Friday, August 28, 2015

27th August (Thursday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

News Headlines
ü  Basmati Rice Grown In Kuwait 
ü  Kisan Telecom : Board flays govt policy on rice                                           
ü  Magura farmers not happy over bumper Aus production
ü  Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS Partner to Accelerate Rice Research and Product Development in China
ü  Monsoon deficit touches 12% as rains dry up
ü  Government downplays effects of El Niño
ü  Low rainfall critical for kharif crops
ü  Iran asked to lift rice, kinno import ban
ü  Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 27
ü  Venezuela’s Food Shortages: Hunger is a major concern
ü  Rice Field Day: Growers get up close with industry-funded research
ü  Nigeria: Why Korea Takes Rice Production As National Security Strategy
ü  Haiti drought cuts harvests, lifts prices, food crisis looms: WFP
ü  Fisher Delta Research Center to hold 54th annual Field Day Sept. 2
ü  COLUMN-Currency moves to tag-team El Nino in Asia rice markets: Russell
ü  APEDA India News
ü  News shared by USA Rice Daily
ü  Egypt bans rice exports as of September 1
ü  Aroma India Bistro, Restaurant Review: Pappadam and people-watching

News Detail...
Basmati Rice Grown In Kuwait 

MENAFN - Arab Times - 27/08/2015
(MENAFN - Arab Times) A Kuwaiti farmer, Yusuf Swilem Al- Kribani, has managed to grow basmati rice in Kuwait for the first time. Despite hard conditions, he grew the Indian basmati on his farm in Al-Wafra area. Eventual success has capped many failure attempts, Al-Kribani told KUNA on Wednesday.He added that basmati needs a soil capable of holding water for longer periods such as heavy neutral soils (clay, clay loam and loamy), and to be overwhelmed by water. So Al-Kribani used closed cultivation basins with no holes. He pointed to other personal attempts to produce black tomatoes and white strawberry. This is a message that Kuwait is able to grow most crops, he noted.


Arab Times

Kisan Telecom : Board flays govt policy on rice
                                               
08/27/2015 | 07:04am US/Eastern
President Kisan Board Gujranwala Division Aman Ullah Chattha has strongly condemned failed rice policy of the government and advised to ensure export of last two years rice stock without further delay. Addressing cultivators of Kolo Tarar, Kassoki, Vanike Tarar and Jalalpur Bhattian he said that due to anti-Kisan policies of the government the growers of Gujranwala Division would stage sit-in demonstration in Gujranwala on August 30. He said that the non-basmati paddy, which has started pouring into the grain markets, is being purchased at rupees 500 per 40 kg as against rupees 1300 last year, which is deplorable.
He demanded immediate announcement of support price of different varieties and PASCO should be directed to ensure procurement of paddy at minimum support price of non-basmati at rupees 1200 and basmati paddy at rupees 2500 to provide relief to the growers.
Meanwhile, Ex-MNA and leader of PTI Ch. Mehdi Hassan Bhatti has said that growers are backbone of country's economy but the present government has increased the prices of POL, fertilizers, pesticides and electricity but have not arranged procurement of rice at reasonable price. He said that September 5Kisan convention at Hafizabad Stadium would be chaired by PTI Chief Imran Khan and it would pave the way to mitigate the sufferings of the growers.
DCO shocked over education system: DCO Hafizabad Muhammad Usman has expressed his disappointment over standard of education in the Govt. Girls and Boys High School Nauthen and Madhrianwala and warned the teachers to perform their duties honestly and with commitment to brighten the career of the students.
While making surprise visit to the schools along with EDO (Education) Iftikhar Nawaz Virk and District Monitoring Officer Adnan Irshad Cheema, he enquired from the students regarding the education being imparted in the schools. Thereupon, he took strong exception and advised the teachers to work sincerely for getting better results in the annual examinations. He also issued show cause notice to four teachers including the Headmaster of Nauthen High School for their absence from duties without any intimation.
Boy killed in road mishap: A boy was killed on the spot while three others were seriously injured when a recklessly driven truck after hitting a bike intruded into shop near Nokhar Mandi of Gujranwala Road on Wednesday. According to rescue source, Muhammad Javaid alongwith his 6-year-old son Sono Javaid and Qamar and another was going towards his house on Gujranwala Road when a speeding truck coming from opposite direction hit their bike killing Sono Javaid on-the-spot while three other seriously injured.

The injured were shifted to the DHQ Hospital Hafizabad. After hitting the bike, the truck intruded into a shop which was badly damaged. The police have registered the case and started investigation.
WAPDA/APCA employees hold protest: The employees of WAPDA Hafizabad division observed complete strike to protest against the proposed privatization of WAPDA. The strike was observed on the call of WAPDA Hydro-Electric Labour Union. Addressing the employees Malik Shafqat Mehmood Chairman and Abdul Razzaq Mughal General Secretary have declared that the employees of WAPDA would not tolerate privatization of WAPDA as it would prove economic murder of the employees. They demanded that the proposal to privatize WAPDA should be withdrawn otherwise the employees would be constrained to continue to stage protest demonstrations.
Meanwhile, APCA activists protested against non-issue of the notification regarding the acceptance of their demands. Ch. Nasrullah Hanjra President and Muhammad Amjad Fareedi General Secretary APCA Hafizabad chapter have said that the government had accepted their demands few months back but has not yet issued notification in this regard. They demanded immediate issuance of the notification to relieve the clerks of mental agony and hardships.
They threatened that if notification was not issued immediately the clerks would not perform election duties and would be constrained to stage sit-in demonstration at Jati Umra.
© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan
Magura farmers not happy over bumper Aus production
MAGURA, Aug 26: A bumper production of Aus paddy has been achieved in the district this year. But the production of Aus has failed to bring smile on the faces of the farmers.Agriculture Extension Department (DAE) Magura informed, a total of 8050 hectares of land was brought under Aus cultivation in the district this year. A bumper production has been achieved in the district which reached 30500 tonnes of rice.During a visit to Beroil, Isakhada, Jagla and Kachundi bazar under Magura sadar upazila Aus paddy was seen to be sold at Tk 360 to 380 per maund as against Tk 480 to 500 per maund last year.When contacted, Abu Taleb, a farmer of village Nanduali under Magura sadar upazila said, I cultivated Aus paddy in 4 bighas of land. I got Tk 18 thousand by selling my paddy. But my production cost was about Tk 20,000. I have decided not to cultivate Aus in the coming season.
    litan1968@gmail.com

Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS Partner to Accelerate Rice Research and Product Development in China


August 27, 2015 08:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time
BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Institute of Crop Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS). Under the agreement, Dow AgroSciences grants ICS-CAAS a royalty-free, non-transferable research and commercialization license for its proprietary EXZACT™ Precision Genome Editing Technology to be used in rice in China. Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS scientists will collaboratively develop an industry-leading rice genome editing technology platform.

“Our collaboration with ICS-CAAS, a world-renowned agricultural science research organization, is one with great promise”

The EXZACT Precision Genome Editing Platform will enable ICS-CAAS scientists to capitalize on their significant investment and technical expertise in rice genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and cell biology as well as accelerate integration of the scientific knowledge generated in rice to rapidly develop valuable products for China. Dow AgroSciences has developed the EXZACT Precision Technology platform under an exclusive license and collaboration agreement in plants with Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS scientists will work together to make sure that the expertise and strengths of both parties are best combined to accelerate rice research and product development in China. This is part of Dow AgroSciences’ commitment to providing innovative and sustainable solutions to bolster food security and food safety in China.

ICS-CAAS indicates this collaboration is a milestone, which will accelerate the development of rice genome editing technology platform in China. It will have significant impact in developing new agronomic traits in rice.“Our collaboration with ICS-CAAS, a world-renowned agricultural science research organization, is one with great promise,” said Tim Hassinger, President and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. “We have a long-term commitment in China as a strategic partner for agricultural sustainability and best practices. The EXZACT Precision Technology collaboration with CAAS is a strong example of this commitment, which will significantly enable Chinese scientists to improve rice research and product development, thus benefiting China’s long term food security.”

About Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences discovers, develops, and brings to market crop protection and plant biotechnology solutions for the growing world. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company and had annual global sales of $7.3 billion in 2014. Learn more at www.dowagro.com. Follow Dow AgroSciences on Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.
About the Institute of Crop Sciences – Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Institute of Crop Science (ICS) is a non-profit state-owned organization. It conducts researches on crop germplasm resource, crop molecular biology, crop genetics and breeding, crop cultivation and physiology. ICS is one of the leading organizations for Crop Sciences in China, serving as an innovation and international cooperation center. Learn more athttp://ics.caas.cn/sites/caas/

Contacts

Dow AgroSciences LLC
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Kenda Resler Friend, 317-337-4743
kresler@dow.com
or
Shanghai, China
Kelly Chen
kchen5@dow.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150827005451/en/Dow-AgroSciences-ICS-CAAS-Partner-Accelerate-Rice-Research#.VeA09_lViko

Monsoon deficit touches 12% as rains dry up

VINSON KURIAN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUGUST 26:  
The overall rain deficit for the country touched 12 per cent on Wednesday to match the quantum forecast for the entire monsoon this year by India Met Department.With exactly 35 days to go before the monsoon signs off from entire landmass, there are no signs of a major reversal of the trend, given that it starts withdrawing from Northwest India from September 1.
Rain dries up
Indications are that the stage may have been already set for the withdrawal with rains keeping off over most parts of Rajasthan and neighbourhood for sometime now.On Tuesday, individual deficits in four main geographical regions were 20 per cent in South Peninsula; 14 per cent in Central India; 7 per cent in East and North-East India; and 5 per cent in North-West India.A low-pressure area has formed over west-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, which will be closely tracked over the next few days for its capacity to generate rainfall over land.An India Met outlook valid for next seven days (until September 2) said that rains may lash East and North-East India, adjoining Central India as well as parts of the West Coast.

Contra winds
Opposing dry north-westerly winds dictating prevailing weak monsoon conditions would not allow the ‘low’ to settle and decide a track of its own to push rain deep into north or north-west India.
Instead, it will be guided towards the South Odisha-North Coastal Andhra Pradesh coast from where it will be driven straight into the foothills of Eastern Himalayas (hills of Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh).On rebound, it will come under the influence of the north-westerlies for a second time and be pushed back towards into the Bay to the north of its place origin.The south-easterly to southerly winds associated with the system will mop up a lot of moisture from the Bay and blow it into the hills to trigger localised heavy rain over the region, floods or even landslides.

Passing showers
Meanwhile, the US Climate Prediction Centre said that most parts of north-west India and some parts of Central India will continue to run dry until September 7.The withdrawal of the monsoon from Rajasthan and adjoining north-west India would likely have begun in right earnest during this phase.Parts of West Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Gujarat are expected to get some passing showers as will southern parts of the West Coast.According to the US centre’s prediction, below-normal rainfall is the outlook for the northern stretch of the West Coast, including Konkan-Mumbai. Northern parts of Kerala and Coastal and South Tamil Nadu may also benefit to some extent.
(This article was published on August 26, 2015)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/monsoon-deficit-touches-12-as-rains-dry-up/article7583134.ece

Government downplays effects of El Niño

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Thu, August 27 2015, 5:49 PM
Yielding to drought: Tarlan, a farmer who hails from Indramayu, West Java, harvests rice in the the 3-hectare field he rents from the Air Force at Halim Perdanakusuma, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. Severe drought has forced Tarlan to harvest his crop prematurely.(JP/P.J. Leo)
The government is optimistic that rice production will remain in surplus as projected this year despite growing worries that the prolonged dry season caused by the El Niño weather phenomena will cause rice harvest failures in many parts of the country.Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said in Jakarta on Wednesday that there would be a surplus in the production as expected despite the prolonged dry season that had seriously damaged crops in many parts of the country.He argued that the impact of the El Niño would be minimal because it would only affect rice production between September and October.

In such a production scenario, he said that Indonesia would not need to import rice to meet domestic demand.Amran said that based on his ministry’s surveys, the drought only affected between 25,000 and 30,000 hectares of rice fields. According to him, widely published estimates that the drought had damaged over 14 million hectares of rice fields were exaggerated. Fears over a possible rice supply shortage were raised following the scarcity of meat and chicken in the past several weeks, which have led to widespread strikes carried out by meat and chicken traders demanding that the government intervene to alleviate the problem.Analysts believe that the shortages in supply occurred due to inaccurate data used by the government.

National Development Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil acknowledged on Tuesday that the government still used different sets of data in formulating its rice farming policy. “Without accuracy in the data, it will affect the policy,” he said as quoted by Kompas.Amran shrugged off the differences in data between the ministries. “It’s normal to have different sets of data because the data collection might be done at different times. Even one day’s difference will yield different sets of data,” he said.He said that his office still relied on production data issued by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), which estimated that unhusked rice production would rise by about 6.64 percent to 75.5 million tons this year, or equivalent to 43.9 million tons of milled rice. With such a production assumption, the country’s rice production would reach a milled rice surplus of 10.5 million tons.

State Logistics Agency (Bulog) agreed on Wednesday to buy 1.4 million tons of rice from farmers as part of its program to increase its rice stocks, which at present stood at roughly 1.6 million tons.“With this addition, our rice stocks will be secure,” Bulog director Djarot Kusumayakti said.Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) declared in their official statement that they predicted that the drought would continue until December.The rain would likely begin in November or December, the statement said.Djarot also stated that the extreme weather phenomenon of El Niño would only affect areas south of the equator and that “the northern part would not be hit by drought”.

Climate experts have warned of the severity of El Niño this year, which is expected to match the intensity of 1997, which induced a prolonged drought and widespread wild fires. Although El Niño has yet to reach its peak, many regions in the country have already reported a prolonged dry season, with some regions in West Java, Central Java, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and other places suffering from 60 continuous days without rain.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/08/27/government-downplays-effects-el-ni-o.html#sthash.yoVbAECQ.dpuf

Low rainfall critical for kharif crops

Nikhil Deshmukh  
KOLHAPUR: The 40% rainfall in the district till the last week of the third month of monsoon has started taking a toll on the kharif agricultural activities. According to a report from the district agriculture department, crops like paddy, groundnuts and soybean are going to be affected. Sowing in the district has already gone down to 88.75% - from 2.76 lakh hectares to 2.45 lakh hectares. 
Major tehsils like Panhala, Bhudargad, Shahuwadi, Ajara and Chandgad are known for paddy production. The total area under paddy cultivation in the district is 1,03,156 hectares as against the average 1,11,610 hectares. The decline is mainly because of late arrival of monsoon, followed by low intensity of the showers. Except in June third week, the district has not received satisfactory spells and some farmers have refrained from paddy cultivation.
 
Showers are important for the growth of paddy. Those who have cultivated paddy are now waiting for good showers. They might have to shift to well water or river water for irrigation, increasing the cost of production. Groundnut is the second-largest kharif crop in the district. The average area under cultivation is 57,825 hectares but it has gone down to 48,212 hectares mainly due to lower sowing in Hatkanangale, Kagal, Radhanagari and Karvir tehsils. Though, the other tehsils like Chandgad, Gadhinglaj and Shirol have reported more than average sowing, the overall figures are less than the average cultivation. 
In case of soyabean also, the area under cultivation has gone down - from 56,460 hectares to 42,899 hectares. Ragi is another kharif crop in the district having 22,900 hectares average cultivable land. The low rainfall has reduced the area to 20,575 hectares. Shahuwadi, Radhanagari and Gaganbavda tehsils have reported significant drop in ragi cultivation this year, though all these tehsils are known for higher rainfall. 
Sugarcane being a cash crop, the total area under cultivation has increased to 1,47,469 hectares, while the average area is 1,17,125 hectares. Raju Shetti, farmers' leader and MP said, "Kolhapur shares border with Karnataka, where significant number of sugar factories are operating. Sugarcane cultivators are free to sell their crop to any factory, even outside the state; hence they are in anticipation of good returns from sugarcane. This is the reason behind farmers going after sugarcane crop." At Rs 2,000 per tonne purchase price and 100 tonnes per hectare output, the cultivator would earn Rs 2 lakh from one acre, he said. "Compared to foodgrains or oil seeds, returns from sugarcane are higher. But the crop takes at least nine months to mature. So, marginal and small farmers or those who are located in the mountain areas prefer kharif and rabi crops that get matured in four months.
Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/Low-rainfall-critical-for-kharif-crops/articleshow/48690367.cms

Iran asked to lift rice, kinno import ban

MUBARAK ZEB KHAN — UPDATED A DAY AGO
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday formally requested Iran to withdraw its ban on imports of rice and kinno.The ban has led to a drastic cut in Pakistan’s exports to Iran, which fell to mere $43 million in 2014 from $182m in 2010, an official told Dawn.Rice exports constitute 63 per cent of the country’s total exports to Iran.The issue, among others, was raised during the two-day meeting of Pak-Iran Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade.Pakistan’s delegation was headed by Additional Secretary Commerce Robina Ather, while Iranian side was led by Mojtaba Mousavian, Director General (Asia-Pacific) Iranian Trade Promotion Organisation.

A representative of Pakistan Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed the meeting that Iran’s quarantine department inspectors visited hot water treatment plants for mangoes and approved 16 facilities, while approval for another three was in the process.Pakistani side also informed that they have provided a draft of ‘Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Veterinary and Animal Health’ to the ministry concerned in Iran.Both sides agreed to constitute a joint working group for implementation of electronic data interchange. Pakistan also showed its interest to hold a single-country textile exhibition in Tehran in Feb/March 2016.

Both the countries reiterated the need for granting visa to businessmen and truck drivers on a priority basis, and agreed to implement the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in letter and spirit including strengthening of transparency and prior notification mechanisms.Discussing freight train operations, Pakistan proposed that till freight traffic picks up, Iranian authorities may also introduce concessional fares between Zahedan-Quetta.Regarding tax and charges imposed on Pakistani vehicles, the Iranian side informed that those taxes did not constitute “para tariffs” and were consistent with the PTA as per Article 2 on services charges.

The meeting discussed the draft of ‘Five Years Strategic Plan’ to enhance bilateral trade.Both sides agreed to consider incorporating linkage of Iran with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, strengthening border markets, upgrading road and railway networks, building warehouses and opening/upgrading border crossing points into the five-year plan.It was agreed that both sides will exchange soft data about their tariff and trade regimes as per the format provided by Pakistani side, within two weeks of this JWG meeting.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1203051

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 27


Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:04pm IST
Nagpur, Aug 27 Gram prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid high moisture content
arrival. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh gram prices because of poor quality and revival monsoon in
Vidarbha also pulled down prices, according to sources. 
 
               *            *              *              *
 
    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    GRAM
   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor in thin trading
     activity.
 
     TUAR
   * Tuar fataka varieties recovered in open market on increased festival season demand 
     from local traders amid weak supply from millers.   
 
   * Batri dal and Lakhodi dal firmed up in open market here on increased buying support 
     from local traders. Continuous rise in tuar dal prices also boosted these 
     commodities.     
                                                                                    
   * In Akola, Tuar - 9,800-910,100, Tuar dal - 13,800-14,200, Udid at 9,400-9,700, 
     Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,300-11,700, Moong - 7,600-7,800, Moong Mogar 
    (clean) 9,200-9,800, Gram - 4,500-4,800, Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,0200 
     for 100 kg.
 
   * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading 
     activity, according to sources.
       
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
 
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close   
     Gram Auction                   4,000-4,850         4,000-4,960
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                n.a.                8,000-9,800
     Moong Auction                n.a.                6,000-6,400
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Gram Super Best Bold            6,500-6,800        6,500-6,800
     Gram Super Best            n.a.                
     Gram Medium Best            5,900-6,100        5,900-6,100
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Mill Quality            5,800-5,900        5,800-5,900
     Desi gram Raw                4,900-5,000         4,900-5,000
     Gram Filter new            6,200-6,400        6,200-6,400
     Gram Kabuli                6,400-7,500        6,400-7,500
     Gram Pink                6,800-7,000        6,800-7,000
     Tuar Fataka Best             14,350-14,750        14,300-14,700
     Tuar Fataka Medium             13,550-13,950        13,500-13,900
     Tuar Dal Best Phod            12,800-13,200        12,800-13,200
     Tuar Dal Medium phod            12,000-12,600        12,000-12,600
     Tuar Gavarani New             10,350-10,450        10,350-10,450
     Tuar Karnataka             10,450-10,750        10,450-10,750
     Tuar Black                 12,600-12,900           12,600-12,900 
     Masoor dal best            8,600-8,800        8,600-8,800
     Masoor dal medium            8,150-8,450        8,150-8,400
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold               9,600-9,900         9,600-9,900
     Moong Mogar Medium best        8,200-8,800        8,200-8,800
     Moong dal Chilka            8,600-8,800        8,600-8,800
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            8,400-9,200        8,400-9,200
     Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG)    11,700-12,000       11,700-12,000
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    10,600-11,000        10,600-11,000
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        9,400-9,800        9,400-9,800
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,150-5,550        5,100-5,500
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)           3,850-4,050         3,800-4,000
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)        3,150-3,350        3,150-3,350
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)        3,100-3,300         3,100-3,300
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,200-3,600        3,200-3,600
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,400-1,500        1,400-1,500
     Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG)    1,600-1,700        1,600-1,700
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)        1,350-1,550           1,350-1,550
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,250-2,400        2,250-2,400
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)    1,950-2,100        1,950-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,400-3,700        3,400-3,700
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,750-2,900        2,750-2,900        
     Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG)        2,800-3,000        2,800-3,000
     Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)               3,050-3,300        3,050-3,300
     Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)        1,700-1,900        1,700-1,900
     Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)      2,400-2,500        2,400-2,500
     Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)      2,700-2,800        2,700-2,800
     Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG)        3,400-3,800        3,400-3,800
     Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)               3,900-4,300        3,900-4,300
     Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG)    4,300-4,500        4,300-4,500
     Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG)    4,600-5,100        4,600-5,100     
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    8,000-10,000        8,000-10,000
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    7,000-7,500        7,000-7,500
     Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG)    4,500-4,900        4,500-4,900
     Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)        5,400-5,700        5,400-5,700
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,100-2,350        2,100-2,350
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)        2,400-2,500        2,400-2,500
 
WEATHER (NAGPUR)  
Maximum temp. 33.9 degree Celsius (93.0 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
25.2 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 0.8 mm
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature
would be around and 29 and 25 degree Celsius respectively.
 
Note: n.a.--not available
 
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/27/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL4N1123FM20150827

Venezuela’s Food Shortages: Hunger is a major concern

Shoppers wait in a long line to enter the “Latino Supermarket” in the Dr. Portillo area of Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Aug. 12. MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By  MAOLIS CASTRO And LA SIBUCARA, Venezuela—Hours after they looted and set fire to a National Guard command post in this sun-baked corner of Venezuela earlier this month, a mob infuriated by worsening food shortages rammed trucks into the smoldering edifice, reducing it mostly to rubble.The incident was just one of numerous violent clashes that have flared in pockets around the country in recent weeks as Venezuelans wait for hours in long supermarket lines for basics like milk and rice. Shortages have made hunger a palpable concern for many Wayuu Indians who live here at the northern tip of Venezuela’s 1,300-mile border with Colombia.

The soldiers had been deployed to stem rampant food smuggling and price speculation, which President Nicolás Maduro blames for triple-digit inflation and scarcity. But after they seize contraband goods, the troops themselves often become targets of increasingly desperate people.“What’s certain is that we are going very hungry here and the children are suffering a lot,” said María Palma, a 55-year-old grandmother who on a recent blistering hot day had been standing in line at the grocery store since 3 a.m. before walking away empty-handed at midday.In a national survey, the pollster Consultores 21 found 30% of Venezuelans eating two or fewer meals a day during the second quarter of this year, up from 20% in the first quarter.

Around 70% of people in the study also said they had stopped buying some basic food item because it had become unavailable or too expensive.Food-supply problems in Venezuela underscore the increasingly precarious situation for Mr. Maduro’s socialist government, which according to the latest poll by Datanálisis is preferred by less than 20% of voters ahead of Dec. 6 parliamentary elections. The critical situation threatens to plunge South America’s largest oil exporter into a wave of civil unrest reminiscent of last year’s nationwide demonstrations seeking Mr. Maduro’s ouster.“It’s a national crisis,” said Marco Ponce, head of the Venezuela Observatory of Social Conflict, noting that unlike the political protests of last year, residents are now taking to the streets demanding social rights.

The nonprofit group recorded 500 protests over food shortages during the first half of 2015, 56 looting incidents and dozens of attempted lootings at grocery stores, pharmacies and warehouses. Even delivery trucks are frequently targeted. “If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside standing in line for goods,” Mr. Ponce said.The unrest is a response to dramatically worsening living conditions for Venezuelans as the economy reels from oil’s slump following more than a decade of populist spending that left the government broke.

In past years, when oil prices were high, Venezuela’s leftist government flooded markets with subsidized goods ranging from cooking oil to diapers. It gave citizens in border towns like La Sibucara not only access to cheap supplies, but also a source of income as many people trafficked products—including nearly free gasoline—to neighboring Colombia, drawing handsome profits.With the government now struggling to pay for imports, there is less inventory to go around. In recent days, Mr. Maduro upped the ante by ordering troops along the border to seize contraband, deporting hundreds of Colombians whom the government blames for smuggling and shortages.

Armed soldiers monitor supermarkets as part of an effort the president calls “Operation People’s Liberation.” More than 6,000 alleged smugglers have been arrested this year, according to the attorney general’s office. Images of soldiers posing with handcuffed suspects and stacks of decommissioned goods are splashed on state media.“We’re going to get to the root of the problem,” Mr. Maduro said in a national address last week after a shootout with smugglers in the frontier state of Táchira left three National Guard troops injured and pushed Venezuela to shut key border crossings.The smugglers targeted by the government crackdown are called bachaqueros, named after a leaf-cutter ant that can carry many times its weight. The word, first used here in the northwestern state of Zulia, has become part of daily national parlance as a label for Venezuelans who buy price-controlled goods and resell them for profit on the black market.

While the government blames the shortages on bachaqueros, economists say they are the consequence of price controls and a broken economic model that has left average Venezuelans with diminishing employment options.“The people that used to give us work—the private companies, the rich—have all gone,” said Ms. Palma in La Sibucara, adding that she also occasionally traffics goods to get by. “It’s not the greatest business but we don’t have work and we have to find a way to eat.”Earlier this month, Venezuela’s military raided homes and warehouse around the town, seizing tons of allegedly hoarded goods that were destined to leave Venezuela or be resold on the black market for well above the state-set price.Lisandro Uriana, who had a black eye and a bandaged leg, said he and two friends were badly beaten up when a neighbor’s house was raided.

 “They didn’t say or ask us anything,” recalled the 46-year-old Wayuu father of four, who lives in a tin-roofed house of two rooms. “They just beat us and we couldn’t defend ourselves because they were armed and were many. I don’t even smuggle…and now I can’t even get up to work.”The day of the raids, neighbors said residents pleaded with troops at the National Guard command post to distribute seized food to non-smugglers but were turned away. An angry mob soon formed, sending soldiers fleeing before they attacked the office and even stripped it of scrap metal.“These are just some isolated cases,” Manuel Graterol, a National Guard general overseeing operations in La Sibucara on a recent day, said, blaming the unrest and the bachaquerophenomenon on opponents of Mr. Maduro’s government. “Many of them are being shameless,” said Gen. Graterol. “They’re committing treason against our country, taking food and crossing the border.”

But such food fights have broken out in numerous small municipalities around the state of Zulia. In the nearby town of Sinamaica, the ground floor of the mayor’s office was set on fire in early August following a wave of unrest that included gangs looting delivery trucks. The unrest, locals said, began after police detained a truck loaded with rice.Street vendor Robert Guzmán, wearing a red pro-government T-shirt, said the sacking was justified. “We are very peaceful people,” Mr. Guzmán said of his Wayuu community, “but what happened was an act of desperation. I think this is going to get worse.”Resident Yusleidy Márquez said she too fears the worst. The basket of subsidized food the government gives her mother every 15 days only feeds her family for two days. Lately, she only eats a cornmeal patty for lunch because she can’t afford more.“I think we’re going to die of hunger,” she said.

LA SIBUCARA, Venezuela—Hours after they looted and set fire to a National Guard command post in this sun-baked corner of Venezuela earlier this month, a mob infuriated by worsening food shortages rammed trucks into the smoldering edifice, reducing it mostly to rubble.The incident was just one of numerous violent clashes that have flared in pockets around the country in recent weeks as Venezuelans wait for hours in long supermarket lines for basics like milk and rice. Shortages have made hunger a palpable concern for many Wayuu Indians who live here at the northern tip of Venezuela’s 1,300-mile border with Colombia.The soldiers had been deployed to stem rampant food smuggling and price speculation, which President Nicolás Maduro blames for triple-digit inflation and scarcity. But after they seize contraband goods, the troops themselves often become targets of increasingly desperate people.
“What’s certain is that we are going very hungry here and the children are suffering a lot,” said María Palma, a 55-year-old grandmother who on a recent blistering hot day had been standing in line at the grocery store since 3 a.m. before walking away empty-handed at midday.In a national survey, the pollster Consultores 21 found 30% of Venezuelans eating two or fewer meals a day during the second quarter of this year, up from 20% in the first quarter. Around 70% of people in the study also said they had stopped buying some basic food item because it had become unavailable or too expensive.

Food-supply problems in Venezuela underscore the increasingly precarious situation for Mr. Maduro’s socialist government, which according to the latest poll by Datanálisis is preferred by less than 20% of voters ahead of Dec. 6 parliamentary elections. The critical situation threatens to plunge South America’s largest oil exporter into a wave of civil unrest reminiscent of last year’s nationwide demonstrations seeking Mr. Maduro’s ouster.“It’s a national crisis,” said Marco Ponce, head of the Venezuela Observatory of Social Conflict, noting that unlike the political protests of last year, residents are now taking to the streets demanding social rights.The nonprofit group recorded 500 protests over food shortages during the first half of 2015, 56 looting incidents and dozens of attempted lootings at grocery stores, pharmacies and warehouses. Even delivery trucks are frequently targeted. “If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside standing in line for goods,” Mr. Ponce said.

The unrest is a response to dramatically worsening living conditions for Venezuelans as the economy reels from oil’s slump following more than a decade of populist spending that left the government broke.In past years, when oil prices were high, Venezuela’s leftist government flooded markets with subsidized goods ranging from cooking oil to diapers. It gave citizens in border towns like La Sibucara not only access to cheap supplies, but also a source of income as many people trafficked products—including nearly free gasoline—to neighboring Colombia, drawing handsome profits.With the government now struggling to pay for imports, there is less inventory to go around. In recent days, Mr. Maduro upped the ante by ordering troops along the border to seize contraband, deporting hundreds of Colombians whom the government blames for smuggling and shortages.Armed soldiers monitor supermarkets as part of an effort the president calls “Operation People’s Liberation.

” More than 6,000 alleged smugglers have been arrested this year, according to the attorney general’s office. Images of soldiers posing with handcuffed suspects and stacks of decommissioned goods are splashed on state media.“We’re going to get to the root of the problem,” Mr. Maduro said in a national address last week after a shootout with smugglers in the frontier state of Táchira left three National Guard troops injured and pushed Venezuela to shut key border crossings.The smugglers targeted by the government crackdown are called bachaqueros, named after a leaf-cutter ant that can carry many times its weight. The word, first used here in the northwestern state of Zulia, has become part of daily national parlance as a label for Venezuelans who buy price-controlled goods and resell them for profit on the black market.While the government blames the shortages on bachaqueros, economists say they are the consequence of price controls and a broken economic model that has left average Venezuelans with diminishing employment options.

“The people that used to give us work—the private companies, the rich—have all gone,” said Ms. Palma in La Sibucara, adding that she also occasionally traffics goods to get by. “It’s not the greatest business but we don’t have work and we have to find a way to eat.”Earlier this month, Venezuela’s military raided homes and warehouse around the town, seizing tons of allegedly hoarded goods that were destined to leave Venezuela or be resold on the black market for well above the state-set price.Lisandro Uriana, who had a black eye and a bandaged leg, said he and two friends were badly beaten up when a neighbor’s house was raided. “They didn’t say or ask us anything,” recalled the 46-year-old Wayuu father of four, who lives in a tin-roofed house of two rooms. “They just beat us and we couldn’t defend ourselves because they were armed and were many.

I don’t even smuggle…and now I can’t even get up to work.”The day of the raids, neighbors said residents pleaded with troops at the National Guard command post to distribute seized food to non-smugglers but were turned away. An angry mob soon formed, sending soldiers fleeing before they attacked the office and even stripped it of scrap metal.“These are just some isolated cases,” Manuel Graterol, a National Guard general overseeing operations in La Sibucara on a recent day, said, blaming the unrest and the bachaquerophenomenon on opponents of Mr. Maduro’s government. “Many of them are being shameless,” said Gen. Graterol. “They’re committing treason against our country, taking food and crossing the border.”

But such food fights have broken out in numerous small municipalities around the state of Zulia. In the nearby town of Sinamaica, the ground floor of the mayor’s office was set on fire in early August following a wave of unrest that included gangs looting delivery trucks. The unrest, locals said, began after police detained a truck loaded with rice.Street vendor Robert Guzmán, wearing a red pro-government T-shirt, said the sacking was justified. “We are very peaceful people,” Mr. Guzmán said of his Wayuu community, “but what happened was an act of desperation. I think this is going to get worse.”Resident Yusleidy Márquez said she too fears the worst. The basket of subsidized food the government gives her mother every 15 days only feeds her family for two days. Lately, she only eats a cornmeal patty for lunch because she can’t afford more.“I think we’re going to die of hunger,” she said.

Rice Field Day: Growers get up close with industry-funded research

Rice farmers, researchers, breeders and more come together to learn about the newest developments in rice for the annual Rice Field Day on Wednesday at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs
By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record
POSTED: 08/26/15, 8:04 PM PDT | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO 0 COMMENTS
Ben Ferreira looks at a variety of rice during the annual Rice Field Day on Wednesday at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs. Emily Bertolino — Mercury Register
Biggs >> This summer has been rough for rice farmers with nearly 30 percent of the statewide rice acreage left to bare, open ground.Yet, cutbacks on water did not keep hundreds of rice farmers from attending the traditional summer get-together — Rice Field Day.Once a year, growers converge on the research farm, where scientists hand-plant more than 40 acres, keeping carefully cross-bred plants separate from other plants.
The goal is to develop improved plants that will provide better yield, disease resistance, cooking quality and other factors.Farmers pay a small amount per bag of harvested rice, and that money funds the experiment station and researchers.During the drought, less rice was grown, which meant a decreased flow of money to the research station.Experiment Station director Kent McKenzie said his operation was fortunate that some funding from a tariff settlement has been used to offset the lost financial support.
For the past several years, the California Rice Research Board has received funding from a tariff agreement with Colombia, Seth Fiack, chairman of the Rice Research Board, explained. Rice buyers bid for the right to buy California rice. The treaty allows for a phase-in of duty-free access to U.S. rice over time. Yet, for now a few million dollars are divided among rice-growing states each year.
The funding came just in time, and has been used to ensure the Biggs experiment station is fully-funded.McKenzie said the research center also could have had problems this year due to lack of water. Like many landowners who receive surface water, the Biggs experiment station had cutbacks of 50 percent.The stations has a well, but that did not provide enough water to keep all of the research plants alive.McKenzie said some nearby landowners through Richvale Irrigation District provided the needed water, and all of the research plants were maintained.
GROWING TENACITY
The Rice Experiment Station recently passed the 100-year mark. Tim Johnson, president of the California Rice Commission said he is always impressed by the tenacity of the rice industry.After four years of drought, acreage in the state is down 30 percent, with 175,000 few acres planted.A key goal of the breeding program is to develop even better types of rice.Calrose is the mainstay medium-grain rice grown in the Sacramento Valley. Most growers opt for one of just a handful of seed types, depending on their specific growing conditions.Early this year, the board of directors approved a new Calrose named M-209, which matures early, is semi-dwarf and has high yield.One drawback is that the variety can be damaged in cold temperatures and more of the kernels may not mature in cooler weather.
SHARING KNOWLEDGE

A big part of Rice Field Day is for growers to learn more about their industry, especially if that information will help them grow more or better rice. One highlight of Rice Field Day is the ride through the 3,000 experimental rice plots. Farmers pile into the back of oversized pickup trucks.
Julie Tillman was at the event to share information about the University of California’s new Rice Online website, http://rice.ucanr.edu.One feature is a map that shows early and very early rice field test results in different parts of the valley. This can be important because one type of rice plant may perform slightly better or worse in slightly different climates.For example, the M-206 did best in Colusa County over the past four years. In Butte County, early M-209 has done very well the past three years.
PRAISE FOR FARMERS
The annual event is also a time to honor those who stand out in the industry.
The group managed to surprise Tim Kelleher.Organizers asked Kelleher to present the Rice Industry Award to Dr. C. Lorenzo Pope, who worked as a private rice researcher in Glenn County for 39 years.After Pope’s award was given, Kelleher was announced as a another recipient.Kelleher is an attorney, who was instrumental in helping farmer-friendly provisions in the latest version of the Farm Bill, McKenzie said.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 Heather Hacking
Reporter Heather Hacking focuses on water and agriculture, as well as many other community topics. Her column, which is mostly about gardening, appears on Fridays. She has been writing for the Enterprise-Record since 1992. Reach the author at hhacking@chicoer.com or follow Heather on Twitter: @HeatherHacking.

Nigeria: Why Korea Takes Rice Production As National Security Strategy

26 AUGUST 2015
By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule
Seoul — Rice is the most famous, widespread food staple in the Republic of Korea, and its local production was enough to feed the 50 million population of the country for the past 50 years.Korean farmers, who traditionally receive government's incentives in the provision of electricity, irrigation water, grow rice in all seasons, but they usually plant it in April of every year and harvest it in late September or early October.However, the production of the food commodity, despite its large consumption, goes beyond serving the mere penchant of rice consumption, but is taken by government to form part of its national security strategy against possible future starvation.

The Korean peninsula is surrounded by water and since after the 1945 division of the peninsula into North and South, the precarious relationship between the two neighbours made the latter to adopt the production of rice with even greater seriousness.And to encourage domestic production for self-efficiency, Korea developed its own rice seed and a severe sanction was promulgated for either import or export of the commodity, ever since, with about 400 percent tariff on rice importation, according to Professor Hank Young Sung of the Seoul University.
He said: "Rice is critically sensitive in Korea. That is why we have as high as 400 percent of tariff on rice. The reason is that Korea is like an Ireland."North Korea, our enemy, has made South Korea like an Ireland with no more links to any country."Therefore, in case of any war, rice is being preserved to guard against starvation. Rice markets in Korea do not have to compete with other markets like Thailand due to, as I said, the 400 percent tariff."South Korea is 70 percent mountains, only about 19,240 km2, representing 19.4 percent of the total land is arable, suitable for farming, but the country was able to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production in 1977.
Foreigners have been banned from owning farmlands to protect small-scale farmers. Due to land shortage, the average ownership of farmlands in Korea is 1.5 hectres, but large-scale agricultural industries are only allowed to own not more than 10 hectres.In the early 1980s, the country adopted an "Agricultural Policy in Rapid Economic Growth", which aimed at increasing food production and modernising the production process.Three areas were the main focus: creation and consolidation of farmlands, dissemination of agricultural technologies and high rice price policy.
Consequently, the formation of major rice production areas became evident and widespread in all parts of the country.This was attested to by the16-member Nigeria delegation, in Seoul, during a countryside 6-hour journey from the capital city to Ulsan industrial city, last week.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201508271063.html

Haiti drought cuts harvests, lifts prices, food crisis looms: WFP

Wed Aug 26, 2015 1:53pm EDT
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A severe drought in Haiti has led to acute water shortages, shriveled harvests and raised food prices, weakening the fragile food supply and worsening hunger among the poor, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said.The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti already struggles to feed its population of 10.4 million, and 600,000 Haitians already rely on international food aid to survive, the WFP says."Thirty percent of the population is moving into food insecurity. That means families are having reduced ability to purchase food and have had to reduce their calorie intake. Families are now having fewer and smaller meals," said Wendy Bigham, WFP's deputy country director in Haiti.

The drought, linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon, has gripped other parts of the Caribbean and Central America as well as Haiti, and is expected to last until early next year. "This is the third year in a row with below average rainfall. The drought is especially severe this year and all departments across Haiti are affected," Bigham told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.By February next year, it is likely that "at least one in five households in Haiti will face significant food consumption gaps with high or above usual acute malnutrition," according toan August report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), a service run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).Half of Haiti's population live on less than $1 a day and many Haitians spend the bulk of their income on food. Even a slight increase in food prices can make hundreds of thousands of Haitians too poor to buy enough food.

The depreciation of the Haitian gourde has contributed to the rise in the price of staple foods such as rice, maize and beans.Prices have shot up "by as much as 60 percent" since April, Bigham said.Poor harvests caused by low rainfall have also meant fewer jobs in the agricultural sector, which provides around 50 percent of all jobs in Haiti, putting more pressure on families."If El Nino continues and we don't have a good next harvest at around the end of this year, then the situation will quickly deteriorate and we will see many families falling into a (food) crisis situation. The outlook isn't good," said Bigham.In June, the government asked the international aid community to help in drought-hit areas, including cash-for-work schemes to inject money into the local economy, sending in water tanks and drilling new water wells."It's quite serious when the government needs to call the international community to come in," said Bigham.

The drought has also affected school meals, which make up the country's largest food safety net, provided mainly by the WFP which feeds around 500,000 children a year.In May and June, WFP school meals could not be provided in around 20 percent of schools in Haiti's southeast and northeast provinces because of a lack of clean water to cook meals in.(Reporting By Anastasia Moloney, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/us-haiti-drought-idUSKCN0QV24R20150826

Fisher Delta Research Center to hold 54th annual Field Day Sept. 2

Annual event to provide information on Delta crops, soils, weeds
Aug 27, 2015Delta Farm Press
 “We have a fabulous team and a great group of researchers,” said Trent Haggard, director of the Center. “During this field day, you will get to see the highlights of their research, which covers the newest and hottest topics in agriculture.”
Andrea Jones will discuss cotton variety trials during this year's Fisher Delta Research Center field day. 

PPO inhibitor resistance, Enlist Duo, Roundup Ready Xtend, Engenia, Provisia, Rinskor Active, Priaxor, chalkiness, Acuron, pollinators, neonicotinoids, soil moisture sensors, surge valves, flow meters, rice fertility….

Those are just a few examples of the new terminologies farmers are having to deal with these days. Fortunately, land-grant universities such as the University of Missouri are offering farmers the opportunity to learn more about them and what they can mean for their operations in the years ahead.The 54th annual Fisher Delta Research Center Field Day, one of a number of such facilities operated by the University of Missouri, will attempt to help farmers wade through the changes the changes that are rapidly occurring in agriculture with discussions on several agricultural topics.

Rice, cotton, corn and soybeans will also be discussed during the Sept. 2 field day at the Fisher Center, which is located near Portageville in the Missouri Bootheel. Tours run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.“We have a fabulous team and a great group of researchers,” said Trent Haggard, director of the Center. “During this field day, you will get to see the highlights of their research, which covers the newest and hottest topics in agriculture.”While the Delta Research Center does share some similarities to other regions of Missouri, the land more closely resembles western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi.

The theme for the 2015 Field Day – “Delta Agriculture on the Move” – pertains to the entire Delta.“Our research always relates to the entire Delta region,” Haggard said. “The Delta and Missouri boot heel have extremely prolific soils. It’s a hyper-productive area.”Corn, beans, rice, cotton, wheat and milo can all be found in the Delta. FDRC’s Field Day will take a look at most of them.Gene Stevens, plant sciences professor, will present on impacting yield through variable rate seed, fertilizer and irrigation regimes. Stevens will also have a second presentation on using a smartphone app to manage your irrigation needs.Both presentations will be during the corn and pollinator tour. Moneen Jones and Bob Walters will also present on new initiatives to benefit the overall health of bee colonies, as well as the many crops that bees pollinate.

Matt Rhine, research associate, and David Dunn, soil and tissue lab associate, will both speak on the impact of rice.“The rice tour will highlight the University of Missouri rice variety trials, research on chalkiness in rice and proper potash management,” Haggard said.Grover Shannon, professor of plant sciences, and Andrew Scaboo, senior research scientist, will showcase upcoming soybean releases to enhance Delta producers’ productivity and profitability.“At this year’s field day, we are sharing our work on variable rate irrigation, stewardship of fertilizer in several crops and assisting the local bee population,” Haggard said. “That work is just a small sample of ways our research continue to enhance our natural resources.”The FDRC field day will also include three presentations on cotton and weed science. From variety trials to new weed technologies, numerous topics will be covered.

“The cotton and weed tour will highlight the newest varieties for cotton, along with the new weed technology available to maximize cotton revenue and minimize weed drag,” Haggard said.
For more information on the Delta Center or the field day, call 573-379-5431 or emailHaggardT@missouri.edu. You can also visit their website at http://delta.cafnr.org/.

http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/fisher-delta-research-center-hold-54th-annual-field-day-sept-2

COLUMN-Currency moves to tag-team El Nino in Asia rice markets: Russell

 Clyde Russell is a Reuters columnist. The views expressed are his own.
By Clyde Russell
Aug 28 (Reuters) - Market wisdom is that Asian rice prices are set to rally as El Nino cuts output and bulging stockpiles are steadily eroded.There's nothing wrong with this view, but as is often the case there are some offsetting factors that make a strong rally far from a sure thing, as can be seen by recent price movements in the grain, the staple for some two-thirds of the world's population.Benchmark Thai 5-percent broken white rice RI-THBKN5-P1 staged a 10 percent rally from a 7 1/2-year low of $367.50 a tonne on June 24 to a recent peak of $405 on July 17.
However, since then, it has dropped back to a fresh low of $362.50 a tonne on Aug. 27, making the rally very short-lived.

Part of this is the general malaise that has roiled most commodity markets, but part is also that buyers have been demanding lower prices because of the depreciation of the Thai baht.The baht has lost 10 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since its 2015 closing high of 32.33 in April to Thursday's close of 35.64.The fall in the baht has caused the baht price of rice to whipsaw about, but overall it is down about 6 percent so far this year, or less than half the 13.3 drop in dollar terms.
It's much the same situation for Thailand's regional competitor in rice exports, Vietnam, which has seen its currency, the dong, slip 6.7 percent against the dollar from the year high in early February to the close of 22,534 on Thursday.

Vietnamese 5-percent broken white rice RI-VNBKN-P1 has surrendered 12.9 percent so far this year to $337.50 a tonne, but is down only 8.2 percent in local currency terms.With the outlook for ongoing dollar gains, especially against emerging market currencies, the chances are that buyers will apply additional pressure on sellers to keep prices low in dollar terms.

EL NINO LOOMS

But what of El Nino, the weather phenomenon that brings dry, hot weather to Southeast Asia and Australia, but wetter conditions to North America.Weather forecasters have been upping their predictions for a strong El Nino, which would last into next year and most likely cut output of rice, as well as that of Australian wheat, soybeans in India and corn in China.Any rice production shortfall will have to be made up from stockpiles, but how much more rice is likely to be needed and will it be enough to significantly dent Thailand's rice mountain, built up by the ousted government as part of its generous support measures for farmers?

Indonesia, traditionally a rice importer but trying hard to become self-sufficient, still expects to increase its harvest by 7 percent in 2015 despite El Nino.However, El Nino may delay rice crops and lead to imports of as much as 1.6 million tonnes this year, according to analysts, a step that would help curb rising domestic rice prices, already the second-highest in Southeast Asia.The Philippines, another heavy importer, also plans to boost domestic rice production in 2016, but will import more in 2015 to meet a shortfall in this year's output.The government has already bought 750,000 tonnes this year and may import another 250,000 before the end of the year. Private traders may add as much as 805,200 tonnes by Nov. 30, subject to a 35 percent tariff.

China's early season rice output dropped 0.9 percent to 33.69 million tonnes in 2015 from a year earlier, according to official figures, raising the possibility of higher imports by the world's second-biggest economy.While it seems likely that Asia's top importers will increase purchases, there is still the question of large stockpiles that need to be worked through.Thailand's 13-million tonne rice mountain may actually contain only about 9 million tonnes of edible rice because of spoiling from long storage periods, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).The FAO also says that inventories have been dropping steadily in the world's five biggest exporters, after strong shipments in 2014, and the stock-to-use ratio, the level of inventories relative to domestic consumption and exports, will drop to 19 percent in 2015/16, the lowest since 2007/08.

This indicates a tightening of supply, but still suggests there is plenty of rice available even as El Nino makes its presence felt.While rice prices should rise, the chances are that the process won't be even and will be influenced by currency movements, with those exporters experiencing stronger depreciation against the dollar likely to seek to maximise their advantage. (Editing byMichael Perry)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/column-russell-rice-asia-idUSL4N1131M620150828
APEDA India News

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 26-08-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Garlic
1
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2100
2
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2000
3
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1800
Ginger
1
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
4600
2
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
5100
3
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3000
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
4080
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t
1500
3
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2600
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 26-08-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
2200
2400
2
Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh)
Other
1960
2000
3
Devala (Maharashtra)
Other
1610
1610
Wheat
1
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1450
1600
2
Manvi (Karnataka)
Other
1609
1609
3
Matar (Gujarat)
Other
1400
1470
Apple
1
Zira (Punjab)
Other
2200
2600
2
Dhand (Haryana)
Other
4600
4700
3
Solapur (Maharashtra)
Other
500
500
Carrot
1
Akluj (Maharashtra)
Other
1500
1500
2
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1000
3000
3
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
3400
3600
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 26-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
305
2
Hyderabad
295
3
Mysore
310
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 26-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Potatoes
Package: 50 lb cartons
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
20
23
2
Baltimore
Virginia
Russet
14
14
3
Chicago
Idaho
Russet
18
20
Cabbage
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Georgia
Round Green Type
10
11
2
Dallas
Colorado
Round Green Type
14.50
15
3
Miami
Canada
Round Green Type
13
14
Grapefruit
Package: 7/10 bushel cartons
1
Atlanta
California
Red
22.50
24.50
2
Dallas
California 
Red
24
24
3
Baltimore
California
Red
25
25
Source:USDA


USA Rice Daily
USA Rice Continues Rice Industry Visits, Participates in Annual Field Day          

Lundberg Family Farms CEO Grant Lundberg (l) and Dow Brantley 

BIGGS, CA - Yesterday, USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley continued his California rice industry visit at the California Rice Experiment Station's annual field day held here. Brantley and USA Rice President and CEO Betsy Ward provided educational resources for attendees on behalf of USA Rice and visited the wide range of rice test plots throughout the station. Following the field day, Brantley met with Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg Family Foods in Richvale, California to discuss relevant industry issues and to tour the processing facilities and company headquarters.

The California visit wrapped up with a trip to the rice farming operations of USA Rice Council Chair Sean Doherty in Dunnigan, and USA Rice Farmers Conservation Committee Chair Leo LaGrande in Williams.
  
California dreaming
"I'm pleased we were able to participate in a California field day again and that our chairman was able to take time away from his operations in Arkansas to visit with California leaders," said Ward. "It's that grower-to-grower contact across a wide geography that strengthens our industry and is, I believe, one of the primary functions of USA Rice."Brantley thought the time away from his farm was well spent. "I was able to meet with members from every sector of the industry out here - farmers, millers, merchants, and spend time with the chairman of the USA Rice Council. It was eye-opening to see the California operations - to see what they are doing differently than us in the south and hear first hand about the sometimes unique challenges they are facing here. I was happy to share insights into what we are doing and dealing with in the south, and Betsy and I will take back what we learned here. It's a win-win for us all."
 Contact: Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475

National Rice Month Spotlight: PF Chang's Participates in RiceGiving           
Second in a series of three articles this week highlighting upcoming
USA Rice National Rice Month promotions
 RiceGiving
Visit P.F. Chang's and receive this RiceGiving card at your table
ARLINGTON, VA - Consumers across the country have another reason to be excited about National Rice Month - they can have their rice and give it too. New this year, USA Rice is partnering with P.F. Chang's, a major user of U.S.-grown rice, to raise awareness about rice grown in the USA and to help those in need.
All month long, P.F. Chang's and USA Rice will partner to present RiceGiving -a new program that will donate a serving of U.S.-grown rice to a local food pantry for every rice entrée ordered by P.F. Chang's guests. Created by USA Rice and leveraging the national food bank network of Feeding America, the RiceGiving program is expected to donate as much as 100,000 pounds of U.S. rice - that's one million servings!

"This program is a great way to raise awareness - both that a majority of the rice people eat in this country is grown by American farmers, and that the U.S. rice community is sensitive to hunger issues in America." said John Hasbrook, USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee chairman. "RiceGiving can make people feel good about their food decisions - when they choose U.S. rice, they are not only helping America's family rice farmers, they are helping provide that warm, nutritious meal to someone in need."
  PF Changs
Stay tuned to see the RiceGiving video on USA Rice's Facebook & Twitter!
P.F. Chang's will promote the RiceGiving program to their patrons both in their 210 restaurants, and online to their nearly one million social media followers and newsletter subscribers. They will also use a dedicated webpage to explain RiceGiving, featuring a two minute video provided by USA Rice.

"We are honored to invite our guests to join in this important cause by dining to donate," said Michael Osanloo, Chief Executive Officer of P.F. Chang's. "Thanks to our loyal customers, we will be able to help put food on the table for many American families."
 Betsy Ward, USA Rice President and CEO, is also enthusiastic about the program: "We cannot imagine a better restaurant partner for National Rice Month than P.F. Chang's. Already committed to great food and the highest quality rice, P.F. Chang's is also demonstrating its commitment to America's family rice farmers. We look forward to working together to support these farmers and those in need through our RiceGiving program."
 Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported        

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net sales of 33,500 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for Venezuela (29,500 MT, including 30,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 500 MT), Mexico (11,000 MT), South Korea (5,400 MT), and Haiti (4,100 MT), according to today's Export Sales Highlights.  Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (28,000 MT) and Taiwan (1,100 MT).  Exports of 89,900 MT were reported to Venezuela (29,500 MT), Colombia (14,300 MT), Honduras (11,300 MT), Mexico (9,600 MT), and Haiti (7,100 MT).   

Exports for Own Account:  New exports for own account totaling 100 MT were reported to Canada.  Exports for own account totaling 100 MT to Canada were applied to new or outstanding sales.  The current export for own account balance is 400 MT, all Canada.  

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period August 14-20, 2015. 



CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures 
  
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 27
Month
Price
Net Change

September 2015
$11.300
- $0.010
November 2015
$11.590
- $0.010
January 2016
$11.885
- $0.015
March 2016
$12.140
- $0.015
May 2016
$12.390
- $0.015
July 2016
$12.425
- $0.015
September 2016
$11.435
- $0.015

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported        
WASHINGTON, DC -- Net sales of 33,500 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for Venezuela (29,500 MT, including 30,000 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 500 MT), Mexico (11,000 MT), South Korea (5,400 MT), and Haiti (4,100 MT), according to today's Export Sales Highlights.  Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (28,000 MT) and Taiwan (1,100 MT).  Exports of 89,900 MT were reported to Venezuela (29,500 MT), Colombia (14,300 MT), Honduras (11,300 MT), Mexico (9,600 MT), and Haiti (7,100 MT).   

Exports for Own Account:  New exports for own account totaling 100 MT were reported to Canada.  Exports for own account totaling 100 MT to Canada were applied to new or outstanding sales.  The current export for own account balance is 400 MT, all Canada.  
This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period August 14-20, 2015. 


Egypt bans rice exports as of September 1

Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:59am GMT
  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will ban rice exports again as of Sept. 1. to satisfy domestic consumption, the ministry of trade and industry said on Thursday.Egypt is expected to produce 2.7 million tonnes of white rice in the 2015-2016 season while its annual consumption is estimated at 3.6 million tonnes. The 750,000-tonne gap will be filled by stocks, the ministry said in a statement.Egypt had allowed the export of its medium-grain rice last October with a tariff payable to the government for every tonne exported.

Thursday's statement said any export licenses granted according to the 2014 allowance could still be used.In October Egypt said it would allow the export of rice on condition that traders sell the government one tonne of rice at 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($255.43)for every tonne of rice they export. Exporters also had to pay a tariff of $280 on every tonne exported.Egypt produced around 4.3 million tonnes of rice in the 2014 season.Egyptian medium grain rice mainly competes with U.S., Russian and Italian rice on the international market.Traders had argued the tariff imposed made exports non-profitable. [ID:nL5N0VJ0FD]Egypt first imposed a ban on exports in 2008 saying it needed to save the rice for local consumption and wanted to discourage rice farmers from growing the crop to save water.Rice exporters have complained that the ban on free exports has led to illicit trading.

($1 = 7.8300 Egyptian pounds)
(Reporting By Ehab Farouk; Writing By Maha El Dahan, editing by William Hardy)


Aroma India Bistro, Restaurant Review: Pappadam and people-watching


Uttam Maharjan, seen at Aroma India Bistro in Downtown Santa Cruz, is the restaurant's head chef. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Aroma India Bistro
By Ann Parker, features@santacruzsentinel.com, @santacruzfood on Twitter
POSTED: 08/25/15, 3:06 PM PDT
Aroma India Bistro's samosas are an attractive and popular dish. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
Aroma India Bistro was opened on July 1 by Surya Raj Shrestha, Uttam Maharjan, Tul Bahadur Gurung and Sanjay Lacoul. The partners, who all have extensive restaurant-business experience, also own Planet Gemini in Monterey.Co-owner and executive chef Maharjan has been in the food industry for nearly 16 years. He ran a successful Indian restaurant in Dubai for seven years, he said, and worked at Ambrosia India Bistro in Aptos for the past six years.‘We are really serious and dedicated when it comes to food and service,’ says Shrestha. ‘We make fresh sauces everyday and use a perfect amount of authentic Indian spices in all the dishes. And we also make our own samosa.’

Some of the most popular dishes at the 75-seat restaurant include Butter Chicken, Lamb Korma, Prawn Curry and Baingan Bharta, Shrestha notes. ‘My own favourite dishes are Samosa, of course, and Tandoori Chicken, Okra Fry and Aroma India Thali.’He adds, ‘All of our foods are made fresh in the house and we use nothing frozen or leftover. No exception.’SANTA CRUZ >> Second to barbecue grilling, the smell of Indian cooking may be my favorite food aroma: curry, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron. So I was intrigued with the idea of a restaurant being named Aroma India Bistro.When Ruth and I stepped over the threshold of Aroma, I stopped and appreciatively inhaled the rich blend of spices. Never trust a barbecue place or Indian restaurant that doesn’t pull you in by your nose.The polite, smiling waiter invited us to choose a table; we decided on a spot by the front window, which offered excellent seats to watch the ever-changing entertainment of Pacific Avenue.

Because there was no wine list, I simply asked for white wine and our waiter brought two glasses of the house white, Seven Daughters Chardonnay 2013 ($5.95). He also brought complimentary pappadam and three chutneys: one hot, one sweet and one mint-based. The pappadam, or lentil wafers, were paper-thin, crisp and nutty; breaking off pieces, we dipped them in the sauces and compared the flavors.Our favorite was the hot chutney, red-orange and chunky with crisp pieces of jalapeño, cauliflower and carrot. The sweet sauce was a little thin but its flavor was good; the somewhat bland mint chutney needed lime juice or another acid.

Aroma’s menu presented a nice assortment of dishes including some breads not often offered. We decided on Kabuli Naan ($2.95), a tandoor-baked fresh bread stuffed with fruit and nuts, and two entrees: Tandoori Mix ($19.95) and Butter Chicken ($11.95), a “house recommendation.”
Then we waited. And waited. The restaurant was not busy, just a few tables, and a long time passed. We noticed that a couple who had come in behind us were halfway through their meal.Just when we were thinking of asking about the delay, our wait was forgotten with the dramatic appearance of the Tandoori Mix. Our waiter was almost hidden by the cloud of aromatic smoke pouring from the marinated grilled meats piled high on the sizzling-hot tray.In general, I don’t like dishes that smoke or steam; I never order fajitas. Call it a quirk. But thank goodness I didn’t anticipate the tandoori haze, or this excellent dish might not have made it to our table.

Every bite seemed better than the one before as Ruth and I sampled and exclaimed over each of the meats mounded upon a thick bed of slivered grilled onions. We yummed our way through Seekh Kabab (spiced minced lamb), Chicken Tikki (super-juicy pieces of chicken breast marinated in spiced yogurt), Boti Kabab (pieces of lamb), Basa (fish filet) and two dark meat pieces of red-tinged Tandoori Chicken.Everything has a distinct flavor and texture,” said Ruth.
All of the meats were delectable, but the two wonderfully flavorful lamb items were our favorites, followed closely by the Chicken Tikki. The fish was pleasant, though very mild. Our pieces of Tandoori Chicken could have been a little moister; but every other type of meat was extremely juicy, perhaps because of the underlayer of grilled onions (that were also delicious).

Although served in an attractive metal bowl and topped with strips of fresh ginger, our Butter Chicken wasn’t nearly as striking as the Tandoori Mix. However, the beautiful red color of the sauce made a gorgeous pairing with the brilliantly yellow saffron rice. The fiery hue was misleading; this dish is actually quite mild. We found the pieces of pulled chicken tasty and tender but I thought the sauce, though rich and satisfying, was a little salty and over-heavy on tomato.
Our Kabuli Naan was a surprise. The hot, soft bread was aromatic and appealing — I’d order it again – but inside where we expected to see bits of nuts and fruit stuffed in the bread, instead we found a paste made with ground nuts and fruit, the cherry flavor and color predominating. However, the preparation was novel and the subtly sweet flavor complemented our savory food. Oddly, the bread was served in a plastic basket (as was the pappadam). In a restaurant with linen tablecloths and napkins, a less informal container seemed in order.

Just when dinner seemed to be over, our smiling waiter delivered cups of complimentary Indian rice pudding, or kheer. Ruth wasn’t crazy about the thin, milky dessert filled with bits of basmati rice and tinged with cardamom. But I thought it was a refreshing way to end the rich meal. This wasn’t American pudding — but then British pudding isn’t, either.

Aroma India Bistro is a bit of a mixed bag. The table settings are attractive and upscale — but the appetizer and bread were served in plastic containers. Our service was very polite and friendly — however, we experienced an extended and unexplained delay in receiving our food.
This new addition to lower Pacific Avenue definitely deserves a visit. The menu offered some interesting items, the setting was appealing and the Tandoori Mix was outstanding.

Ann Parker welcomes comments, feedback and suggestions about reviews for area restaurants. Contact her at atparker@pacbell.net.
Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link



santa Cruz sentinel