Wednesday, November 04, 2015

3rd November 2015 Daily global regional and local rice news by riceplus magazine

Rice News Headlines...
ü Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market for India
ü Drought hits Indonesia's rice farmers
ü Govt eyes Rp 130 trillion investment in border areas
ü Guyana and Mexico looking to cement rice agreement
ü India Rice Shares Rise After Iran’s GTC Says Import Ban Ended
ü Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost Indian exports: KRBL
ü Aman output to be lower this time
ü Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
ü Farm Bureau Market Report-11/03/2015
ü California Calrose Wins "World's Best Rice" 
ü Yellow Rails & Rice Festival - A Festival Like No Other   
ü Information interchange
ü CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures  
ü Replace costlier dals with soya products for protein: Agri-economist Ashok Gulati
ü Three Origins for Rice?
ü CRRI to launch climate-resilient varieties of paddy in two years
ü U.S. Ambassador Visits International Rice Research Institute
ü Celebrate, use science’s progress, researcher says
ü Commodity Report-November 3
ü Basmati growers blame cartels for low prices
ü PhilRice celebrates 30th anniversary

News Detail...

Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market for India

Dilip Kumar Jha  |  Mumbai November 3, 2015 Last Updated at 22:33 IST

Description: Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market for IndiaLifting of Iran sanctions boon for basmatiBasmati rice exporters in a fix over falling pricesExporters expect Iran to issue fresh Basmati rice permits by DecBasmati exporters' realisations down 18%Kohinoor Foods appeals against KFL to the regulator.The share price of companies engaged in basmati ricerose 18 per cent on Tuesday, following the news that Iranhas lifted the ban on import of Basmati from India. Iran contributes one-third of India's overall basmati exports.Kohinoor Foods' shares jumped 17.75 per cent to close at Rs 51.40 apiece on Tuesday on the BSE. LT Foods and KRBL reported 13.12 per cent and eight per cent increase, respectively, to close at Rs 260.30 and Rs 224.7 a share, respectively.

Iran had invoked self-declared restriction on import of basmati rice from India following high imports in the past few years. The Iran government had stopped issuing rice import permits from India. While Indian exporters continued to execute past orders, new orders dried up, resulting in sharp decline in India's rice exports to Iran."It is a very good development as India would again see a sharp increase in basmati rice exports to Iran, the world's largest importer for aromatic rice," said Gurnam Arora, joint managing director of Kohinoor Foods, the producer and exporter of Kohinoor brand basmati rice.Data compiled by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority showed India's exports of basmati rice to Iran declined to 940,000 tonnes in 2014-15 from 1.44 million tonnes (mt) in the previous financial year.

Trade sources attribute the decline in Iran's rice import from India to bitter political relations between the two countries. Last year, Iran had turned to Pakistan for import of basmati rice. Iran's comeback to Indian market would boost India's basmati rice exports," said Rajan Sundareshan, executive director, All India Rice Exporters' Association.Reports said Iran faced one of the worst droughts in the last monsoon season, resulting in estimates of lower rice production. According to Food and Agricultural Organization data Iran's total rice output in 2015 rose to 1.7 mt, from 1.6 mt in the previous year.Iran's rice import is forecast to increase to 1.3 mt in 2015 versus 1.2 mt in 2014. But, with the drought estimated to damage standing crop, Iran's import of rice could increase proportionately this year.


http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/rice-exporting-companies-rally-as-iran-opens-up-market-for-india-115110301699_1.html



Description: Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market for India
Drought hits Indonesia's rice farmers
2 November 2015 Last updated at 23:47 GMT

Indonesia's most important rice growing region is suffering from a severe drought.The situation is putting a lot of strain on Indonesia's poorest farmers, many of whom live off the land.Even those who don't farm could suffer as the World Bank says that the price of rice could rise by 10% due to failed crops.
Rebecca Henschke reports.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34705608



Govt eyes Rp 130 trillion investment in border areas 
Marguerite Afra Sapiie, thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Business | Tue, November 03 2015, 6:37 PM
Description: (Tribun Jateng/ Fajar Eko Nugroho)
Illustration. (Tribun Jateng/ Fajar Eko Nugroho)

The government plans to attract investments worth Rp 130 trillion (US$9.6 billion) to border areas in the next five years to help propel development there.“We will work hard to attract investment to border areas as they are the gates of international trade, the main routes for cross-border transportation and central to economic development,” said Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar on Tuesday.According to Marwan, special regulation was key, especially for easing the process of attaining permits. Although the regulation could be issued as a ministerial regulation or presidential instruction, Marwan said he would prefer a separate law.“We can draft a law on disadvantaged-regions development and add a special investment regulation for border areas as part of it,” Marwan told thejakartapost.com.

He also said that regional governments in border areas were all in support of his plan. They enthusiastically welcomed the development plans he said, agreeing that investment would indeed benefit them."Three governors and 12 regents from Kalimantan and Riau Islands have signed a memorandum of understanding with the ministry," said Marwan.The ministry has started developing infrastructure in border areas this year, including comprehensive integrated transmigration to border areas. In the near future, it plans to develop integrated plantations and livestock farms to boost regional economic growth.
“One of our programs is the planting of 1 million hectares of rice paddies near Papua’s border. We've currently completed 30,000 hectares,” said Marwan, adding that the ministry also planned to develop plantations in Kalimantan. (kes)(+)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/11/03/govt-eyes-rp-130-trillion-investment-border-areas.html#sthash.QZukzpVE.dpuf


Guyana and Mexico looking to cement rice agreement


GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Nov 3, CMC – The Guyana government says Mexico has indicated a willingness to fast track an agreement to purchase paddy rice from the Caribbean country.A statement released by the Office of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that Mexico’s Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada has given the assurance that he would fast track arrangements to buy Guyana’s paddy.The statement quoted him as saying that he would also seek to encourage the private sector to enter into contracts with Guyanese millers.Last month, Nagamootoo met with Calzada whilst attending the Open Governance Summit in Mexico City.

The David Granger administration has been seeking new markets after with the country recording increased production and a decision by Venezuela not to renew an agreement under which the rice was exported to that country in exchange for energy products.A government statement here noted that Guyana’s production in the first half of 2015 was 359,960 tonnes, 15.3 per cent more than last year’s record high, first-half production of 312,283 tonnes.Meanwhile, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is conducting an investigation into media reports that ‘fake’ seed paddy were being distributed to farmers.
Technical advisers within the GRDB say the inferior quality may be as a result from bad storage.

http://antiguaobserver.com/guyana-and-mexico-looking-to-cement-rice-agreement/

India Rice Shares Rise After Iran’s GTC Says Import Ban Ended

 Claudia Carpenter and Pratik Parija 
November 3, 2015 — 4:56 PM PKT

Indian rice shippers rallied after the head of Iran’s grain buyer said its rice import ban ended.The import ban was lifted as of November, Ali Ghanbari, chief executive officer of Iran’s Government Trading Corp., said in an interview in Dubai. The government imposed the ban to protect domestic farmers during their harvest, he said.KRBL Ltd. climbed as much as 11.5 percent, Kohinoor Foods surged as much as 20.5 percent and LT Foods increased as much as 19.5 percent in Mumbai trading.Iran will probably issue new import licenses in December or January, according to R. Sundaresan, executive director of the All India Rice Exporters Association

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/india-rice-shares-rise-after-iran-s-gtc-says-import-ban-ended

Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost Indian exports: KRBL

 Nov 03, 2015, 03.49 PM | Source: CNBC-TV18 Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost Indian exports: KRBL Anil Mittal, CMD of KRBL said the rice industry had been badly impacted due to the ban as Iran used to import nearly 1.2 million tonnes of rice from the Indian rice manufacturers. Comments (1) Closing Bell 02:30 pm Iran government today lifted ban on import of rice. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Anil Mittal, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of KRBL  said that the lift in ban by Iran is a positive for the rice industry and will boost rice exports. Due to availability of excess rice stocks, Iranian authorities had suspended imports of rice from the rest of the world in October 2014. Mittal said the rice industry had been badly impacted due to the ban as Iran used to import nearly 1.2 million tonnes of rice from the Indian rice manufacturers.

 He expects 800 to a million tonne rice export to Iran post the upliftment of ban at the ongoing international prices. KRBL currently has 5-7 percent exposure to Iran, which contributes 5 to 6 percent to the company’s turnover. The company will work on increasing its exposure to Iran with the removal of import ban, he said. Below is the transcript of Anil Mittal’s interview with CNBC-TV18's Sonia Shenoy and Anuj Singhal. Sonia: How much of a positive would it be for companies like yours? A: It is a very positive news. The whole rice industry will have a very big boost. Actually, rice industry was into difficulties because of Iran since Iran used to import around 1.2 million tonnes. So, this news will boost the industry itself, the total industry will be really quite happy to have this news.

Anuj: So, if you could give us some numbers. Now that this ban is lifted what kind of export numbers will we see from India to Iran and what realisations would they have and how would they compare to the other exporting regions? A: Since it has been recently opened it is a free market. This ban will definitely - the export numbers will be as per the international prices only. There will not be any special numbers for Iran but definitely the market which has practically been slowed down that will boost the export and we feel that 1 million tonne or 0.8 to 1 million tonne will definitely be exported to Iran. Sonia: So, what is your own exposure to Iran, how much does KRBL export to Iran before the ban?

 A: KRBL's exposure to Iran is comparatively very less, maybe total 5-6 percent. So, we are not very active in Iran but it will definitely help us for the other destinations because of the slowdown of Iran other countries were also slowed down but with this news other countries also may pick up. Anuj: So, going forward how much do you hope to export to Iran and how much would that result in increased revenues and profitability? If you could give us some ball park numbers. A: As far as KRBL is concerned,, our total exposure to Iran is 5-7 percent and definitely that will help the company to increase its turnover by 5-7 percent but with this news we will start trying now to promote our rice to Iran as well. So, let us see.

It will be too premature to comment on anything, but it is a good news. It is an excellent news for the rice industry. KRBL stock price On November 04, 2015, KRBL closed at Rs 222.10, down Rs 2.6, or 1.16 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 231.00 and the 52-week low was Rs 88.70. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 13.94 per share as per the quarter ended September 2015. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 15.93. The latest book value of the company is Rs 53.49 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 4.15.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/upliftmentirans-rice-ban-to-boost-indian-exports-krbl_3949521.html?utm_source=ref_article


Aman output to be lower this time

Description: http://www.thedailystar.net/sites/default/files/styles/big_4/public/feature/images/output.jpg?itok=9hjlhY8U
Paddy output in the current aman season is likely to be lower for flood-induced crop damage and area contraction for low domestic price, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.During the aman season, rice (paddy) production would be about 19.6 million tonnes (13 million tonnes in husked rice), down 1 percent year-on-year, the FAO said in its food and agriculture country brief on Bangladesh last week.


While widespread abundant rains during the harvesting season were beneficial to crop development, the passage of cyclone Komen on July 30 triggered some localised floods across southeastern parts of the country, causing minor damage to crops, it said.Furthermore, flood from monsoon rains towards the end of August also damaged crops, mainly aman, in 29 districts, according to a previous estimate by the Department of Agricultural Extension.The FAO said increased yields are expected to partially offset a 2 percent contraction in acreage in response to low domestic prices at sowing time. It, however, did not state this season's plantation area.The UN agency's forecast comes as farmers are set to start harvesting paddy from the current aman season, which accounts for nearly 38 percent of the total annual rice production of 34.7 million tonnes.

However, the DAE estimates that production will rise if farmers can bag safe harvest without facing any natural calamity this month and the next, according to its Director General Md Hamidur Rahman. This year, aman has been planted on 5.36 million hectares of land, up from the DAE's target of 5.26 million hectares, according to data from the agriculture ministry.“We expect production to rise, because acreage of high-yielding and hybrid varieties of rice has increased this season,” Rahman said.In 2014, Bangladesh bagged 13.19 million tonnes of husked aman rice from 5.53 million hectares, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.Despite the possibility of a drop in aman output, total rice (paddy) production is likely to be 51.9 million tonnes, which is close to 2014's record level, because of higher boro output, the FAO said.

http://www.thedailystar.net/business/aman-output-be-lower-time-166483

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report


Rice
High
Low
Long Grain Cash Bids
- - -
- - -
Long Grain New Crop
- - -
- - -


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '15
1190.0
1180.0
1189.5
+1.0
Jan '16
1220.0
1205.0
1217.5
+0.5
Mar '16
1245.0
1233.5
1243.5
+0.5
May '16
1268.5
0.0
Jul '16
1293.0
1293.0
1292.0
0.0
Sep '16
1253.5
0.0
Nov '16
1253.5
0.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures charted an inside day after gapping higher on Monday. Global production problems have helped support the market since the summer. Traders will begin rolling out of November contracts soon to avoid delivery as the contract expires. January completed a 62% retracement on Thursday to $11.55 and has bounced off support at that level.

http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/

Farm Bureau Market Report-11/03/2015

Rice
High
Low
Long Grain Cash Bids
- - -
- - -
Long Grain New Crop
- - -
- - -


Futures:
ROUGH RICE
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '15
1190.0
1180.0
1189.5
+1.0
Jan '16
1220.0
1205.0
1217.5
+0.5
Mar '16
1245.0
1233.5
1243.5
+0.5
May '16
1268.5
0.0
Jul '16
1293.0
1293.0
1292.0
0.0
Sep '16
1253.5
0.0
Nov '16
1253.5
0.0
Description: DTN Description: CME Group Description: Click here for info on Exchange delays.

Rice Comment

Rice futures charted an inside day after gapping higher on Monday. Global production problems have helped support the market since the summer. Traders will begin rolling out of November contracts soon to avoid delivery as the contract expires. January completed a 62% retracement on Thursday to $11.55 and has bounced off support at that level.


California Calrose Wins "World's Best Rice" 

King of the world

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA -- Last week, hundreds of delegates from more than 30 countries gathered here for the 7th Annual TRT World Rice Conference, where it was announced that California Calrose rice was the recipient of the highly-coveted "World's Best Rice" award.A panel of culinary experts and prominent international chefs chose Calrose rice as the "World's Best Rice" from an assortment of 25 entries submitted by delegates across the globe.  California Calrose beat out Cambodia/Thai Fragment Jasmine rice, the reigning "World's Best Rice" winner for the past three years.Jeremy Zwinger, chairman and host of the conference, presented the award to Greg Van Dyke, a producer from Pleasant Grove, California, and member of the California Rice Commission."I'm deeply humbled and honored to receive this historic award on behalf of the California rice industry, home of world renowned Calrose Premium Rice," said Van Dyke.  "For more than a century, multi-generational California rice farmers have self-funded cutting edge research in natural line, non-GMO, premium japonica varietal development.  As a fifth generation California farmer, I am insanely proud to grow Calrose Premium Rice...the best rice in the world!"

Contact:  Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
Yellow Rails & Rice Festival - A Festival Like No Other   

Photo credit:  John Schwarz
JENNINGS, LA -- One hundred and forty-five bird enthusiasts from 27 states and Canada gathered here Wednesday through Sunday for the seventh annual Yellow Rails and Rice Festival (YR&R).  The festival brings birders together with rice farmers to highlight the role of Louisiana's working wetlands in bird conservation while providing participants a unique venue to view the Yellow Rail.Although the Yellow Rail is fairly widespread it is rarely seen so bird enthusiasts welcome the opportunity to catch sight of the migrating Rails as they arrive in southern Louisiana at the same time the ratoon rice crop is being harvested.Donna Dittman, a founder of YR&R, said, "Although we designed this festival with fun in mind, its primary goal is to bring birders and farmers together to emphasize the value our area's working wetlands have for wildlife."USA Rice is one of 50 organizations that sponsor the festival.  The Louisiana Rice Growers Association and Hoppe Farms provided gift bags of Louisiana-grown rice to festival participants.

Contact:  Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009
USA Rice Hosts Chinese Delegation  
 
Information interchange

ARLINGTON, VA -- A twenty-member delegation headed by China's State Administration of Grain visited USA Rice yesterday for an in-depth discussion of USA Rice's mission and promotion activities, and the U.S. rice industry.  Representatives from the national government based in Beijing as well as members of provincial and local grain administration groups made up the group. USA Rice COO Bob Cummings and Jim Guinn, vice president of international promotion, provided information on USA Rice's structure, membership, and collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the international promotion of U.S. rice.

"Yesterday's meeting was a useful exchange of information about the rice sectors in both countries and provided a good opportunity to educate the Chinese about the market-driven nature of the U.S. rice industry," said Cummings. "We made sure the delegation was aware of our industry's focus on providing China's consumers with high quality U.S. rice once the market is open to U.S. exports," concluded Guinn.

Contact:  Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 3
Month
Price
Net Change

November 2015
$11.895
+ $0.010
January 2016
$12.175
+ $0.005
March 2016
$12.435
+ $0.005
May 2016
$12.685
UNCH
July 2016
$12.920
UNCH 
September 2016
$12.535
UNCH
November 2016
$12.535
 UNCH

Replace costlier dals with soya products for protein: Agri-economist Ashok Gulati

By PTI | 2 Nov, 2015, 03.20PM IST

Amid skyrocketing pulses prices hurting common man's budget, agri-economist Ashok Gulati today suggested that consumers should replace costlier dals with soya products for high protein.EW DELHI: Amid skyrocketing pulses prices hurting common man's budget, agri-economist Ashok Gulati today suggested that consumers should replace costlier dals with soya products for high protein. "There is a lot of pulses problem these days. We cannot produce much of tur dal, but we have a huge soya crop. We take pulses for protein. Why don't we go for soya products like soya milk, tofu and reconstituted soya dals," Gulati said at an event organised by National Skills Foundation of India. Soya has 40 per cent protein, while pulses have only 20 per cent protein, he said while emphasising the need to treat soya as protein crop and innovation in food-processing. At present, soya crop in the country is grown as an oilseed crop, he added. Gulati, former Chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and a Padma Shri awardee, was speaking on Technologies and innovation in agriculture: pushing the frontiers.

Pulses prices have risen unabated due to fall in domestic production by two million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) due to poor rains. Retail prices of tur and urad are ruling up to Rs 190-200 per kg. CACP Chairman Ashok Vishandaas said retail prices of pulses have gone up to Rs 220 per kg, but farmers are still suffering as they are not getting the right price. The pulses problem has aggravated because of increased focus on rice and wheat production, he added. Emphasising the need to raise productivity of farm labourers, Vishandaas said that around 50 per cent of the population depends on agriculture, contributing only 13.8 per cent to the country's GDP.

"This means, we are under-utilising our labourers. Can we move them out of agriculture and equip them with other skills?" he said. Echoing similar views, UN body FAO India representative Shyam Khadka said only 2.3 per cent of the country's farmers are professionally trained, as against 96 per cent in Korea, 75 per cent in Germany and 53 per cent in the US. More skills are required to be taught to farmers, especially in the area of post-harvesting, food processing and animal husbandry, among others, he said. Gulati also talked about innovation in agriculture sector that is competitive, inclusive, sustainable and scalable, while citing examples of the success of Bt cotton, maize and Pusa basmati rice. Stating that new farm technologies in future are going to come more from private sector, Gulati said the sector will not bring in technology for free and diffusion of these technologies in India would be difficult if intellectual property right is not protected.
PTI

Three Origins for Rice?

Rice was domesticated three separate times across Asia, a new study suggests.
By Karen Zusi | November 3, 2015

Description: http://www.the-scientist.com/images/Nutshell/November2015/rie.jpgThe newly unraveled origins of domesticated rice tell the story of early farming in Asia. A study led by researchers from the University of Manchester, U.K., suggests that rice was domesticated in three different regions of Asia, leading to the four main varieties available today. The results were published yesterday (November 2) in Nature Plants.The primary varieties of domestic rice are indica,japonica, aus, and aromatic, selected for various traits that make cultivation easier—for instance, rice that grows vertically and stays on the stalk when ripe.


To trace their roots, geneticist Peter Civán and colleagues focused on the genomic regions corresponding to these traits. Using data from a 2012 Nature paper, they re-analyzed DNA from 1,083 varieties of modern rice and 446 samples of wild rice.Previous work suggested that the traits unique to domesticated rice originated with a single group of ancestors in southern China, where japonica was first cultivated. Civán’s team instead found that early farmers selected for similar traits in three different places—a convergent domestication process that resulted in indica, japonica, and aus rice. “Aromatic varieties, like basmati, arose out of hybrids betweenjaponica and aus rice,” Civán told New Scientist.Some experts have voiced skepticism about the study.


The new paper is “definitely wrong with the data analysis,” Bin Han, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and senior author of the 2012 paper proposing one origin for domestic rice, told Science in an email. Michael Purugganan, a plant geneticist at New York University who also proposed a single domestication event in 2011, told New Scientist that the research “shows that the question of the domestication history of rice remains open, with different approaches reaching different conclusions.”Other researchers have been more supportive. Civán and his colleagues “clearly demonstrate that the most parsimonious and coherent interpretation for the data is that there were at least three independent domestications of [rice] from well differentiated ancestral populations in Asia,” Susan McCouch, a rice geneticist at Cornell University who was not involved with the study, told Science

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44404/title/Three-Origins-for-Rice-/

 

CRRI to launch climate-resilient varieties of paddy in two years

In what may come as a boon for paddy-dependent states like Odisha, scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack are on the brink of coming...

By: FE Bureau | Bhubaneswar | November 4, 2015 12:05 AM
In what may come as a boon for paddy-dependent states like Odisha, scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack are on the brink of coming out with a climate resilient variety of paddy that will singularly be capable of defying both flood and drought.A senior scientist of CRRI said: “The CRRI has reached an advanced stage of developing a series of what it terms ‘Climate Smart’ variety of paddy with multi-trait gene packaging. These have progressed beyond lab-and-field stages and been tried out in the farm land across 10 centres in Odisha.” This is a major breakthrough as scientists have been able to agglomerate genes that are resilient to opposite extremes of climatic conditions as flood and drought to design a single paddy variety that would not only absorb the stress but also give high yield in such conditions, he added.


CRRI director O N Singh said: “With the launching of the ‘Climate Smart’ paddy, farmers in areas facing extreme climatic conditions would be benefited a lot.Around six varieties of ‘Climate Smart’ paddy have been nominated to the Centre and the field trials are on in several states, encompassing different climatic and land conditions. The first of the ‘Climate Smart’ series is likely to be released within two years.Odisha recently tied up with International Rice Research Institute, Manila to promote climate-resilient varieties in rain-fed areas. An MoU has also been signed to develop high-yield, stress tolerant paddy to overcome impact of climate change. The partnership will also focus on formulating strategies for effective extension of technologies to field of the farmer at the farthest point.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/markets/commodities/crri-to-launch-climate-resilient-varieties-of-paddy-in-two-years/160767/


U.S. Ambassador Visits International Rice Research Institute

Ambassador Goldberg examines rice test plots with an International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientist.

Ambassador Goldberg receives an overview of IRRI’s research agenda from Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler.
Description: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/880176/ambassador-goldberg-irri/IMGL0516.JPGDescription: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/manila/880176/ambassador-goldberg-irri/IMGL0602.JPGManila, November 3, 2015 —U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños on October 28, hosted by IRRI Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler. The visit underlined the importance of the United States’ continued support for scientific work that improves the lives of people around the world. Ambassador Goldberg and Dr. Zeigler discussed IRRI’s work to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure the environmental sustainability of rice farming. Ambassador Goldberg was also eager to discuss the impact Typhoon Lando had on rice production about IRRI’s research to mitigate the damage caused by the typhoon. 


 During the tour, Ambassador Goldberg visited the International Rice Genebank that currently holds over 100,000 rice varieties, which are maintained for the global good and available for research. He also visited IRRI laboratories where scientists gave an overview of current research projects aimed at increasing rice yields in areas prone to environmental stresses (e.g. flood and drought).    One research project of note is the C4 Project, headed by Dr. Paul Quick.  The C4 Project’s focus is to enhance the photosynthetic process of rice, increasing the amount of energy a rice plant can use to grow grain.

This effort could potentially double average rice yields.    The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations initiated funding for IRRI in 1960, to cover the first years of the Institute’s operations and capital costs.  The U.S. government became a donor to IRRI when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a grant in 1965. USAID has since been a major supporter of IRRI’s work in developing agriculture equipment suited for Asia’s small-scale rice farms.   Total U.S. government funding through USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has exceeded USD 229 million as of 2014.  For more information about IRRI research and development please visit their website at: http://irri.org/

http://manila.usembassy.gov/press-photo-releases-2015/ambassador-goldberg-irri.html


Celebrate, use science’s progress, researcher says
Tom Doran, Field Editor
Tuesday, November 03, 2015 2:00 PM

Description: Maize has tremendous genetic diversity. The nested association mapping population is beginning to tap into some of this diversity to help improve corn. Maize has tremendous genetic diversity. The nested association mapping population is beginning to tap into some of this diversity to help improve corn.BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A plant geneticist’s biggest fear is the impact the anti-GMO movement will have on the globe’s poorest people by denying them access to the technology.Pamela Ronald, professor and director of the Laboratory for Crop Genetic Innovation at University of California-Davis, noted this concern in her keynote address at the International Biotechnology Symposium presented by the Illinois Soybean Association.Her friends and family have expressed anxieties over genetically engineered products and ask her if they are safe to consume.“The process of moving genes between species is not a new technology.

 After 40 years of commercial use in medicine, cheeses, wines and plants, there has not been a single instance of harm to human health or the environment,” Ronald said.What I say is I’m not asking you to believe me. Science is not a belief system. My opinion doesn’t matter. Let’s look at the evidence.“After over 20 years of careful study and rigorous peer review by thousands of independent scientists, every major science organization in the world has concluded that the genetically engineered crops currently on the market are safe to use and that the process of genetic engineering is no more risky than older methods of genetic modification.“These are precisely the same organizations that most of us trust when it comes to other important scientific issues such as global climate change and the safety of vaccines.”
Organic Partner
Ronald’s husband, Raoul Adamchak, is an organic farmer, and they co-authored Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food.“Imagine some of the reactions that we get. An organic farmer and a plant geneticist? Can you agree on anything? Well, we can, and it’s not difficult because we have the same goals,” Ronald said.“We want to help nourish the growing population without further destroying the environment, and I believe this is the greatest challenge of our time.“Genetic improvement is not new. Almost every food that we eat today has been genetically improved using some types of genetic method.“Raoul and I believe that instead of worrying about the genes in our food, we must focus on how we can help children grow up healthy, we must ask if farmers and rural communities can thrive and be sure that everyone can afford the food and, finally, we must minimize environmental degradation.”

Rice Advancements

Ronald’s work focuses on improving rice varieties through genetic engineering, and she offered two examples of how farmers have benefited.Rice is the staple food for more than one-half of the world’s population, and each year 40 percent of the crop is lost to pests and diseases. To minimize loss, farmers in Asia, as farmers do here, rely on varieties that carry resistant genes, an approach first demonstrated in England more than 100 years ago.Ronald helped isolate the XA21 gene that makes rice resistant to bacterial infection and engineered it into plants.She later was approached by a colleague, Dave Mackill, who was working on rice that would be more resilient during flooding.

“David said flooding is a big problem for 70 million rice farmers that live on less than $2 a day. That’s because although rice does well in standing water, most rice varieties will die if they are submerged for more than three days. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that floods will increase as the climate changes, and indeed we’ve seen increased flooding each of the last five years,” she said.     Ronald, Mackill and graduate student Xenong Xu worked over the next decade to identify and isolate a gene that may help. That gene, Sub1, was discovered, and the variety containing the gene was produced by the International Rice Institute. The variety produces three times more grain than a conventional variety after a 17-day flood.Last year, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 3.5 million farmers grew Sub1 rice.

Safe Technology
“A lot of people don’t mind genetic modification when it involves taking a rice gene from one plant even though it’s a wild species and moving it into a modern plant,” Ronald said.“Many people don’t even mind radiation breeding and they don’t mind breeding two different species together using graphs, but when it comes to inserting genes from viruses and bacteria into plants, some people ask why scientists would do that. Because it’s the safest most effective and cheapest technology to advance sustainable agriculture and enhance food security.”She also gave examples of how genetically engineered papaya, eggplants, golden rice and other crops have benefited production and consumers.


“What scares me most about the loud arguments on plant genetics and the thread of misinformation is that the poorest people who most need the technology may be denied access because of the vague fears and prejudices of those who have enough to eat,” she said.“We have a huge challenge in front of us. Let’s celebrate science’s progress and use it. It’s our responsibility to do everything we can to alleviate human suffering and safeguard the environment.”

Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815-780-7894 or tdoran@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_Doran.
http://agrinews-pubs.com/Content/News/MoneyNews/Article/Celebrate-use-science-s-progress-researcher-says-/8/27/13498

Commodity Report-November 3

Published 

In today’s commodity report we have the CDFA Monthly Beet Curly Top Virus Report, the Weekly Rice Summary, the California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk, the California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report and other commodity end of the day market numbers.

Weekly Rice Summary

Description: commodityIn California, medium grain milled rice prices mostly steady. Second heads and Brewers rice prices mostly steady. Rice by-products: Rice Bran prices mostly steady; ground hull prices not well tested. As rice stocks rise, market prices continue to remain weak for new milling season. According to NASS as of Oct 1, Rough Rice stocks totaled 8.31 million CWT and Milled Rice stocks totaled 3 million CWT which was 10% and 170% respectively above a year ago.
USDA National Weekly Rice Summary (.pdf) with all prices for all areas.
California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk
Week Ending
Avg. Price($/lb.)
Total Sales (lb.)
October 30, 2015
$0.8416
8,933,046
October 23, 2015
$0.8814
9,725,038

California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report

Prices are steady. The undertone is sharply higher. Retail and food service demand is moderate to fairly good. Warehouse buying interest is usually on an as needed basis. Offerings and supplies are moderate. Market activity is moderate. Monday’s shell egg inventories declined 4.2% in the Southwest and 7.2% in the Northwest.
Shell egg marketer’s benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of USDA Grade AA and Grade AA in cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not reflect discounts or other contract terms.
RANGE
JUMBO
253
EXTRA LARGE
253
LARGE
247
MEDIUM
233
Check the November USDA Commodity Report Calendar for today’s commodity reports released by USDA.

Now Tuesday’s Commodity Market ending market numbers for other commodities:

Corn
December Corn ended at $3.80 1/2 up 4 cents, March ended at $3.88 3/4 increasing 3 1/2 cents.
Soybeans
January Soybeans ended at 8.79 up 1/4 cent, March ended at $8.81 1/4 losing 1/4 cent.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $5.16 1/2 up 8 1/2 cents, March ended at $5.19 1/2, increasing 7 1/2 cents.
Rough Rice
January Rough Rice ended at 12.175 up 0.005 cent, March ended at 12.435 gaining 0.005 cent.
Live Cattle
December Live Cattle ended at $140.225 decreasing $1.45 and February ended at $142.65 losing $1.05 and April ended at $141.45 off $0.825.
Feeder Cattle
November Feeder Cattle ended at $190.65 losing $1.625 and January ended at $182.175 decreasing $1.05 and March ended at $178.775 down $0.75.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $58.225 unchanged and February ended at $61.075 down $0.90
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $15.43 increasing $0.01 and November ended at $15.26 down $0.04 and December ended at $15.15 losing $0.11.
#2 Cotton
December #2 cotton ended at 62.57 down 0.72, March ending at 62.44 dropping 0.69.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 15.49 up 0.38 and May ended at 15.05 increasing 0.34.
Orange Juice
January Orange Juice ended at 134.65 up 1.80, March ending at 134.20 gaining $1.70.
Gold
December gold ending at $1114.10 decreasing $21.80 a troy ounce, February at $1115.00 losing $21.80 and April gold ending at $1115.70 down $21.80.
Crude Oil WTI
December Crude Oil WTI ended at $47.90 gaining $1.76 and January ended at $48.80 increasing $1.76 and February ended at $49.62 up $1.75.
Brent Crude
December Crude Oil Brent ended at $50.54 up $1.75, January ended at $51.34 increasing $1.73 and February ended at $52.15 gaining $1.70.

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Basmati growers blame cartels for low prices

 

 “They are feeling cheated by the State government”

After cotton farmers, basmati growers in Punjab and Haryana are in for a shock as popular aromatic rice varieties like PUSA 1121 are fetching “far lower” prices than what they got last season.While growers accuse rice exporters of indulging in cartelisation for distress sales, exporters blame weak global demand and oversupply for the “basmati crisis”.Disappointed with “low” prices for their crop, farmers’ unions have now decided to launch an agitation against the government which encouraged growers to switch over to premium varieties but failed to ensure profitable prices.Popular basmati variety PUSA 1121, which has started arriving in mandis of Punjab and Haryana, is priced in the range of Rs 1,300 to 1,800 per quintal against Rs 3,000 per quintal last season, traders said.

Similarly, another variety PUSA 1509 is hovering around Rs 1,200-1,300 per quintal.However, after the intervention of Punjab and Haryana governments, this variety is now being purchased at MSP rate.“First cotton farmers faced heavy losses because of crop damage. Now rice farmers are in problem as they are unable in getting good price for their crop which they had sown under the crop diversification programme. They are feeling cheated by the state government,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said on Sunday.
Stir planned
Mr Kokri said as many as 12 outfits, including four farm labour organisations, will launch a three-day sit-in starting November 4 at Moga and Amritsar, which are in the basmati growing belts of Punjab.“We demand Rs 5,000 per quintal for PUSA 1121 and Rs 4,500 per quintal for PUSA 1509 variety,” Mr Kokri said.Rice growers accused exporters of making “high profits” by way of forming a “cartel”, thereby forcing them to sell crop at lower rates.“If prices of basmati paddy have come down from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 18 per kg then why retail price of basmati rice could not drop in the same way? Consumers are still purchasing basmati rice at same rate of Rs 80-100 per kg,” said Puneet Singh Thind, convener of Rashtriya Kisan Sangathan.

With basmati not turning out to be profitable, farmers will again switch to water-consuming normal varieties of paddy which at least ensures minimum support price.“With the kind of rates farmers are getting for their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift to ordinary varieties,” said an official of Punjab agriculture department in Amritsar.Amritsar district is one of the leading producers of basmati in Punjab. Out of the total area of 1.80 lakh hectares under paddy in Amritsar, basmati is sown under 1.36 lakh hectares this year.

‘Weak demand’
Rice exporters ascribed low rate of basmati to weak global demand and heavy inventory of crop.
“There is weak demand for basmati in overseas markets at present. For example, Iran has not yet started placing orders.Basmati market in countries like Iraq and Yemen has shrunk which also led to dip in demand for Indian basmati,” said Kohinoor Foods Joint MD Gurnam Arora.“Heavy inventory is lying with exporters,” Mr Arora said, adding that prices of all commodities in international markets were down.Total basmati area in Punjab and Haryana is about 8 lakh hectares and 6 lakh hectares respectively. – PTI

“With the kind of rates farmers are getting for their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift to ordinary varieties”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/basmati-growers-blame-cartels-for-low-prices/article7831116.ece?ref=tpnews

PhilRice celebrates 30th anniversary

With 70 varieties bred, 24 rice machines developed, 23 patents applied for, and innumerable achievements in rice R&D, PhilRice will celebrate its 30th anniversary on 5-6 November.Since 1985, the Institute with its Central Experiment Station within the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija, has been leading efforts on rice R&D. PhilRice has provided cost-reducing and yield-enhancing technologies on rice.The Science City of Muñoz has since witnessed several developments in relation to its rice industry.

Muñoz is now heralded as among the major rice seeds hub in the country. “Muñoz is privileged to host PhilRice. Along the national highway, one cannot notice the proliferation of rice seed centers, making the Science City a major rice seeds hub in the Philippines. This certainly creates a domino effect in terms of livelihood creation from people manning the rice fields, sales agents, to the many of input dealers in the City,” said Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez of the Science City of Muñoz. From Nueva Ecija, PhilRice radiates its impacts through its branch stations located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte; San Mateo, Isabela; Los Baños, Laguna; Ligao City, Albay; Murcia, Negros Occidental; RTRomualdez, Agusan del Norte; Central Mindanao State University, Bukidon; and Midsayap, North Cotabato.“We are eager to do more so our research outputs will reach more farmers, particularly the resource-poor farmer,” said Dr. Calixto M. Protacio, PhilRice executive director.

PhilRice’s Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang, deputy executive director for development, noted that the Institute has managed to increase its visibility recently through national campaigns such as the Be Riceponsible Campaign. Said initiative has managed to convince local governments to issue ordinances on half-cup serving of rice on major food establishments to arrest the issue on rice wastage. “We are all united to help reduce rice wastage in the Philippines,” Quilang said. Meanwhile, PhilRice’s Eden Gagelonia of the Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division (REMD) noted the massive efforts of the Institute to mechanize rice industry.“We have developed quite a number of machines to help reduce drudgery in farming. A number of these machines, such as the drumseeder, were developed for women,” Gagelonia said.In 2015, Philrice received the Anak ni Juan Award from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhl). It recognizes PhilRice as the agency with the most number of patents applied.


“It is a great privilege to have been awarded as the top institute, which explored its creativity and innovativeness. The award is a testament to the intensive knowledge production going on in the Institute,” said Jerry Serapion, PhilRice’s Intellectual Property Management-ITSO manager.As a research Institution, a key task of PhilRice is to advance various frontiers of rice science. As of 2015, more than 25 scientific publications have been produced by the Institute’s researchers and scientists. These were published in some of the most reputable journals in the world such as the Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment, International Journal of Ecology and Conservation, Philippine Journal of Crop Science, and the Philippine Agricultural Scientist. Meanwhile, past executive directors of PhilRice have advised that the Institute should be able to properly position itself in the light of climate change and other threats to rice food production.“PhilRice should focus its programs, harness its networks and partners, and think outside the box in developing, together with our farmers and concerned stakeholders, options for a competitive, sustainable, and climate-smart agriculture,” said Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, PhilRice executive director from 2000-2008. Thirty years of dedicated and focused work on rice research and development. With few hits and misses, PhilRice has reached its 30th anniversary. On 5-6 November, many activities are lined up to celebrate the milestones in the life of the country’s lead agency on rice research and development. Philrice news