger in upcoming months.However, a source said that the government of China may not act as people assume. Since it failed to auction its rice stock recently, it will force Chinese importers to commit to buy rice stocks in exchange for import quotas.
Dan Viet
Tags:Vietnam, rice exporters, Chinese demand, export turnover
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/138308/rice-exporters-worry-about-reduced-demand-from-china.html

Marketing with Cuban flavor and first look at 2015 crop next webinar topics

Aug 10, 2015Delta Farm Press
Terry Harris has been selling rice for Riceland Foods’ members for more than 30 years. During that time, he has made several trips to Cuba and other U.S. rice-consuming countries, trying to find more markets for his farmers’ product.

 Terry Harris has been selling rice for Riceland Foods’ members for more than 30 years. During that time, he has made several trips to Cuba and other U.S. rice-consuming countries, trying to find more markets for his farmers’ product.
Eugene Young hasn’t been around quite as long as Harris, but he has quickly learned the ropes of forecasting acreage and production for the USDA National Agricultural statistics Service operation in Arkansas and, more recently, in the newly-created Delta Region. ogether, they will be the presenters for the next in the series of Food and Agribusiness webinars being conducted by the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture. Since 2014, the University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness has conducted more than 40 webinars on topics ranging from the 2014 farm bill to the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon.The next webinar, which will have the dual title of “Rice Marketing with a Cuban Flavor and other potential trade opportunities with Terry Harris” and “A Look at the First Yield Forecast for the 2015 Crop Year Production with Eugene Young,” will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday (Aug. 13).
Dr. Bobby Coats, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, is the moderator for the webinar series. Forrest Laws, director of content for Farm Press Publications, is a resource panelist for the webinar.
Terry Harris joined Riceland Foods in 1975 as a member of the Quality Control team. He held several positions in the areas of quality control, quality assurance and mill scheduling until being named export sales manager in 1981.He served in this position until 1990 when he was named vice president export sales and marketing. In 2010, Harris was elected to the position of vice president rice sales with responsibility for all rice sales for the cooperative. In October 2014, he was named senior vice president for marketing and risk management, with responsibility for sales of all commodities of the company as well as commodity risk management.
Eugene Young currently serves as regional deputy director for the USDA-NASS Delta Regional Office. In 2010, he was promoted to the Arkansas field office deputy director.In 2013, with NASS moving to a regional field office structure, he was promoted to regional deputy director in charge of the estimation program for the Delta Regional office serving Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/marketing-cuban-flavor-and-first-look-2015-crop-next-webinar-topics?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+August+11%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 11
Month
Price
Net Change

September 2015
$11.790
- $0.070
November 2015
$12.070
- $0.060
January 2016
$12.365
- $0.050
March 2016
$12.565
- $0.050
May 2016
$12.810
+ $0.010
July 2016
$12.810
+ $0.010
September 2016
$11.950
 UNCH

Thailand says to sell 1 million tonnes of rice to China

Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:48am GMT

BANGKOK Aug 10 (Reuters) - China will buy 1 million tonnes of rice from Thailand, the Thai commerce minister said on Monday, easing pressure on a military government struggling to shift stockpiles of the grain accumulated under a previous farm-subsidy programme.Thai Commerce Minister Chatchai Sirikalya, following a visit to China last week, said the country agreed to buy 1 million tonnes of rice to be delivered at year-end.
Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter, has about 14.5 million tonnes of rice in stockpiles built up under a generous rice subsidy scheme run by a government that was overthrown by the military in May 2014.The rice will be sold to China at market prices, said Chatchai, adding that the sale involved Hom Mali, or Thai jasmine rice, and Thai 5-percent broken white rice."In the past week the commerce ministry travelled to China and agreed with the Chinese government to do a government-to- government sale and agreed to officially sell rice (to China)," Chatchai told reporters.Chinese government officials did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
In December, Thailand said China would buy 2 million tonnes of rice after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding during a two-day regional summit in Bangkok.The deal announced on Monday was part of that agreement, said Chatchai, adding that negotiations for the sale of a further 1 million tonnes would begin in September.He said Thai government officials would travel to Iran at the end of August to try to strike similar deals."Iran has expressed interest in buying rice at the end of August," said Chatchai.
(Reportin
http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL3N10L2KQ20150810?sp=true

Why is China Buying One Million Tons of Rice from Thailand?

By Prashanth Parameswaran

Beijing is helping Thailand ease a large burden.

BANGKOK: — On August 10, Thailand’s Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya announced that China and Thailand had reached a government-to-government agreement for Beijing to buy one million tons of Thai rice.

The agreement is part of a broader memorandum of understanding (MoU) the two countries reached last December for China to buy two million tons of rice from Thailand (See: “Thailand Turns to China”). According to Chatchai, this particular sale involves Thai jasmine rice and Thai-5 percent broken white rice and would be done using market prices. Negotiations for the sale the other 1 million tons of rice to China under the MoU are expected to begin in September.
The deal is significant because it would allow Thailand – currently the world’s second largest rice exporter – to begin to ease the stockpiles of grain it accumulated under a graft-ridden rice-pledging program under former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra…
Full story: http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/why-is-china-buying-one-million-tons-of-rice-from-thailand/
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/why-is-china-buying-one-million-tons-of-rice-from-thailand/111095/

Mozambique has annual deficit of 360,000 tons of rice

AUGUST 11TH, 2015   
Mozambique annually imports a minimum of 360,000 tons of rice to cover the deficit between national consumption and production, the national director of Agriculture and Forestry said recently.In 2014 Mozambique recorded in annual consumption of about 580,000 tons of rice, based on imports of 360,000 tons and local production of 223,000 tons of husked rice and 343,000 tons of rough rice.Mahomed Valá, quoted by daily newspaper Notícias, said the low rice production was because of factors such as difficulty in accessing quality production processes, limited use of mechanical means and difficulties in accessing credit.
Valá also said that use of traditional technologies, low water management capacity for water management, weak soil levelling, adverse weather such as floods and drought are other factors that have affected Mozambican rice production.Mozambique has 900,000 hectares of land for potential rice production, of which only about 310,000 are being used, and more than half of this potential is in Zambezia and Sofala provinces in the central region of the country.About 90% of rice production is carried out by smallholders in rainfed conditions, with an average productivity of 1.0 to 1.2 tons per hectare in rainfed systems and 2.8 and 3.5 tons per hectare when the land is irrigated, noted Valá.Last week, farmers and the managers of hydraulics company Hidráulica de Chókwè, in Gaza province, gathered in meeting to mark the end of the current rice production season, in which they harvested about 15,000 tons.Of this amount just over 10,000 tons came from rice sector producers while the remaining 5,000 tons were produced by family farmers, through numerous small units in that area of Gaza province. (macauhub/MZ)
http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/2015/08/11/mozambique-has-annual-deficit-of-360000-tons-of-rice/

Lack of rice supply from AP not to cause shortage: Minister

STAFF REPORTER
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob with Mayor K. Chandrika during the inauguration of the Onam Metro Peoples Bazaar 2015 organised by the Supplyco in the city on Monday.— Photo: S. Mahinsha
Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Anoop Jacob has denied reports that lack of supply of rice from Andhra Pradesh (AP) will cause shortage of rice during Onam festival.Inaugurating the Onam metro fair of the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) here at Putharikandam Maidanam on Monday, he said that the State government had completed procurement of 37,000 tonnes of rice for the season.
Adequate steps
It had also taken adequate steps for open market intervention to stabilise the price of the commodity.If sufficient Jaya rice was not available from Andhra, Matta rice will be distributed, he said.
Price reduced
Besides, price of rice sold at Supplyco outlets during Onam has been reduced from Rs.25 to Rs.24 per kg.Coconut oil with subsidy will be priced at Rs.110 per kilo and sugar at Rs.22 per kilo, he said.Branded items will be sold at Supplyco outlets during Onam at 30 per cent discount. Further, all Maveli, stores will function without any break from August 23 to 27 from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m., he said.
APL card-holders
Above Poverty Level cardholders attached to the South City Rationing Office will get 7 kilo of parboiled rice and 2 kg of raw rice at Rs.8.90 per kilo this month, the Minister added.The cardholders will also get 2 kg of wheat at Rs.6. 70 per kilo.APL subsidy cardholders will get 6 kg of parboiled rice and 2 kg of raw rice at Rs.2 per kg, and 2 kg of wheat at Rs.6.70 per kg.
River Indus continues to run in high flood
15:32 Aug 11, 2015 PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD: Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has said that River Indus is flowing in High Flood in "Guddu-Sukkur" & "Sukkur-Kotri" Reaches.According to daily FFC report on Tuesday, it is at Medium Flood Stage in "Chashma-Taunsa" Reach and Low Flood in "Tarbela - Kalabagh Reach".River Kabul continues to flow in Low Flood in "Warsak - Nowshera Reach", while River Swat is flowing in Low Flood at Charsadda Road. Other main rivers including Rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej are flowing normal.
Due to High Flood Situation in "Guddu-Sukkur" & "Sukkur-Kotri" Reaches, the low lying/riverine areas along River Indus in Sindh Province would be affected.According to the Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore, flow in River Sutlej at Ganda Singh Wala is likely to increase from 45,000- 55,000 cusecs on Thursday (afternoon).The actual river flows and reservoir elevations indicates that Tarbela Dam is at Maximum Conservation Level of 1550.00 feet, whereas Mangla Dam is at elevation of 1237.85 feet, which is 4.15 feet below its Maximum Conservation Level of 1242.00 feet.
According to Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore, Seasonal Low continues to prevail over Northwestern Balochistan. Weak moist current is penetrating into Punjab & Kashmir upto 3000 feet.As predicted by the Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore, mainly dry weather is expected over most parts of the country during the next 24 hours.
However, isolated thundershowers may occur over Punjab (Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha, Gujranwala & D.G. Khan Divisions), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Kohat, Bannu & D.I. Khan Divisions) and Northeastern Balochistan including upper catchments of Rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej during the same period.Significant rainfall events as reported by the Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore during the past 24 hours include; Zhob & Faisalabad = 25 mm each, Lahore (Gulshan-e-Ravi = 24 mm, Shahi Qilla = 20 mm, Upper Mall = 17 mm, Shahdara = 15 mm, Mughalpura = 12 mm & Misri Shah = 11 mm) and Sargodha (Airport) = 11mm. - APP
http://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/11-Aug-2015/river-indus-continues-to-run-in-high-flood

Rains over East as ‘low’ pops up in Bay

VINSON KURIAN

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUGUST 11:  
As predicted, a low-pressure area has formed in the Bay of Bengal off the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts on Tuesday whose behaviour and lateral movement will be closely watched.India Met Department expects the system to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast and in fact drive up the monsoon flows for a couple of days (Thursday and Friday).
Rains spread
It would travel north and may weaken over east Madhya Pradesh and southern parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and dissipate over region by the weekend.The monsoon has been active over Telangana, coastal Karnataka and Kerala during the 24 hours ending on Tuesday morning, a Met Department update said.South-easterly monsoon winds generated by the ‘low’ from the Bay of Bengal are fanning into north and northwest India where a western disturbance is checking in from across the border.Already, the interaction between opposing wind regimes is producing heavy rain over central India, north-west India and east India.
Overall deficit
This will continue in varying intensities over north, north-west and east India until the weekend, according to the US Climate Prediction Centre.What this means is that large parts of peninsula, which is reeling under a deficit of 21 per cent as of Tuesday, will be bereft of any significant rain although isolated showers are forecast for some.The overnight rain over Telangana, Kerala and coastal Karnataka has prevented the deficit for the country as a whole from deteriorating from the nine per cent of the previous day.In fact, the peninsula managed to cut its shortfall by one percentage point to 21 per cent. The deficit in central India is at nine per cent and in east and northeast India, 11 per cent.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/rains-over-east-as-low-pops-up-in-bay/article7526799.ece

Myanmar Flood Death Toll Tops 100, One Million Affected

World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: August 10, 2015 12:39 IST

File Photo: Apartments are destroyed following a landslide due to heavy rain in Harkhar, Chin State of Myanmar on July 30, 2015. (Agence France-Presse)

HINTHADA, MYANMAR:  The death toll from severe flooding across Myanmar has topped 100, state media reported today, with nearly one million people affected as fears intensify for the country's crucial rice bowl region.Floods from a heavy monsoon season have cut through swathes of South and Southeast Asia in recent weeks, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing millions.

Myanmar, one of Asia's most impoverished countries, has been hit particularly hard by weeks of torrential rain with 12 out of 14 states and regions suffering flooding.International aid has been stepped up in recent days following an official government request for help.The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper today gave updated government figures, of "more than 100" dead and "nearly one million" people affected nationwide by the inundations.More than 1.2 million acres (486,000 hectares) of rice fields are currently under water, with more than 430,000 acres destroyed by the floods, the paper added.


Four regions have been designated disaster zones, with the cyclone-battered western state of Rakhine particularly hard hit.In recent days fears have grown for rising waters in the the more downstream areas of the Irrawaddy basin and its delta, two key agricultural areas close to the commercial hub Yangon.Citing the weather bureau, the Global New Light of Myanmar said river levels had dropped slightly on Sunday but "still remained above their designated danger levels".

Myanmar's previous junta government was accused of indifference in its sluggish response to Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, a crisis which at least 138,000 people dead or missing.The country is set for a general election in November and the floods have taken on a political dimension, with both the quasi-civilian government and opposition -- led by Aung San Suu Kyi -- at pains to show they are reacting speedily to the floods.

President Thein Sein was pictured visiting relief efforts on Sunday in the Irrawaddy region as army chief Min Aung Hlaing made trips to the western states of Sagaing and Chin.But many of those hit by the flooding appear not to be relying on government help, either trying to cope alone or turning to local monasteries or community groups.Authorities have insisted that the election set for November 8 will go ahead despite the floods, even as they try to assess the scale of the damage.

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/myanmar-flood-death-toll-tops-100-one-million-affected-1205658

Joynagarer Moya wins G I tag


  
KOLKATA : Here's a first from the world of Bengali sweets. Our very indigenous Joynagarer Moya, sweet roundels made of a special kind of puffed rice and bound with jaggery, has won the coveted G I (geographical indication) tag.  While the decision was firming up since April, the state government, which has been championing the cause of the moya, has just been intimated about the crown. Naturally, the moya makers of South 24 Parganas Joynagar, are rejoicing. This authentication tag attaches great prestige to the special sweet with a very short life that makes its annual appearance only in winter. 

Joynagarer Moya had to go through a stringent test and documentation process for two and a half years before finally wresting the crown from the G I scientists in Chennai, who work as a wing of the ministry of commerce and industries. The state department of science and technology, which had applied for the G I tag is now enthused about winning the tag for its other two applications - Mihidana and Sitabhog of Burdwan, which are presently being evaluated for a final declaration towards the later part of the month. A GI tag is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin.
 
India as a member of the WTO enacted the GI Act in 1999, which came into effect in September 2003. The GI tag ensures that none other than those registered as authorised users (or at least those residing inside the geographic territory) are allowed to use the popular product name. Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India. The Joynagarer moya was invented in 1929 by two confectioners of Bahura and Charan near Joynagar - Purna Chandra Ghosh and Nitya Gopal Sarkar who sold their creation at their Sri Krishna Mistanna Bhandar. The secret lay in the use of kanakchur rice, which is a special variety of winter rice grown locally. 

This rice has a distinct aroma that is heightened when this rice is puffed up. Special gawa ghee and nolen gur, also collected fresh locally, are then used to bind the khoi (puffed rice) into a moya. Kanakchur rice cannot withstand chemical fertilizers. "Initially the Joynagar moya makers, threatened by the plethora of fake and cheaper varieties that flood the market in winter, tried to apply for the G I status on their own but faced several hurdles. So they approached the state government for help.
We documented the regional history, lore, ingredients, authentic recipe, the formulae used by the inventors and the list of makers at Joynagar who still follow the original process. The G I scientists inquired and tested random samples for consecutive years before agreeing to give the Joynagar er moya the coveted GI tag,""said Mahua Hom Chowdhury, scientist of the Patent Information Centre of the WB State Council of Science and Technology, which is a wing of the state's department of science and technology. 
A total of 150 moya shops have been included in the G I tag as the only authentic makers. It implies that the rest of the shops across the state who will still sell the moya are selling fake stuff. It was after submitting the application for Joynagarer Moya that the state government received appeals from the makers of sitabhog and mihidana of Burdwan too. "Our scientists actually camped in Burdwan for months and along with officials of the district administration, prepared separate dossiers for both mihidana and sitabhog.
We were stunned by the details," said an excited state minister for science and technology, Rabiranjan Chatterjee. He was found basking in the glory of the Joynagarer Moya. "This is our first sweet GI. We have also received GI for three Bengal varieties of mangoes - fazli, himsagar and lakshman bhog," he said. The document prepared for mihidana and Sitabhog and submitted to the GI office says that On February 10, 1904, Viceroy Lord Curzon visited Burdwan to confer the title of maharaja on then king of Burdwan Vijaychanda. Bhairav Chandra Nag, a local sweet-maker, had made the sitabhog and mihidana to mark the occasion. Mihidana is made from Kaminibhog, Gobindabhog or Basmati rice.
The rice is mixed with besan and saffron and blended. The mix is poured into hot ghee through a brass ladle with holes. The deep-fried saffron grains are then dunked in sugar syrup. Sitabhog on the other hand is, cottage cheese or chhana and powdered rice rolled into a dough. It is broken into tiny bits and fried in ghee, then soaked in sugar syrup. 


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