Philippines Says 2016 Paddy Rice
Output to Be Lowest in Three Yearsi
Manila. The Philippines said on Wednesday (16/11) its paddy rice output is now expected to hit 17.91 million tons
in 2016, the lowest in three years and below a July forecast of 18.135 million
tons, due to crop losses from an El Niño dry spell and typhoons.
The Philippines, one of the
world's biggest rice importers, could buy another 250,000 tons of rice in
addition to the 250,000 tons purchased recently from Vietnam and Thailand, if
it sees a need to boost state buffer stocks.
The latest forecast from the
Philippine Statistics Authority for output this year is 1.3 percent lower than
a 2015 harvest of 18.15 million tons, which followed record production of 18.97
million tons in 2014.Unmilled rice output in the fourth quarter is forecast to
grow 0.33 percent from last year to 7.3 million tons, following a 16.35 percent
annual increase in the July-September quarter, the statistics authority said in
a report
http://jakartaglobe.id/international/philippines-says-2016-paddy-rice-output-lowest-three-years/
Thailand to
export at least 9 mln tons of rice in 2017
“For 2017, we expect initially that our rice exports will be no
less than 9 million tonnes,” Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the
Foreign Trade Department at the Commerce Ministry, told Reuters, adding that
the figure was not yet an official target. Duangporn said Thailand would
achieve its 2016 rice export target of 9.5 million tonnes
http://www.customstoday.com.pk/thailand-to-export-at-least-9-mln-tons-of-rice-in-2017/
Coastal Science and Societies
Europe’s Race to Save Its Rice
Biologists
are trying to breed a salt- and snail-resistant line of European rice.
Published
November 17, 2016
The Ebro
Delta in Spain is an important region for European rice production. 775 words /
About 4 minsThe Ebro Delta, famous as a battleground during the Spanish Civil
War, is now the setting for a different contest, one that is pitting rice
farmers against two enemies: the rice-eating giant
apple snail, and rising sea levels. What happens here will have
a bearing on the future of European rice production and the overall health of
southern European wetlands. Not to mention the future of Spanish paella and
Italian risotto.
Located on
the Mediterranean just two hours south of Barcelona, the Ebro Delta produces
120 million kilograms of rice a year, making it one of the continent’s most
important rice-growing areas. As the sea creeps into these freshwater marshes,
however, rising salinity is hampering rice production. At the same time,
this seawater also kills off the voracious giant apple snail, an introduced
pest that feeds on young rice plants. The most promising strategy has become to
harness one foe against the other.
The battle is
currently being waged on land, in greenhouses at the University of Barcelona.
Scientists working under the banner “Project Neurice” are seeking varieties of
rice that can withstand the increasing salinity without losing the absorbency
that makes European rice ideal for paella or risotto.
“The project
has two sides,” says Xavier Serrat, Neurice project manager and researcher at
the University of Barcelona. “The short-term fight against the snail, and a
mid- to long-term fight against climate change. But the snail has given the
project greater urgency.”
Originally
from South America, the snails were accidentally introduced into the Ebro Delta
by Global Aquatic Tecnologies, a company that raised the snails for freshwater
aquariums, but failed to prevent their escape. For now, the giant apple snail’s
foothold in Europe is limited to the Ebro Delta. But the snail continues its
march to new territory, says Serrat. “The question is not if it will reach other rice-growing areas of
Europe, but when.”
Over the next
year and a half investigators will test the various strains of saline-tolerant
rice they’ve concocted. In 2018, farmers will plant the varieties with the most
promise in the Ebro Delta and Europe’s other two main rice-growing
regions—along the Po in Italy, and France’s Rhône. A season in the field will
help determine which, if any, of the varieties are ready for
commercialization.
As an
EU-funded effort, the search for salt-tolerant varieties of rice is taking
place in all three countries. Each team is crossbreeding a local European
short-grain rice with a long-grain Asian variety that carries the
salt-resistant gene. The scientists are breeding successive generations,
through a process called backcrossing, to arrive at varieties that incorporate
salt tolerance but retain about 97 percent of the European rice genome.
In Barcelona,
for example, they now have 3,000 plants, from which 120 will be selected as the
basis for another round of 3,000. This process will be repeated once more,
until a minimum of 20 lines are singled out for testing hydroponically in high
salt concentrations. The best of those will make it to field trials.
Cultivating
salt-tolerant rice is just one line of attack in the fight against the snails.
Over the past six years, scientists have tried, and failed, to eliminate the
pest through various means.
In the
northern Ebro Delta, where the snails first escaped, the land has been turned
into a testing ground. Government authorities have tested two chemicals:
calcium cyanamide and saponin. Neither has proven particularly effective at stopping
the snail’s advance.
Another more
effective (and more controversial) approach has been to dry out the rice fields
during winter and flood them with salt water. This kills the snails, but
there is residual salinity, enough to kill significant amounts of rice when
growing season begins. In some cases, this deliberate saltwater inundation
wiped out 35 percent of production. There’s another glitch: farmers remain
unconvinced that it works.
Miguel Ángel
Rosselló, a local farmer, says the costs of flooding are too high. “My fields
are contaminated by the salt,” he says. “And the snail wasn’t eliminated.”
Scientists with the University of Barcelona believe the seawater kills off the
snails, but say subsequent fresh water injections reintroduced them.
“We flooded
over 700 hectares with seawater and there was no sign of the snail in those
fields afterward,” says a technician with Forestal Catalonia, the government
agency in charge of seawater flooding operations. “But they can get back in
through the canal networks, farm machinery, even seagulls.”
Because of resistance from farmers, his
agency has not flooded fields with seawater on a large scale since 2014, the
second and last time it was attempted. Now, authorities are looking to Project
Neurice as the key to the future of European rice—along with its most
emblematic dishes
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/europes-race-save-its-rice
Slight decline
in 2016 rice output seen
NOVEMBER 17, 2016
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) said on Thursday unmilled-rice production for the whole of 2016 will
decline slightly, despite the positive performance of the farm sector in the
third quarter.
DA Director Leo P. Cañeda said
palay production in 2016 could settle at 18.13 million metric tons (MMT), lower
than the 18.15 MMT produced last year.
“The prospects [for rice
production] are bright. But the dramatic decrease in palay output last year
presented difficulties for us,” Cañeda told participants of the Philippine
Agricultural Journalists’ (PAJ) “Usapang Sakahan” forum held in Quezon City on
Thursday.
In its latest report, the
Philippine Statistics Authority projected that 2016 palay output will decline
by 1.3 percent to 17.91 MMT as harvest area in the fourth quarter is expected
to shrink.
In the July-to-September period,
rice production rose by 16.35 percent, a feat which hasn’t happened in recent
years, according to Cañeda.
“We never had it so good as in
2014, when production shot up to 18.96 MMT, the highest ever, because our yield
level reached 4.00 metric tons [MT] per hectare despite a reduction in total
area harvest,” he added.
The DA expects paddy-rice
production to bounce back in 2017 and grow by 2.3 percent to 18.56 MMT
following the government’s rollout of various interventions to prop up output,
such as the provision of free irrigation.In 2018 Cañeda said rice production is
expected to reach 20.3 MMT and 21.6 MMT in 2019. He added that this would
entail increasing the national average rice yield of 3.9 MT per hectare to 4.64
MT per hectare.
Other interventions implemented
by the Duterte administration under the National Rice Program include the
rehabilitation of irrigation canals and distribution of high-yielding seeds.
After over five years of hiatus,
the PAJ, in partnership with Inang Lupa Movement Inc., relaunched its Agri
Forum—a monthly discussion and media event tackling wide-ranging issues on
food, agribusiness and agriculture.
The panel of reactors included
Dr. William Dar, founder of Inang Lupa Movement and former Agriculture
secretary, and Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations President
Herculano Co Jr.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/slight-decline-in-2016-rice-output-seen/
Indonesia sees
rice stocks soar, no imports planned until year-end
Ina Parlina
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Thu, November 17, 2016 | 10:17 am
After struggling to survive the impact of
the El Niño weather phenomenon last year, Indonesia has finally seen domestic
supply of the country’s most important staple food return to adequate levels,
putting aside the need to import by year-end.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo
said Wednesday that the country’s national rice stock stood at 1.98
million tons in October, soaring from 1.03 million tons in the same month last
year, an achievement he attributed to friendly weather throughout this year.“I
can assure you that there will be no [rice] imports until the end of the year,”
he said on the sidelines of his visit to the Army Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad) headquarters in Cilodong, on the outskirts of
Jakarta.
The El Niño weather pattern, known to trigger a
prolonged dry season, impacted rice production in the country in the final
months of last year.Soon after his inauguration in late 2014, Jokowi announced
that he was targeting achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2017 and his
government would give more incentives to farmers to meet this objective.In
2014, the government, through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), imported at
least 425,000 tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam. (hwa)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/17/indonesia-sees-rice-stocks-soar-no-imports-planned-until-year-end.html
Israeli water experts investigate
benefits of drip feeding rice
Australian rice growers are being
encouraged to explore new ways of irrigating their crops using less water.
"I think it will take some
time for the rice industry in the world and in Australia to understand it and
adopt it.
"Rice takes a lot, a lot of
water.
"And if we can reduce the
amount of water that is being used by the crop it's amazing."The majority
of Australia's rice is irrigated, with small volumes grown in north Queensland
and northern New South Wales marketed as rain fed.Netafim is working with
Israel's Ben-Gurion University to test sub surface drip irrigation on a rice
farm in Woodland, California.Over the next few years it plans to test the
method on different rice varieties in a range of countries.Dr Nadav said drip
feeding rice also had the potential to boost crop yields.
"The plant is given the
exact amount of water and exact amount of fertiliser that it needs," he
said."As opposed to flood irrigation, it gives all the water the plant
needs, but in one day."It's like walking in the desert and drinking once a
week instead of each day or whenever you want."This is the
difference."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-17/rura-rice-on-drip-irrigation/8032962
Mali rice crop up 20 pct to record
2.8 mln tonnes
BAMAKO Nov 17 – Mali produced a record 2.81
million tonnes of rice in its 2016-17 season, up 20 percent from last year and
above an initial crop forecast, provisional government statistics showed on
Thursday.
http://naija247news.com/2016/11/mali-rice-crop-up-20-pct-to-record-2-8-mln-tonnes/
Exploring how rice could survive
salt stress
November 17, 2016
The rice plants were placed in pots
on conveyor belts, allowing them to be automatically moved under imaging
cameras several times a day. This enabled the team to carefully monitor their
growth. Credit: KAUST - King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Real-time genetic detailing of rice plants highlights the roles of
different loci in response to salt stress during growth.Rice is a staple for
more than half of the world's population, yet it is also the most
salt-sensitive cereal crop. KAUST researchers have studied the early responses
of rice plants to moderately saline conditions and
for the first time pinpointed new salt tolerance genetic loci1. The results
could support breeding programs to improve global rice
productivity."Thanks to the unique Plant Accelerator facility in
Australia, which is run by Bettina Berger from the University of Adelaide, we
could analyze numerous aspects of the growth of multiple plants simultaneously," said Mark Tester, KAUST
professor of plant science and associate director of the University's Center
for Desert Agriculture, who supervised KAUST Ph.D. student Nadia Al-Tamimi on
the project.
The Plant Accelerator, created by Tester before he joined KAUST,
is a facility that can grow thousands of plants at the same growth stage in
pots on conveyor belts. Each plant moves automatically to be imaged daily by
digital cameras, generating quantitative data on growth on a large scale-a
technique called high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping.Al-Tamimi's team grew
two types of rice varieties-297 indica and 256 aus-alongside a control group
and monitored them for 13 days under high- and low-salt conditions. They
photographed the plants to monitor biomass and shoot development and measured
transpiration levels (how much water the plants used) by weighing each pot
daily.
Nadia Al-Tamimi at the Plant Accelerator
facility, which has enabled for the first time the careful and systematic study
of rice plants’ early responses to salt stress. Credit: KAUST - King Abdullah
University of Science and Technology
Unlike many previous plant growth
studies, the researchers made no prior assumptions about early stage growth in
their analysis, using unbiased statistical methods to help analyze the
high-throughput phenotypic data. They found that growth rate diminished in
salt-treated soils, with a rapid slowing of growth immediately after the
addition of salt. The indica lines fared better than aus, however, which led
the team to uncover significant genetic differences between the varieties. By
combining data on relative growth rate, transpiration rate and transpiration
use efficiency (TUE) with a genome-wide association analysis, the researchers
could search for genetic loci related to specific plant traits.
It was important to carefully standardize the process to be able
to isolate influences."Nadia's systematic approach to ensure pot weight
changes were purely due to transpiration-rather than from the soil surface-was
key to including the transpiration data," Tester said. "It appears
genes involved in TUE maintenance are crucial to the main vegetative stage of
rice growth, while other factors are more significant at earlier stages."
Some genetic
loci (for example, those connected with signaling processes) were
important to growth in the first two to six days, while other loci became
prominent later."This is perhaps the most astonishing aspect of this
work-we can now provide genetic detailing in real time, pinpointing exactly
when each locus comes into play during salt shock," Tester noted.
More information: Nadia Al-Tamimi et al. Salinity tolerance loci revealed in rice
using high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping, Nature Communications (2016). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13342
http://phys.org/news/2016-11-exploring-rice-survive-salt-stress.html#jCp
Rice Prices
as on : 17-11-2016 08:10:31 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
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Arrivals
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Price
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Current
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%
change |
Season
cumulative |
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%change |
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Rice
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Gadarpur(Utr)
|
350.00
|
-58.73
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193814.00
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2055
|
1898
|
11.38
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Cachar(ASM)
|
60.00
|
50
|
4470.00
|
2200
|
2200
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-18.52
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Srirampur(ASM)
|
60.00
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-33.33
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3020.00
|
3000
|
3000
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0.67
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Saharanpur(UP)
|
40.00
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-20
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7011.00
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2280
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2300
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9.62
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Khatra(WB)
|
39.00
|
14.71
|
1595.00
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2300
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2300
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NC
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Gazipur(UP)
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35.00
|
9.38
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3770.00
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2210
|
2210
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9.68
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Gauripur(ASM)
|
34.00
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6.25
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3336.80
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4500
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4500
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NC
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Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB)
|
30.00
|
-25
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606.00
|
2300
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2300
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-
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Udala(Ori)
|
13.00
|
-18.75
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812.00
|
2800
|
2800
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NC
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Dibrugarh(ASM)
|
11.60
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36.47
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215.60
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2250
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2250
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-
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Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
|
11.00
|
NC
|
2470.00
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3000
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3000
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-14.29
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Islampur(WB)
|
10.00
|
-33.33
|
578.90
|
2400
|
2400
|
11.63
|
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Kaliaganj(WB)
|
10.00
|
-16.67
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1255.00
|
2550
|
2550
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-5.56
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North Lakhimpur(ASM)
|
9.80
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50.77
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2259.90
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1900
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1900
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NC
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Chengannur(Ker)
|
6.50
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NC
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651.00
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2400
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2300
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-4.00
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Jeypore(Kotpad)(Ori)
|
5.80
|
61.11
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343.50
|
4100
|
4100
|
26.15
|
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Jeypore(Ori)
|
3.90
|
-29.09
|
363.70
|
4100
|
4100
|
NC
|
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Kalyanpur(Tri)
|
3.00
|
NC
|
31.10
|
2800
|
2800
|
12.00
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Lakhimpur(UP)
|
2.60
|
-93.5
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365.95
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2150
|
2190
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-2.71
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Kasipur(WB)
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1.10
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57.14
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47.20
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2240
|
2350
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4.19
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Ernakulam(Ker)
|
0.56
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NC
|
15.36
|
3500
|
3500
|
-1.41
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RELATED
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article9356920.ece
11/17/2016 Farm
Bureau Market Report
Rice
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High
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Low
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Long Grain Cash Bids
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- - -
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- - -
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Long Grain New Crop
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- - -
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- - -
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Rice Comment
Rice futures
gave back most of yesterday's gains. Weekly exports of 77,400 tons weren't
enough to inspire buying interest. January is building support at Tuesday's low
of $9.30.
Value of rice husks increases as
raw material for silica
VietNamNet Bridge - Rice husks, which can
produce silica, an input material for many kinds of paints, have increased in
value.
When the rice yield is high, rice husks are
collected at the price of VND600,000 per ton. If the yield is lower, rice husks
could be sold for VND1 million per ton.Vietnam, as a large rice export country,
has 9 million tons of rice husks every year, which means that it can get VND5.4
trillion from rice husk, or $240 million. Vietnam exported $2.68 billion
worth of rice in 2015. As such, rice husks were valued at 1/10 of rice export
turnover.
Scientists say rice husks can be used to make amorphous silica utilized in metallurgy, humidity absorption, ceramics & fire-resistant materials production. Silica can also be use to make high-grade concrete, tires, paint, hydrogel and solar cells.Some days ago, at a workshop titled ‘rice husk energy and silica’, Rice High Technology (RHT) from Russia introduced technology which collects silica with the purity level of 98.5 percent from burning rice husks.The demand for silica is high in the world market. Producers can sell silica abroad, or provide it to domestic companies, including Kova, a paint manufacturer. Kova’s self-cleaning coatings, fire retardant paint and anti-bacteria paint products, sell very well in Singapore and Malaysia and all use silica.
Kova imports silica for domestic paint production.
Scientists say rice husks can be used to make amorphous silica utilized in metallurgy, humidity absorption, ceramics & fire-resistant materials production. Silica can also be use to make high-grade concrete, tires, paint, hydrogel and solar cells.Some days ago, at a workshop titled ‘rice husk energy and silica’, Rice High Technology (RHT) from Russia introduced technology which collects silica with the purity level of 98.5 percent from burning rice husks.The demand for silica is high in the world market. Producers can sell silica abroad, or provide it to domestic companies, including Kova, a paint manufacturer. Kova’s self-cleaning coatings, fire retardant paint and anti-bacteria paint products, sell very well in Singapore and Malaysia and all use silica.
Kova imports silica for domestic paint production.
|
Rice husks, which can produce silica, an input material for many
kinds of paints, have increased in value.
|
|
It is
estimated that every ton of rice husks can produce 200 kilos of silica. This
means that 9 million tons of rice husks can put out 1.8 million tons of
silica a year.Amorphous silica prices in the world market vary, from tens of
dollars to thousands of dollars per ton, depending on the quality. Silica for
metallurgy can be priced at $500 per ton. This means that Vietnam’s 1.8
million tons of silica can bring $900 million in export turnover.
This amount of silica can make tyres valued at up to $3.6 billion. With amorphous silica at a very high quality used to make solar cells, priced at $1,500 per ton, Vietnam would be able to earn $27 billion. Like rice husks, straw, which Vietnamese farmers threw away in the past, now can be exported to Japan. Japanese J-Bix has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Can Tho City People’s Committee on its import of rice husks and straw from the Song Hau Farm.According to Aoyama, vice president of J-Bix, the association needs 220,000 tons of straw each year for feed for cows and for making tatami. |
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http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/science-it/167141/value-of-rice-husks-increases-as-raw-material-for-silica.html
Indonesia's
rice output enough to meet local demand
A farmer dries rice grain at a rice mill at Campursari village
in Temanggung, Indonesia, on Oct 20, 2016, in this picture taken by Antara
Foto.
NOV 18,
2016, 5:00 AM SGT
Indonesia is the world's third-
largest rice producer and it used to be self-sufficient in rice production. But
a mix of bad weather, weak regulations, poor maintenance and investment in
infrastructure for growing rice has hit production in the rapidly growing
nation.Last month, Mr Joko said Indonesia was building 49 dams and thousands of
small reservoirs to improve water supplies for crops.Rice is a politically
sensitive commodity in Indonesia because it is the main staple for 250 million
people and the main crop for millions of farmers.According to Antara News, the
government is revamping regulations that impeded production."We are
improving all regulations, which are seen to be hindering the pace towards
achieving self-sufficiency in food production," Agriculture Minister Amran
Sulaiman said late last month, according to Antara. He said Indonesia imported
1.9 million tonnes of rice over the past two years.
More transparent procurement of
fertilisers and planting of higher-yielding rice varieties are also measures
taken to boost production, Antara said in a report earlier this
month.Separately, the Philippines has no urgent need to import more rice, the
deputy head of the country's economic planning agency said yesterday, despite
concerns about a shortage because of typhoons last month, Reuters reported.Dr
Rosemarie Edillon's comment comes after the Philippine Statistics Authority
said this year's paddy rice output would be 1.3 per cent lower than last
year's.The Philippines is one of the world's largest rice importers.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesias-rice-output-enough-to-meet-local-demand
Overseas Promotion Funding Announced for 2017
For FY17, USA Rice received nearly $2.5 million in MAP funds and over $1.6 in FMD funds. At the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC) annual meetings earlier this week, FAS staff informed the cooperator groups that the reduction most groups received was due to a slightly higher sequestration rate, less carryover from previous years, and the addition of two new cooperators in MAP."While it is somewhat disappointing that less funding was available compared with last year, we are heartened by conversations with FAS that see the value in our overseas programs," said John Valpey, chairman of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee. "We will continue to conduct a robust, global promotion program promoting all types and forms of U.S. rice."
"We appreciate FAS support through the MAP and FMD programs which help the entire rice industry market products overseas," said USA Rice Chairman Brian King. "Without these vital funds and the overseas FAS personnel that enable us to respond to issues that arise with trade, the U.S. rice industry would not be nearly as vibrant as it is now. Nearly 50 percent of the U.S. rice crop is destined for overseas markets so it's imperative that we have adequate marketing, promotional, and trade servicing support."
India: Paying
for a rickshaw ride with a sack of rice
Other tales emerge from India’s chaotic ban on large currency
notes
Image Credit: AFP
An Indian woman displays her 2000
rupee notes as she has her finger inked with indelible ink after exchanging
withdrawn 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes at a bank in Chennai.
Published: 12:36 November 17,
2016
Los Angeles Times
MUMBAI: The rickshaw meter read about $2.30 (Dh8.45), but
passenger Gaurav Munjal didn’t have cash. The first ATM he and the driver found
had a long line; the second was out of bills.Frustrated, the 26-year-old tech
entrepreneur asked the driver, “Do you want some rice?”The two men drove to a
department store and Munjal used a credit card to pay for an 5kg sack of basmati
rice that he deposited on the floor of the rickshaw, next to the driver’s
feet.“Good thing for the barter system,” Munjal said later in an interview.
“Otherwise it was chaos.”
An exasperating cash crunch has gripped India in the week since
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the unprecedented step of withdrawing the
country’s large currency notes from circulation. Modi surprised the nation by
announcing an instant ban on the 500-rupee and 1,000-rupee notes, worth about
$7.50 and $15, respectively, and which account for 86 per cent of the cash in
the market.The ban was billed as a sweeping move against corruption that would
force Indians who hold large amounts of undeclared wealth to deposit the money
at banks and make their assets official.
But it has stunned hundreds of millions of poor and
working-class Indians who live an almost entirely cash-based existence, paying
in bills for everything from rent to groceries to cellphone credit.The plan was
shrouded in such secrecy that even India’s financial institutions were ill
prepared, creating long, sometimes unruly lines outside banks, ATMs and
chronically understaffed post offices that are authorised to exchange the
now-worthless notes and dispense new ones.Indian media report that at least
five people have died of exhaustion while waiting to change money outside
banks, and that three children have succumbed to illnesses that private
hospitals wouldn’t treat because their families had only old notes.
Credit and debit cards are unaffected, but only half of Indians
have bank accounts. Even for those fortunate enough to find some cash — the
government has set a temporary $66 daily limit for withdrawals — a newly
released 2,000-rupee banknote is in effect useless for daily purchases because
most merchants can’t make change.Adding to the headaches is that the
2,000-rupee note and a new, revamped 500-rupee note are of a different size,
meaning it could take weeks to reconfigure the country’s 200,000-plus cash
machines to dispense them.
For now, that has made the 100-rupee note the basic legal tender
for most transactions, reducing the world’s seventh-largest economy to trading
largely in the equivalent of $1 bills.The Wire, an online news site, called it
“undeniably the most extraordinary situation India’s economy has faced since
independence.”
At his roadside stall in central Mumbai, India’s financial
capital, Ramesh Sisodia doled out steaming shot glasses of milky tea and
coffee, the cheap and ubiquitous fuel for armies of Indian labourers and office
workers, at 20 rupees (Dh1.08) a pop (about 30 cents). But Sisodia said some
customers were trying to pay with 2,000-rupee bills.“It is not their fault, but
how am I going to cope?” Sisodia said.His business had dwindled as his poorer
customers chose to save their scarce small bills and richer ones opted for
fancier coffee shops that take plastic.
“People don’t have money to buy bread — why would they stroll
out for a coffee?” he said. “Those who can afford it would prefer to pay 10
times more for a coffee at Barista” — a Starbucks-like chain — “because they
can pay by card.”As one customer took out his wallet to pay, a 10-rupee note
(15 cents) fell on the ground. A bystander alerted Sisodia, who thanked him and
said, “It is a precious note these days.”
When the customer produced exact change, Sisodia said, “God
bless you, my friend.”Blue-collar workers are not showing up for jobs, unable
to scrounge up money for bus fare or fuel to power their motorbikes. Mumbai’s
cash-based taxis and rickshaws have also struggled as middle-class customers
opt for card-based services such as Uber.Even filling up the tank has become a
chore as gas stations, which have been authorised to accept the old bills for a
limited time, refuse to make change, said Lallan Jaiswal, a cabbie sitting idle
by the roadside, his khaki uniform slung over the driver’s seat.
“They fill up the tank only if we buy gas worth 500 or 1,000
rupees,” Jaiswal said — the equivalent of a day’s worth of fares.Neighbourhood
grocers who deal mainly in cash have offered to sell goods on credit, while
some customers are bartering phone credit — bought with a credit card — for
vegetables.Such solutions fit into India’s long-standing tradition of jugaad,
or ad hoc fixes. “But the middle class always suffers the worst,” said Kiran Gosrani,
owner of a grocery in central Mumbai. “The big fish always get away.”Indeed,
many Indians are sceptical that the drastic action will end the scourge of
so-called black money — the vast amounts of off-the-books wealth that accrue at
the rate of an estimated $460 billion a year, more than the economy of
Thailand.
Black money is an outgrowth of an economy in which cash accounts
for two-thirds of the value of all transactions, one of the highest rates in
the world, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. (In the US, it’s 14%.)
Much of the wealth that India has accumulated since economic
reforms began in the 1990s has never been taxed or accounted for, parked
instead in real estate, gold, foreign investments and, in some cases, bundles
of cash sitting at home.It is those stacks of bills that Modi, who took office
2 1/2 years ago on promises to curb corruption, aimed to bring into the open.
Supporters of the prime minister’s plan said those holding cash stockpiles
would have to deposit them at banks, where huge amounts would draw the scrutiny
of tax authorities, or allow their value to evaporate.
In a speech over the weekend, Modi asked Indians for patience
until December 30, the deadline for depositing the old bills, saying, “I
promise you I will give you the India of your dreams.”The chaos in the streets
has overshadowed Modi’s rhetoric. But critics say that even if the policy had
been smoothly implemented, black money would continue to flow from virtually
every seam of a lightly regulated economy that presents endless opportunities
for masking wealth.In the short term, jugaad is not limited to the working
class; the wealthy, too, are finding ways around the currency ban.
Officials have said that bank deposits of less than about $3,600
can be made with virtually no questions asked, to attract small-time savers.
One employee in Mumbai’s diamond bourse, who requested anonymity to protect his
job, said jewellery merchants were distributing bundles of cash to their
employees and having them deposit it under their names, to be retrieved
later.“Employees willingly help out their bosses because they pay their
salaries,” the person said. “At some places, even bank managers are helping
them out because banks need rich customers.
http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/india-paying-for-a-rickshaw-ride-with-a-sack-of-rice-1.1930997
National
Rice Awareness Month kicks off at PH’s rice granary
MUÑOZ, NUEVA ECIJA ― The Philippine Rice
Research Institute kicked off the celebration of the National Rice Awareness
Month (NRAM) during the celebration of the Institute’s 31st
Anniversary, November 7.
This year’s NRAM will focus on mainstreaming
brown rice as an alternative food staple to white rice. Also known as pinawa, brown rice is a whole grain
cereal produced by removing only the hull using mortar-and-pestle or rubber
roller milling machine. The bran layer (darak)
is retained giving the grain its brown color and keeping its high levels of
soluble fiber antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals.
“The country faces problems such as
undernourishment, low income of rice farmers, rice insufficiency, and hunger.
To help address these issues, promotion of brown rice consumption is
necessary,” said Dr. Flordeliza H. Bordey, PhilRice’s deputy executive director
for development.
Social
media campaign
The main activity of NRAM is the #BROWN4good
Challenge, a social media campaign that seeks to promote brown rice
as a “good” food, led by the Be Riceponsible Campaign.
First goodness is for the body noting its
health benefits. Second is goodness for the farmers especially those who belong
to farmer cooperatives that are linked to hotels, restaurants, supermarkets,
and other market outlets for brown rice.
Third goodness is for the country. A PhilRice
study revealed that brown rice has a 10% higher milling recovery advantage that
would result in about 1.2 million MT additional edible rice supply. Lastly, the
fourth goodness is for the less fortunate. Every hashtag is equivalent to one
cup of brown rice which will be donated to partner-charities nationwide.
“We are eyeing at least 50,000 hashtags per
region and we have partnered with the LGUs and DA-RFO as well as other groups
for this,” said Hazel V. Antonio, campaign director of the Be Riceponsible
Campaign.
Food and
fashion
Also part of the NRAM celebration is the
opening of the exhibit titled Evolution
of Novo Ecijano’s Farming System and Filipino Costumes, November 3.“Agriculture
is the common denominator of food and fashion. Most of the basic things that
humans need for survival such as food, clothing…. are products of plant and
animal farming,” Bordey said during the event. .
The exhibit, which will run until November 30
at the Central Luzon Agricultural Museum in Central Luzon State University
(CLSU), highlights farm implements representing the emergence of Nueva Ecija as
rice granary and the Ayala doll collection. The featured farm implements, which
were researched and curated by the Rice
Science Museum, is part of its cultural mapping study being
conducted in the country’s top rice producing provinces.
On the other hand, the 42-year-old doll
collection dramatize the distinctive features of the Filipino clothes with some
from farming communities. Made out of wood, the dolls have similar clothing
materials and body adornments worn by the people they represent.“But more than
an appreciation for rice farming and Filipino costumes, [it is hoped] that the
exhibit will spark meaningful conversations among stakeholders, [especially]
the youth, on how we can take lessons from history and use these for individual
growth and increased participation in nation-building,” she said.
Youth
force in agri
In engaging the youth in nation-building,
Bordey said that platforms, which the youth are receptive including fashion,
must be used as Filipinos also better retain information through visual and
interactive experiences.
Meanwhile, Dr. Melissa A. Agulto, CLSU
vice-president for academic affairs, said that the exhibit makes the Novo
Ecijanos proud of their farming heritage, encourages the youth to choose a
career in agriculture, and challenges the audience to find nation-binding
common themes amidst the county’s rich and cultural diversity.
“[Initiatives] like this, which aims to
heighten the awareness and appreciation of one’s heritage and identity, play an
important role in today’s globalized society. With the blurring of national
boarders due to globalization, there is a need to remind ourselves of our
roots, so that we may become global citizens but with deep understanding of our
Filipino identity,” Agulto emphasized.
Kenneth C. Esguerra, Ayala Museum senior
curator, added that the exhibit may also help in inspiring Filipinos to be
involved in rice advocacies.A partnership among Rice Science Museum of
PhilRice, CLSU, local government of Science City of Muñoz, and the Ayala
Museum, the exhibit expects 20,000 viewers. Queries and reservations can be
made through the following numbers: (044) 456-0285
loc 530 or (0939) 154 5543.NRAM is celebrated every November pursuant to
Presidential Proclamation No. 524, s.2004.
Hacking rice farming
One strategy to attract the youth to venture in
rice farming is to strengthen their awareness of the latest ICT tools in modern
agriculture. On November 15, 2016, ICT experts gathered at PhilRice to inspire
more than a hundred graduating students from five universities to venture in
agricultural ICT.
The 3rd Agrihackathon Symposium
showcased the full utilization of ICT in agriculture.“Where else can we find
the next noble ideas and ICT innovations in agriculture than in our youth,”
said Dr. Flordeliza Bordey, PhilRice deputy executive director for
development.“We are encouraging IT students to produce a number of ICT tools to
speed up the modernization of rice farming in our country,” Bordey added.
Guest speaker Engr. Franch Maverick Lorilla
from CloudFarm Innovations, an agri-tech company in Davao City, also discussed
business startups on agricultural ICT.“We can be techno-preneurs and create
machinery, software, applications, sensors, knowledge banks, and many other
tools to help our farmers,” Lorilla explained.
Lorilla is the co-creator of the Heat Stress
Analyzer, a smart sensor and app that helps farmers maximize their yield
through advance monitoring and analytics of the crop condition. The
participants also learned about the existing ICT tools used by PhilRice such as
the PhilRice Text Center, Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank (PRKB), Rice Crop Manager
(RCM), Minus One Element Technique App (MOET), Philippine Rice Information
System (PRISM), and the Rice Doctor diagnostic tool app.“I appreciate that
there are already existing ICT tools to help our farmers. I feel motivated
since future ICT practitioners like us have the potential to contribute in
advancing the agriculture sector in our country,” said Carl Angelo Dallo, a
student from Central Luzon State University (CLSU).
Dr. Jasper Tallada of PhilRice, mentioned
infrared imagery, vertical farming, hydroponics, drones, and satellite farming,
as among the modern ICT tools for agriculture.Drones are used in rice farming
for research activities such as data collection, tracking growth patterns, and
pest and nutrient management.Vertical farming and hydroponics, on the other
hand, are used to produce crops without relying on favorable weather, high soil
fertility or high water usage.
Infrared imagery helps researchers in analyzing
rice leaf nitrogen. This versatile technology, known to analyze data in less
than 1 minute, has potential for soil, chemical, and grain quality analysis.
Satellite farming is used for yield mapping,
monitoring, crop health assessment, and damage assessment during calamities. It
provides a continual source of information, regardless of weather
conditions.Aside from CLSU, the student participants come from Pampanga State
Agricultural University, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, College
for Research and Technology in Cabanatuan, and Pangasinan State University.
Lam Takhong Dam has too little
water for 2nd rice crop
17 Nov 2016 at 12:53
WRITER: PRASIT TANGPRASERT
Lam Takhong
Dam reservoir, in August this year. (Bangkok {Post file photo)
NAKHON
RATCHASIMA --Lam Takhong Dam reservoir in Sikhiu district is far below capacity
and there will not be enough water for farmers in five districts to grow a
second rice crop, governor Wichien Chantaranothai said on Thursday.Mr Wichien
said Lam Takhong Dam -- the main source for general use and tap water
production in Sikhiu, Sung Noen, Kham Thaleso, Chalerm Phra Kiat and Muang
districts -- now holds 119 million cubic metres of water, only 37.87% of its
rated capacity.
Therefore,
it was agreed at a recent meeting of water users in the Lam Takhong Dam basin
that the dam would release a maximum of 432,000 cubic metres of water per day
from Dec 1 to April 30 for general consumption and to maintain the ecological
system.The meeting also resolved that farmers on about 150,000 rai of fields
below the dam should not grow a second rice crop, and instead plant crops which need little water. Water
released from the dam would be reserved mainly for general consumption.The
Nakhon Ratchasima Municipal waterworks would draw on 50,000 cubic metres of
water a day from Lam Takhong Dam and 40,000 cubic metres from Lam Sae Dam for
tap water production.To retain water for use during the coming dry season, the
chiefs of all districts had been instructed to build small weirs on every steam
in their area, the governor said.
Thai rice grades to be
redefined
17 Nov 2016 WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS
The Commerce Ministry has reclassifed hom mali
rice standards to cater to all export markets after the existing standards have
been in place for almost 20 years.The grain will be divided into three grades
aimed at the upper, middle and lower markets to enhance the country's export
competition, Duangporn Rodphaya, director of the Department of International
Trade Promotion, said on Thursday."We've finished revising standards on
rice products to better suit world markets, enhance exporters' competitiveness
and meet increasingly diverse consumers' demands," she said, adding they
would replace the existing standards in use since 1997.Under the new standards,
the best grade is "Thai Hom Mali" rice, targeting the upper market.
To qualify as such, the grain must have at least 92% of Thai hom mali.
The second grade, called "Thai jasmine
rice", "Thai fragrant rice" or "Thai aromatic rice",
is a fighting brand aimed at competing with neighbouring countries such as
Vietnam amd Cambodia. It also encourages exports of new grains developed by the
Agriculture Ministry.It must have at least 80% of Thai fragrant rice and not
more than 20% of amylose content.The third grade for the lower market aims to
promote exports so it is open to buyers' requirements. Customers who want
fragrant rice with specifications other than the previous two types can place
custom orders as needed, she said.
Organic Rice Protein Market Status 2016 to 2022
by Manufacturers, Historical and Forecasts, Professional Market Research Report
Friday, November 18th, 2016 - Market Study Report
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adds “2016 Global Organic
Rice Protein Market Status, 2011-2022 Market Historical and Forecasts,
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research report in this market.
This report focused on global and regional market, major manufacturers, as well as the segment market details on different classifications and applications.First, this report analyzed the basic scope of this industry like definition, specification, classification, application, industry policy and news in Chapter 1.Second, the analysis on industry chain is provided including the up and down stream industry also with the major market players. And the analysis on manufacturing including process, cost structure and major plants distribution is conducted in Chapter 2.
This report focused on global and regional market, major manufacturers, as well as the segment market details on different classifications and applications.First, this report analyzed the basic scope of this industry like definition, specification, classification, application, industry policy and news in Chapter 1.Second, the analysis on industry chain is provided including the up and down stream industry also with the major market players. And the analysis on manufacturing including process, cost structure and major plants distribution is conducted in Chapter 2.
Browse full table of contents and data tables at https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/2016-global-organic-rice-proteinmarket-status-2011-2022-market-historical-and-forecasts-professional-market-research-report/
Then
the global and regional market is analyzed. In these chapters, this report
analyzed major market data like capacity, production, capacity utilization
rate, price, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, supply, import, export,
consumption, market share, growth rate and etc. For regional market, this
report analyzed major regions like Europe, North America, South
America, Asia (Excluding China), China and ROW. These analysis are conducted in Chapter 3 and 4.
In Chapter 5, the performance of major manufacturers are analyzed and then in Chapter 6 and 7 the analysis on major classification and application.
Then the marketing channel analysis is provided including the major distributors in Chapter 8.
Then this report analyzed the market forecast from 2017 to 2022 for global and regional market in Chapter 9 and the new project investment feasibility analysis in Chapter 10.
At last, this report provided the conclusions of this research in Chapter 11.
This report is a valuable source of guidance for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, customers, investors and individuals who have interest in this market.
In Chapter 5, the performance of major manufacturers are analyzed and then in Chapter 6 and 7 the analysis on major classification and application.
Then the marketing channel analysis is provided including the major distributors in Chapter 8.
Then this report analyzed the market forecast from 2017 to 2022 for global and regional market in Chapter 9 and the new project investment feasibility analysis in Chapter 10.
At last, this report provided the conclusions of this research in Chapter 11.
This report is a valuable source of guidance for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, customers, investors and individuals who have interest in this market.
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5 Major Manufacturers Analysis
5.1 Axiom Foods, Inc.?
5.1.1 Company Profile
5.1.2 Product Specification
5.1.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.1.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.1.5 Contact Information
5.2 AIDP, Inc.?
5.2.1 Company Profile
5.2.2 Product Specification
5.2.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.2.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.2.5 Contact Information
5.3 Ricebran Technologies?
5.3.1 Company Profile
5.3.2 Product Specification
5.3.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.3.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.3.5 Contact Information
5.4 Shaanxi Fuheng (FH) Biotechnology Co., Ltd?
5.4.1 Company Profile
5.4.2 Product Specification
5.4.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.4.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.4.5 Contact Information
5.5 Shafi Gluco-Chem (Pvt.) Ltd.?
5.5.1 Company Profile
5.5.2 Product Specification
5.5.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.5.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.5.5 Contact Information
5.6 Bioway (Xi'an) Organic Ingredients Co., Ltd.?
5.6.1 Company Profile
5.6.2 Product Specification
5.6.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.6.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.6.5 Contact Information
5.7 Golden Grain Group Limited?
5.7.1 Company Profile
5.7.2 Product Specification
5.7.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.7.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.7.5 Contact Information
5.8 Ribus, Inc.?
5.8.1 Company Profile
5.8.2 Product Specification
5.8.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.8.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.8.5 Contact Information
5.1 Axiom Foods, Inc.?
5.1.1 Company Profile
5.1.2 Product Specification
5.1.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.1.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.1.5 Contact Information
5.2 AIDP, Inc.?
5.2.1 Company Profile
5.2.2 Product Specification
5.2.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.2.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.2.5 Contact Information
5.3 Ricebran Technologies?
5.3.1 Company Profile
5.3.2 Product Specification
5.3.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.3.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.3.5 Contact Information
5.4 Shaanxi Fuheng (FH) Biotechnology Co., Ltd?
5.4.1 Company Profile
5.4.2 Product Specification
5.4.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.4.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.4.5 Contact Information
5.5 Shafi Gluco-Chem (Pvt.) Ltd.?
5.5.1 Company Profile
5.5.2 Product Specification
5.5.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.5.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.5.5 Contact Information
5.6 Bioway (Xi'an) Organic Ingredients Co., Ltd.?
5.6.1 Company Profile
5.6.2 Product Specification
5.6.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.6.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.6.5 Contact Information
5.7 Golden Grain Group Limited?
5.7.1 Company Profile
5.7.2 Product Specification
5.7.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.7.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.7.5 Contact Information
5.8 Ribus, Inc.?
5.8.1 Company Profile
5.8.2 Product Specification
5.8.3 2011-2016 Global Market Performance
5.8.4 2015 Regional Market Performance
5.8.5 Contact Information
Enquiry before buying at https://www.marketstudyreport.com/enquiry-before-buying/?search=2016-global-organic-rice-proteinmarket-status-2011-2022-market-historical-and-forecasts-professional-market-research-report/
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http://www.newsmaker.com.au/news/163759/organic-rice-protein-market-status-2016-to-2022-by-manufacturers-historical-and-forecasts-professional-market-research-report#.WC7hH7J94dU
Leap
of Faith Alters Doctoral Student's Career Plans
Nov. 18, 2016
Photo by Whit Pruitt, University
Relations
Dennis Lozada is working to breed
wheat with a higher grain yield and that is adaptable in a wide variety of
climates.
Dennis Lozada wanted to be a
medical doctor. But, a leap of faith brought him to Fayetteville to study wheat
— a crop he had never even seen until he began graduate school at the
University of Arkansas in 2013. With no regrets, Lozada said the decision was
one of the best of his life.Since childhood, Lozada has had a passion for
helping others. He spent most his life thinking the best way to channel that
passion was to become a medical doctor. However, after working with the
International Rice Research Institute as an undergraduate, Lozada's career
plans changed."When I saw first-hand the importance of agriculture, I knew
that was the sector I needed to be in," he said.
Lozada refocused his undergraduate
research on rice and intended to pursue that same research focus in graduate
school. But, when University of Arkansas professor Esten Masonpitched him the idea of studying
wheat breeding in the university's cell and molecular biology program, he took
the chance and again changed his course."Things have definitely turned out
differently than I expected them to, but I'm enjoying it," he said.Lozada
is trying to breed wheat that has a higher grain yield and is adaptable to a
wider range of climate environments than current wheat varieties. He works with
240 wheat varieties to identify regions in the wheat genome that affect
variation for grain yield and adaptation traits. By doing so, he could
potentially identify wheat varieties that have higher yield and productivity in
target environments.The significance of his research earned Lozada a 2015 Monsanto Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program
fellowship, which is valued at $100,000. The fellowship will afford
him the opportunity to conduct research at the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center in Mexico during the spring 2017 semester.
Lozada is still in the early
stages of his research, but is excited for what is ahead and its potential
impact."Wheat is one of the most important crops in the world," he
said. "Knowing that the results of my research could potentially impact
farmers and consumers by producing better crops for more people is something
that is encouraging for me."Lozada holds a bachelor's degree in biology
from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. He is on track to complete
his doctoral degree in cell and molecular biology at the University of Arkansas
in 2018.
CONTACTS
Amanda Cantu, director of
communications
Graduate School and International
Education
http://news.uark.edu/articles/37177/leap-of-faith-alters-doctoral-student-s-career-plans
In difficult times for rice farmers GRDB is
organizing a ‘cocktail’
By STAFF WRITER
November
18, 2016
Dear Editor,
On November 15, 2016, I received an elaborate
invitation from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) for “An Evening of
Rice”, a “Cocktail & Exhibition, celebrating the versatility of rice”. One
wonders whose idea it was for such an event. Did the Board of Directors approve
this event and if yes, was there any consultation with the industry
stakeholders? What is the cost of this elaborate event?
The location of this event at the Umana Yana in
downtown Georgetown can be considered a very poor choice of venue to facilitate
the meaningful participation of the
industry’s stakeholders’. I assume that farmers and millers were invited and if
they were how many of them would be able to attend this event in the evening at
18:30hrs, travelling long distances and leaving their homes unprotected in
these troubling times of high crime.The industry is currently experiencing
severe difficulties: a significant drop in production; a reduction in the acreage under cultivation;
farmers getting almost 40% less than they used to get, many of whom have
abandoned their lands out of the frustration over the increasing debt burden.
In these difficult times when livelihoods are
seriously threatened, the GRDB is organising a “Cocktail” ‒ to talk about what?
It seems as though there is no end to the
reckless spending and misuse of rice farmers’ money by the current
administrators of the industry. This cocktail and exhibition provides another
opportunity for bureaucrats to rub shoulders and enjoy drinks at farmers’
expense.Surely, the GRDB could have come up with a better idea to ‘celebrate
the versatility of rice’. What about a workshop in a farming community? What
about a scientific conference engaging scientista at the Burma Rice Research
Station or elsewhere involving farmers and millers? I am certain that any
such event as proposed would have given
the farmers and millers better value for their money. Then again, what can you
expect; this is the same government that promised $9000 a bag for paddy and has
delivered 40% less than what farmers were originally getting.
Yours faithfully,
D Seeraj
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/opinion/letters/11/18/difficult-times-rice-farmers-grdb-organizing-cocktail/
