Rice R& D News -CRI, Chinese centre sign agreement on rice research

CRI, Chinese centre sign agreement on rice research

REBECCA QUAICOE DUHO 

 

08 DECEMBER 2017

Prof. Yuan Longping (middle) with Dr Stella Ennin (3rd left) and some of the women entrepreneurs of the First Lady's entourage

The Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed an agreement with the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Centre (HHRRC) of China to undertake research into rice to improve the quality and increase the yield of local rice.

Under the agreement, the HHRRC will provide technical support for the CRI to grow high-yielding hybrid rice.

Currently, Ghana imports over $600 million worth of rice annually. The expectation is that the cultivation of hybrid rice will boost the country’s production, as well as the quality of local rice.

The HHRRC is a specialised institution for hybrid rice research and technology transfer in China.

The centre engages in applied and academic research activities on the development and application of rice hybrids with stronger heterosis, multiple resistances and improved grain and seed quality.

The Director of the CRI, Dr Stella Ennin, signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of the institute when the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, visited China with women entrepreneurs to look for investment opportunities.

The Director, International Division, China National Hybrid R&D Centre (HHRRC), Dr Cao Nengliang, signed on behalf of the centre.

During the trip, the women entrepreneurs, who included contractors, hoteliers and other business owners, met with investors in their areas of business.

Read also: MTN secures GH¢510m syndicated loan facility

MoU

In an interview, Dr Ennin said the MoU, which was an Agriculture Cooperation Project, would enable scientists from Ghana to under-study their counterparts at the HHRRC to acquire the technology.

That, she said, would help the country increase its rice yield, as well as improve on its quality.

She explained that rice was a self-pollinated crop and, therefore, did not produce high-yielding seedlings.

However, she explained, a Chinese scientist, Professor Yuan Longping, considered the father of hybrid rice, found a male sterility of rice which he used as an initial breeding material of male sterile lines to produce hybrid rice.

She said although scientists in Ghana had developed varieties of rice, they had not been able to develop hybrid rice, saying the agreement with the HHRRC would be a big boost for the country’s rice production.

Dr Ennin, who was full of joy to meet the ‘Father of Hybrid Rice’ at the HHRRC when the First Lady and her entourage toured the facility, said the meeting was an opportunity which her institute had always been looking forward to and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

Hybrid rice

Prof. Longping is the Director-General of the HHRRC and he initiated hybrid rice research in China in 1964. He was awarded China’s first special class National Invention Prize in 1981.

The HHRRC has been involved in China’s South-South Cooperation (SSC) programme, particularly with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/cri-chinese-centre-sign-agreement-on-rice-research.html
Writer's email-rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh

Rice R&D News -Innovation makes poor land green

Innovation makes poor land green

1

2017-12-08 09:06China DailyEditor: Wang ZihaoECNS App Download

'Father of hybrid rice' grows crops in barren saline-alkaline areas
A new technological breakthrough proposed by China's "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping has increased rice yields by nearly 20 percent on land considered too saline and alkaline to be useful for crops.
The techniques are expected to be used domestically and abroad, officials said on Thursday.
The aim is to improve saline-alkaline land so that it can be used to grow more rice, said Zhang Guodong, executive director of Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center in Shandong province.
The center has started building four demonstration centers, in the north and south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in Daqing in Heilongjiang province and in Qingdao, each with over 66 hectares of experimental paddies. They would be used to determine the best ways to cultivate saline-alkali land, increase yields and reduce planting costs.
In September, the Qingdao demonstration center harvested four types saline-alkali resistant rice, with the highest yield reaching 9.3 metric tons per hectare, much higher than expected.
"One of the key steps to make it commercially viable is to cultivate highly resistant rice adapted to the environments of different saline-alkaline wastelands," Zhang said.
Zhang said the research center is likely to build five to 10 more demonstration bases over the next two to three years across China to develop the best way to promote the technology.
"The Qingdao R&D center also plans to use the new technology in countries of Southeast Asia and the Middle East," said Zhang, who added he could not provide details because negotiations are underway.
Yuan's new breakthrough, called the Four-Dimensional Optimizing Method, is designed to tailor-make different solutions for different soils, according to the 87-year-old scientist.
"One of difficulties is to get rid of salinity in the soil," Yuan said at the second session of International Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Forum in Qingdao on Thursday.
The forum attracted more than 300 experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from home and abroad to discuss saline-alkali tolerant rice.
Yuan said the only two solutions for boosting productivity are increasing the yield and expanding the planting area.
"Now it seems the latter is a more effective way because there are hundreds of millions of hectares of saline-alkali land in the world," he said.
"China alone has about 100 million hectares of saline-alkali soil, and that area is still increasing year by year. Rice is the first choice of crop for improving the soil," Yuan said.
He said he hopes global crop security issues can be effectively dealt with through further development of salinealkali tolerant rice.
"Rice itself has the biological function of reducing salt and is the preferred food crop for improving saline-alkali soil," said Ai Jichang, a government relations officer with the World Food Programme China Office.
"At present, more than half of the world's population lives on rice as a staple food. The comprehensive improvement technology for saline-alkali soil proposed by Yuan Longping's team is of great strategic significance for promoting integrated research and the commercial extension of rice improvement in saline-alkali soil, ensuring national food security," Ai said.

Rice R&D News -

and business.A boat in Cambodia's Tonle Sap Fishing Village. Photo by John Sabo/Arizona State University.Download Full Image

Arizona State University professor John Sabo and collaborators have proposed a solution in the Dec. 8 issue of Science magazine that allows dam operators to generate power in ways that also protect — and possibly improve — food supplies and businesses throughout the Mekong river basin. 

“We have figured out the relationship between river flows and fish catch, and we have developed an algorithm for dam operators to use that will increase fish harvests and still generate power,” Sabo said. “Dams are going to be built no matter how much fuss we make; our research shows how we can be more strategic about the buildout and operations of these dams in the Mekong.”

The proposed solution, the first of its kind for this problem, can be applied to other large river systems around the world facing similar tradeoffs.

The Mekong river floods annually, and it is known that those floods are important for fisheries, Sabo said. New in this research is the recognition that seasonal droughts are equally important. Long droughts combined with short floods may create the ideal conditions for terrestrial nutrients to be entrained into the freshwater system.

With that in mind, the algorithm presented by Sabo et al. in Science recommends long low-flow periods punctuated by pulses of flooding, which will allow dam operators to co-manage their power generation priorities, while protecting livelihoods for fisheries downstream.

Fish from the Henicorynchus group are vital for food security in Cambodia. The whole fish, including brains and eyeballs, which are rich in vitamin A and omegas, is ground up and used as a paste in a soup with rice noodles and vegetables. 

Photo Courtesy John Sabo/Arizona State University

Sabo worked with other ASU researchers on the project, as well as researchers from the University of Washington, University of Maryland, Conservation International, the University of South Florida, the Mekong River Commission and Aalto University.

“We have taken this conversation around fisheries and dams in the Mekong from a yes-or-no conversation, from a good idea-bad idea conversation, and we have come up with an alternative, a mathematical formula that has the possibility to achieve dam operator goals and protect fisheries,” said Gordon Holtgrieve, an assistant professor at the University of Washington.

With recent funding from the National Science Foundation, Sabo, Holtgrieve and a team of researchers will expand the project to better understand how dam operators can balance power generation needs with other factors, including rice production, food nutritional quality and ecological goals. 

Solutions Tempe campus Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability School of Life SciencesSustainability Environment Research Renewable energy Science International Faculty Community

Leslie Minton

Media Relations Manager, Media Relations and Strategic Communications

480-727-4294 leslie.minton@asu.edu

https://asunow.asu.edu/20171207-solutions-hydropower-dam-research-mekong-asu-john-sabo

7th December,2017 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazie

USA Rice Outlook Conference

Rice Storytelling 

Tuesday, December 12, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

218, Meeting Level

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Every farmer has a story to tell.  But getting people to listen is another story entirely.  In this session, you'll hear from three California rice farmers who have built an audience - their stories get viewed, liked, and listened to by people all over the world. 

Nick Fox, Kurt Richter, and Matthew Sligar will share storytelling know-how, including technical expertise, how to create content, crafting a narrative for social media, and balancing all that with the real work of rice farming.

Panel moderator Jim Morris, communications manager for the California Rice Commission, will tease out their tips and tricks, and their best advice on how you can get started telling your own story.  Come get inspired.

Rice storytelling comes alive

Click the image for a storytelling preview

Arkansas Ag Committee Discusses Fake Rice, Begins Drafting Resolution 

By Lydia Holmes

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Yesterday, Arkansas Rice Federation Executive Director Lauren Waldrip Ward testified before the Arkansas Joint Senate and House Committee on Agriculture on the industry's concern of a current food trend where vegetables are being "riced" and marketed as a "more healthy" form of rice. 

Marketing campaigns are identifying these products as "riced vegetables" while some companies are marketing vegetables and other non-rice products as rice.  These products often are stocked on grocery shelves alongside rice.  

Ward explained many of the products, including Cauli Rice, Miracle Rice, Better than Rice, and Green Giant's Cauliflower Fried Rice do not contain a single grain of rice.  Through packaging designed and displayed to mislead and with advertisements reading "Move over, rice," companies are likely causing confusion among consumers.

There is currently not an FDA Standard of Identity for rice, but Arkansas Rice and USA Rice agree with the existing Codex definition, which simply identifies rice as originating from the Oryza sativa L. plant.
 
"Our industry has made significant investments developing and building the brand we have for rice," said Ward.  "These companies have made it clear that they intend to capitalize on that very brand.  Our farmers are proud of the quality associated with the rice they grow and we must continue to preserve that image while also protecting consumers." 

Ward continued, "Consumers have a right to know honestly and transparently what they are purchasing and these fake rice products are designed to mislead them.  Consumers who want to purchase rice are being tricked into buying something other than rice.  Rice is a grain, not a shape."
 
Committee members inquired about actions being taken at the federal level by the Food and Drug Administration and expressed strong interest in supporting those efforts.
 
"We'll do whatever is necessary to combat this issue," said State Senator Blake Johnson.  "I would like to begin working with Arkansas Rice to develop a resolution addressing rice pretenders and protecting consumers' rights."

How rice farmers restore Sac endangered fish population

Native fish are cut off from historic Sacramento floodplain food supply

Updated: 6:46 PM PST Dec 5, 2017

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 SHOW TRANSCRIPT

YOLO COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —

The Sacramento region’s floodplain was once a rich food source for the state’s thriving native fish population.

The essential food is still there. The problem is, for decades, fish have been blocked from accessing the vital floodplain due to flood control.

“There was once 2 million salmon that came back to the valley. What allowed that abundance is the incredible productivity of these wetlands,” Jacob Katz, with Cal Trout, said. "Now, we have about 5 percent of historical wetlands; which means we have a small percentage of the food that was once produced. Why are we surprised that we have only 5 percent of salmon and other native fish?"

Rice farmers are now working with UC Davis Watershed Sciences and Cal Trout, a conservation nonprofit, to restore native fish populations cut off from their food supply.

“We turned fields that we feed people (from) in the summertime, and then we flood them for habitat for birds, and now we are also using those fields to grow (food) for fish," Roger Cornwell, with River Garden Farms in Yolo County, said.

During the wet season, the Sacramento River historically would swell and spill over into the floodplain, and fish would spill over as well. The natural occurrence is now largely blocked off due to levees.

“It’s a really simple thing: Sunlight makes algae. Algae makes bugs. Bugs make fish,” Katz said. “The fish would then drain back to the river with the receding floodwaters and you had this system that essentially created a big bug buffet out on the floodplain."

CAL TROUT

The floodplain is drastically more nourishing than river water, Katz explains.

"In the river, there is a lot of water but there is very little surface area to catch that Sunlight," Katz said. “But as soon as that water spills out into the floodplain, there is literally thousands of times greater surface area. What's that mean? It means the floodplain is really the solar panel, the energy source, for the river system. And what we are trying to do is reconnect that to the river."

River Garden Farms is a partner, and one of a handful of farmers that are part of the pilot project, allocating 3,000 acres for rice farming.

CAL TROUT

UC Davis scientists temporarily divert water from the Sacramento River into the flooded rice fields and then use netting to gather the fish food.

CAL TROUT

"We just borrow the water for a couple days and return it full of food," Katz explained. “It's just spread out where natural processes can fill it with the kind of nutrients the river needs, and then it is returned, enhanced, back to the river."

CAL TROUT

Cal Trout's saying is “It’s not fish or farms, but fish and farms.”

"Our state capitol, Sacramento, is out there on the floodplain. The levees protect Sacramento and our population. The system isn't going anywhere,” Katz said. “If we can understand how the natural system works, in essence, looking back in order to move forward -- we build a system that works much better for the entire state."

Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Water District and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority contribute funding for the project.

http://www.kcra.com/article/how-rice-farmers-restore-sac-endangered-fish-population/14109504

Recipe: Crispy orange, pomegranate-glazed chicken on herbed basmati rice

4

Food and Home

Crispy orange, pomegranate-glazed chicken on herbed basmati rice.

Chicken and rice have never looked so dazzling!

Ingredients

Chicken
5 (750g) skinless chicken breasts, deboned
90g cake flour
65g cornflour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, totaste
2 large eggs
15ml (1 tbsp) milk
Oil, to deep-fry

Glaze
250ml (1 cup) orange juice
180ml (¾ cup) pomegranate juice
100g brown sugar
30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
15ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
5ml (1 tsp) garlic, finely chopped
5ml (1 tsp) ginger, finely grated
2,5ml (½ tsp) dried chilli flakes
Zest of 1 orange
30ml (2 tbsp) cold water
15ml (1 tbsp) cornflour

Rice
20g cooked basmati rice, warm
60ml (¼ cup) fresh parsley, finely chopped
60ml (¼ cup) fresh coriander, finely chopped
30ml (2 tbsp) fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt and freshly groundblack pepper, to taste

To serve
180g pomegranate rubies
2 (50g) spring onions, thinly sliced
2 (5g) small green chillies, thinly sliced
60ml (4 tbsp) coriander, finely chopped

Method

1. For the chicken, cut the breasts into bite-size pieces. Combine the cake flour and 65g cornflour and season to taste. Combine the eggs and milk and whisk until smooth.

2. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or deep pot to 180°C (check the temperature with a sugar thermometer if using a deep pot). Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture. Fry the chicken pieces off in batches, 2-3 minutes each, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.

3. For the glaze, place the orange juice, pomegranate juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer, 10 minutes. Combine the water and 15ml (1 tbsp) cornflour and whisk in 60ml (¼ cup) of the warm juice mixture. Pour it all back into the remaining warm liquid and whisk until smooth. Simmer, 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the fried chicken pieces and simmer, 2 minutes. Season to taste.

4. For the rice, stir all of the ingredients together and season to taste.

5. To serve, place the chicken on herbed rice and add a sprinkling of pomegranate rubies, spring onions, small green chillies and scatter over 4 tbsp fresh coriander.

https://citizen.co.za/lifestyle/your-life-things-to-do/lifestyle-food-and-drink/1750968/recipe-crispy-orange-pomegranate-glazed-chicken-on-herbed-basmati-rice/

Bangladesh to import 200,000 tonnes rice, wheat

The government has cleared proposals to import an additional 200,000 tonnes of rice and wheat.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase endorsed the proposals at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Wednesday. Additional Cabinet Secretary Mostafizur Rahman told reporters that the government will buy 150,000 tonnes of non-Basmati boiled rice. The import will cost Bangladesh around Tk 5.49 billion at the rate of $440 per tonne.     The government will also buy 50,000 tonnes of wheat from Singapore's Resington Enterprise Limited in line with international quotation, Additional Secretary Mostafizur added. The price will be around Tk 1.02 billion at $245.35 per tonne. The government is importing food grains and easing import conditions after two spells of floods devastated crops on hundreds of thousands of farmland, raising fear of a food crisis in April. Prices of rice, the staple food grain in Bangladesh, have since been multiplying. The government has decided to import 2 million tonnes of rice and wheat in current fiscal to refill the stock.

Author Name: https://bdnews24.com/economy/2017/12/06/bangladesh-to-import-200000-tonnes-rice-wheat

Commodities Buzz: Pakistan Rice Exports Increase By 16 percent During July To October 2017

·         capital market | Mumbai | December 06, 2017 14:43 IST

·         Commodities Buzz: Pakistan Rice Exports Increase By 16 percent During July To October 2017

·         Rice export from the country during first 4 months (July-October) of current fiscal year increased by 16.87 per cent as compared to same period of last year.

·         The rice export during the period under review rose to $457.66 million from $391.595 million during July-October 2016-17, according to latest data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

·         On month-on-month basis, the rice export also increased to $137.423 million in October 2017 from $96.306 million in September 2017, showing an increase of 42.69 per cent.

https://www.indiainfoline.com/article/capital-market-commodity-futures-mid-session-commentary/commodities-buzz-pakistan-rice-exports-increase-by-16-percent-during-july-to-october-2017-117120600529_1.html

 

 

Bangladesh to import 150,000 tonnes of rice from India at $440/T

Ruma Paul

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh will import 150,000 tonnes of rice from India in a state deal priced at $440 a tonne, two food ministry officials said on Wednesday, as the government races to restore depleted reserves and combat high prices.A woman winnows rice in a field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave

Traditionally the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh’s imports of the grain are set to hit their highest levels in a decade after floods damaged its crops.India’s state-run National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) will supply the non-basmati parboiled rice within 60 days after signing the deal, which will take place soon, the officials said.

The price includes shipping, insurance and discharge costs.Bangladesh had already sealed a deal with India’s another state agency PEC to import 100,000 tonnes of rice at $455 a tonne.Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh’s 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government, which faces a national election next year.Despite deals with several rice exporting countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh is still struggling to build its reserves, after a deal with Cambodia for 250,000 tonnes was scrapped last month over a delay in shipments.Strong demand from Bangladesh helped push Asian rice prices to multi-year highs in June.Bangladesh’s state grains buyer has also issued a series of invitations to tender as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million tonnes of rice in the year to June 2018.A local tender to buy 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice to be sourced internationally, will close on Dec. 14.Rice at government warehouses stood at nearly 400,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1 million tonnes.

In August, the government cut an import duty on rice for the second time in two months. The lower duty has prompted purchases to be made by private dealers, with most of the deals being struck with neighbouring India.Bangladesh imported more than 1.8 million tonnes during July-November period, food ministry data showed.

https://in.reuters.com/article/home-depot-outlook-investor-day/home-depot-sets-15-billion-share-buyback-investment-plan-idINKBN1E01T9

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- December 6, 2017

DECEMBER 6, 2017 / 2:18 PM /

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-December 6

Nagpur, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Gram prices showed upward tendency in Nagpur Agriculture ProduceMarketing Committee (APMC) on good demand from local millers amid weak supply from producing belts. Notable rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and repeated enquiries from South-based millers also helped to push up prices.About 400 bags of gram reported for auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to sources.  

    FOODGRAINS & PULSES

   GRAM

   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.

   TUAR

   * Tuar gavarani firmed up in open market on renewed marriage season demand from local 

     traders.

   * Wheat mill quality reported down in open market here on lack of demand from local 

     traders amid increased arrival from producing regions.

   * In Akola, Tuar New – 4,000-4,150, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean)

    – 8,200-9,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,525-4,675, Gram Super best 

    – 7,300-7,500

   * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in 

     scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity. 

 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close   

     Gram Auction                  3,500-4,320         3,400-4,300

     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600

     Tuar Auction                n.a.                3,400-3,880

     Moong Auction                n.a.                3,900-4,200

     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500

     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800

     Wheat Mill quality Auction        1,600-1,698        1,600-1,680

     Gram Super Best Bold            7,000-7,500        7,000-7,500

     Gram Super Best            n.a.            n.a.

     Gram Medium Best            6,000-6,400        6,000-6,400

     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a

     Gram Mill Quality            4,550-4,600        4,550-4,600

     Desi gram Raw                4,550-4,850         4,550-4,850

     Gram Kabuli                12,400-13,000        12,400-13,000

     Tuar Fataka Best-New             6,200-6,400        6,200-6,400

     Tuar Fataka Medium-New        5,900-6,100        5,900-6,100

     Tuar Dal Best Phod-New        5,400-5,600        5,400-5,600

     Tuar Dal Medium phod-New        5,100-5,300        5,100-5,300

     Tuar Gavarani New             4,150-4,250        4,100-4,200

     Tuar Karnataka             4,600-4,900        4,600-4,900

     Masoor dal best            5,000-5,400        5,000-5,400

     Masoor dal medium            4,700-4,900        4,600-4,800

     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.

     Moong Mogar bold (New)        7,200-7,600         7,200-7,600

     Moong Mogar Medium            6,600-6,900        6,600-6,900

     Moong dal Chilka            5,600-6,500        5,600-6,500

     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.

     Moong Chamki best            7,500-8,000        7,500-8,000

     Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,500-9,500       8,500-9,500 

     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    6,000-7,500        6,000-7,500    

     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        5,600-6,800        5,600-6,800     

     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,200-5,500        5,200-5,500

     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)          2,850-2,950         2,850-2,950

     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)            3,100-3,200        2,900-3,000

     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,400-3,800        3,400-3,800   

     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,900-2,000        1,900-2,000

     Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)    1,750-1,850        1,850-1,950   

     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)         2,100-2,300           2,100-2,300         

     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400    

     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)   1,900-2,100        1,900-2,100

     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.

     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,100-3,600        3,100-3,600    

     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,300-2,700        2,300-2,700           

     Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)        3,000-3,500        3,000-3,500    

     Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)        2,800-2,900        2,800-2,900    

     Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)         2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400      

     Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)      2,500-2,600        2,500-2,600   

     Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)      2,300-2,400        2,300-2,400   

     Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)        3,600-4,000        3,600-4,000     

     Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)        3,250-3,600        3,250-3,600    

     Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)      4,900-5,200        4,900-5,200

     Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)    4,500-4,700        4,500-4,700   

     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    10,200-14,000        10,200-14,000     

     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    5,200-7,500        5,300-7,500    

     Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)    5,000-5,500        5,000-5,500    

     Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)    4,700-5,000        4,700-5,000   

     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,000-2,200        2,000-2,100    

     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)         1,800-2,000        1,700-2,000

WEATHER (NAGPUR)  

Maximum temp. 29.1 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 13.7 degree Celsius 

Rainfall : Nil

FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 29 and 14 degree

Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available

(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but

included in market prices)

https://in.reuters.com/article/india-sail-mining/sails-mining-plans-in-lush-forest-may-be-nixed-sources-idINKBN1E10V6

How rice farmers restore Sac endangered fish population

Native fish are cut off from historic Sacramento floodplain food supply

Updated: 6:46 PM PST Dec 5, 2017

Vicki Gonzalez   

Video could not be loaded. If you have Ad Block enabled, please add this site to the white list.

 SHOW TRANSCRIPT

YOLO COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —

The Sacramento region’s floodplain was once a rich food source for the state’s thriving native fish population.

The essential food is still there. The problem is, for decades, fish have been blocked from accessing the vital floodplain due to flood control.

“There was once 2 million salmon that came back to the valley. What allowed that abundance is the incredible productivity of these wetlands,” Jacob Katz, with Cal Trout, said. "Now, we have about 5 percent of historical wetlands; which means we have a small percentage of the food that was once produced. Why are we surprised that we have only 5 percent of salmon and other native fish?"

Rice farmers are now working with UC Davis Watershed Sciences and Cal Trout, a conservation nonprofit, to restore native fish populations cut off from their food supply.

“We turned fields that we feed people (from) in the summertime, and then we flood them for habitat for birds, and now we are also using those fields to grow (food) for fish," Roger Cornwell, with River Garden Farms in Yolo County, said.

During the wet season, the Sacramento River historically would swell and spill over into the floodplain, and fish would spill over as well. The natural occurrence is now largely blocked off due to levees.

“It’s a really simple thing: Sunlight makes algae. Algae makes bugs. Bugs make fish,” Katz said. “The fish would then drain back to the river with the receding floodwaters and you had this system that essentially created a big bug buffet out on the floodplain."

CAL TROUT

The floodplain is drastically more nourishing than river water, Katz explains.

"In the river, there is a lot of water but there is very little surface area to catch that Sunlight," Katz said. “But as soon as that water spills out into the floodplain, there is literally thousands of times greater surface area. What's that mean? It means the floodplain is really the solar panel, the energy source, for the river system. And what we are trying to do is reconnect that to the river."

River Garden Farms is a partner, and one of a handful of farmers that are part of the pilot project, allocating 3,000 acres for rice farming.

CAL TROUT

UC Davis scientists temporarily divert water from the Sacramento River into the flooded rice fields and then use netting to gather the fish food.

CAL TROUT

"We just borrow the water for a couple days and return it full of food," Katz explained. “It's just spread out where natural processes can fill it with the kind of nutrients the river needs, and then it is returned, enhanced, back to the river."

CAL TROUT

Cal Trout's saying is “It’s not fish or farms, but fish and farms.”

"Our state capitol, Sacramento, is out there on the floodplain. The levees protect Sacramento and our population. The system isn't going anywhere,” Katz said. “If we can understand how the natural system works, in essence, looking back in order to move forward -- we build a system that works much better for the entire state."

Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Water District and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority contribute funding for the project.

http://www.kcra.com/article/how-rice-farmers-restore-sac-endangered-fish-population/14109504

 

Bangladesh to import 200,000 tonnes rice, wheat

  Senior Correspondent,  bdnews24.com

Published: 2017-12-06 19:28:45.0 BdST Updated: 2017-12-06 19:28:45.0 BdST

The government has cleared proposals to import an additional 200,000 tonnes of rice and wheat.The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase endorsed the proposals at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Wednesday.Additional Cabinet Secretary Mostafizur Rahman told reporters that the government will buy 150,000 tonnes of non-Basmati boiled rice.The import will cost Bangladesh around Tk 5.49 billion at the rate of $440 per tonne.    

The government will also buy 50,000 tonnes of wheat from Singapore's Resington Enterprise Limited in line with international quotation, Additional Secretary Mostafizur added.The price will be around Tk 1.02 billion at $245.35 per tonne.The government is importing food grains and easing import conditions after two spells of floods devastated crops on hundreds of thousands of farmland, raising fear of a food crisis in April.Prices of rice, the staple food grain in Bangladesh, have since been multiplying. The government has decided to import 2 million tonnes of rice and wheat in current fiscal to refill the stock.

https://bdnews24.com/economy/2017/12/06/bangladesh-to-import-200000-tonnes-rice-wheatjust-food gives you the widest food market coverage.