Monday, March 26, 2018

26th March,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter


Breakthrough in battle against rice blast

March 26, 2018, University of Exeter
Description: rice
Credit: Earth100/Wikipeidia
Scientists have found a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of the world's rice crop each year.
An international team led by the University of Exeter showed that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it spreading inside a rice leaf - leaving it trapped within a single plant cell.
The finding is a breakthrough in terms of understanding rice blast, a disease that is hugely important in terms of global food security.
However, the scientists caution that this is a "fundamental" discovery - not a cure that can yet be applied outside the laboratory.
The research revealed how the fungus can manipulate and then squeeze through natural channels (called plasmodesmata) that exist between plant cells.
"This is an exciting breakthrough because we have discovered how the fungus is able to move stealthily between rice cells, evading recognition by the plant immune system," said senior author Professor Nick Talbot FRS, of the University of Exeter.
"It is clearly able to suppress immune responses at pit fields (groups of plasmodesmata), and also regulate its own severe constriction to squeeze itself through such a narrow space.
"And all this is achieved by a single regulatory protein. It's a remarkable feat."
Rice blast threatens global food security, destroying enough rice each year to feed 60 million people.
It spreads within rice plants by invasive hyphae (branching filaments) which break through from cell to cell.
In their bid to understand this process, the researchers used chemical genetics to mutate a signalling protein to make it susceptible to a specific drug.
The protein, PMK1, is responsible for suppressing the rice's immunity and allowing the fungus to squeeze through pit fields - so, by inhibiting it, the researchers were able to trap the fungus within a cell.
This level of precision led the team to discover that just one enzyme, called a MAP kinase, was responsible for regulating the invasive growth of rice blast.
The research team hope this discovery will enable them to identify targets of this enzyme and thereby determine the molecular basis of this devastating disease.
The research was led by Dr Wasin Sakulkoo, who recently received his PhD from Exeter.
Dr Sakulkoo is a Halpin Scholar, a programme initiated by the generosity of Exeter alumni Les and Claire Halpin, which funds students from rice-growing regions of the world to study with Professor Talbot's research group.
Dr Sakulkoo is from Thailand, and has returned home to a new position in industry following graduation.
More information: Wasin Sakulkoo et al, A single fungal MAP kinase controls plant cell-to-cell invasion by the rice blast fungus, Science (2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaq0892

Rice Prices

as on : 26-03-2018 11:22:19 AM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
Price
Current
%
change
Season 
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Bindki(UP)
600.00
20
18708.00
2240
2240
-
Manjeri(Ker)
290.00
NC
1740.00
3700
3700
NC
Bahraich(UP)
182.80
-13.98
2916.90
2200
2200
-1.12
Muzzafarnagar(UP)
28.00
55.56
733.00
2690
2700
-
Cachar(ASM)
20.00
-50
1420.00
2400
2400
9.09
Alipurduar(WB)
20.00
NC
320.00
2750
3050
17.02
Jayas(UP)
18.00
-14.29
834.50
2070
2050
3.50
Khurja(UP)
9.00
-10
402.00
2600
2600
-
Dibrugarh(ASM)
6.50
8.33
311.10
2400
2400
6.67
Mirzapur(UP)
5.00
-28.57
267.50
2145
2140
-
Paliakala(UP)
4.00
-33.33
792.60
2165
2185
-
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)
4.00
-33.33
184.50
2240
2250
NC
Khairagarh(UP)
1.20
50
50.30
2500
2500
-2.72
Jagnair(UP)
0.80
NC
44.10
2500
2530
-2.72
Kasipur(WB)
0.51
-1.92
3.44
2610
2610
11.06
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article23353320.ece

Group warns PH vs ‘golden rice’: It’s not the solution to malnutrition

INQUIRER.net / 04:00 PM March 26, 2018
A regional coalition of farmers, consumers, and environment activists has called on the government to reject “foreign safety stamps” on the genetically-engineered “golden rice,” which might pose risk to public health.
The Stop Golden Rice Network asserted that such stamp of approval from other countries might be a ploy to exploit the nation’s weak regulations and policy loopholes on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in order to have the golden rice released in the Philippines.
In a statement, the coalition said the recent approval in foreign countries of the genetically-modified crop might soon lead to “start feeding trials among children and pregnant women in Philippines and Bangladesh.”
Health Canada posted its approval decision of GM Vitamin A enhanced “Golden Rice” last March 16, 2018 amid public concerns, according to the group.
The Network said the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) had also filed application for safety approval and trade clearance of golden rice last 2017 to the United States, Canada, and Australia.
But these decisions, according to the group, are questionable.
“We also question why the International Rice Research Institute is seeking safety approval from Canada, Australia, and the US while farmers and consumers in Asia who plant and eat rice as a staple are left in the dark,” said Cris Panerio of Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (Masipag), a farmers network in the Philippines and a member of the Network.
“Promoting readily available, diverse, and safe Vitamin A food sources from sustainable and ecological farming is the long term solution to combat malnutrition, ensure food security and health, not genetically modified crops like Golden Rice,” he added.
Launched in 2000, golden rice is genetically-engineered to produce beta-carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A, and touted to address malnutrition and Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD).
Syngenta, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation have poured millions of dollars to IRRI to develop Golden Rice in Bangladesh and the Philippines in 2011, according to the Network.
But the group said controversies and conflict have impeded its release in the past two decades.
Ana Bibal, campaign coordinator of the Network, said the approval of Health Canada and Food Standards Australia New Zealand of the golden rice was a “product of corporate lobbying.”
“Scientific findings that questions its viability, safety, and intention were left out; and social concerns were not addressed. Golden Rice will not cure blindness nor address the complex social problem of malnutrition. Instead, Golden Rice commercialization in Asia will translate to unbridled profit, massive trade of unregulated GMO rice and promotion of biofortified GM crops,” she noted.
The Stop Golden Rice! Network consists of organizations from more than 30 countries in Asia. /kga

First efficacy result delivers insecticide-driven boost for Bio-Gene

By                Filip Karinja
 -
 
Description: Bio-Gene Technology ASX BGT Flavocide insecticide trial brown planthopperBio-Gene's Flavocide technology proven to be effective against rice pest, the brown planthopper.
Agriculture technology developer Bio-Gene Technology (ASX: BGT) has published a positive field trial for its Flavocide insecticide, when tested against the brown planthopper, a significant pest to rice farmers globally.
Bio-Gene’s CEO Richard Jagger spoke to Small Caps earlier this monthregarding the company’s current business model and future market intentions. One of its major goals is to prove the efficacy of both its synthetic and natural insecticides, with today’s field trial results substantiating Bio-Gene’s market strategy.
The Flavocide field trial was performed by Eurofins, an international contract research organisation. It was undertaken in Thailand where rice crops are prone to high levels of planthopper infestations and have developed historically-high levels of insecticide resistance.
The field trial showed that Flavocide is effective against young and mature planthoppers, and importantly, was found to be “superior to the existing chemistry used” given that control samples were treated with existing products already being used across the farming industry.
Bio-Gene also reports its product “exhibited repellence effects that would potentially assist in preventing re-infestation and virus transmission” and said that it had “no observable impact on beneficial species such as predatory mirids and spiders).
According to Bio-Gene, the field trial provides partial indication that its Flavocide product can be integrated into existing pest management programs which often involve multiple products as standard.
“These are positive and encouraging results that demonstrate the potential of Flavocide for control of a major rice pest, particularly in Asia, and provides justification for further evaluation to fine-tune dose rates and further demonstrate efficacy in a range of field conditions,” said Richard Jagger, CEO of Bio-Gene.
“The results also highlight that, like other insecticides, Flavocide may have differing effects against different pests which justifies our strategy of evaluating Flavocide as widely as possible across pest species both alone and in combination with other insecticides,” Mr Jagger said.

Hopping for insecticides

Planthoppers penetrate the tissues of their rice host plants and ingest the plant’s nutrients, but obstructing the plant’s inner vessels which causes yellowing of leaves, wilting, drying and eventual plant death.
An increasing population density of planthoppers eventually leads to the so-called “hopperburn” effect whereby clusters of brown dead plants give the impression that a particular area has been burned.
Furthermore, planthoppers cause major damage to Asian rice crops resulting in yield losses of up to 60% or more, sometimes completely destroying the crop.
In addition to direct plant damage, this pest is also an important vector of viral diseases of rice. Its presence also promotes the growth of sooty mould which negatively impacts plant growth and further reduces grain yields.
According to market research conducted by Kynetec Research in 2016, an estimated A$3.7 billion is spent on rice insecticides globally, with a large proportion specifically aimed towards control of Planthopper populations.
The global agribusiness industry is a colossus with a huge influence on several sectors and industries.
According to research conducted by McKinsey & Company, a US-based market research company, agribusiness has become a US$5 trillion industry accounting for 10% of global consumer spending, 40% of all employment, and 30% of all greenhouse-gas emissions.
“Rice is the staple food of half of the world’s population and more than 90% of the global rice crop is grown in Asia. The Planthopper is a major pest that has been increasingly difficult to control, largely due to its resistance to most insecticides available for use .The unique mode of action of Flavocide offers the opportunity to control these resistant strains, where other chemistry is failing. This, along with having no impact on beneficial species, is a real positive towards inclusion in integrated pest management programs, which is of great value to the industry,” said Mr Jagger.
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BTr: NG disbursed subsidies reached P922M in January

By
 -
THE national government (NG) reported disbursed subsidies amounting to P922 million for January this year, with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) receiving bulk of the disbursement totalling P426 million.
Based on the latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), the government allotted subsidies amounting to P922 million during the first month of this year, which contracted by 27.17 percent from the P1.266 billion in subsidies disbursed for January 2017.
Broken down, the biggest recipient for the month was the NIA, which was given P426 million, a contraction of 42.81 percent from the P745 million provided in the same month for 2017.
The other major nonfinancial government corporation that received a subsidy from the government for the month was the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) with P6 million.
Among the government-owned and -controlled corporations, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) received the biggest amount of P119 million. It did not receive subsidies from the government in January 2017.
The Philippine Children’s Medical Center also received subsidies amounting to P78 million, the Philippine Heart Center was allocated P72 million, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) received P60 million, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute was given P49 million, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions got P32 million, the Cultural Center of the Philippines was provided P21 million, the Lung Center of the Philippines  received P20 million, and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies was allocated P11 million for the month.
Other agencies that received subsidies included the Philippine Television Network Inc. with P6 million; the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) with P5 million; the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care with P5 million; and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, Southern Philippines Development Authority, and the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority each received P4 million.
One of the campaign promises under the Duterte administration was the provision of free irrigation in rural areas and improved healthcare or universal health care to all Filipinos, among others.

State subsidies drop by 27% in January

Published March 25, 2018, 10:01 PM
By Chino S. Leyco
State subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) declined by more than a quarter in the first month of the year, data from the Bureau of the Treasury revealed.
Government financial assistance given to 16 state-owned companies amounted to P922 million in January this year, down 27 percent compared with P1.26 billion in the same month last year.
According to the Treasury report, the largest recipient of government subsidy was the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with P426 million, representing 46.2 percent of the total disbursements.
NIA was followed by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., commonly known as PhilHealth, with P119 million, along with Philippine Children Medical Center (P78 million), Philippine Heart Center (P72 million), and Philippine Rice Research Institute (P60 million).
Other recipient of state subsidies were National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P49 million), Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (P32 million), Cultural Center of the Philippines (P21 million), and Lung Center of the Philippines (P20 million).
The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (P11 million), Light Rail Transit Authority (P6 million), People’s Television Network (P6 million), Philippine Coconut Authority (P5 million), and Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (P5 million) also received subsidies.
Lastly, the Southern Philippines Development Authority and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone got P4 million each from the national government in January this year.
For 2018, the national government earmarked a record P162.55 billion in financial aid for GOCCs and government financial institutions (GFIs), up by 24 percent compared with the projected P131.09-billion disbursements last year.
The increase in attributed to the government’s non-recurring expenses on the conditional cash-transfer (CCT) program being facilitated by the Land Bank of the Philippines, which aims to support Filipino households that will be affected by the proposed tax reform package.
Aside from the CCT, the government has also tapped the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to help in funding the planned public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization.
The Land Bank and DBP are traditionally non-recipient of monetary aid from the national government as these two state-owned lenders are members of the so-called “Billionaires’ Club,” an elite class of GOCCs that declare P1 billion or more in dividends annually.
The budget department is allocating P25.62 billion in subsidies for Land Bank this year and another P1.13 billion for the DBP.

State subsidies drop by 27% in January

Published March 25, 2018, 10:01 PM
By Chino S. Leyco
State subsidies to government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) declined by more than a quarter in the first month of the year, data from the Bureau of the Treasury revealed.
Government financial assistance given to 16 state-owned companies amounted to P922 million in January this year, down 27 percent compared with P1.26 billion in the same month last year.
According to the Treasury report, the largest recipient of government subsidy was the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) with P426 million, representing 46.2 percent of the total disbursements.
NIA was followed by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., commonly known as PhilHealth, with P119 million, along with Philippine Children Medical Center (P78 million), Philippine Heart Center (P72 million), and Philippine Rice Research Institute (P60 million).
Other recipient of state subsidies were National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P49 million), Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (P32 million), Cultural Center of the Philippines (P21 million), and Lung Center of the Philippines (P20 million).
The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (P11 million), Light Rail Transit Authority (P6 million), People’s Television Network (P6 million), Philippine Coconut Authority (P5 million), and Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (P5 million) also received subsidies.
Lastly, the Southern Philippines Development Authority and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone got P4 million each from the national government in January this year.
For 2018, the national government earmarked a record P162.55 billion in financial aid for GOCCs and government financial institutions (GFIs), up by 24 percent compared with the projected P131.09-billion disbursements last year.
The increase in attributed to the government’s non-recurring expenses on the conditional cash-transfer (CCT) program being facilitated by the Land Bank of the Philippines, which aims to support Filipino households that will be affected by the proposed tax reform package.
Aside from the CCT, the government has also tapped the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to help in funding the planned public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization.
The Land Bank and DBP are traditionally non-recipient of monetary aid from the national government as these two state-owned lenders are members of the so-called “Billionaires’ Club,” an elite class of GOCCs that declare P1 billion or more in dividends annually.
The budget department is allocating P25.62 billion in subsidies for Land Bank this year and another P1.13 billion for the DBP.

Researchers find way to stop spread of devastating rice fungus

IANS  |  London Last Updated at March 26, 2018 11:30 IST
have discovered a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30 per cent of the world's rice crop each year.
The researchers found that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it from spreading inside a rice leaf -- leaving it trapped within a single plant cell.
The finding, published in the journal Science, could mark a major advance in understanding rice blast, a disease that is hugely important in terms of global food security.
The research revealed how the fungus can manipulate and then squeeze through natural channels (called plasmodesmata) that exist between plant cells.
"This is an exciting breakthrough because we have discovered how the fungus is able to move stealthily between rice cells, evading recognition by the plant immune system," said senior author Professor Nicholas Talbot of the University of Exeter in Britain.
"It is clearly able to suppress immune responses at pit fields (groups of plasmodesmata), and also regulate its own severe constriction to squeeze itself through such a narrow space," Talbot said.
"And all this is achieved by a single regulatory protein. It's a remarkable feat," he added.
However, the scientists caution that this is a "fundamental" discovery -- not a cure that can yet be applied outside the laboratory.
Rice blast threatens global food security, destroying enough rice each year to feed 60 million people.
It spreads within rice plants by invasive hyphae (branching filaments) which break through from cell to cell.
In their bid to understand this process, the researchers used chemical genetics to mutate a signalling protein to make it susceptible to a specific drug.
The protein, PMK1, is responsible for suppressing the rice's immunity and allowing the fungus to squeeze through pit fields. So, by inhibiting it, the researchers were able to trap the fungus within a cell.
This level of precision led the team to discover that just one enzyme, called a MAP kinase, was responsible for regulating the invasive growth of rice blast.
The research team hope this discovery will enable them to identify targets of this enzyme and thereby determine the molecular basis of this devastating disease.

Focus on basmati a must to boost export earnings

Mohiuddin AazimUpdated March 26, 2018
Description: https://i.dawn.com/large/2018/03/5ab763fd83d92.jpg
RICE exporters are lobbying for geographical indication (GI) for basmati grown in Pakistan to boost its exports and overall earnings.Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has only recently promised to resolve this long- standing issue. Once exporters get all basmati varieties grown in the country covered under the GI law, they can protect themselves against Dubai-based Indian trading houses that buy different Pakistani rice varieties on the cheap and sell them to global markets under Indian brand names.
On prime minister’s instructions, the federal cabinet has already authorised the commerce division to initiate legislation on GI. How long it will take to do so and whether this government whose term will expire shortly will be able to make a GI law is anybody’s guess.
In addition to intensely lobbying for the passage of the much-needed law, the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has also been aggressively pursuing potential buyers of Pakistani basmati rice. Rafique Suleman, vice chairman of the association, recently unveiled plans for taking a delegation to Saudi Arabia and organising a festival there to promote basmati rice.
Certain issues continue to impede growth of basmati rice, including the absence of a geographical indication law and a lack of penetration of enough brands of basmati in export markets
In February, REAP held International Buyers’ Recognition Award in the United Arab Emirates. The event has helped in boosting sales of basmati rice there, exporters say.
According to a recent Dawn report, our GI law has been pending for 17 years owing to differences between various lobby groups. Apart from basmati, the passage of such a law will also help increase exports of other products, including Sargodha’s kinno.
Why geographical indication
According to the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a GI certificate establishes the territory of origin of a particular product.
“Once the basmati rice variety, for example, is certified under the GI law, it will officially become known as Pakistani basmati. And that will help us lodge complaints with the world trade body if that particular variety’s name is misused by another nation,” explains a leading Karachi-based rice exporter.
Recently, some Indian exporters reportedly moved to export a large quantity of Pakistani-origin rice to Indonesia under an Indian brand name. REAP officials brought this to the notice of the government, but nothing could be done to block the exports in the absence of proper GI laws.
Game-changer
Larger shipments of basmati varieties that are mostly exported under brand names, in retail and semi-wholesale packaging and their foreign buyers include superstores, fetch higher per-unit price than non-basmati varieties. Currently, the share of basmati varieties in our total volumes of rice shipments is low.
According to stats compiled by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, basmati shipments during the first half of this fiscal year amounted to 11.2pc of total rice shipments of all kinds.
For several years, this share has remained below 15pc, officials of TDAP confirm. Once export volumes of basmati go up, the country can expect a faster and bigger increase in export earnings of rice. So, boosting basmati exports can be a game-changer for Pakistani rice exports.
Forex earnings of rice are expected to touch $2bn mark this fiscal year. During the first eight months, $1.224bn already came in, according to REAP. Exports of basmati constitute roughly 22pc of total rice export earnings — double its share in rice export volumes.
Key issues
Certain issues continue to impede growth of basmati rice, including the absence of a GI law, lack of penetration of enough brands of basmati in export markets, an unscrupulous practice prevailing among traders who agree to sell basmati varieties to Indian traders on the condition that the packaging would not bear signs of origin and the continuation of basmati exports also in bulk that fetch lower per-unit price.
Officials of REAP seem to have rolled up their sleeves and trying to address all these and similar issues with the help of government agencies concerned and our foreign trade offices.
But growing domestic demand for basmati rice in our fast-expanding food industry and among upper middle-class and upper class households and slower than desired increase in local output also have a direct bearing on exports.
Production of basmati varieties, after falling below 2m tonnes in 2012-13, has shown a gradual rise to hit an estimated 2.5m tonnes in 2015-16, according to a senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
“Even at this level the basmati output is slightly more than one-third of our total rice production (of 7m tonnes). Whereas, it’s important to push basmati production further, its share in exports even at the current level of output can be enhanced,” he insists.
But citing reasons of growing domestic demand, exporters say that unless the country is able to boost output of basmati at an annual rate close to 10pc for some years from now, export earnings growth will remain low.
Per-unit value
But what if the production of basmati does not grow fast enough to create enough exportable surplus after meeting increasing local demand? Exporters must then find room for enhancing per-unit price of basmati exports. During the first half of this fiscal year, the average export value of basmati varieties rose about 9pc to $1,012 per tonne from $930 per tonne a year ago.
However, this happened amid a general recovery in prices in the global rice market and average price of non-basmati rice also showed about 11pc increase, from $364 per tonne in the first half of 2016-17 to about $404 per tonne this year, according to TDAP officials.
One way of boosting the per-unit value of basmati could be to enhance high-end sales to famous chains of superstores. “That requires strong and well-established branding, strict compliance to all applicable rules of business, more attractive and custom-made, environment-friendly packaging,” says an official of Matco Foods, a well-known rice company that recently got listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
Currently, Pakistan’s basmati rice market is too heavily concentrated in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Exporters acknowledge the need for expanding the market base and many of them agree that with a little support of the government they can market large amounts of basmati rice to Afghanistan, Iran and some Central Asian and North African nations.
“We lost the Iranian market to Indians when Iran was under US sanctions. Indians made barter trade a reality while we just kept talking about it,” laments an official of HAS Rice, another leading rice exporting company.
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, March 26th, 2018
https://www.dawn.com/news/1397460/focus-on-basmati-a-must-to-boost-export-earnings
Siebenmorgen receives Distinguished Service Award
Mar 24, 2018

Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Fast Facts:
Rice Technical Working Group recognizes Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen’s career service
Siebenmorgen built and leads the Division of Agriculture’s Rice Processing Program
Program aims to improve post-harvest processing for rice
FAYETTEVILLE — Terry Siebenmorgen, director of  the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Rice Processing Program, received the Rice Technical Working Group Distinguished Service Award at the organization’s biennial meeting last month in Long Beach, Calif.
The award recognizes Siebenmorgen’s career-long research to improve post-harvest rice processing.
Gene boosts rice growth and yield in salty soil

Description: http://www.sciencecodex.com/files/styles/large/public/externals/8c408a34ff78e740a381a0e900cd7fe7.jpg?itok=CCHmaIlu

 


Members of the research team collecting samples in a rice paddy field in Changsha, China.
Image credit: 
Jianzhong Lin
Around 20% of the world's irrigated land is considered to contain elevated concentrations of salt, and the soil continues to get saltier as the climate warms. Agricultural production is hard hit by soil salinity; salt stress reduces the growth and yield of most plants, resulting in billions of dollars in crop yield losses annually. Rice--the staple food of more than half the world's population--is particularly sensitive to salty soil, with even moderate levels of salt resulting in substantial yield losses. There is thus an urgent need to develop rice lines that can withstand salty conditions.
A team of scientists led by Jian-Zhong Lin and Xuan-Ming Liu of Hunan University in Changsha, China recently identified a gene that contributes to salt stress tolerance in rice. The gene, which they named STRK1 (salt tolerance receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase 1), was activated under salt stress conditions. The researchers generated two sets of transgenic plants, one in which STRK1 was expressed at high levels, and the other in which expression was greatly reduced. Under regular growth conditions, both sets of transgenic plants appeared normal. However, when challenged with salt, the transgenic plants with elevated STRK1 expression were greener and larger than the non-transgenic control plants, and those with reduced levels of STRK1 expression were smaller and browner than the controls.
Next, the team examined the effect of STRK1 on yield. "Notably, overexpression of STRK1 in rice not only improved growth but also markedly limited the grain yield loss under salt stress conditions," said Jian-Zhong Lin.
The team then turned their attention to deciphering the mechanism by which STRK1 enhances the plant's tolerance to salt. Salt stress triggers the production of potentially harmful reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, in plant cells. The group found that STRK1 (the protein encoded by STRK1) interacts with and activates a protein named CatC, which belongs to a family of proteins that decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Thus, STRK1 increases the plant's tolerance to salt stress by keeping the levels of hydrogen peroxide in check, and thereby minimizing the damage caused by accumulating reactive oxygen species.
These exciting findings bring the research community closer to developing rice plants that thrive in salty soil. "Agricultural productivity is increasingly threatened by the salinization of irrigated farmland...Our work demonstrates that STRK1 is a promising candidate gene for protection of yield in crop plants exposed to salt stress," stated Xuan-Ming Liu.
http://www.sciencecodex.com/gene-boosts-rice-growth-and-yield-salty-soil-619842

Rice: Nigeria can’t meet 2018 self-sufficiency target


 

…still major destination of Thailand, Indian rice
•Produced 5.8mmts, consumed 7.9mmts in 2017–RIFAN
•Import rose by 19% to 2.5mmts–USDA

Self-sufficiency in rice production is one of the cardinal objectives of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration with different officials calling for a ban on the importation of the cereal.

Two years ago, Buhari set 2018 as a target to end Nigeria’s status as the world’s second-largest importer of the grain after China and become self-sufficient. He’s since overseen investments of almost $1 billion in farming and milling, virtually banned rice importers from buying foreign exchange, raised tariffs to as high as 60 per cent and pushed the Central Bank of Nigeria to lend to farmers. Confident his administration is making progress, he told growers this month that “our policies are working.”

Earlier in August 2017, a director at the agriculture ministry, Muhammad Adamu, had made unsubstantiated claim that Nigeria’s rice production reached 15 million metric tonnes annually.

Bloomberg in a report on Wednesday quoted the U.S Department of Agriculture as saying that Nigeria grew just 3.7 million metric tonnes of rice in 2017, which is a paltry 4 per cent increase from a year earlier. At the same time, imports rose by 19 per cent to 2.5 million metric tonnes, the USDA said.

This came as the president of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Aminu Goronyo said while Nigeria’s rice consumption rose to 7.9 million metric tonnes in 2017, the country was only able to produce 5.8million metric tonnes in the review year.

He said the country’s production increased from 5.5 million tonnes in 2015.

He said in 2015, Nigerians spent not less than N1billion on rice importation, adding that while spending had drastically reduced, consumption had increased because of increased local production of the commodity.

As the debate over what the country actually produces rages, some analysts say as the country consumed 6.4 million metric tonnes in the review year; it may have produced about 5.5 million metric tonnes.

Despite these conflicting figures, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh said Nigeria will become self-sufficient in rice production before the end of 2018.

According to him, importation of rice into the country had dropped by 95 per cent in the last two years.
He disclosed this in Abuja at the first Annual NACCIMA-NIRSAL Agribusiness and Policy Linkage Conference, which has “Implementing the Agriculture Component of the Economic Recovery Growth Plan’ as its theme.

The minister said the country has made a lot of success in terms of stopping rice importation adding that this has led to creation of more jobs for the people.

He said, “One example of our success is in rice. By September 2015, this country was importing 644,131 tons of rice. Exactly two years later that is September 2017, rice importation dropped to 20, 000 metric tonnes. “That is a drop of 95 per cent. However, smugglers have been busy trying to sabotage and compromise the country’s effort to stop importation.
“There are 12.2 million people growing rice in the country, producing paddy for the rice mills.

“In Kano alone, we have 1,421 rice mills. We have large fields in Anambra, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Jigawa, kebbi and more are coming up.”

Ogbeh said this was achieved because of the Federal Government’s policy to stop importation But the numbers tell a different story: they suggest smuggling is rife because local producers are struggling to meet growing demand in the nation of 180 million people, where rice is favoured over traditional staples such as yams and cassava by an increasingly urbanized population.

Many imports are smuggled in from Benin, which despite a population of 11 million — barely 5 per cent of Nigeria’s population — is now the world’s biggest buyer of rice from Thailand, the number two exporter globally. Official shipments to Nigeria have plummeted by more than 95 per cent in the past four years, while those to Benin have surged, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.

To this end, the Managing Director of AgroNigeria, Richard Mbaram says that achieving self-sufficiency in the next couple of years is merely a “pipe dream”.

“Rice production isn’t willed into existence. It is cultivated and systematically sown.

“There is research; there is mechanization; warehousing and storage. There is market opening and market access.

“You cannot drive industrialisation or agro-industrialisation without connecting the farm gate where the production is happening. Do we have that? We’re very far back in terms of achieving that,” he said.

It will be recalled that the recent claim by Chief Audu Ogbeh on the fall of rice mills in Thailand was quickly refuted by Wattana Kunwongse, Thailand’s Ambassador to Nigeria.

The minister has allegedly said that the Thailand Ambassador accused Nigeria of being responsible for the collapse of its seven rice mills following the drastic fall in rice importation from the country.

The ambassador described the minister’s claim as “misleading and a distortion of the actual discussion that transpired between them”.

A News Agency of Nigeria report showed that Ogbeh made the claim, at a meeting of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) and the leadership of the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers of Nigeria (FEPSAN) held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the report, the minister said, “Just like two weeks ago, the Ambassador of Thailand came to my office and said to me that we have really ‘dealt’ with them.

“But I asked what did we do wrong and he said unemployment in Thailand was one of the lowest in the world, 1.2 per cent, it has gone up to 4 per cent because seven giant rice mills have shut down because Nigeria’s import has fallen by 95 per cent on rice alone”.
However, the diplomat said Ogbeh lied.
“The report is not only misleading but a distortion of the actual conversation between myself and the Honourable Minister of Agriculture at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on January 30, 2018, which was nothing short of positivity and optimism on both side”.

He added that the report could not have been farther from the truth as Thailand’s official figures demonstrate that its rice export to the world in 2017 reached 11.48 million tons worth $5.1 billion.

“Thailand’s rice export to the world in 2017 (January-December 2017) reached 11.48 million metric tonnes equal to $5.1 billion (USD), a 15.54 per cent increase compared to previous years, which is one of the highest figures on the history Thailand’s rice exportation. There is no proof of any shutdown of Thailand’s major rice mills,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rice consumption in Nigeria is almost entirely of parboiled rice. In West Africa only Nigeria consumes parboiled rice. Other West African countries including all the neighbouring countries to Nigeria (Niger, Benin, Cameroon and Chad) are not consumers of parboiled rice.


In Africa only South Africa is the other major country that consumes parboiled rice.

The shipments of parboiled rice from India and Thailand into Lome, Cotonou and Douala ports is a very fair estimate of smuggled rice into Nigeria as none of these countries have internal consumption of parboiled rice. All the imports of parboiled rice into these countries finally find their way into Nigeria.

It is against this backdrop that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has warned that smuggling of parboiled rice from across the borders (mainly Benin Republic) is creating a major disaster for the rice industry in Nigeria.

Ogbeh, gave the warning recently while speaking to journalists on some of the Federal Government’s achievements in the agriculture sector in the last two years in Abuja.

He said the decision become necessary to encourage local rice farmers and to enable the country achieve self-sufficiency in rice by 2018.

“We believe they are determined to sabotage the efforts that we are making to guarantee self-sufficiency in rice and to save foreign exchange which we don’t have.

“They insist on bringing in rice through the land borders, avoiding the duties and the levies we put on them and they are definitely bent on sabotaging our efforts and we are getting increasingly unhappy with them.

“And I must say that very soon, if they persist, we will take very nasty measures against them.

“We will like to advise our neighbours, who believe that the ECOWAS treaty means that Nigeria is a volunteer nation for economic suicide.

“We have no such plans, destroying our own economy to make any neighbour happy.

“The ECOWAS treaty number two does not suggest that any country can be an avenue of smuggling foreign goods not produced in that country for dumping in his neighbours territory.

“If they insist, I do not think that government is far away from considering permanently closing certain borders very near us and when we do, nothing will make us change our minds on the issue, ECOWAS treaty or not,” Ogbeh warned.

The Chairman Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Sen. Hope Uzodinma penultimate week has called on relevant agencies of the government to check rice smuggling to enhance Nigerian economic development.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/03/rice-nigeria-cant-meet-2018-self-sufficiency-target/

 

Silver linings in the economy: Increased agricultural and industrial production and export growth

Despite the recent gloom cast by the communal violence that threatened several key sectors of the economy, there are some bright spots emerging in the economy. Improved paddy harvests, prospects of increased tea production, increased industrial production and a further growth in exports are favourable developments that should result in higher economic growth this year.
Description: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180325/uploads/nimal3.jpgOn the other hand, the setback to tourism, decreasing remittances, lower foreign investment and possible net capital outflows will affect the economy adversely. The sooner peaceful conditions are established and confidence generated in the country these drawbacks could be mitigated.
Economic populism
Economic growth in the next few years could be seriously affected owing to the government’s economic policies being geared to gain popularity. Economic populism could have an adverse impact on mid and long run economic growth, especially owing to an increase in the fiscal deficit. Fiscal slippage and lack of essential reforms may jeopardise midterm economic growth.
Agriculture
Agricultural production is likely to revive owing to better paddy and food crop production, as well as increased tea production on estates and small holdings. Coconut output may not increase by much owing to the lag effect of the drought.
Good harvests
After two years of floods and drought that brought down paddy and food crop production drastically and necessitated rice imports, indications are that the 2018 maha harvest that is being reaped these days would be a good, though not a bountiful one. The maha harvest is expected to be 2.32 million kilograms. It is 57 percent higher than the depressed output of last year, but 17 percent less than the maha harvest of 2015/16.
Description: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180325/uploads/Econ-cartoon3.jpgThe likely good weather this year, the better distribution of fertiliser and subsidies are likely to boost the yala harvest. The yala crop is likely to be much higher than in recent years. This year’s paddy production is forecast to reach 601 metric tons compared to only 543 metric tons last year. In 2016 paddy production was a record 766 metric tons.
Respite
Increased food production is a relief to the economy as it implies reduced imports of rice and wheat this year and a decrease in rice prices that soared last year. Apart from the advantages to the economy, good harvests mean better incomes to the rural community and a relief to the livelihoods of a substantial proportion of the county’s population. The reduction in food prices would also be a boon to the lower income sections of the population. Inflation is expected to decelerate to about 5 percent later this year.
Tea
There is an expectation of higher tea production owing to better weather and the availability of fertiliser and weedicides. The increased tea production is likely to be mostly from smallholdings in the south. The consequent increase in the exportable tea surplus should improve export earnings provided international tea prices remain at current levels. The current predictions are that prices would be steady at around last year’s attractive levels.
Tea exports
In keeping with the increasing trend in exports later last year, tea exports grew by 11 percent to US$111 million in January this year. Hopefully this trend would gain momentum with the expected higher production of tea.
Industrial production
There was a significant industrial growth in the fourth quarter of last year. The growth in ceramics, garments, rubber and leather goods is likely to continue as this growth, stimulated by better export prospects is expected to grow during the course of the year.
The Central Bank’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Survey disclosed that manufacturing and service sectors expanded at a higher rate in February 2018, compared to the previous month. Several sub-indices too disclosed a growth.
Services
A steeper gain was observed in the business activities of the financial services, IT programming and transportation of goods and warehousing sectors. Service providers’ optimism on the three-month business outlook also strengthened at a modest pace.
Export growth
Export growth that commenced in March last year has been gaining momentum. In 2017 exports increased by 11.4 percent and this trend is continuing with an export growth of 6.2 percent in January. Exports of rubber and finished rubber products increased by 19 percent to earn US$75 million.
The Export Development Board (EDB) expects exports to increase to US$15 billion. An export value of US$13 billion that is more realistic would be significant. The EDB expects growth in industrial exports, mostly garments and textiles, ceramics, rubber and leather goods, to result in total exports of US$15 billion. Much of this expectation of export growth is based on the improving trend in exports over the last months and the export growth in January this year of 6.23 percent to US$934 million. The government’s target is to achieve exports of one billion in each month.
Textiles and garments
Apparel and textile exports grew by a modest 1.8 per cent to reach US$433 million in January. However, a double digit growth is expected in apparel exports in the coming months as apparel exporters were fulfilling orders received prior to getting the GSP plus. Sri Lanka’s textile and garments exports exceeded US$5 billion during 2017, its highest-ever value for a single year, recording a 3 per cent growth compared to US$4.88 billion a year ago. The Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association targets US$8 billion in apparel exports by 2022.
Summing up
While there are some economic gains this year, these should not blind us to the loss due to the communal violence that could affect the economy adversely for some time. Every effort must be made to build confidence, peaceful conditions and law and order in the country to restore tourism. Any recurrence would be the death knell to this valuable source of foreign exchange earnings.
Investment both foreign and domestic have been adversely affected. Restoring confidence among foreign investors is an uphill task, and without larger amounts of FDI in manufactures, the country’s export capacity cannot be enhanced.
The setback to the economy cannot be reversed easily. While the gains in economic growth this year is a relief, the longer term growth remains below the needed momentum. Furthermore populist economic policies could destabilise the economy and retard economic growth.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180325/columns/silver-linings-in-the-economy-increased-agricultural-and-industrial-production-and-export-growth-287578.html

Breakthrough in battle against rice blast

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Scientists have found a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of the world's rice crop each year.An international team led by the University of Exeter showed that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it spreading inside a rice leaf - leaving it trapped within a single plant cell.The finding is a breakthrough in terms of understanding rice blast, a disease that is hugely important in terms of global food security.
However, the scientists caution that this is a "fundamental" discovery - not a cure that can yet be applied outside the laboratory. The research revealed how the fungus can manipulate and then squeeze through natural channels (called plasmodesmata) that exist between plant cells.
"This is an exciting breakthrough because we have discovered how the fungus is able to move stealthily between rice cells, evading recognition by the plant immune system," said senior author Professor Nick Talbot FRS, of the University of Exeter.
"It is clearly able to suppress immune responses at pit fields (groups of plasmodesmata), and also regulate its own severe constriction to squeeze itself through such a narrow space.
"And all this is achieved by a single regulatory protein. It's a remarkable feat."
Rice blast threatens global food security, destroying enough rice each year to feed 60 million people.
It spreads within rice plants by invasive hyphae (branching filaments) which break through from cell to cell.In their bid to understand this process, the researchers used chemical genetics to mutate a signalling protein to make it susceptible to a specific drug.
The protein, PMK1, is responsible for suppressing the rice's immunity and allowing the fungus to squeeze through pit fields - so, by inhibiting it, the researchers were able to trap the fungus within a cell.
This level of precision led the team to discover that just one enzyme, called a MAP kinase, was responsible for regulating the invasive growth of rice blast.
The research team hope this discovery will enable them to identify targets of this enzyme and thereby determine the molecular basis of this devastating disease. The research was led by Dr Wasin Sakulkoo, who recently received his PhD from Exeter.
Dr Sakulkoo is a Halpin Scholar, a programme initiated by the generosity of Exeter alumni Les and Claire Halpin, which funds students from rice-growing regions of the world to study with Professor Talbot's research group.
Dr Sakulkoo is from Thailand, and has returned home to a new position in industry following graduation.
###
The project involved state-of-the-art live cell imaging procedures pioneered at Exeter by postdoctoral fellow Dr George Littlejohn, who is now a lecturer at Plymouth University, and electron microscopy specialists Christian Hacker and Ana Correia.
The research was also an international effort involving collaborators from Kansas State University, Dr Barbara Valent and Dr Ely Oliviera Garcia, and former Marie Curie Fellow Dr Miriam Oses-Ruiz.
The work was funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
Professor Talbot said: "International collaboration is central to our research and vital to keep us operating at the frontiers of understanding.
"Support from the ERC was pivotal to this project, as was the generous support of Claire Halpin, who has continued to support my research work and believe in the power of fundamental research and retraining to solve one of the world's most devastating diseases."
The paper, published in the journal Science, is entitled: "A single fungal MAP kinase controls plant cell-to-cell invasion by the rice blast fungus."
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not respons

Breakthrough in battle against rice blast

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
    Scientists have found a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30% of the world's rice crop each year.An international team led by the University of Exeter showed that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it spreading inside a rice leaf - leaving it trapped within a single plant cell.The finding is a breakthrough in terms of understanding rice blast, a disease that is hugely important in terms of global food security.
However, the scientists caution that this is a "fundamental" discovery - not a cure that can yet be applied outside the laboratory.
The research revealed how the fungus can manipulate and then squeeze through natural channels (called plasmodesmata) that exist between plant cells."This is an exciting breakthrough because we have discovered how the fungus is able to move stealthily between rice cells, evading recognition by the plant immune system," said senior author Professor Nick Talbot FRS, of the University of Exeter.
"It is clearly able to suppress immune responses at pit fields (groups of plasmodesmata), and also regulate its own severe constriction to squeeze itself through such a narrow space. "And all this is achieved by a single regulatory protein. It's a remarkable feat."
Rice blast threatens global food security, destroying enough rice each year to feed 60 million people.It spreads within rice plants by invasive hyphae (branching filaments) which break through from cell to cell. In their bid to understand this process, the researchers used chemical genetics to mutate a signalling protein to make it susceptible to a specific drug.
The protein, PMK1, is responsible for suppressing the rice's immunity and allowing the fungus to squeeze through pit fields - so, by inhibiting it, the researchers were able to trap the fungus within a cell.
This level of precision led the team to discover that just one enzyme, called a MAP kinase, was responsible for regulating the invasive growth of rice blast.The research team hope this discovery will enable them to identify targets of this enzyme and thereby determine the molecular basis of this devastating disease.
The research was led by Dr Wasin Sakulkoo, who recently received his PhD from Exeter.   Dr Sakulkoo is a Halpin Scholar, a programme initiated by the generosity of Exeter alumni Les and Claire Halpin, which funds students from rice-growing regions of the world to study with Professor Talbot's research group.
Dr Sakulkoo is from Thailand, and has returned home to a new position in industry following graduation.
###
The project involved state-of-the-art live cell imaging procedures pioneered at Exeter by postdoctoral fellow Dr George Littlejohn, who is now a lecturer at Plymouth University, and electron microscopy specialists Christian Hacker and Ana Correia.
The research was also an international effort involving collaborators from Kansas State University, Dr Barbara Valent and Dr Ely Oliviera Garcia, and former Marie Curie Fellow Dr Miriam Oses-Ruiz.
The work was funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
Professor Talbot said: "International collaboration is central to our research and vital to keep us operating at the frontiers of understanding.
"Support from the ERC was pivotal to this project, as was the generous support of Claire Halpin, who has continued to support my research work and believe in the power of fundamental research and retraining to solve one of the world's most devastating diseases."
The paper, published in the journal Science, is entitled: "A single fungal MAP kinase controls plant cell-to-cell invasion by the rice blast fungus."

Researchers find way to stop spread of devastating rice fungus

IANS  |  London Last Updated at March 26, 2018 11:30 IST
Scientists have discovered a way to stop the spread of rice blast, a fungus that destroys up to 30 per cent of the world's rice crop each year.
The researchers found that chemical genetic inhibition of a single protein in the fungus stops it from spreading inside a rice leaf -- leaving it trapped within a single plant cell.
The finding, published in the journal Science, could mark a major advance in understanding rice blast, a disease that is hugely important in terms of global food security.
The research revealed how the fungus can manipulate and then squeeze through natural channels (called plasmodesmata) that exist between plant cells.
"This is an exciting breakthrough because we have discovered how the fungus is able to move stealthily between rice cells, evading recognition by the plant immune system," said senior author Professor Nicholas Talbot of the University of Exeter in Britain.
"It is clearly able to suppress immune responses at pit fields (groups of plasmodesmata), and also regulate its own severe constriction to squeeze itself through such a narrow space," Talbot said.
"And all this is achieved by a single regulatory protein. It's a remarkable feat," he added.
However, the scientists caution that this is a "fundamental" discovery -- not a cure that can yet be applied outside the laboratory.
Rice blast threatens global food security, destroying enough rice each year to feed 60 million people.
It spreads within rice plants by invasive hyphae (branching filaments) which break through from cell to cell.
In their bid to understand this process, the researchers used chemical genetics to mutate a signalling protein to make it susceptible to a specific drug.
The protein, PMK1, is responsible for suppressing the rice's immunity and allowing the fungus to squeeze through pit fields. So, by inhibiting it, the researchers were able to trap the fungus within a cell.
This level of precision led the team to discover that just one enzyme, called a MAP kinase, was responsible for regulating the invasive growth of rice blast.
The research team hope this discovery will enable them to identify targets of this enzyme and thereby determine the molecular basis of this devastating disease.
--IANS
gb/vm
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Traders should not be allowed to import rice–solon

A vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on  Sunday backed the recent directive of Malacañang for the National Food Authority (NFA) to speed up the importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice.
Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of the Second District of Camarines Sur said the Palace has recently directed the NFA Council (NFAC) to fast-track rice imports, along with a crackdown on erring employees possibly in cahoots with unscrupulous grains businessmen.
“The President’s order to speed up rice imports should give all the more reason to the NFAC to reverse its longstanding policy of allowing private traders to import rice in favor of giving back to the NFA 100-percent control over all overseas purchases of the staple,” Villafuerte said in a statement.
“While the NFA can do the job of importing rice better and faster, it must also watch out for some scalawags in its ranks who sell NFA rice to traders, as this will defeat the purpose of stabilizing prices in the market,” he added.
Villafuerte, citing Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, said President Duterte issued the order to the NFA to expedite rice imports during a recent NFAC meeting and told the Cabinet he did not want a repeat of the 2008 rice crisis.
Full control
Villafuerte also said the NFA should regain full control over rice imports, considering that certain unscrupulous grains traders have cashed in on the current system to corner the bulk of domestic supply and unduly jack up prices of this staple at the expense of ordinary Filipinos.
The lawmaker called on the NFAC to reverse its policy of letting private grains businessmen import rice through the NFA, following an earlier appeal by NFA Administrator Jason Aquino to farmers to sell part of their harvests to the food agency so it could replenish its stocks.
Amid the current “artificial” supply problem, Villafuerte said the council should also consider setting up a separate body to monitor the supply and prices of rice, with the end goal of imposing a price ceiling once retail prices spiral out of control—in the same way that the government exercise regulatory control over vital services like electricity for the protection of consumers.
“We need to fix the existing system to shield both farmers and consumers from the shady practices of private traders that have left the NFA helpless in carrying out its primary task of ensuring the stability of the price and supply of rice in the market,” Villafuerte added.
Under the current system, the NFA has the sole authority to import rice, but the NFAC allows private traders to similarly purchase stocks from abroad through the NFA.
He also said the rule of thumb is that palay bought from farmers should only have a 100-percent markup once milled and sold as rice in retail outlets.
“At the current average farm-gate buying price of P20 per kilogram of palay, regular-milled rice should be sold at around P40 per kg only,” he said. “But right now you can see that regular-milled and commercial rice sells for around P43 per kg to P50 per kg in retail outlets.”
Under its food-security and price-stabilization mandate, the NFA needs to have a strategic rice reserve equivalent to 15 days’ national consumption and a higher 30-day buffet stock during the traditional lean months of July to September.
P50-million fine
Meanwhile, Rep. Manuel Luis T. Lopez of the First District of Manila filed House Bill 7417, or the Rice Security and Stability Act of 2018, which seeks to impose a P50-million fine and an imprisonment of 12 years against those who will be found guilty of hoarding, profiteering and engaging in cartel operations and price manipulation of rice in the country.
Lopez said the passage of this measure seeks to identify the responsibility and accountability of businessmen who are found guilty of committing any of the “prohibited acts inimical to the interests of Filipinos, most especially the poor.”
The bill qualifies hoarding as the undue accumulation by a person or combination of persons or corporate entities of rice beyond his of their normal inventory levels and profiteering refers to the sale or offering for sale of rice at a price grossly in excess of its market value.
The measure also defined cartel as a combination of or agreement between two or more persons or corporate entities engaged in the production, manufacture, processing, storage and unreasonably increase or manipulate its price.
Price manipulation, finally, is any act committed by any person, persons, entity mor entities engaged in the production, manufacture, importation and other similar activities that seek to control and influence the price of rice at any given time.

Buying paddy from errant millers an uphill task

THE HANS INDIA |    Mar 26,2018 , 01:01 AM IST    


Description: Buying paddy from errant millers an uphill task
Buying paddy from errant millers an uphill task
Nellore: The district administration is facing tough time in procuring paddy owing to lack of cooperation from the rice millers. The administration has repeatedly been asking the millers to provide bank guarantees but they have been keeping quiet and consequently only 50 per cent of the target could be completed till now.   

Recently, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy deputed former MLA M Sridhara Krishna Reddy to sort out the problem by opening a dialogue with the millers and that process is still going on.

Initially, the administration asked them to provide up to Rs 150 crore as bank guarantees but the millers could come up with only Rs 30 to Rs 40 crore. Now, officials have come down a few steps are asking for only Rs 75 crore and yet millers are not making any move.

Officiating District Civil Supplies Officer Venkata Ramana said of the 168 Paddy Purchasing Centres set up across the district, only 103 centres are active. Fifty per cent of paddy was only procured against the target of 5,000 metric tonnes per day from all these centres. The rice millers have provided bank guarantees for Rs 40 crore against the demanded of Rs 150 crore, he explained.

“Till not very long ago, the practice has been to give bank guarantee for a nominal amount for procurement. Since 2015-16, it has become burdensome with the administration taking cheques from them,” said one miller on condition of anonymity. 

Last year, district administration had cracked whip at the errant millers who failed to supply milled rice. They arrested two millers after booking cases against them. Twenty-three millers or leaseholders agreed to mill the rice but the Civil Supplies department is yet to receive 19,258 tonnes of milled rice from them.

Even though the millers were warned of action under the Revenue Recovery (RR) Act, there has been no response from them due to “internal corruption” and “support” from the “errant” administrative mechanism.

This year, the farmers were bringing crops in huge quantities, but the district administration has failed to make arrangement for hassle-free procurement because of the attitude of the millers.

An official from the Civil Supplies department said: “We had supplied paddy directly from purchasing centres to millers in Kovuru and Bogole mandals but they had not returned the milled rice even after two years. “We have served notices on them, but it had no impact on them,” he said.

Close illegal water plants, Collector tells officials

THE HANS INDIA |    Mar 26,2018 , 12:30 AM IST
      


Description: Close illegal water plants, Collector tells officials
Close illegal water plants, Collector tells officials

Vijayawada: Krishna District Collector B Lakshmikantham directed the officials to close illegal water plants. Reviewing with the officials of vigilance and enforcement officials at his office here on Sunday, he said that already 11 water plants were closed in the district and some other plants were being run without licences. 

He asked the officials to take stringent action against the water plants which were not following quality parameters. The Collector also said that Rs 1.12 crore was collected from rice millers as penalty for illegally recycling the rice of public distribution system.

The prohibition and excise officials also booked 15 cases against the owners of liquor shops and seized one vehicle. The officials of drug control department conducted raids on 63 medical shops, he said and added that the irregularities were found in 16 shops.

Similarly, cases were booked against the cloth stores, general stores, aqua and super markets and Rs 6.72 lakh were collected as a penalty from them, he said. Similarly, samples were collected from various shops and general stores, he said. Several officials of various departments, along with vigilance and enforcement department, were present at the meeting.


Gene Boosts Rice Growth and Yield in Salty Soil

Fri, 03/23/2018 - 3:35pm
by American Society of Plant Biologists
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Members of the research team collecting samples in a rice paddy field in Changsha, China. Jianzhong Lin
Around 20% of the world's irrigated land is considered to contain elevated concentrations of salt, and the soil continues to get saltier as the climate warms. Agricultural production is hard hit by soil salinity; salt stress reduces the growth and yield of most plants, resulting in billions of dollars in crop yield losses annually. Rice--the staple food of more than half the world's population--is particularly sensitive to salty soil, with even moderate levels of salt resulting in substantial yield losses. There is thus an urgent need to develop rice lines that can withstand salty conditions.
A team of scientists led by Jian-Zhong Lin and Xuan-Ming Liu of Hunan University in Changsha, China recently identified a gene that contributes to salt stress tolerance in rice. The gene, which they named STRK1 (salt tolerance receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase 1), was activated under salt stress conditions. The researchers generated two sets of transgenic plants, one in which STRK1 was expressed at high levels, and the other in which expression was greatly reduced. Under regular growth conditions, both sets of transgenic plants appeared normal. However, when challenged with salt, the transgenic plants with elevated STRK1 expression were greener and larger than the non-transgenic control plants, and those with reduced levels of STRK1 expression were smaller and browner than the controls.
Next, the team examined the effect of STRK1 on yield. "Notably, overexpression of STRK1 in rice not only improved growth but also markedly limited the grain yield loss under salt stress conditions," said Jian-Zhong Lin.
The team then turned their attention to deciphering the mechanism by which STRK1 enhances the plant's tolerance to salt. Salt stress triggers the production of potentially harmful reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, in plant cells. The group found that STRK1 (the protein encoded by STRK1) interacts with and activates a protein named CatC, which belongs to a family of proteins that decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Thus, STRK1 increases the plant's tolerance to salt stress by keeping the levels of hydrogen peroxide in check, and thereby minimizing the damage caused by accumulating reactive oxygen species.
These exciting findings bring the research community closer to developing rice plants that thrive in salty soil. "Agricultural productivity is increasingly threatened by the salinization of irrigated farmland...Our work demonstrates that STRK1 is a promising candidate gene for protection of yield in crop plants exposed to salt stress," stated Xuan-Ming Liu.


Gene Boosts Rice Growth And Yield In Salty Soil
 Description: Members of the research team collecting samples in a rice paddy field in Changsha, China. Credit Jianzhong Lin March 24, 2018Eurasia Review 
Members of the research team collecting samples in a rice paddy field in Changsha, China. Credit: Jianzhong Lin
Around 20% of the world’s irrigated land is considered to contain elevated concentrations of salt, and the soil continues to get saltier as the climate warms. Agricultural production is hard hit by soil salinity; salt stress reduces the growth and yield of most plants, resulting in billions of dollars in crop yield losses annually. Rice–the staple food of more than half the world’s population–is particularly sensitive to salty soil, with even moderate levels of salt resulting in substantial yield losses. There is thus an urgent need to develop rice lines that can withstand salty conditions.
A team of scientists led by Jian-Zhong Lin and Xuan-Ming Liu of Hunan University in Changsha, China recently identified a gene that contributes to salt stress tolerance in rice. The gene, which they named STRK1 (salt tolerance receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase 1), was activated under salt stress conditions. The researchers generated two sets of transgenic plants, one in which STRK1 was expressed at high levels, and the other in which expression was greatly reduced. Under regular growth conditions, both sets of transgenic plants appeared normal. However, when challenged with salt, the transgenic plants with elevated STRK1 expression were greener and larger than the non-transgenic control plants, and those with reduced levels of STRK1 expression were smaller and browner than the controls.
Next, the team examined the effect of STRK1 on yield. “Notably, overexpression of STRK1 in rice not only improved growth but also markedly limited the grain yield loss under salt stress conditions,” said Jian-Zhong Lin.
The team then turned their attention to deciphering the mechanism by which STRK1 enhances the plant’s tolerance to salt. Salt stress triggers the production of potentially harmful reactive oxygen species, such as hydrogen peroxide, in plant cells. The group found that STRK1 (the protein encoded by STRK1) interacts with and activates a protein named CatC, which belongs to a family of proteins that decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
Thus, STRK1 increases the plant’s tolerance to salt stress by keeping the levels of hydrogen peroxide in check, and thereby minimizing the damage caused by accumulating reactive oxygen species.
These findings bring the research community closer to developing rice plants that thrive in salty soil.
“Agricultural productivity is increasingly threatened by the salinization of irrigated farmland…Our work demonstrates that STRK1 is a promising candidate gene for protection of yield in crop plants exposed to salt stress,” said Xuan-Ming Liu.

Rice Husk Ash Market: Growth, Trends, Region and Forecast to 2022

HTF MI published a new industry research that focuses on Rice Husk Ash market and delivers in-depth market analysis and future prospects of Global and United States Rice Husk Ash market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges. The study is segmented by Application/ end users [Building & Construction, Steel Industry, Ceramics & Refractories & Silica Manufacturing], products type [] and various important geographies like United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa].
The research covers the current market size of the Global and United States Rice Husk Ash market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data along with company profile of key players/manufacturers. The in-depth information by segments of Rice Husk Ash market helps monitor future profitability & to make critical decisions for growth. The information on trends and developments, focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global and United States Rice Husk Ash Market.
The study provides company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of key manufacturers of Global and United States Rice Husk Ash Market, some of them listed here are Usher Agro Ltd, Wadham Energy Limited Partnership, Agrilectric Power, Agrisil Holding, Yihai Kerry Investments, Refratechnik Italia SrL, Jasoriya Rice Mill Pvt, Nodules, Powder & Granules. The market is growing at a very rapid pace and with rise in technological innovation, competition and M&A activities in the industry many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new manufacturer entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.
Global and United States Rice Husk Ash (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such as . Further the research study is segmented by Application such as Building & Construction, Steel Industry, Ceramics & Refractories & Silica Manufacturing with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.
Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Rice Husk Ash in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2017 to 2022.
Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ 
https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1019824-2018-2025-rice-husk-ash-report-on-global-and-united-states-market
Following would be the Chapters to display the Global and United States Rice Husk Ash market.
Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Rice Husk Ash, Applications of Rice Husk Ash, Market Segment by Regions;
Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;
Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Rice Husk Ash, Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;
Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);
Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa, Rice Husk Ash Segment Market Analysis (by Type);
Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Rice Husk Ash Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Rice Husk Ash;
Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [], Market Trend by Application [Building & Construction, Steel Industry, Ceramics & Refractories & Silica Manufacturing];
Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;
Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global and United States Rice Husk Ash;
Chapter 12,13, 14 and 15, to describe Rice Husk Ash sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.
What this Research Study Offers:
Global and United States Rice Husk Ash Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments
Market share analysis of the top industry players
Strategic recommendations for the new entrants
Market forecasts for a minimum of 5 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets
Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)
Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations
Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends
Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments
Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements
Reasons for Buying this Report
This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics
It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth
It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow
It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future
It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors
It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
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Rice Transplanter Machines Market Overview, Cost Structure Analysis, Growth Opportunities And Forecast To 2022

Rice Transplanter Machines Market report provides future growth potentials, key drivers, competitive outlook, Scope, key challenges analysis. The reports also elaborate the growth rate of the Rice Transplanter Machines market based on the top company profile analysis. This report offering a detailed analysis, market sizing, and estimate for the developing segment within the Rice Transplanter Machines market.
Rice Transplanter Machines market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Rice Transplanter Machines sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD), Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data, Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors and market share for each manufacturer/player: Yanmar, Iseki, Kubota, TYM, Jiangsu World Agriculture Machinery, CLAAS, Shandong Fuerwo Agricultural Equipment, Mitsubishi Mahindra Agricultural Machinery, Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery, Changfa Agricultural Equipment,
On the basis of product type, Rice Transplanter Machines Market report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into: Mechanical, Manual,
On the basis on the end users/applications, Rice Transplanter Machines Market report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, including: Commercial, Household,
Request for Rice Transplanter Machines Market Sample Report @: https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/request-sample/11207357
This report describes the Rice Transplanter Machines market scope with the aspects governing market growth. As this report is expected to help key players among the Rice Transplanter Machines market it includes the recent five years market analysis and the 5 years annual forecast from 2018 to 2023.
Rice Transplanter Machines Market report also holds the segmentation of region wise statistical data for new entrants and the investor with breakdown of market based on types, end user applications along with top regions with the growth analysis and forecast up to upcoming 5 years.
Geographically, Rice Transplanter Machines Market report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Rice Transplanter Machines for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering: United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, North America, India.
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The Rice Transplanter Machines market reports include development policies and business strategies as well as leading manufacturers revenue and growth in the market. This report also contains supply and consumption figures of Rice Transplanter Machines market.
Other Key Topics Covered in this report are: Key Rice Transplanter Machines market affect factors, with competitive landscape and recommended business strategies. Forecast of Rice Transplanter Machines Market and region wise growth analysis, variation in market trends and emerging opportunities in current market, Rice Transplanter Machines Market growth rate in 2022, top players market shares and so on….
Several of the important areas covered in this market research report: – Rice Transplanter Machines Market Competition by Manufacturers, Production, Supply, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016), Rice Transplanter Machines Market Forecast (2018-2022). Along with this SWOT analysis is also carried out.
Last part contains Development Trend and Research Conclusion of Rice Transplanter Machines Market with Methodology and Data Source. With overall Rice Transplanter Machines market research, this report is a valuable source of guidance/ direction and provides important statistics on the existing state of the said market. It is helpful for established businesses, new entrants interested in the market.

Civil supplies departmen’s IT adoption now a case study at Indian School of Business

By Express News Service  |   26th March 2018 05:44 AM  |  
Last Updated: 26th March 2018 05:44 AM  
HYDERABAD: The adoption of Information Technology in the public distribution system (PDS) that enabled the Telangana State Civil Supplies Department (TSCDS) to plug leakages and improve operational efficiency, is now a case study for future entrepreneurial leaders at Indian School of Business (ISB). The case study looks at various Information Technology (IT) reformations undertaken by the department in 2017-18 that helped them get ranked first the country for technology adoption.The ISB case study titled “Turnaround of Food and Civil Supplies Department in Telangana Government” chronicles the tenure of CV, Anand, Commissioner of TSCDS since assuming office on August 15, 2017. The study pointed out the different departmental and financial issues the department faces and the steps that were taken which resulted in rice millers returning 100 per cent of the Custom Milled Rice in the Kharif season of 2016-17. The department achieved this by negotiating, withdrawing pending cases and offering support to the millers.  
Earlier the rice millers often did not return CMR to the TSCDS, the department estimates that 0.2 million metric tons of rice were pending from the millers, amounting to `4.85 billion. The study showcases how steps such as the adoption of e-PoS machines at 17,200 Fair Price Shops helped save `7.5-8 billion every year. The department claimed that `81 billion payment to 1.1 million farmers in 2017-18 kharif and rabi crop seasons were made using tablets at the PPC using the OPMS software. 
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2018/mar/26/civil-supplies-departmens-it-adoption-now-a-case-study-at-indian-school-of-business-1792470.html.

Plan to export paddy to Sri Lanka from State

By Express News Service  |   Published: 26th March 2018 02:09 AM  |  
Last Updated: 26th March 2018 05:21 AM  
NELLORE: Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy has said that they are discussing with Sri Lanka government to export paddy stored in warehouses of the district. Somireddy inspected water level in a tank at Thoderu village in Podalakur mandal on Sunday.Speaking to the media, he said that farmers across the district produced 4 puttis of paddy for one acre on an average. “Farmers are able to produce 30 lakh putties of paddy in the district after the government supplied water for 7 lakh acres this season,” he said. 
Somireddy explained that they had supplied 22 tmc of water from Krishna river to Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs in the district.“Water has been provided to upland areas on par with delta lands. Nearly, 25,600 acres of land was brought under cultivation after the construction ofa siphon from Kandaleru left canal at a cost of `40 lakh. A proposal was made to construct an aqueduct at a cost of `4 crore,” the Agriculture Minister said. 
He said that rice millers from other districts have been procuring paddy from farmers at a support price after providing bank guarantee. “Nearly 5 tmc of water was supplied to Swarnamukhi and Kalangi to cultivate crops,” he said. The minister also inspected the Chatagotla tank. 

Global rice consumption continues to grow

by Grain Central, 26 March 2018
RICE consumption around the world is anticipated to continue to grow steadily at around 1.1 per cent per annum to 2025 when it is expected to reach a market volume of 570 million tonnes (Mt), according to a new rice market report published by market research firm IndexBox.
China and India will remain the world’s leading rice producers and India, Thailand and Vietnam the main rice exporters, while China has emerged as the largest rice importer.
In 2016, global rice consumption reached its maximum level (in terms of milled rice weight) of 518Mt, posting modest but robust gains from 2007-2016.
The total consumption volume increased at an average annual rate of +1.4%. Over the period under review, the global rice consumption reached its maximum volume in 2016, and is likely to continue its growth in the immediate term due to Asian population growth.
In 2016, the countries with the highest consumption were China (29pc based on tonnes), India (19pc) and Indonesia (11pc), together comprising 59pc of total consumption.
They were followed by India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, Brazil and Japan.
From 2007 to 2016, the most notable growth rates of rice consumption among the main consuming countries was attained by Indonesia (+3.0pc per year from 2007 to 2016), Vietnam (+2.9pc per year) and Bangladesh (+1.7pc per year), while the other global leaders indicated relatively stable consumption trend pattern.
The highest levels of rice per capita consumption was registered in Myanmar (306 kilograms per year), Vietnam (285kg per year), Thailand (233kg per year), Bangladesh (229kg per year) and Indonesia (210kg per year), while the average per capita consumption of rice was estimated at 72 kg/year in 2016.

Consumption to reach 570Mt by end of 2025

Rice is a traditional staple food in many countries of the world, especially in Asia, therefore rice consumption is determined by the population needs in food.
Consequently, the world consumption of rice is not subject to strong fluctuations.
In the future, it is expected that due to sustainable growth in population and development of agricultural practices, which improve rice yields and strengthen rice supply, market performance is to continue its mild upward trend.
Rice consumption is to grow with an anticipated CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of +1.1pc for the nine-year period from 2016 to 2025, which is expected to lead the market to a volume of 570M tonnes by the end of 2025.

China and India leading producers

Global rice production amounted to 527M in 2016 (in terms of milled rice weight).
Overall, the rice supply pursued a stable growth from 2007 to 2016.
The countries with the highest levels of production in 2016 were China (148Mt) and India (110Mt), together accounting for 59pc of rice supply.
They were followed by Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Brazil and Japan, which all lagged somewhat behind.

India, Thailand and Vietnam main exporters

In 2016, the volume of global exports totalled 35.6Mt (this figure refers to a sum of semi-milled or wholly milled rice broken rice and husked (brown) rice) which was 12pc less than the year before.
However, from 2007 to 2016, the global rice exports indicated a pronounced growth, with a CAGR of +1.9pc.
India (28pc), Thailand (18pc) and Vietnam (17pc) were the main suppliers of rice in the world, together made up 63pc of global rice exports.
Among these countries, India (+5.2pc per year) and Vietnam (+2.9pc per year) exports steady increased over the period under review, while Thailand milled rice exports dropped by -3.9pc from 2007 to 2016.
The share of India (+7 percentage points) significantly strengthened its position in the global rice exports, while the share of Thailand (-12 percentage points) decreased significantly.

China emerged as largest importer

The volume of global rice imports totalled 26.7Mt in 2016 (in terms of milled rice weight).
Imports dynamics was generally in line with exports: these trade flows globally complement each other.
From 2007 to 2016, global rice imports remained relatively stable, however, indicating some noticeable fluctuations in certain years.
China (13pc of global imports in 2016) was the key rice importer in the world.
Except China, the main importers of rice were Indonesia (5pc), the United Arab Emirates (4pc), Benin (4pc) and Saudi Arabia (4pc), all these countries together made up 17pc share of global rice imports in 2016.
China had the highest growth rates of imports, which accounted for +25.7pc per year from 2007-2016.
The other countries had more moderate growth rates over the same period: Benin (+6.6pc per year) and the United Arab Emirates (+1.9pc per year).
While the share of China rice imports (+11 percentage points) increased significantly, the shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analysed period.
Source: IndexBox, www.indexbox.co.uk