Tuesday, September 20, 2016

20th September,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine



How to Eat A Rainbow Diet?


A lot of us tend to follow kind of a “beige” diet. Think about it: meats, bread, rice, quinoa, granola, and oats—they all fall within the light tan-to-brown colour range. “Eating the rainbow,” then, refers to embracing all colours of the rainbow in your diet, particularly with a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

It’s a great way to ensure that you’re getting a broad range of ingredients, all while keeping things interesting to the eye. Since eating the rainbow may require a shift in lifestyle for you, here are some tips on embracing the “eat the rainbow” lifestyle.
Know your rainbow.
The first step to eating the rainbow is to, of course, know your rainbow. There exists a wide variety of foods that fall all over the colour spectrum, many of which you probably never considered incorporating in your diet. Here is a nutritional look at the colours of the rainbow:
Red: Apples, tomatoes, peppers, beets, radishes, berries, red grapes, watermelon, grapefruit, blood orange.
Orange: Sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, pumpkin, bell peppers, turmeric, oranges, mangoes, apricots, peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, papaya.
Yellow: Yellow squash, corn, bell peppers, apples, bananas, lemons, pineapple, ginger root.
Green: Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, other leafy greens, cucumbers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bean sprouts, celery, asparagus, peas, watercress, leeks, herbs, artichokes, peppers, edamame, avocados, apples, honeydew melon, limes, pears, grapes.
Blue and purple: Red cabbage, red onions, eggplant, purple broccoli, purple cauliflower, purple potatoes, berries, grapes, figs, plums, prunes, raisins, rice.
White and beige: Cauliflower, potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, nuts, dates, coconut, whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, lean meats.
Know your meal options.
The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to preparing meals with fresh fruits and vegetables. Here are just a few types of dishes you could make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner to give you some inspiration:
           Leafy salads
           Fruit salads
           Lettuce wraps
           Smoothies
           Soups and chilli
           Buddha bowls or rice bowls
           Açai bowls or smoothie bowls
           Roasted or sauteed vegetables
           Baked veggie “fries.”
           Vegetable noodles
           Veggie burgers
           Veggie-packed omelettes
           Fancy toast
           Raw veggies (optionally with dip or hummus)
           Fresh fruit (optionally with dip)
Buy produce in season.
Gaining a firm grasp of which produce is currently in season (and when your favourite produce will be in season) is a great way to make fresh fruits and vegetables a fundamental part of your diet while keeping things interesting. Plus, it makes grocery shopping more fun, and as this article explains, it’s an excellent way to save money on groceries.
This blog post contains a great list of which fruits and vegetables are in-season in spring, summer, fall, and winter. This may vary according to which region of the country you live in, of course.
Rely on year-round produce staples.
While many types of fruits and vegetables have their peak times during the year, there are some fruits and vegetables that you can depend on enjoying year-round, as they are more or less in-season throughout the year. Year-round in-season fruits include bananas, avocados, and apples, while year-round in-season vegetables include carrots, potatoes, and celery.
In addition, grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa, and oats will always be available throughout the year. Year-round in-season staples are great to keep in mind as you develop a personal repertoire of go-to healthy recipes.
Fall in love with your freezer.
The more fresh produce you bring into your home, the more likely you are to need to freeze some of that excess food before it goes bad. Freezing some of your fresh fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to enjoy your favourite foods out of season while keeping food waste to a minimum.
You can freeze fruits, vegetables, and herbs for smoothies, quick sautéeing, adding to soups, dropping into the slow cooker, and so much more.
Follow healthy lifestyle food bloggers.
Many healthy lifestyle food bloggers out there are all about eating the rainbow, and they can offer you endless inspiration for your everyday meals and snacks.
Find a few healthy lifestyle food bloggers who you connect with so that you can get daily food ideas while scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Your lifestyle will conform to what you surround yourself with, and it might as well include healthy meal inspiration
http://www.pakistantribune.com.pk/how-to-eat-a-rainbow-diet.html




Government to expedite revival of QTA with China, Kazakhstan

September 19, 2016


Pakistan is to expedite revival of Quadrilateral Trade Agreement (QTA) with China and Kazakhstan to access Central Asia as an alternative route to Afghanistan, well informed sources told Business Recorder."Pakistan's legal obligation is to provide access to Afghanistan through sea as a landlocked country. Afghanistan is already enjoying full access to India through ports in Karachi," the sources added.Whatever obligation lies on Pakistan in accordance with transit trade agreement is available to Afghanistan, the sources continued.

Pakistan is already working on revival of Quadrilateral Agreement ie Pakistan, China and Kazakhstan due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).f the statement of Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani with respect to transit trade is implemented, it will expedite revival of "iced" Quadrilateral Agreement. Pakistan will access Tajikistan through Khunjraab.The sources said, outlook with respect to Iran is positive. Pakistani Cabinet recently approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between State Bank of Pakistan and Iran's Central Bank on opening of banking channels."We expect that the SBP will issue SRO very soon on the basis of MoU to outline the procedures through which payment of trade will go through the banks ," the sources continued.


Presently rice stocks are almost exhausted due to massive export at very reasonable rates.Farmers, who did not get due return on rice crops for the last couple of years, are expected to get better returns this year."This year the opening price of paddy will be double last season's due to massive export of rice. First crop will come from Sindh and South Punjab after two weeks," the sources maintained.Before the Iranian local rice crop comes in export to Iran is set to rise, this season Pakistani farmers are also expected to reap benefits due to increased demand in Iran, the sources continued.The Iran news comes in addition to increased demand from China for non Basmati varieties. Non Basmati also did well last year with respect to quantity. Pakistan expects that export of Basmati rice will also increase this year, sources added.
http://www.brecorder.com/market-data/stocks-a-bonds/0/86014/

Brown rice to solve undernourishment in Central Luzon

Monday, September 19, 2016
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- One important reason to switch to brown rice is that it will solve the region’s problem with undernourishment.Be RICEponsible Campaign Director Hazel Antonio shared that based on the latest data provided by the International Food Policy Research Institute, there exists a 13.5 percent proportion of undernourished in the country’s population.
“This is the good thing about brown rice because it can help alleviate our problem with undernourishment,” she stressed.
Since any unpolished rice, regardless of its variety, is considered brown rice, it is recommended for all because polishing removes most of the nutrients in rice grains.
“Brown rice is really considerably more nutritious compared to white rice or milled rice because when rice goes through the process of milling twice, the bran part is removed, which contains most of its nutrients,” Antonio explained.
With this, she is encouraging the people in Central Luzon to consume brown rice because of its nutritious value, and because of its benefits not only for the body but for the Filipino farmers and for the environment, as well.
On a side note, Antonio likewise urged everyone to join the BROWN4Good challenge so as to be of help to the less fortunate.
Spearheaded by Department of Agriculture and Philippine Rice Research Institute, the BROWN4Good challenge is a competition among all regions nationwide to gather 50,000 posts in the social media with the hashtags “#BROWN4Good” and “#Region3”.
The said challenge aims to promote brown rice consumption for good, and for a good cause.
For every post with the said hashtags, a cup of rice is donated to the less fortunate. The challenge will last until October 31, 2016. (CLJD/JRAA-PIA 3)

Domoguen: The mystical power of rice

Monday, September 19, 2016
IN CULTURAL and traditional practice, my ethnicity upholds rice as mystical.
I am not a practicing Igorot in culture and tradition. My knowledge of the ways of life of my people arises from childhood memories and experiences during summer vacations spent with my grandparents in the “ili” (village) and my continuing visits to the Cordillera interior throughout the years.
As a child growing up, it was quite clear to me that the spirit world is not alien or beyond the reach of common folks. It is part of mountain life and existence among the natives.
From the beginning, rice for instance, has been viewed as sacred or divine. It is connected to gifts to spirits of ancestors long dead but yet alive in the consciousness of the living.
As it was then, the connection of the Igorot to the spirit world has remained even today, in spite of the people’s conversion to Christianity. In the interior of the Cordillera, I have seen several tiny and temporary shrines along the road, beside the creeks, on top or besides the rocks, any place some guy sensed was the right place to build them to offer prayers and leave an “atag” or offerings of food mainly cooked rice, a piece of cooked etag (dried and salted meat), tapuey (rice wine) or some other items depending on whom the ancestral spirits the offerings were made.
It is not only food that is offered to gods and spirits. Most celebrations and gatherings involved the drinking of rice wine from the gusi (rice jar). As a rule, drinking “tapuey” is a social event that follows a ritual. The first cup is offered to the Great Spirit (Kabunian or Lumawig) and all who have gone ahead in the great beyond. The wine is offered to them by spilling some of it on the ground with an accompanying prayer that it will be accepted and that Kabunian or Lumawig will look with favor upon them. The remaining wine on the cup is usually offered to the oldest among the elders.
The succeeding cups were offered or given to the elders before the rest of the wine in the jar is circulated as “tagay,” or a shared cupful of drink by the able members of the community drinking from the same cup.
The “tagay” is usually served by someone who was assigned to do the work. The drinking of “tapuey” done this way is an act of respect and reverence. Those who participate in this practice understand that it does not make people unruly or out of their senses even if they have to drink the whole night through as brave and wise men do to share sensible ideas and sing chants that inspire, challenge or uphold great men and noble deeds.
More than a decade ago during the wake of my brother, I learned how rituals and chants were sung for the dead depicting his life and good deeds. Other chants inform the people about the work of Lumawig (The Great Spirit), gods and long dead ancestors in helping to direct and guide the affairs of the living. The chants I heard informed me of how Igorots generally view ancestral spirits living together with the gods in the mountains and the heavens above where they watch over the lives of their descendants. In the same wake, I found out from an old man who sang a chant (baya-o) that Lumawig came among his people, performed spectacular miracles and also built terraces and planted rice. I figured, Lumawig was not only the supreme spirit from the skies but a humble and practical god, and that most of the pigminted and flavorful heirloom rice were given by him to the people to grow in their own farms.
One can listen to how the old folks understood their gods in the many chants uttered by them during wakes, festivals, and community gatherings and celebrations. These were occasions when the spirits descend to visit their descendants and socialize with them. In such instances, the spirits through the local indigenous priests and shamans would request for the offering of rituals, prayers, and chants which involve the butchering of animals and eating it with rice by the clan or tribe. The rituals and chants which is a narration of history may take days to complete.
I scan the surface, not going deep into the similarities and differences of the Christian faith with the Igorot’s spiritual beliefs. Generally, the sharing of food among Igorots in the observances of rituals during festivals and special occasions remind me of Christianity’s holy communion which is “the occasion to share daily food together with all people and a symbol of eternal life.” This has its social implication as well as a spiritual meaning.
A deeply convicted life takes food as an offering to God and fellow human beings in their best quality and form. Socially, rice and food must be grown and processed to serve their best purpose of providing health and well-being to people, primarily, not simply to earn profit.
As individuals and communities we are rewarded through our offerings of food to God and man. Given that duty we will not have true peace until “we share good and healthy rice and food together with all people. When every mouth in the whole inhabited world is filled with daily food then we can have peace on earth.
The Bible gives clear testimony to the humanity as well as the complete deity of Jesus Christ. Paul summarizes this: “For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). As Christians we partake of the Christ as food during Holy Communion. As Igorots, I believe we have that understanding of rice as the symbol of God's gift of life. Every food is meant to nourish people and rice has significant and nourishing ingredients in abundance as to be a healthy food when the grain comes in its natural unpolished form (brown rice).
When it comes in its white polished form the rice' crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, total dietary fiber, crude fiber, available carbohydrates, sugars, phytic acid, phosphorous, iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin E content are greatly reduced. So when you eat white polished rice, you eat more of the rice starch (white part of the grain) with more carbohydrates but less of its original nutritious contents. You need to eat more white rice to be full but it makes you sick, rather than nourished. You cannot have life more abundantly this way, as Jesus said.
“Numerous clinical studies showed that regular consumption of whole grain cereals, including brown or whole rice, may help reduce the risks of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. It also reduces cholesterol, serves as effective laxative for regular bowel movements; decreases urinary calcium that prevents kidney stones; and helps diminish temptation of over-eating," according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
In effect, on the aspect of food alone, development and technology must truly be tools to make us live in harmony with nature and neighbor, to secure caring communities in our midst. The Christian and science community that has replaced the old villages or continue to convert the populace to Christ must in essence prove superior and better in the care of peoples, ecology and beauty in the cultural context

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Gov’t buys rice again to stabilize falling prices
Sept 19,2016



The government will buy 390,000 tons of rice to stabilize a market that has seen slides in both consumption and price.

According to Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Sunday, the rice output continued to increase compared to the previous year even though the total amount of land used to grow rice in Korea dropped 2.5 percent year on year to 779,000 hectares this year.

The price of 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of rice has fallen 14.6 percent year on year to 34,000 won ($30.21), which is 17 percent lower than the average price over the past five years.

Korea’s oversupply of rice has been rising since July 2013, when the rice price peaked at 170,000 won per 80 kilograms. The price has been falling since. The 390,000 tons the government will buy is the same amount as last year.

Korea harvested a record 4.32 million tons of rice last year and this year is expected to be about the same amount and possibly more.

“The government will buy rice produced in Korea starting from Friday until the end of the year,” said Lee Sang-man, a director at the Agriculture Ministry. “The government will pay 45,000 won per 40 kilograms of first class rice. The government also is running a task force to monitor the rice market and stabilize it and will come up with specific plans next month, which is when the estimated figure for this year’s output will come out.”

The government is paying about 93 percent of the 48,280 won market price for 40 kilograms. The government said it will change the price in November if prices in the domestic market change after the harvest.

Some 30,000 tons will go into the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve. 10 ASEAN countries, along with Korea, Japan and China, maintain a certain level of reserves to share in emergency situations.

Korea’s rice reserves rose 26 percent from 1.39 million tons last year to 1.75 million tons as of July. They are expected to surpass the 2 million level this year, which is 300 percent more than the 800,000 tons recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.


BY KIM YOUNG-NAM [kim.youngnam@joongang.co.kr]
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3023854



S.Korea to buy 390,000 tonnes of rice to stablise prices


South Korea said on Sunday it will buy a total of 390,000 tonnes of domestic rice in a bid to keep the price stable in a bumper year.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement it planned to purchase 360,000 tonnes of rice for the country's rice inventories and the remaining for an ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR).
The ministry will carry out the rice purchase from Sept. 23 through Dec. 31, according to the statement.
Last year, South Korea harvested a record amount of 4.32 million tonnes of rice and this year's output is expected to stay high due to a bumper harvest after good weather.
"We will come up with harvest measures in mid-October when the country's expected rice output is released," the ministry said.
The rice surplus weighed on rice price coupled with declining domestic consumption as South Koreans eat more bread.
Asia's fourth-largest economy imports at least 408,700 tonnes of rice each year as part of its import quota under a World Trade Organization agreement, putting further strain on the country's low rice consumption.
The rice price was at 132,152 won ($117.46) per 80 kg as of Sept. 5, down 14.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the ministry. ($1 = 1,125.0500 won) (Reporting By Jane Chung; Editing by Robert Birsel)
http://www.reuters.com/article/southkorea-rice-idUSL3N1BU02A


Farmers block National Road 5 yesterday in Battambang during a protest in which they demanded a solution to falling rice prices. Ny Savuth

Battambang farmers protest plummeting rice prices

Mon, 19 September 2016
Attempting to call attention to the havoc low rice prices are wreaking on their livelihoods, hundreds of farmers in Battambang’s Sangke district took to the streets yesterday, symbolically pouring rice onto National Road 5.
“We harvested the rice already but there is no market for it,” explained Sok Chanthy, 46, one of the farmers who joined the protest. “Therefore, all we can do is put the rice on the road so the government will intervene and help us find buyers.”
Despite heavy rains and considerable yields, business this year has been bad for Cambodia’s rice farmers, with traders offering low prices or opting not to buy rice at all, Chanthy explained. As a result, farmers have been unable to pay back the loans they took out for fertilisers, pesticides and agricultural machinery.
“The price of rice was appropriate last year, about 11,000 baht [about $315] per tonne. But this year the traders offered only 6,000 baht [$172] per tonne. How can we sell our rice if it does not even cover our capital?” asked Soeung Soda, 51, another farmer who joined the protest.
Some have blamed the dip in prices on an upsurge in the amount of rice imported from Vietnam. “Vietnam produces far cheaper rice than we do, so it is very appealing to the traders to buy Vietnamese rice and distribute domestically,” said Khem Bunlen, executive director of the Cambodian Farmer Rice company.
But industry experts have noted that rice exports have shrunk across the region over the past two years, impacting rice exports from Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. On Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced he would spend about $27 million to help prop up the struggling sector.
When news of yesterday’s protests reached the authorities, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan took to Facebook to urge farmers to remain calm until the effects of the government intervention could be felt. He also threatened a harsh response to demonstrators.
“Bad individuals or groups using the price of rice as a means to organise people to create turmoil must face responsibility in front of the law,” Siphan said.
According to Chanthy, the protests began about 8am when three large bags of rice were dumped on the road. But the farmers quickly picked the rice up so as not to cause traffic congestion. Still, he said the protests would continue if government support was short-lived
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/battambang-farmers-protest-plummeting-rice-prices


State will take 16 years to pay off rice-pledging debt

19 Sep 2016 at 07:23 8,668
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI


 Government debt worth 510 billion baht, borrowed from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to fund the last administration's loss-making rice-pledging scheme, will take an estimated 16 years to be paid off.Luck Wajananawat, president of the state-backed bank, said if the loan repayment amount remains unchanged, the government will take around 16 years to pay off the debt.
 
Rice-pledging scheme costs state 510 billion baht, says Mr Luck. Apichit Jinakul



The BAAC directly extended 110 billion baht and issued bonds worth 400 billion baht guaranteed by the Finance Ministry to finance the Yingluck Shinawatra administration's rice-pledging scheme.The current government has set the repayment amount in budget expenditure every fiscal year and will pay 39 billion baht in principal and 20 billion in interest for fiscal 2017, starting Oct 1.The pork-barrel spending was initiated by the Yingluck Shinawatra government to fulfil the Pheu Thai Party's promises during the 2011 general election campaigns. Under the scheme, the government bought every single grain at a pledged price of between 15,000 and 20,000 baht per tonne of paddy -- 40-50% above the market price.The scheme was slammed for distorting market price and led to hefty debts for rice farmers as they borrowed and spent lavishly, thinking that they could always sell their paddy at high prices. In addition, the programme was blamed for a deterioration in rice quality as farmers switched to lower-cost but high-yielding premium fragrant rice breeds.After the scheme ran for two harvest years, it left tens of millions of tonnes of paddy in silos and warehouses, incurring substantial costs for taxpayers.Ms Yingluck was allegedly negligent in failing to stop corruption in the rice-pledging scheme. Apart from the former premier, the committee through the Commerce Ministry has demanded 18.7 billion baht in compensation for four fake government-to-government rice deals involving 6.2 million tonnes of rice, pointing the finger at six people in the Yingluck government.
Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and five ex-ministerial officials have been ordered to pay 20 billion baht in compensation. The five are Mr Boonsong's former deputy Poom Sarapol and former secretary Weerawut Wajanaphukka; former Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) director-general Manas Soiploy and his then-deputy Tikhumporn Natvaratat; and the DFT's former director of foreign rice trade, Akharaphong Chuaikliang. Ms Yingluck faces a hefty fine of 287 billion baht for losses from the rice-pledging scheme in the latest evaluation by a government panel but a committee on civil liability will reveal the official figure soon

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1089385/state-will-take-16-years-to-pay-off-rice-pledging-debt


Rice Prices

as on : 19-09-2016 08:10:27 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals
Price

Current
%
change
Season
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Gadarpur(Utr)
3368.00
52.33
148728.00
2161
2260
18.22
Bazpur(Utr)
2720.00
21.43
59502.19
1915
1840
0.74
Kanpur(Grain)(UP)
800.00
11.11
16995.00
2165
2170
-0.46
Azamgarh(UP)
135.00
-3.57
7031.00
2260
2250
10.24
Asansol(WB)
132.00
-0.75
3565.50
2600
2600
10.64
Durgapur(WB)
130.00
-1.52
2647.00
2550
2550
12.83
Mathabhanga(WB)
110.00
22.22
6380.00
2450
2450
25.64
Siliguri(WB)
98.00
3.16
7701.00
2600
2600
-
P.O. Uparhali Guwahati(ASM)
91.00
35.82
4675.10
2230
2230
6.19
Rampurhat(WB)
85.00
-5.56
1609.00
2200
2200
19.24
Manvi(Kar)
83.00
-
83.00
2842
-
27.67
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)
80.00
14.29
1162.00
2500
2500
13.64
Aligarh(UP)
75.00
-11.76
5840.00
2400
2420
11.63
Saharanpur(UP)
67.00
-15.19
6794.00
2285
2280
5.79
Vikasnagar(Utr)
64.50
396.15
77.50
1840
2640
-59.11
Kalipur(WB)
60.00
-36.17
8282.00
2400
2400
20.00
Gajol(WB)
45.00
-13.46
1274.50
3100
3100
19.23
Cachar(ASM)
40.00
NC
3080.00
2200
2200
-18.52
Khatra(WB)
38.00
5.56
1294.00
2300
2300
4.55
Rampur(UP)
34.50
-1.43
1239.00
2485
2480
14.52
Gazipur(UP)
28.00
-55.56
3128.50
2060
2050
2.23
Ghatal(WB)
23.00
9.52
158.00
2370
2350
10.75
Balrampur(UP)
21.00
-35.38
1587.00
2040
2040
1.49
Kolaghat(WB)
21.00
5
1190.00
2450
2450
2.08
Kaliaganj(WB)
18.00
-10
1108.00
2750
2750
-1.79
Hiriyur(Kar)
17.00
13.33
32.00
3100
2200
-
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)
17.00
-5.56
1151.00
2450
2450
2.08
Yusufpur(UP)
15.00
-25
1185.00
2070
2080
4.02
Bankura Sadar(WB)
13.00
NC
242.00
2270
2270
-
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
12.00
33.33
2238.00
3000
3000
-
Champadanga(WB)
12.00
-20
1274.00
2700
2700
8.00
Dinhata(WB)
12.00
-20
145.50
2250
2250
10.29
Fatehpur(UP)
11.00
22.22
383.20
2225
2225
NC
Nilagiri(Ori)
10.00
NC
677.00
2300
2300
-4.17
Sheoraphuly(WB)
8.00
NC
609.15
2800
2850
5.66
Khairagarh(UP)
7.50
7.14
554.50
2240
2240
9.80
Mirzapur(UP)
7.50
25
1692.60
1985
1990
-0.25
Robertsganj(UP)
7.50
-25
805.50
1990
1985
6.99
Dibiapur(UP)
7.50
7.14
278.00
2230
2250
-1.33
Cherthalai(Ker)
7.00
-30
462.00
2200
2200
-12.00
Raiganj(WB)
7.00
-12.5
1109.50
2750
2700
-5.17
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB)
6.20
NC
215.20
2700
1900
22.73
Firozabad(UP)
6.00
-14.29
803.10
2270
2260
11.27
Muradabad(UP)
6.00
-33.33
628.20
2450
2440
12.64
Islampur(WB)
6.00
50
404.00
2450
2450
13.95
Haldibari(WB)
6.00
NC
711.50
2250
2300
-15.09
Karanjia(Ori)
5.50
-8.33
437.30
2700
2700
3.85
Silapathar(ASM)
5.20
-25.71
733.00
3000
3000
NC
Uluberia(WB)
4.40
-15.38
293.20
2400
2400
-4.00
Hailakandi(ASM)
4.00
-20
158.00
2200
2200
-18.52
Rura(UP)
3.50
-22.22
190.80
2230
2210
-0.89
Achnera(UP)
3.10
3.33
42.10
2150
2150
5.91
Alibagh(Mah)
3.00
NC
186.00
4000
4000
21.21
Mangaon(Mah)
3.00
50
55.00
2800
2800
12.00
Murud(Mah)
3.00
NC
255.00
3000
3000
87.50
Darjeeling(WB)
3.00
7.14
115.50
2900
2900
7.41
Fatehpur Sikri(UP)
2.80
-6.67
63.80
2200
2200
9.45
Jagnair(UP)
2.70
-15.62
71.90
2150
4280
5.91
Sardhana(UP)
1.50
50
100.60
2290
2280
7.01
Bonai(Bonai)(Ori)
0.60
NC
96.30
2500
2200
13.64
Ernakulam(Ker)
0.58
3.57
13.82
3500
3500
7.69
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article9123994.ece

Rice Prices

as on : 20-09-2016 02:02:15 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals
Price

Current
%
change
Season
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Bangalore(Kar)
3765.00
25.33
194031.00
3800
3800
-11.63
Gadarpur(Utr)
3708.00
10.1
152436.00
2375
2161
29.92
Bazpur(Utr)
440.00
-83.82
59942.19
2362
1915
24.25
Pilibhit(UP)
400.00
14.29
750.00
2245
2200
2.28
Manjeri(Ker)
290.00
NC
12760.00
3200
3200
-3.03
Azamgarh(UP)
170.00
25.93
7201.00
2250
2260
9.76
Mathabhanga(WB)
120.00
9.09
6500.00
2450
2450
25.64
Ballia(UP)
80.00
14.29
8230.00
2080
2080
5.05
Devariya(UP)
80.00
14.29
2625.00
2275
2265
12.35
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)
80.00
NC
1242.00
2500
2500
13.64
Kalipur(WB)
76.00
26.67
8358.00
2400
2400
20.00
Thodupuzha(Ker)
70.00
NC
4340.00
2900
2900
16.00
Gajol(WB)
47.50
5.56
1322.00
3100
3100
19.23
Gauripur(ASM)
40.00
33.33
3306.50
4500
4500
NC
Aligarh(UP)
40.00
-46.67
5880.00
800
2400
-62.79
Yusufpur(UP)
35.00
133.33
1220.00
2070
2070
4.02
Gazipur(UP)
30.00
7.14
3158.50
2060
2060
2.23
Achalda(UP)
27.00
8
4420.50
2265
2265
1.12
Mathura(UP)
25.00
-54.55
6475.00
2380
2340
17.82
Garbeta(Medinipur)(WB)
25.00
-10.71
134.00
2500
2600
-
Ulhasnagar(Mah)
20.00
NC
355.00
3000
3000
-
Kaliaganj(WB)
20.00
11.11
1128.00
2750
2750
-1.79
Alipurduar(WB)
20.00
NC
718.00
2300
2300
2.22
Kolaghat(WB)
20.00
-4.76
1210.00
2450
2450
2.08
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)
18.00
5.88
1169.00
2450
2450
2.08
Jambusar(Guj)
15.70
881.25
1184.05
3200
3100
-14.67
Sirsa(UP)
15.00
-18.92
669.00
2260
2265
3.91
Shahganj(UP)
15.00
-40
122.00
2120
2120
6.53
Kolar(Kar)
13.00
550
206.00
4742
3850
25.62
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
12.00
NC
2250.00
3000
3000
-
Atarra(UP)
12.00
9.09
130.50
2100
2150
7.69
Bankura Sadar(WB)
12.00
-7.69
254.00
2270
2270
-
Dibrugarh(ASM)
10.00
-41.18
1589.30
2450
2450
-
Alappuzha(Ker)
10.00
NC
240.00
4300
4400
-3.37
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
9.80
-19.67
2045.80
1900
1900
NC
Deogarh(Ori)
9.00
NC
598.50
2500
2500
NC
Cherthalai(Ker)
8.50
21.43
470.50
2350
2200
-6.00
Fatehpur(UP)
8.00
-27.27
391.20
2215
2225
-0.45
Champadanga(WB)
8.00
-33.33
1282.00
2700
2700
8.00
Mirzapur(UP)
7.00
-6.67
1699.60
1980
1985
-0.50
Raiganj(WB)
7.00
NC
1116.50
2750
2750
-5.17
Robertsganj(UP)
6.50
-13.33
812.00
1985
1990
6.72
Karanjia(Ori)
6.00
9.09
443.30
2700
2700
3.85
Uluberia(WB)
5.00
13.64
298.20
2400
2400
-4.00
Islampur(WB)
4.20
-30
408.20
2450
2450
13.95
Alibagh(Mah)
3.00
NC
189.00
4000
4000
21.21
Murud(Mah)
3.00
NC
258.00
3000
3000
87.50
Darjeeling(WB)
2.80
-6.67
118.30
2900
2900
7.41
Tileibani(Ori)
2.50
-16.67
27.00
2500
2000
NC
Penugonda(Mah)
1.00
NC
9.00
4070
4080
-0.25
Shillong(Meh)
1.00
NC
76.60
3500
3500
NC
Sardhana(UP)
1.00
-33.33
101.60
2280
2290
6.54
Kasipur(WB)
0.80
14.29
49.10
2320
2360
8.41
Ernakulam(Ker)
0.56
-3.45
14.38
3500
3500
7.69



09/19/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

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


Futures:

ROUGH RICE


High
Low
Last
Change





Nov '16
991.5
973.5
976.0
-5.5
Jan '17
1014.5
999.0
1000.5
-6.0
Mar '17
1036.5
1034.5
1025.0
-5.5
May '17
1062.0
1055.0
1046.0
-5.0
Jul '17


1066.0
-5.0
Sep '17


1066.0
-5.0
Nov '17


1066.0
-5.0

Rice Comment

Rice prices closed lower today. As harvest continues rice remains under pressure from the large crop being harvested as well as the large crop left over from last year. While the USDA is forecasting stronger U.S. rice exports,. to date, total commitments remain almost 20% behind year ago levels. The market needs to see additional demand to help rice prices recover from recent losses.

DA officials update farmers on new plans, programs

Posted by Web Team Posted on Sep - 19 - 2016
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Key officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) updated the farmers on the agency’s targets for the next six years during the recently concluded Lakbay Palay at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Nueva Ecija, Sept. 15-16.Speaking to over 1,000 farmer participants, DA’s Director for field operations Roy M. Abaya and National Rice Program senior technical adviser and PhilRice’s first Executive Director Dr. Santiago R. Obien said that the DA aims to achieve rice self-sufficiency and provide available and affordable food for all Filipinos.
Abaya represented DA Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol as guest speaker on the first day of the event while Obien represented DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Richard C. Año II on the second day.
“The target is possible since we have the technology and hardworking farmers,” Obien said.
Obien explained DA’s plan to create a national color-coded agriculture and fisheries map to ensure that appropriate crops are planted based on geographic, climatic, and soil type of a certain area.“We will conduct a national consumption survey to predict what kind of food the country needs to produce over the years,” he added.
Abaya introduced to the rice farmers the new program called Rice Productivity Enhancement (RIPE) that aims to conduct a thorough review of the country’s water management and irrigation policies.He added that the said agency will do a nationwide soil-analysis, improve rice technologies, introduce high-yielding varieties, rehabilitate soil and fertilizer program, and harvest and postharvest facilities.
DA also plans to improve the method of insurance for farmers, provide free irrigation, curb rice smuggling, and intensify research and development.
The two-day event taught farmers on the latest technologies on rice farming. Among the stations visited by farmers were the FutureRice Farm, Palayabangan: The 10-5 Challenge, breeder seed production area, azolla and organic fertilizer production, Palayamanan Plus complex, and Rice Science Museum.
Lakbay-Palay is a major activity of PhilRice done twice yearly, one each for dry and wet seasons. It gathers thousands of farmers as well as students, researchers, and decision makers from different provinces
- See more at: http://www.philrice.gov.ph/da-officials-update-farmers-new-plans-programs/#sthash.aRVtGxsj.dpuf
http://www.philrice.gov.ph/da-officials-update-farmers-new-plans-programs/


Rice Millers Can Now Get $20 Mil

Rice millers in the country will now be able to access the government’s promised emergency loan of $20 million to purchase paddy rice from farmers in a bid to prevent rice prices from falling further, the Rural Development Bank (RDB) announced yesterday.Rural Development Bank CEO Kao Thach said the government’s $20 million emergency loan had been transferred to the RDB yesterday after Prime Minister Hun Sen approved it on Friday.All rice millers in the country who have their own warehouses and silos to store rice can now apply for the emergency loan from RDB,” Mr. Thach told reporters at a press conference.
 
“The criteria is that a separate warehouse is needed with double locks ‒ one for the miller and the other for the RDB. The millers must also have fire insurance,” he added.Rice millers who do not have warehouses or silos, the RDB CEO said, will still be eligible for the loan from the bank provided they deposit their paddy rice to be milled at government warehouses, which in turn will be used as a collateral for the loan.The government, Mr. Thach said, will provide loans to rice millers of up to 70 percent of the total amount required to buy paddy rice from farmers and would charge them an interest rate of eight percent a year. He added that the government had already prepared warehouses in five locations across the country to pre-position paddy rice stocks.
Storage facilities in Pursat, Battambang, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces will be part of the scheme, as well as facilities in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Takeo, Kampot and Kampong Speu provinces, said Mr. Thach.On the other hand, he said, Thbung Khmum, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces will only have one storage facility each.r. Thach said the rice millers could also use the rice stock in their own warehouses as collateral to get loans based on an agreement between them and the RDB.In June, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) announced that the government agreed to offer loans of between $20 million and $30 million to help millers buy paddy rice from farmers after the harvest this November to store in warehouses and process for export.
The loans were to be made to the CRF, using the Rural Development Bank (RDB), with the foundation acting as guarantor.The CRF in turn would screen all applicants and hand out the money to deserving rice millers, who are now reeling from the aftereffects of the severe drought and facing stiff competition from low-grade rice flowing into the country from Vietnam. But three months later, the loans have yet to be made and a specter of doom and gloom hung over the sector because there was only a short three or four-week window of opportunity to buy paddy rice from farmers for milling in November.If this was missed, rice millers said, the harvested paddy rice would be sold by farmers to rice millers in neighboring countries for much lower prices.The Ministry of Economy and Finance released a statement on Friday saying that the money would be used to both stabilize currently falling prices and pay farmers, at market prices, for their newly harvested rice.
 
“Through this special program, the government will purchase about 90,000 tons of rice from farmers, which will make the rice price rise to more than 940,000 riel [$235] a ton. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will redirect about $20 million from the emergency budget fund to the Rural Development Bank to implement the special government program,” the statement said.In addition to the $20 million of government funds, the RDB is loaning $7 million to the project. It is hoped that buying such a large quantity of rice at a price similar to last year will raise the current 770,000 riel ($193) a ton price that is causing farmers such concern.

 
Ros Seilava, an undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said yesterday that the country’s rice sector was facing a myriad of problems ‒ from falling grain prices to the reluctance of banks and microfinance institutions to loan money to millers and farmers.“The government’s emergency loan is just a short-term measure. The bigger issue is dealing with the mindsets of millers and farmers,” said Mr. Seilava.“Cambodia’s rice production costs are still very high compared with Thailand and Vietnam and that makes our rice very uncompetitive in regional markets,” he said.“We need to be more forward thinking and have a long-term strategy to save the country’s rice sector.”

 
Hun Lak, the CRF’s vice-president, told Khmer Times the current crisis in Cambodia’s rice sector was caused by domestic and external market factors.“The external factors are falling international markets for rice and the flooding of the country of cheaper-priced rice from neighboring countries. The domestic factors involve lowering rice production costs, amidst lower supply of paddy rice for milling,” said Mr. Lak.He said Cambodia needed to learn from its neighbors on how to lower rice production costs, despite falling exports.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/29939/rice-millers--can-now--get--20-mil/


Prime Minister Seeks $300 Million From China for Rice Sector

In the latest effort to mitigate the impact of plummeting rice prices, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that the government was seeking $300 million from China to boost the capacity of rice millers and provide funds to them for purchasing paddy from farmers.
The announcement, made during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh, came just days after the premier approved a $27 million grant to rice millers for purchasing paddy—$20 million from the government and $7 from the Rural Development Bank. The average price per ton of paddy dropped from $250 in mid-August to $193 last week.
Kao Thach, director-general of the Rural Development Bank, speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Phnom Penh on Monday. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)
“Our capital is not enough,” Mr. Hun Sen said on Monday. “The state’s immediate release of $20 million was a necessary intervention to resolve the impacts incurred by our farmers.”
“For a medium-term solution, I have worked with Chinese leaders and our specialists are working with Chinese officials, because we need $300 million from our friend China to build” mills, kilns, storage warehouses and other infrastructure, he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Rural Development Bank in Phnom Penh on Monday, Ros Seilava, an undersecretary of state at the Finance Ministry, said the government planned to invest $300 million in infrastructure to store and dry paddy by next year. He said he was unsure whether this was the same money that the prime minister had requested from China.
“Regarding the long-term plans, we achieved the first plan, winning the [award for the] No. 1 best rice in the world,” he said, adding that a second plan to increase milled rice exports to 1 million tons annually had been overzealous.
With many farmers struggling to repay loans, Mr. Hun Sen again appealed to microfinance institutions on Monday to be flexible with late payments, to reduce or eliminate interest fees and to refrain from lodging court complaints or seizing property.
Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay said public pleas to profit-seeking companies would not protect farmers unless real policies were enacted. “The government has to have a law to manage these banks,” he said. “To control the interest rate you cannot just go and tell the bank ‘don’t do that’ without having a law in place. What bank is going to listen to that?”
Miguel Chanco, lead regional analyst for Economist Intelligence Unit, said the government’s financial intervention was no surprise, as it “could benefit the ruling party politically at the coming commune elections” set for June next year.
“However, if we were looking at a longer time horizon, I wouldn’t say that it’s a sector that I would put all my cards on as rice prices are unlikely to return to the heights seen in the late 2000s,” Mr. Chanco added.
“Public funds would be better spent on long-term measures to wean more people off rice farming, thereby reducing Cambodia’s vulnerability to the ebb and flow of global commodity prices.”
(Additional reporting by Kang Sothear)
© 2016, The Cambodia Daily. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in print, electronically, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/prime-minister-seeks-300-million-china-rice-sector-118209/

Rice exports to decline sharply this year


Update: September, 19/2016 - 18:15
Việt Nam’s rice exporters are facing with difficulties as global prices have declined. — Photo trithucvaphattrien.vn HCM CITY — Việt Nam hopes to export 1.6 million tonnes rice in the four remaining months of the year, raising exports for the year to 4.9 million tonnes, said the Việt Nam Food Association (VFA).
According to a report the VFA tabled at a meeting held in southern An Giang Province late last week, exports of 3.3 million tonnes in the first eight months of the year fetched US$1.43 billion and represented a year-on-year reduction of 13.5 per cent in volume and 10 per cent in value.
More than a million tonnes worth of contracts are on hand as are 1.2 million tonnes of inventory.
Business executives attending the meeting said their inventories were at high prices while global prices have declined, threatening to cause difficulties for them.
For instance, 5 per cent broken rice from Thailand usually sells at above $400 per tonne, but currently stands at $370. Pakistani rice prices have fallen the most -- to around $330.
It is unlikely for domestic prices to go up in a short time despite the contracts to export large volumes, the executives said.
Lâm Anh Tuấn, director of Thịnh Phát Co., Ltd, said rice exports this year would be below expectations.
Thailand’s effort to increase exports amid a global slowdown in demand is among the reasons for prices to drop, he said.
The annual global rice trade is around 40 million tonnes a year, and any sudden increase in supply from one source hits the market share of others, he said.
“For this year the VFA set an export target of 6.5 million tonnes, but due to market volatility it has adjusted the target. The new target is 4.9 million tonnes, but nobody can predict anything because we depend on the market. If from now to year-end the market is good, rice exports will be higher.
“But I think rice exports this year will surely be lower than in previous years, with exports via border trade falling the most. China considers rice imports over the border as smuggling.”
According to the VFA, rice exports to China reduced by 13.33 per cent in the first eight months of the year.
Firms said the Cá»­u Long (Mekong) Delta had almost completed harvest of the summer-autumn rice crop and the volume was not high.
Yet paddy prices are not very high because a large volume of Cambodian rice has entered the domestic market.
The country earned $2.68 billion from export of 6.5 million tonnes of the grain last year, a decrease of 3.94 per cent in value despite a marginal increase in volumes as prices dropped.VNS

Oman Dining: This weekend eat at Khyber
September 19, 2016 | 7:02 PM
by Ashish Dubash
A must try for die-hard Indian cuisine.

Sharelines
Where

Khyber

Must Eat

Chicken Biryani

What Is It?

It is basmati rice cooked with boneless pieces of chicken which is marinated with herbs and spices and cooked to perfection. While the rice is fluffy, the masalas blend well with the rice and is flavourful. It is served with raita and salad.

Price

OMR 4.1 (including tax)

Also Try

Apart from this there are lots of options. For the starters you can try Chicken 65 which is basically a south Indian speciality. The chicken pieces are marinated in a special sauce with yoghurt and deep fried. It is very crispy and a great starter to go with your drinks. Also try Gobi Manchurian, which is cauliflower stir fried in an Indo Chinese celery flavoured sauce. For the main course go for Murg Hyderabadi. It is tender boneless chicken with mint and coriander and cooked in tomatoes and onion gravy with spices. Murg Methi which is tender cube chicken cooked in garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and fenugreek is the other spicy dish one must try. We ate these with plain kulchas topped with coriander.

What’s special

A super place to have some delicious and authentic Indian food. A must try for die-hard Indian cuisine. They also have a party hall and do outdoor catering.

—ashishdubash@timesofoman.com

Location

Khyber Restaurant, CBD area, near NBO (HO)

+968 2478 1901


Ministries ink deal for rice megafarms




20 Sep 2016 at 05:00 2,728

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

Ministers from the Commerce, Agriculture and Interior ministries witness the agreement to buy paddy rice from the megafarm project. KITJA APICHONROJAREK


The government is moving ahead with a megafarm scheme under which the government pledges to procure machinery and agricultural equipment for farmers who cut production costs and raise productivity.The Commerce Ministry yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry and the Interior Ministry to proceed with the development plan and collective support with an aim to develop 426 rice megafarms spanning 800,000 rai this year.A list of participatory farmers will be compiled, with modern equipment deployed during the farming, including harvesting machinery. Participating farmers can borrow up to 5 million baht with a 0.01% interest rate from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), while the Commerce Ministry is responsible for marketing and sales of the rice, finding interested buyers, mostly millers and local agricultural cooperatives.

In late August the cabinet approved 3.25 billion baht worth of lending packages via the BAAC for megafarm projects from 2017-19.As of Sept 7, there were 386 rice megafarms being implemented, spanning 500,000 rai. A total of 57,775 farmers from 66 provinces are participating.Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said the government aims to expand the scheme to cover 1,000 rice megafarms next year. The government is reviewing incentives to lure more farmers to take part, he said.
Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, supports the scheme as it cuts farmers' production costs and raises their productivity and competitiveness. Rice prices are unlikely to rise much in the short term thanks to higher rice supply, he said.
Thai export prices are now quoted at US$375 a tonne for white rice 5%, or $30-40 a tonne higher than Vietnamese grains, while Thai Hom Mali fragrant rice prices remain strong at $680-700 a tonne.Mr Charoen urged the government to speed up sales of rice state stocks as soon as possible to help lift rice prices because it would lessen speculation. The government still controls some 8.4 million tonnes of rice from pledging schemes during 2011-14.

The National Rice Policy Committee decided last week to delay a plan to dispose of its stocks to curb any adverse impact on rice prices as new supply from the annual main crop is preparing to enter the market.
Thailand is forecast to produce 23 million tonnes of paddy in the main harvest, with new supply gradually hitting the market from late September

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1090217/ministries-ink-deal-for-rice-megafarms

Brown rice to solve undernourishment in Central Luzon

Monday, September 19, 2016
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- One important reason to switch to brown rice is that it will solve the region’s problem with undernourishment.Be RICEponsible Campaign Director Hazel Antonio shared that based on the latest data provided by the International Food Policy Research Institute, there exists a 13.5 percent proportion of undernourished in the country’s population.
“This is the good thing about brown rice because it can help alleviate our problem with undernourishment,” she stressed.
Since any unpolished rice, regardless of its variety, is considered brown rice, it is recommended for all because polishing removes most of the nutrients in rice grains.
“Brown rice is really considerably more nutritious compared to white rice or milled rice because when rice goes through the process of milling twice, the bran part is removed, which contains most of its nutrients,” Antonio explained.
With this, she is encouraging the people in Central Luzon to consume brown rice because of its nutritious value, and because of its benefits not only for the body but for the Filipino farmers and for the environment, as well.
On a side note, Antonio likewise urged everyone to join the BROWN4Good challenge so as to be of help to the less fortunate.
Spearheaded by Department of Agriculture and Philippine Rice Research Institute, the BROWN4Good challenge is a competition among all regions nationwide to gather 50,000 posts in the social media with the hashtags “#BROWN4Good” and “#Region3”.
The said challenge aims to promote brown rice consumption for good, and for a good cause.
For every post with the said hashtags, a cup of rice is donated to the less fortunate. The challenge will last until October 31, 2016. (CLJD/JRAA-PIA 3
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2016/09/19/brown-rice-solve-undernourishment-central-luzon-498617


PhilRice offers ICT-based resources, tools for farmers
  • September 20, 2016
  • By Merlito G. Edale Jr.
SAN MATEO, Isabela, September 20 (PIA) – The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE) based here urged farmers in Cagayan Valley region to visit their Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based resources and tools to help improve their rice production.
 Andres Dela Cruz, PhilRice – Isabela Research and Development Coordinator, said farmers who failed to visit their demonstration farms in this province can still be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills on the latest developed rice technologies through their ICT platforms.
 To avail of the online ICT-based resources in agriculture, she said farmers must visit the following websites: www.pinoyrice.com, http://e-extenson.gov.ph, www.knowledgebank.irri.org, http//webapps.irri.org/ph/rcm, http//ricedoctor.irri.org or they can text their queries to PhilRice at 09209111398.

“Farmers can also learn the latest rice technologies through our school-on-the-air radio programs over DWSI in Santiago City and DWDA in Tuguegaao City, both entitled “Madiskarteng Pagsasaka,” Dela Cruz said.
 Dela Cruz added that they also set to conduct series of community visits through their Rural Transformation Movement to bring their various services and rice technologies at the grassroots.  (ALM/MGE/PIA-2 Isabela
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/481473905836/philrice-offers-ict-based-resources-tools-for-farmers


Images of PH President and VP in rice paddy: A call to unity

UNTV News20 September 2016

NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines —The FutureRice Program, under the Philippine Rice Research Institute, taps agritourism to call for unity among Filipinos in advancing our rice industry and in uplifting the lives of our rice farmers under the new administration. A 1000-square meter rice paddy displays an art work featuring the images of President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo. The paddy art is called “Rice Up Pilipinas”.
The site was launched last September 16 and is open for public viewing daily from 6AM to 6PM.
The paddy art used the Korean variety Purple rice with dark purple leaves to show distinction from the regular green-leafed inbred variety NSIC Rc308.
The FutureRice Program ICT Specialist Nehemiah L. Caballong created the layout and design using the software Photoshop, guided by the anamorphosis approach which distorts the image to appear clearly from the viewing point.
Farm Manager Marian Rikka O. Añora led the manual transplanting of the rice paddy art joined by about thirty farmers from the Genetic Resources Division of PhilRice last August 22. A pattern similar of that for cross-stitch was followed by the group to create the art.
FutureRice Program leader Roger Barroga said, “We came up with a creative way to call for unity among Filipinos to become partners for change in rice farming.”
PhilRice is known for its BeRiceponsible and Brown4good campaigns which promotes responsible consumption of rice alongside with its research and development projects aimed to attain food security and help our farmers increase profitability through various programs.
“We encourage the younger generation to explore rice farming. It is not the same as before. There are new opportunities, technologies, and innovations that we think they will find interesting. They youth is the future of rice. We invite them to come to the farm and have a different rice experience”, Barroga said.
“We are currently exploring agritourism as a means to attract people to rice farming especially the youth. When they come here, they will see and learn about the latest technologies in rice farming like the use of drone, riding-type mechanical transplanter, clean energy facilities and of course organic rice and the different varieties of rice for different environments. They can also enjoy boating and kayaking,” Barroga added.
The “Rice Up Pilipinas” paddy art is the third for the FutureRice Program. It has showcased the image of Dr. Jose Rizal and the popular artists Maine Mendoza and Alden Richards during wet season 2015 and dry season 2016 respectively.
FutureRice Program is developing a 5-hectare demonstration site at PhilRice central experiment station which showcases a collection of high-tech farming innovations as well as natural and diversified farming techniques for farmers, students, enthusiasts and stakeholders. The program aims to prepare farmers for future farming scenarios such as the rising price of fossil-based fuel and climate change.
Barroga also said that visiting the FutureRice farm is absolutely for free and that everyone is welcome. For more info, visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/FutureRice or inquire through the PhilRice Text Center 0920-911-1398.  (UNTV News and Rescue)
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/images-ph-president-vp-rice-015228162.html

APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1559


Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 17-09-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Mangalore (Karnataka)
Fine
2800
3590
2
Jhagadiya (Gujarat)
Other
2000
3250
3
Siliguri (West Bengal)
Other
2400
2800
Wheat
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1775
1800
2
Khargone (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1747
1931
3
Raver (Maharashtra)
Other
1500
1880
Mousambi
1
Jagraon (Punjab)
Other
2800
3000
2
Mechua (West Bengal)
Other
3600
3700
3
Fatehabad (Haryana)
Other
2500
2500
Brinjal
1
Jajpur (Orissa)
Other
1800
2200
2
Palayam (Kerala)
Other
1100
1250
3
Solan (Himachal Pradesh)
Other
1200
1800





Monday, September 19, 2016

19th September,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine



FPCCI calls for implementation of GI protection law

KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has expressed concern over a long delay in implementation of Geographical Indication (GI) Protection Law.GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and has qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
In a statement issued on Friday, Senior Vice President of FPCCI Shaikh Khalid Tawab said that in the absence the law, drafted in 2001, Pakistani products have failed to fetch good prices in the world market.
“Our neighbouring country India implemented this law in 2003 and has protected 220 products,” he added.
Pakistan was facing tough competition from India, he said, pointing out that Pakistan had already lost the market of basmati rice to India due to geographical indication.
Some of the Pakistani goods that could immediately come under GI protection are Sindhri mangoes, kinno, green cardamom, Khairpur Aseel dates, Hunza apricot, Multani Mitti, Hala handicrafts, Khanpur oranges, Kasuri methi, Chiniot furniture, Sahiwal cows and buffalos, Sindhi Ajrak and cap, etc.
“GI protection is a sort of intellectual property right. It helps in sustained earning in exports,” Mr Tawab explained.
The geographical indication, he said, has assumed greater importance with its inclusion in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, an international agreement administered by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that sets down minimum standards for many forms of intellectual property regulation as applied to nationals of other WTO members
He urged the government to implement the law as soon as possible and hold awareness programmes for traders, industrialists and farmers for registration and protection of their products.
Published in Dawn September 17th, 2016

FPCCI slams govt for not implementing protection laws


September 17, 2016
KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has expressed concerns on government’s ignorance over protection laws, which was drafted 15 years ago to prevent monetary losses to Pakistani goods in the international markets.
In a statement issued on Friday, the FPCCI said that Geographical Indication Protection Law was drafted in 2001 but it was not implemented so far. “Absence of Geographical Indication Protection law has created millions of rupees loss to Pakistan’s economy in term of not fetching good prices of Pakistani products from international market,” Shaikh Khalid Tawab, senior vice president said in the statement.
He said that neighboring India implemented the law in 2003 and since then has protected 220 products while Central and South American region has protected 400 products; even African region has registered a product through geographical indication.
He said that Pakistan is facing tough competition from India due to common history and civilization and in past Pakistan has lost the market of basmati rice due to geographical indication while India has gained maximum market access including due share of Pakistan.
Geographical Indication is a form of intellectual property right, which identifies a product originating from a specific area, whose quality or reputation is attributable to its place of origin which helps in stable earning of exports.
The apex trade body of the country said that the country had diverse geography, climate, soil, culture and traditions and many of our products related to agriculture and manufacturing sector are qualifying for protection as geographical indications

Wheat weakens on ample stocks

Traders said reduced offtake by flour mills also contributed to it

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi  September 17, 2016 Last Updated at 14:48 IST
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Wheat prices softened by Rs 10 per quintal at the wholesale grains market on Saturday due to reduced offtake by flour mills against adequate stocks position.However, barley moved up on pick-up in demand from consuming industries.Traders said besides reduced offtake by flour mills, adequate stocks position kept pressure on the wheat prices.In the national capital, wheat dara (for mills) declined by Rs 10 to Rs 1,800-1,805 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded lower by a similar margin to Rs 1,805-1,810 per 90 kg. Atta flour mills shed Rs 10 at Rs 9,60-9,70 per 50 kg.On the other hand, barley rose by Rs 30 to Rs 1,530-1,535 per quintal.

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

Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,300-2,835, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,800-1,805, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,805-1,810, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 275, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 275, Roller flour mill Rs 960-970 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,090-1,100 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 4,700-4,900, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 3,900-4,700, Permal raw Rs 2,000-2,050, Permal wand Rs 2,150-2,225, Sela Rs 2,800-2,900 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,840-1,850, Bajra Rs 1,260-1,270, Jowar yellow Rs 1,850-1,950, white Rs 3,500-3,700, Maize Rs 1,500-1,510, Barley Rs 1,530-1,535.

Is there gold in golden rice?



Monday, September 19, 2016
GOLDEN RICE -- Is it the golden answer to end Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) or just a golden illusion?
The battle to end VAD among children and pregnant women has long been started but the solution still has to come.
In the pursuit to potentially reduce or eliminate malnutrition resulting to diseases or worse death caused by VAD, scientists for over 20 years now have been busy in developing a Genetically Engineered (GE) Golden Rice but commercialization was put on delay as its safety to health and environment has yet to be proved scientifically and environment groups led by Greenpeace heavily opposed such GE crop.
Golden Rice, as defined by the International Rice Research Institute (Irri), is a GE rice that has beta-carotene in the grain (beta-carotene is a precursor of Vitamin A), a potential new food-based approach to improve vitamin A status, which has the greatest impact on the poorest people in the world especially those in Southeast Asia and Africa.
Philippines, along with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, among others are categorized as “severed” Vitamin A Deficient countries.
“Our objective is mainly to develop Golden Rice as a potential new food-based approach to complement current approaches to alleviate Vitamin A deficiency,” said Violeta Villegas, Irri Senior Scientist and Golden Rice Coordinator.
Vitamin A is a vital nutrient needed for good vision, growth, development, and a healthy immune system. According to World Health Organization, more than 90 million children in Southeast Asia suffer from VAD.
Other approaches pursued to combat VAD in the Philippines are promotion of optimum infant and young child feeding practices (breast-feeding), dietary diversification, supplementation, and food fortification.
Safety of Golden Rice is among the paramount aspects being studied in all development stages.
Presently, data from recent tests on both agronomic and laboratory on Golden Rice showed that the crop is safe. However, further tests will be conducted before it is released for growing by farmers and for consumption.
“It will be released if it is proven to be safe, matches farmer and consumer expectation and can improve vitamin A status including all necessary country approvals are granted,” Villegas said.
Irri, as the lead organization pushing for Golden Rice, is also working with participating organizations to breed Golden Rice into local varieties, following the biosafety regulatory system of the partner countries.
Philippines, Bangladesh and Indonesia are doing research and development on this GE crop.
Status of Golden Rice
Breeders at Irri and national partners including Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Indonesian Center for Rice Research, Philippine Rice Research Institute are developing Golden Rice versions of existing, popular rice varieties.
In the Philippines, the GR2E Rc82 variety lines were transferred to PhilRice and two seasons of Confined Field Testing were done, which completed grain and straw samples produced for compositional analysis.
After which, Golden Rice is set for multi-location field trials, then it will also undergo nutrition study, market test, regulatory and safety assessment before it will be commercialized.
Why fortify rice?
Opponents like Greenpeace asserted that VAD can be addressed through combination of vitamin supplementation and home gardening, a sustainable solution to the problems of nutrition.
But Villegas said that as the poor cannot access or afford a diverse and healthy diet, there is a need to fortify rice for it comprises the bulk of their diet. Micronutrient malnutrition or “hidden hunger” is a persistent public health problem.
According to Irri, Philippines has a 47 percent of caloric intake from rice.
Opposition
Disruptions from anti-Genetically Modified (GM) activists such as site destruction, court cases, and Anti-GM resolutions in some Local Government Units (LGUs) are just some of the challenges faced by the proponents of the GE crops.
Greenpeace, has deemed the golden rice project as "environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to human health, and could compromise food, nutrition and financial security."
“The tens of millions of dollars invested in GE 'Golden' rice could have been better spent on practical and working VAD solutions, such as food supplements, food fortification and home gardening of natural foods rich in Vitamin A and other essential nutrients,” Greenpeace said in a report posted in its website.
Last June, Greenpeace was targeted by more than 100 Nobel laureates who have signed a letter urging the environmental group to stop its “unreasonable” campaign against genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Wilhelmina Pelegrina, a campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia in a report said that the organization was not blocking golden rice, as the initiative "has failed as a solution and isn't currently available for sale, even after more than 20 years of research."
"Corporations are overhyping golden rice to pave the way for global approval of other more profitable genetically engineered crops. Rather than invest in this overpriced public relations exercise, we need to address malnutrition through a more diverse diet, equitable access to food and eco-agriculture," she said.
Greenpeace also stated that GE 'Golden' rice can easily contaminate non-GE rice “through inadvertent mixing of seeds during harvest, transport and distribution.”
“Greenpeace opposes the release of GE crops, including GE 'Golden' rice, into the environment. Golden rice relies upon the body's ability to convert beta carotene to Vitamin A. But the exact metabolic pathway is poorly misunderstood and negative health effects can result from an overexposure to beta carotene,” the group said.
When asked on how they respond to groups opposing their researches, Villegas was quick to add that “decisions should be science-based, not based on fear.”
Villegas said that the journey of Golden Rice may seem long and winding but they are committed to go through the entire stringent process to ensure that the GE crop will comply to all regulatory requirements before its release and will therefore serve its noble aim – end VAD.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/feature/2016/09/19/there-gold-golden-rice-498463


PM weighs in on rice lending

Mon, 19 September 2016
Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) inspects rice in Phnom Penh earlier this year during the 5th Cambodia Rice Forum. Pha Lina

Rice millers said yesterday they welcomed the prime minister’s announcement that the government would make over $20 million in funds available shortly to support cash-strapped millers and prop up falling paddy prices.
“We’ve been waiting for these loans for a long time like fish waiting to be fed,” said Phon Nary, director-general of Heng Huch Rice Mill in Battambang province. “I hope to receive the loans soon so that we can survive.”
Cambodia’s rice industry is facing a crisis as two consecutive years of drought take their toll on farmers and millers struggle to stay afloat.
Millers have repeatedly called on the government and industry bodies to facilitate emergency loans, arguing that liquidity shortages prevent them from purchasing paddy rice from farmers, one factor contributing to a steep decline in market prices on paddy in recent weeks.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the average farm-gate price of paddy has plummeted from $240 per tonne to $192 per tonne over the past month as farmers short of capital and desperate to pay back debts sell off their paddy, even at a loss.
Prime Minister Hun Sen raised the struggling sector’s hopes on Friday when he announced on his official Facebook page that the government-backed financing to millers promised three months ago could soon be released.
“In the past few days, I’ve ordered the Ministry of Economy and Finance and other relevant institutions to find solutions to this issue. Now, the Royal Government of Cambodia found some necessary measures to intervene in increasing the paddy rice prices, including the use of a budget of at least $20 million along with other funds to support the paddy prices.”
The posting was the clearest indication to date that the government will issue lines of credit to shore up the Kingdom’s struggling rice sector.
Hours later, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced it would provide $27 million in loans to millers to purchase rice paddy from farmers. Some $7 million would be disbursed through the state-run Rural Development Bank (RDB), while the other $20 million would come from the government’s budget, the ministry said.
The ministry announcement confirmed that the RDB would only provide loans to millers who put down rice paddy stock as collateral, and urged these millers to invest in increasing their warehouse capacity.
Meanwhile, the central bank held meetings with the Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA) on Friday to encourage their member financial institutions to step up lending to the agricultural sector at lower interest rates and with more flexible repayment plans.
The ABC and CMA responded with a joint statement stating that loans would not “solely rely on fixed assets [for] collateral.”
“Mindful of this difficult time, ABC and CMA members will continue to provide loans to qualified farmers, rice millers and traders to support their business,” the statement said. “Depending on our members’ expertise in the sector, loans to agriculture-based businesses have been provided on financial strengths, cash-flows, future receipts past repayment and behaviour history.”
Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice, said he welcomed the prime minister’s announcement, but he felt the government’s commitment to the rice sector was long overdue and the loan package would only cover about 10 percent of the capital needed by millers to buy rice from farmers at a fair price. He estimated that an additional $50 million would be needed to ensure that prices remained stable.
Saran urged financial institutions to expand lending and ease up on restrictions.
“I appeal to banks to continue to provide loans to millers,” he said. “When millers have more funds, they are able to buy larger amounts of paddy from farmers, making the sector more stable.”
In Channy, president of Acleda Bank, denied that his bank had slowed lending to the agricultural sector. On the contrary, he said, the number of loans given to individual rice millers had grown by over a third in the past year.
“We’ve always planned to enlarge loans to the agricultural sector, including rice,” he said, adding, “we have sufficient funds for millers.”
Channy said about $500 million of Acleda Bank’s $2.67 billion in outstanding loans were in the agricultural sector, a total he reckons accounts for 40 percent of all domestic rice lending.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/pm-weighs-rice-lending

No sign of recovery for rice mills

Of 320 rice mills only 20 major mills are functional in Nizamabad district; industry in doldrums for last two years

Improved crop position this Kharif season and in the coming Rabi are unlikely to help rice mill industry, which has been in the doldrums in the district in the last two years.
Out of the total of 320 big and small rice mills across the district only 20 major mills are milling rice at present. Closure of 90 per cent of rice mills has not only impacted the revenue to Government but also to individual millers, bankers and also the general employment.
Rice mill industry provides direct and indirect employment to 30,000 persons who are now jobless. Further, labour migration from Bihar and other States during harvest season has came to an end.
Continuous failure of monsoon, heavy burden of current and salary bills, stoppage of levy rice and purchases by Government, supply of low quality rice from primary cooperative agricultural societies are the main factors leading to the present situation of rice mills. Boiled and raw rice milling is totally shut down.

“Millers, unable to repay the loans, are handing over keys to the bankers for seizure of the mills. In the last two years we lost the repaying capacity. Our appeals to the Government to increase the commission has fallen on deaf ears. We are incurring losses if we run the mills. For big mills power bills is coming in lakhs,” says president, district rice millers’ association Moturi Dayanand Gupta.
The industry will collapse if the Government does not take steps immediately, say the millers. Quantity of rice being given to millers through custom milling needs to be increased, opines K. Ramesh, a miller in the town. Almost one third of mills are located in and around district headquarters and when they were in operation the district economy used to be vibrant.
“We requested Finance Minister Etala Rajender to use his good offices to prevail upon bankers to reschedule the loans and waive interest amount on dues from millers to help the industry recover, but to no avail,” deplores Mr. Gupta.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/no-sign-of-recovery-for-rice-mills/article9123131.ece


Rice rice baby

|

This Sunday, skip your usual dal-chawal for a round of traditional rice preparations from Assam and Gujarat. We have also included a rice-based dessert, payasam for the times you want to indulge in all things that spell comfort
Palak rice with kulhad ki dahi
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice
1 to 1.5 tbsp oil
Half of a star anise or few petals
2 green cardamoms
3 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
¼ tsp cumin or shahi jeera
1 small bay leaf
2 cups palak/spinach
2 to 3 sliced green chillies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste or 2 garlic cloves
1 onion sliced
1 medium potato or any veggies
½ to ¾ garam masala
A pinch of little turmeric
Salt, as needed
Lemon juice, as needed
Method:
Cook rice and cool completely.
Wash palak thoroughly in ample water. Drain completely.
Add it to a blender and puree.
Heat a pan with oil, add spices and sauté for a min.
Fry ginger-garlic paste until the raw smell vanishes.
Add onion and fry until golden. Add the vegetables and sauté until they are tender. If needed sprinkle some water and cook.
Sprinkle garam masala, salt and turmeric.
Add palak puree and saute until the raw smell goes off.
Add cooled rice, squeeze in the lemon juice.
Mix everything well.
Garnish with fried chillies.
Serve hot.
Thukpa and sticky rice
Ingredients:
30 gm noodles
60 ml vegetable stock
10 gm carrot
10 gm capsicum green
10 gm red and yellow capsicum
6 gm spring onion
15 gm onion
15 gm tomato
5 ml soya sauce
1 ml vinegar
Salt, to taste
A pinch of black pepper
90 gm sticky rice
3 gm ginger
2 gm garlic 2 gm
1 chopped chilli
Oil for sauté
Method
Cut all the vegetables and ginger, garlic in fine juliennes.
Boil the noodles and keep aside.
Heat the pan with oil. Add ginger, garlic, and sauté.
After it softens, add all the vegetables and cook for two to three minutes.
Add vegetable stock and adjust the seasoning with soya sauce and vinegar.
Add the noodle to the pan. Cook further. Remove from heat.
Cook the sticky rice in a different pressure cooker. Add a little salt and keep little extra water so that rice gets a sticky consistency. While cooking the rice, after the first whistle, cook it on slow heat for a few minutes. Check for doneness and remove from heat.
Serve sticky rice with thukpa.
Payasam
Ingredients
3 tbsp basmati rice or regular non-sticky rice
1 litre full cream milk or full fat milk
4 tbsp sugar or add as per taste
1 tbsp ghee
Method:
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a thick bottomed wide pan.
Add 3 tbsp basmati rice. Stir the rice grains and sauté for about 30 seconds on a low to medium flame, or till you get a nice fragrant aroma from the rice. Do not allow the rice to get browned.
Add milk which has been boiled before. The pre-boiled milk can be hot, warm or refrigerated. Stir well.
Bring the milk to a boil first on a low to medium flame. Do stir when the milk is getting heated up, so that the bottom of the milk does not get scorched.
After the milk has come to a boil, continue to simmer till the rice grains are cooked. Cover the pan in such a way, so that some of the steam can be passed through.
Continue to cook further till the rice grains are completely cooked. Cook the rice grains in such a way that you can even mash them while stirring with a spoon or spatula.
Once the rice grains are cooked well, add sugar. Stir so that the sugar is dissolved.
Simmer for a further eight to ten minutes till the milk has reduced and the payasam has thickened.
Serve plain or garnished with saffron, rose petals or sliced almonds.
You can serve the rice payasam hot or cold.
Recipe credit: Twenty nine, Mumbai
The Asian Age

Government to probe suspected kickbacks undercutting official prices of imported rice

JIJI
  • Sep 17, 2016
The Japanese government will investigate a suspected scheme undercutting the official price for imported rice, farm minister Yuji Yamamoto said Friday.
Prices of foreign rice are set through state-run auctions that importers and wholesalers participate in. The auctions are designed to keep prices at certain levels in order to prevent low-priced foreign rice from affecting domestic rice farming.
But it is suspected that foreign rice is traded in the domestic market at lower prices due to kickbacks, called “adjustment money,” paid by importers to wholesalers.
“We will check the results of past auctions as much as possible,” Yamamoto told a news conference. The government plans to question related companies.
To ease farmers’ concerns about a possible surge in rice imports under the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, the government has explained that the auction system will help alleviate the impact on the domestic market.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/17/business/government-probe-suspected-kickbacks-undercutting-official-prices-imported-rice/#.V9-8cjXfVAE

Rice production limited to a few varieties

Despite having around 100 rice varieties invented locally in the last four decades at their disposal, Bangladeshi farmers still seem to be dependent on a handful of varieties of Aman, Boro and Aush paddies

Sources at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) say the number of developed and released rice varieties by the state-run rice research body currently stands at 81. Of them, 25 are varieties of Boro, 36 of Aman and 10 are Aush.
In addition, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) has developed another 18 rice varieties since its inception.
Yet, statistics show that the most popular rice varieties among farmers are two Boro varieties –  BRRI Dhan 28 and BRRI Dhan 29. These two varieties had the highest adoption rates in 2014-15 –  40.14% and 28.51%, respectively.
Among other popular rice varieties are Aman BRRI Dhan 11 with 11.6% adoption rate, Aman BRRI Dhan 49 with 11.07%, Aush BR 26 with 8.75%, Aush BRRI Dhan 48 with 7.84%, Aman BRRI Dhan 28 with 7.26%, Aman BRRI Dhan 32 with 4.13% and Boro BR 16 with 3.71% adoption rates.
However, during Aush season, a significant portion of paddy farmers prefer cultivating BRRI Dhan 28, which is a Boro variety: nearly 21% farmers choose this Boro variety over Aush varieties.
“Only a few rice varieties are being cultivated because the other varieties have not been distributed among farmers,” said Jibon Krisna Biswas, former director general of BRRI.
“Another reason could be the nature of the varieties; some of the recently developed rice varieties are region specific, while some are developed with high tolerance to salinity, drought and submergence,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Asked why Boro varieties BRRI Dhan 28 and BRRI Dhan 29 have such high adoption rates despite the availability of other varieties, the veteran scientist blamed Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC), who is responsible for distributing rice varieties among farmers.
“The BADC always tries to produce the varieties that are popular, rather than producing the new ones and introduce them to farmers.”
However, BADC Chairman Md Nasiruzzaman refuted the allegation, saying they produced and distributed seed varieties as per farmers’ demand.
“We cannot produce a variety unless there is a demand for them, in order to avoid financial loss,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Meanwhile, Department of Agriculture Extension Director General Md Hamidur Rahman said popularising a new crop variety among farmers usually takes time.
“In addition, farmers are the best judge of the production value of a variety as they cultivate it for their own profit. They accept the varieties which will give them the best production in short time,” he said.
BADC Chairman Nasir told the Dhaka Tribune: “The government could make the newly invented rice varieties popular via proper field demonstration, so that  so that farmers could learn about them.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/09/19/rice-production-limited-varieties/

PhilRice cites benefits of #BROWN4good Challenge

  • September 19, 2016
  • Trixie Joy B. Manalili
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Sept.19 (PIA) -- Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) enumerated Thursday the benefits of #BROWN4good challenge known as the “four goodness in a cup.”This challenge is social media campaign that seeks to promote brown rice as a good food.
 PhilRice’s Hazel Antonio, Campaign Director of Be RICEponsible, noted that brown (unpolished) rice contains low glycemic index that prevents cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. “It contains antioxidants that prevent cancer and lowers blood pressure,” Antonio said.Also, farmers will generate higher income and can provide consumers with low price because of direct marketing.
 Antonio likewise stressed that consumption of brown rice can result to the country’s rice self-sufficiency because of its 10% higher milling recovery.The BROWN4Good challenge is a competition among all regions nationwide to gather 50,000 posts in the social media with the hashtags “#BROWN4Good” and “#Region3”.
 For every post with the said hashtags, a cup of rice is donated to the less fortunate. The challenge will last until October 31, 2016. (CLJD/TJBM-PIA
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/3341473880051/philrice-cites-benefits-of-brown4good-challenge#sthash.9yzeUdLN.dpuf

Synchrotron plays key role in food sector research

The Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne is playing a critical role in research breakthroughs that benefit the food sector including biofortification of foods, assessing the effectiveness of food processing, and determining the nutritional impact of foods. Hartley Henderson writes.
This world-class facility uses accelerator technology to produce a powerful source of light (X-rays and infrared radiation) a million times brighter than the sun. The intense light produced is filtered and adjusted to travel into experimental work stations where the light beams reveal the innermost sub-microscopic secrets of materials under investigation.
Dr David Cookson at the Australian Synchrotron explains that basic ingredients in food are highly complex in nature – a ‘mish-mash’ of different proteins, starches, and fats, mixed together in a highly complex way.
“The Australian Synchrotron’s unique capacities and capabilities allow Australian researchers from across academia and industry to unravel these complexities by investigating materials at a molecular level to facilitate processing and production improvements. Longer-lasting products can be created, a better understanding of quality control can be generated, and certain nutritional characteristics can be boosted or reduced,” he told Food & Beverage Industry News.
“The reason the Australian Synchrotron is so important to any of these improvements is it provides highly accurate, objective data on any material modification, using the powerful X-ray beam to produce visualisations of unprecedented detail.
“For example, there is great opportunity in synchrotron food research related to dairy products. A team from CSIRO Food and Nutrition has used the Australian Synchrotron to examine the structure of casein micelles, which play a significant role in the ideal consistency and stabilisation of milk-based products.
“Understanding the nanostructure of micelles through the Small and Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS) beamline provided new understanding of how the size and number of micelles within a component of cow’s milk can affect how efficiently the milk is processed into products such as powdered milk and hard cheese.”
Rice projects
In a rice project currently underway, plant biologists have used gene technology to increase the amount of iron and zinc transported into the endosperm, the part of the rice grain that most people eat.
The Australian Synchrotron’s X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM) beamline was used to produce ‘metal maps’ that accurately track the diffusion of key nutrients such as iron and zinc at sub-micron resolution levels without damaging the rice grain’s internal structure.
Dr Alex Johnson from the University of Melbourne’s School of BioSciences, who is the Australian lead of the project, says that white rice is very low in iron and that some 2 billion people suffer from iron and zinc deficiency.“The aim of the project, which is in part funded by HarvestPlus, is to develop a biofortified rice that is high in iron and zinc, demonstrating that by manipulating rice plant genes, rice plants can translocate more iron and zinc to the endosperm,” he said.
“When rice is milled it loses the outer layers of the grain where much of iron and zinc is located, but the powerful synchrotron was able to show that the nutrients were translocated deeper in the part of the grain that is not affected by milling.
“The biofortified rice that we developed in the project has now been successfully tested in the Philippines and Columbia under highly controlled conditions. HarvestPlus is now seeking funding to further develop and de-regulate this transgenic rice for sale to farmers, possibly in Bangladesh, and possibly in five years from now if these research activities go well.
“Most staple crop foods have low iron content, so there are significant opportunities to further utilise the synchrotron to show the extent and location of nutrients in additional grain crops such as wheat.”
Director of HarvestPlus, Dr Howarth Bouis, recently won the World Food Prize for his team’s pioneering work in addressing the global problem of micronutrient deficiencies, known as hidden hunger, through biofortification.
He says malnutrition amongst poor people is a serious public health problem because they can afford to eat the basic food staples but do not have enough income to buy non-staple foods which have higher levels of minerals and vitamins. As a result, many suffer from inadequate intakes which cause serious health problems.
“It is cost-effective to breed nutrients into staple crops to address mineral and vitamin deficiencies. With respect to iron in rice, we were unsuccessful in using conventional breeding techniques, but we have been able to do this by using a transgenic approach to increase the iron in rice, with the bonus of also increasing the zinc content,” he told Food & Beverage Industry News.
“We have already released over 150 conventionally-bred varieties across twelve biofortified crops in 30 countries, and are testing these varieties in an additional 25 countries around the world. We are hopeful that as many as 1 billion people will benefit from biofortified foods by 2030. High iron and zinc transgenic rice eventually could contribute significantly to this ambitious goal.”
In another rice project, researchers from the NSW Department of Primary Industries have used the Australian Synchrotron to compare parboiling techniques, showing that longer parboiling processes at higher temperatures cause more micronutrients to migrate from the outer bran layer into the starchy core of the grain.
Dr Laura Pallas, Rice Chemist at the NSW DPI, says changing global rice processing and eating habits is an enormous task. “There are deeply entrenched expectations across various cultures around desired texture consistency and flavour, including different approaches to parboiling and cooking,” she said.
“Advances in this area are important because rice is the closest thing we have to a global dish and it is gluten free and a good source of complex carbohydrates.”
Meat quality
The quality of meat, such as tenderness and intramuscular fat in lamb, is currently graded by mechanical and chemical tests, but obtaining that information in a more timely way in the abattoir has eluded the meat processing sector.
Therefore, the Australian Synchrotron has been involved in a research project to provide information on meat quality aspects such as tenderness and intramuscular fat content.
The project was led by the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Agriculture Victoria Division (Dr Eric Ponnampalam), in collaboration with the NSW Department of Primary Industries (Dr David Hopkins), the University of Melbourne (Prof Frank Dunshea) and the Australian Synchrotron (Dr Nigel Kirby).
Drs Ponnampalam and Hopkins say the research is exploring new approaches to measuring meat quality that may have applicability within the processing sector, thereby providing rapid information on the suitability of meat to different sectors of the supply chain.
“The Synchrotron’s Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) beamline technology was used to investigate differences in muscle fibre and/or fat, which can influence the eating quality of meat,” they said.
“The project results demonstrate that these technologies could be powerful research tools in the future to determine not only the structural components of muscle, but also the composition of muscle relating to eating quality traits of meat.
“In addition, the synchrotron SAXS beamline technology presents a promising opportunity to determine carcase toughness or tenderness and relative fat content and could be a useful experimental tool, overcoming the need for destructive sampling techniques.” They said the method requires significant further development to be utilised in the processing sector.

Australian Synchrotron
03 8540 4100
www.synchrotron.org.au
https://foodmag.com.au/synchrotron-plays-key-role-in-food-sector-research/


PhilRice cites benefits of #BROWN4good Challenge

  • September 19, 2016
  • Trixie Joy B. Manalili
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Sept.19 (PIA) -- Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) enumerated Thursday the benefits of #BROWN4good challenge known as the “four goodness in a cup.”This challenge is social media campaign that seeks to promote brown rice as a good food.PhilRice’s Hazel Antonio, Campaign Director of Be RICEponsible, noted that brown (unpolished) rice contains low glycemic index that prevents cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
 “It contains antioxidants that prevent cancer and lowers blood pressure,” Antonio said.Also, farmers will generate higher income and can provide consumers with low price because of direct marketing.Antonio likewise stressed that consumption of brown rice can result to the country’s rice self-sufficiency because of its 10% higher milling recovery.The BROWN4Good challenge is a competition among all regions nationwide to gather 50,000 posts in the social media with the hashtags “#BROWN4Good” and “#Region3”.
 For every post with the said hashtags, a cup of rice is donated to the less fortunate. The challenge will last until October 31, 2016. (CLJD/TJBM-PIA 3)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/3341473880051/philrice-cites-benefits-of-brown4good-challenge#sthash.8qKHYhr7.dpuf