Tuesday, January 29, 2019

26th january,2019 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

JANUARY 24, 2019
LGB and other sexual minorities face significant health disparities
Sexual minorities—people who are attracted to members of the same sex or who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual—are at a higher risk for several different health problems at different points in their lives, according to Penn State researchers.
The researchers found that sexual minorities were more likely to experience drug and alcohol use disorders, anxiety and depressive disorders, and cardiovascular disease, among other negative health outcomes.
Cara Rice, assistant research professor in Penn State's Methodology Center, said increased stress stemming from discrimination and prejudice could be a potential reason for these disparities.
"It's generally believed that sexual minorities experience increased levels of stress throughout their lives as a result of discrimination, microaggressions, stigma and prejudicial policies," Rice said. "Those increased stress levels may then result in poor health in a variety of ways, like unhealthy eating or excessive alcohol use."
Stephanie Lanza, professor of biobehavioral health and director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, said the results—recently published in Annals of Epidemiology—help shed light on health risks that have been historically understudied.
"Discussions about health disparities often focus on the differences between men and women, across racial and ethnic groups, or between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds," Lanza said. "However, sexual minority groups suffer substantially disproportionate health burdens across a range of outcomes including poor mental health and problematic substance use behaviors."
While previous research has shown that sexual minorities are more likely to experience health problems like substance use disorders and mood or anxiety disorders, Rice said it is not as well known if those risks remain constant across age.
"As we try to develop programs to prevent these disparities, it would be helpful to know which specific ages we should be targeting," Rice said. "Are there ages where sexual minorities are more at risk for these health disparities, or are the disparities constant across adulthood?"
For the study, the researchers used data from about 30,999 participants between the ages of 18 and 65 from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Data included information about past-year alcohol, tobacco, and drug use disorders, as well whether they had a history of depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or cardiovascular disease.
Lanza said the researchers used a method developed at Penn State, called time-varying effect modeling, to analyze the information.
"Using the time-varying effect model, we revealed specific age periods at which sexual minorityadults in the U.S. were more likely to experience various poor health outcomes," Lanza said, "even after accounting for one's sex, race or ethnicity, education level, income, and region of the country in which they reside."
The researchers found that overall, sexual minorities were more likely to experience all the health outcomes. Nearly a quarter—24 percent—of sexual minorities had an alcohol use disorder in the year prior to the survey, compared to 15 percent of heterosexuals. Sexual minorities were also about twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, and STIs in the previous year.
Additionally, risks for some health problems were higher at different ages. For example, the increased odds for anxiety and depression among sexual minorities was highest in their early twenties, while increased odds for poor cardiovascular health was higher in their forties and fifties.
"We also observed that odds of substance use disorders remained constant across age for sexual minorities, while in the general population they tend to be concentrated in certain age groups," Rice said. "We saw that sexual minorities were more likely to have these substance use disorders even in their forties and fifties when we see in the general population that drug use and alcohol use start to taper off."
Rice said the findings could potentially be used to develop programs to help prevent these health problems before they start.
"A necessary first step was to understand how health disparities affecting sexual minorities vary across age," Rice said. "These findings shed light on periods of adulthood during which intervention programs may have the largest public health impact. Additionally, future studies that examine possible drivers of these age-varying disparities, such as daily experiences of discrimination, will inform the development of intervention content that holds promise to promote health equity for all people."

P10-B Rice Fund to minimize impact of tariffication law
January 24, 2019
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By Lilybeth Ison/PNA
MANILA — The implementation of a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) or Rice Fund would provide assistance to farmers as compensation for the projected reduction or loss of farm income arising from the proposed rice tariffication.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in a press briefing on Wednesday, said the proposed PHP10-billion RCEF “is very critical to achieve growth in agriculture.”
As such, he said this should be released before the planting season in March for farmers to be able to plant on time.
The proposed rice tariffication law, now awaiting President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s signature, amends the 1996 Agricultural Tariffication Act that put quantitative restrictions on rice imports. Instead, rice can now be imported freely as long as the proper tariffs are paid.
The measure also provides a PHP10-billion Rice Fund which will be allocated as follows:
• 50 percent will go to the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Modernization (PhilMech) to provide farmers with rice farm machineries and equipment;
• 30 percent will be released to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to be used for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and the organization of rice farmers into seed growers’ associations engaged in seed production and trade;
• 10 percent will be made available in the form of credit facility with minimal interest rates and with minimum collateral requirements to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines; and
• 10 percent will be set aside to fund extension services by PhilMech, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for teaching skills on rice crop production, modern rice farming techniques, seed production, farm mechanization, and knowledge/ technology transfer through farm schools nationwide.
Piñol said the PHP10-billion RCEF, which would enable Filipino farmers to export their rice at globally competitive price levels, would be implemented annually over the next six years, he said.

Moon-Forming Collision Left Key Elements on Earth, Study Finds
Description: https://i2.wp.com/www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MoonCollision.jpg?w=1140Rice University petrologists have found Earth most likely received the bulk of its carbon, nitrogen and other life-essential volatile elements from the planetary collision that created the moon more than 4.4 billion years ago. (Image courtesy of Rice University)

(CN) – Scientists at Rice University say elements essential for the formation of life were left on Earth after a planet the size of Mars crashed into it over 4.4 billion years ago and created the moon.
A new study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances claims it is likely that nitrogen and carbon – two of only six elements that make up most of the human body – were left on Earth from the theorized moon-forming cosmic collision.
A team of five researchers from the Rice University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences wanted to explore whether elements that make up the building blocks of life on Earth came from collisions with meteorites or some other way.
After computing a billion different cosmic scenarios and comparing the results with current solar system conditions, they concluded a planet with a core high in sulfur would also contain carbon and nitrogen on its surface, which could transfer to Earth after a collision.
The research also suggests a rocky planet like Earth might gain more key “volatile” elements if it is able to grow following sizeable impacts with planets that have certain elements.
“From the study of primitive meteorites, scientists have long known that Earth and other rocky planets in the inner solar system are volatile-depleted,” study co-author Rajdeep Dasgupta said in a statement. “But the timing and mechanism of volatile delivery has been hotly debated. Ours is the first scenario that can explain the timing and delivery in a way that is consistent with all of the geochemical evidence.”
Dasgupta added, “This study suggests that a rocky, Earth-like planet gets more chances to acquire life-essential elements if it forms and grows from giant impacts with planets that have sampled different building blocks, perhaps from different parts of a protoplanetary disk,” 
The study’s lead author, Rice graduate student Damanveer Grewal, set up a series of experiments simulating high pressures and temperatures during a planet’s core formation and found that a sulfur-rich core would mean large amounts of carbon and nitrogen on a planet’s surface.
“What we found is that all the evidence — isotopic signatures, the carbon-nitrogen ratio and the overall amounts of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in the bulk silicate Earth — are consistent with a moon-forming impact involving a volatile-bearing, Mars-sized planet with a sulfur-rich core,” Grewal said.
In addition to Grewal and Dasgupta, study authors include Cenguang Sun, Kyusei Tsuno and Gelu Costin.
Another recent study found that nearly three times more asteroids have collided with the Earth and moon in the past 290 million years than ever before.
These findings have implications for the history of life on Earth, particularly as asteroid strikes have had a significant role in mass extinction events and the rapid evolution of species that follows.

Report on Political Economy of Rice Trade between India, Bangladesh, Nepal Released

 

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There are economic and social factors associated with rice. The consumption of rice and the change in thereof, is an indicator of the change in the country fuelled by increase in per capita income, variation in individual preferences, and prices. In the social front, rice also has an emotive value based on cultural traditions and beliefs.  
Rise production has made a quantum leap in the region, mainly due to unprecedented economic progress and the advent of green revolution; this has tripled the food grain production, thus moving a step towards attaining self-sufficiency in production. In Bangladesh, India and Nepal, paddy production accounts for more than 50 percent of the total cereal production.  
In Bangladesh, India and Nepal (BIN), rice is the staple food for most of the population, and forms approximately 50 percent of the total cereal production, providing 30 percent of the total calorific requirement. While the BIN economies have a significant domestic production of rice, only India has a surplus, and Bangladesh and Nepal are dependent on imports to meet their domestic requirements. However, high agricultural tariffs in the BIN economies decrease the competitiveness of imports in the local markets. Three levels of analysis have been conducted in the study – (a) at the procurement stage in India, (b) at the export stage, and (c) at the consumption stage in Nepal and Bangladesh. The procurement analysis consists of factors such as input subsidies, domestic production and consumption, and the dynamics of price change in the Indian market; the export stage analyses the prevalence of tariff and non-tariff barriers that exist at the border points; and the consumption stage analyses the trend in consumption and the factors that drive exports from India in Nepal and Bangladesh.  
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In view of the Regional perspective on rice trade in South Asia, Shri Aditya Pillai, Consultant, The Asia Foundation presented the pin pointed perspective and the Key highlights of the study was presented by Shri Afaq Hussain, Director BRIEF, who is co-author along with Riya Sinha  of the study also.  
BRIEF-Bureau of Research on Industry & Economic Fundamentals is an economic research organization with a focus on primary survey-based research in undertaking diagnostic studies, policy research, program implementation and of various schemes in the socio-economic areas. BRIEF’s past engagements have spanned areas from international trade to infrastructure to policy analysis with a focus on India and other developing countries. Over the years, BRIEF has been advising on developing inclusive and sustainable growth models for our clients. The organization also functions as a research partner to various academia and research institutions in carrying extensive research on contemporary issues. BRIEF has been undertaking research on several areas to progress India’s integration with the world economy with clients like The World Bank, NITI Aayog, FIEO, FICCI, SIDBI, Dun & Bradstreet, British High Commission, among others. 
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BRIEF, an economic research organisation, organised the launch of its latest report on ‘The Political of Rice Trade between Bangladesh, India and Nepal,’ on 22nd January 2019 at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The report was released by Shri Sanjay Chadha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, amidst other dignitaries. The study was supported by The Asia Foundation, New Delhi. The study, co-authored by Afaq Hussain and Riya Sinha, was conducted in 2018 with the objective of assessing the factors that play a role in the shifting trade patterns between the selected countries and achieving food security. 
Talking about the report, Mohammed Saqib, CEO, BRIEF, adds, “Very few items of trade trigger a large scale emotive and economic response as much as food grains do. Regional trade in food grains has the capacity for improving the bilateral and multilateral relations in South Asia, as well as the achievement of food security in order to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal no. 2, realisation of zero hunger, of the United Nations. The first major step that can be taken is to undertake a product-specific redressal of challenges faced in procurement and in trade through border points. This report highlights the challenges faced in rice trade between India, Nepal and Bangladesh in domestic procurement and trade at border points, and suggests steps to be taken for redressal.” 
The study highlighted some of the challenges that exist in rice trade from India to Bangladesh and Nepal. Some of these include non uniform farming practices due to small land-holding resulting in inconsistency of paddy quality, infrastructural challenges at the border points, deterioration in quality of rice due to high waiting time at the border points, lack of transparency, traceability and accountability in the procurement and supply chain module between the various entities in the chain – farmers, millers, warehouses and the fair price shops are some of the challenges highlighted in the report. The report also suggested that rice may be considered as a semi perishable commodity while being exported due land borders in order to ensure faster cross over and reduce incidences of quality deterioration.  


Bangladesh needs hybrid rice production to ensure food security
Description: http://www.dailyindustry.news/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Bangladesh-needs-hybrid-ric.gifBangladesh population will reach 215.4 m in 
2050, when 44.6 MT rice will be needed
Zahid Hossain Biplob: Experts have underscored the need for increasing the rice production capacity for meeting the demand of future. Hybrid rice production would ensure the future food security of the country, they opined.
Total annual production may rise 5.78 percent year-on-year from the 32.65 million tones of 2017-18, said the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in its latest issue of Grain and Feed Update on Bangladesh released last week.
In 2014-15, the country acquired a rice surplus of about 2 MT for combined efforts of farmers, rice scientists, extension personnel and government.
However, maintaining the current surplus of rice in the coming decades is a great challenge. Population of Bangladesh will reach 215.4 million in 2050, when 44.6 MT of clean rice will be required, experts predicted.
Rice is the staple food for over half the world’s population. Approximately 600 million metric tons of rice is produced annually across the world. China and India alone account for 50 percent of the rice grown and consumed. Agronomists said more 150 million metric tons of rice will be needed by 2025 as the demand of rice is increasing day by day in the world.
Experts said future rice production would hamper for increasing population, decreasing resources like land, labour, soil health and water. Apart from this, the increasing climate vulnerability appeared as the great challenges to keep the pace of food production in the background of increasing population.
Bangladesh agriculture involves food production for 163.65 million people from merely 8.75 million hectares of agricultural land.
Rice production exceeded 15 million tons for the first time in FY 1986. In the mid-1980s, Bangladesh was the fourth largest rice producer in the world, but its productivity was low compared with other Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. It is currently the world’s sixth-largest producer. Highyield varieties of seed, application of fertilizer, and irrigation have increased yields, although these inputs also raise the cost of production and chiefly benefit the richer cultivators.
The government is importing rice maximum from India to fulfill the demand. The US agency forecasted that Bangladesh would import 0.8 million tonnes of rice in July-June period of fiscal 2018-19.
Bangladesh had been a major rice buyer in 2017-18, importing 3.89 million tonnes, the highest in the last three decades, after repeated floods washed away huge amounts of crops.
Experts pointed out that hybrid rice cultivation can ensure the future demand. Hybrid rice cultivation area has remained unchanged at 8 lakh hectares for the last few years and it is yet to cross the 10-lakh-hectare mark, the highest recorded in 2009-10.
So far 174 varieties of hybrid seeds were released but nearly 30 of them survived in the market due to farmers’ unwillingness to use the seeds, which they think may fail in producing expected yield, analysts said.
More cultivation of hybrid rice can help the country to avert its future challenge of diminishing trend of cultivable land, they said.
According to Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF), poor quality seeds, inadequate research to invent good variety of seeds and lack of awareness campaign among the farmers are the core challenges to making hybrid rice popular. Crop lands amounting to 62,000 hectares decrease per annum because of the spiraling population, which leave a negative impact on agricultural production.
Talking to Daily Industry, M Anis Ud Dowla, president of Bangladesh Seed Association told that production of hybrid rice in more farm lands will give us a solution stemming from the challenges as its yield is 15-20 percent higher than the inbred varieties.
Farmers usually believe that they might not get their desirable production if they cultivate the hybrid rice, he said.
The private sector has a vital role in popularising the crop. And the government also should take initiative to find a way out on how to cater the seed of hybrid rice to the farmers” said Anis.
Dr Shahjahan Kabir, director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) said the highest priority should be given to establish a hybrid rice research institute for addressing the challenges. “Hybrid rice seed production is highly technical, so required support needs to be extended at the farmer level who is interested to engage in seed production process,” he added.
The authorities concerned should provide enough funds, human resources, training and logistic support to all stakeholders to help hybrid rice to flourish, industry insiders said.
Department of Agricultural Extension data shows that the cultivation of hybrid rice accounted for only 7.13 percent of the total 1.14 crore hectares of lands in 2016-17.
Z Karim, former chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council said hybrid rice seed industry should be declared a thrust sector in the financial policy

18 Indian institutions to study nitrogen pollution

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 24, 2019 22:47 IST
UPDATED: JANUARY 24, 2019 22:48 IST
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They are part of a group of 50 which have received £20 million funding from the United Kingdom

Eighteen research institutions in India are among a group of 50 institutions — called the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH) — in the United Kingdom and South Asia that have secured £20 million (about ₹200 crore) from the U.K. government to assess and study the quantum and impact of “nitrogen pollution” in South Asia.
While nitrogen is the dominant gas in the atmosphere, it is inert and doesn’t react. However, when it is released as part of compounds from agriculture, sewage and biological waste, nitrogen is considered “reactive”, and it may be polluting and even exert a potent greenhouse gas (heat trapping) effect.
“So far, we have focussed on carbon dioxide and its impact on global warming. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide but isn’t as prevalent in the atmosphere. However, this is poised to grow,” said N. Raghuram, Chairman, International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) and Professor of Biotechnology at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi. “In the future, reactive nitrogen pollution will be a matter of significant global discussion and, unlike carbon, India and South Asia cannot wake up at the last minute, realising that it has no updated, scientific assessment of its inventory.”
Other than air pollution, nitrogen is also linked to the loss of biodiversity, the pollution of rivers and seas, ozone depletion, health, economy, and livelihoods. Nitrogen pollution is caused, for example, by emissions from chemical fertilisers, livestock manure and burning fossil fuels. Gases such as ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) contribute to poor air quality and can aggravate respiratory and heart conditions, leading to millions of premature deaths across the world. Nitrate from chemical fertilisers, manure and industry pollutes the rivers and seas, posing a health risk for humans, fish, coral and plant life.
The Indian partner institutions are the Aligarh Muslim University, Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research National Institute of Oceanography, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute and National Rice Research Institute, Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project Directorate- National Institute of Ocean Technology Campus, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Indian Ocean Rim Association Ecological Solutions, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, National Physical Laboratory, Society for Conservation of Nature, Sustainable India Trust, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) University.
Last year, Dr. Raghuram led a consortium of researchers who assessed trends in nitrogen emissions in India, where NOx emissions grew at 52% from 1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001 to 2011. Though agriculture remained the largest contributor to nitrogen emissions, non-agricultural emissions of nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide were growing rapidly, with sewage and fossil-fuel burning — for power, transport and industry — leading the trend. The SANH will study the impacts of the different forms of pollution to form a “coherent picture” of the nitrogen cycle. In particular, it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.
Tapan Adhya, Hub Co-Director for Science, who is from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, said: “High doses of fertiliser input of nitrogen to agriculture combined with low nitrogen-use efficiency means that research on nitrogen pollution must be a priority for South Asia. This is emphasised by the scale of nitrogen subsidies across South Asia at around $10 billion per year. Better nitrogen management will have huge economic and environmental benefits.”

Researchers grow rice with protein content over 10%

Photo: Adobe Stock
01.24.2019
BATON ROUGE, LA. — Researchers at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge have grown rice cultivars with protein levels over 10%. Their findings eventually may lead to more nutritious gluten-free products. While rice is gluten-free, its protein content, normally in single-digit percentage levels, does not compare to the protein content of gluten-containing wheat.
“We are now studying exactly how flour from this rice bakes differently than other rice flour,” said Herry Utomo, Ph.D., a professor at L.S.U.’s Rice Research Station. “The interest in gluten-free baked products continues to grow. This will present another opportunity for rice growers to give people what they are looking for.”
The rice varieties also could feed people who are not eating enough nutrients daily.
“There are hundreds of millions of people around the world who depend on rice and eat it three times a day, but their access to protein is very limited by availability and cost,” Dr. Utomo said. “High-protein rice can be used to help solve the worldwide problem across social, cultural and economic issues.”
Dr. Utomo and his team at L.S.U. already developed Frontiere, a rice cultivar released in 2017. Marketed as Cahokia rice and grown commercially in Illinois, it has a protein content of 10.6% on average, which marks a 53% increase compared to its original protein content. The high-protein rice needs less heat, time and usually less water to cook, according to L.S.U.
Breeding a crop for more protein may reduce a crop’s yield. The researchers thus tested 20 new lines of high-protein rice and improved yield by 11% to 17% when compared to the yield of Frontiere. Grain quality, including gel temp, pasting and cooking quality, varied among the high-protein lines.
“Because the original line is new to the market, marketing channels have to be put in place,” Dr. Utomo said. “In parallel, research for the next generation of high-protein rice lines is being carried out.”
https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/47859-researchers-grow-rice-with-protein-content-over-10

Reportedly, the main reason for this change was the substandard and low-quality of Pakistani rice supplied by the exporters against the government tenders in 2011-12. The Indian rice exporters were the ultimate beneficiaries of this situation and Indian rice exports to Qatar reached 142,000 tonnes in 2017 from 18,774 tonnes in 2011.
As a viable solution, a third-party inspection for the supply of rice through CTC tenders and taking strict action against those involved in supplying substandard rice in future will be offered to ensure quality rice. The lifting of ban is expected to provide additional $40-50 million of rice exports to Qatar if the quality is maintained. Qatar annually imports 200,000 tonnes of rice.
Adviser on Commerce, Textile and Industries Abdul Razak Dawood stated the government is taking different measures for export enhancement, including reclaiming traditional markets, besides accessing new markets. He said one of the initiatives is to manage removal of restrictions on Pakistani products in foreign markets.
Read more: Business , Latest , Qatar

Miagao farmers group get pinawa rice mill

ORGANIC farmers in Miagao, Iloilo will be able to boost their production and marketing of brown rice, locally known as pinawa, after receiving a rice paddy huller from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western Visayas through the Organic Agriculture (OA) Program.
The P700,000 pinawa rice mill was installed at Brgy. Kirayan Tacas, Miagao. This Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Testing Center (AMTEC)-approved rice paddy huller has a milling capacity of 470.5 kilograms per hour with a brown rice milling recovery of 70.2 percent.
Miagao Organic Black Rice Producers’ Association (MOBRA) president Fe Rem Niñofranco said that the local government unit donated the lot and funded the P200,000 construction of a shed for the facility.
She also commended the support of 42 members of MOBRA who came from the different barangays of Miagao.
“With the different projects we received from DA, our association will continue to intensify our organic farming practices and to increase our areas converted to organic,” added
Niñofranco also chairs the town’s P4MP and SWISA groups.
DA Regional Technical Director for Operations Manuel O. Olanday encouraged the MOBRA members to maintain the good condition of this facility as it will help them in the marketing of their rice, particularly brown rice which is tagged as a healthy rice option.
The turnover ceremony held Jan 18, 2019 and was also graced by OA program focal person Glenda Himatay, Iloilo assistant provincial agriculturist Elias Sandig and Yvonne Grace Sur of the DA Engineering Division. (S. M. H. Toreno/DA-6, with reports from L. S. Torejo/DA-OAP 6)


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Giving [Farm] Credit Where It's Due 

ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, CEOs of three major farm credit unions gathered to address the media and ag community on credit conditions and the general agriculture economy.  Topics ranged from trade to weather as well as current financial issues facing the farming community and ways that credit union members can mitigate the ups and downs of the business.

"I've heard a lot of stories of stress from my customers," said Kathy Heustess, CEO of ArborOne Farm Credit.  Among the many challenges facing her clients are weather, depressed commodity prices, and global trade disputes.  "There are a lot of uncontrollables for farmers," she said.

Heustess added that many clients' ability to pay down short-term debt has become more difficult in recent years, and stressed the importance of credit unions and FSA programs during such times.  "Our customers need immediate disaster relief.  We need certainty in ag policy.  We need a stable trade market and a stable workforce."

President & CEO of Farm Credit Services of America Mark Jensen agreed, stating that the increased volatility of weather events and trade disputes have put additional pressure on commodity prices and overall profit margins.  "We don't really see anything in the short term to change the price environment," he said.

Jensen encouraged farmers to explore the many options and programs offered by farm credit unions.  "Our view is to work with customers to put their operation in a position of sustainability through cycles.  Frankly, you shouldn't be in the ag lending industry if you don't have the stomach for cycles and volatility in the industry.  That's just inherent in financing agriculture."

"Don't wait for things to change," Jensen advised.  "What are the things you can do today and what are the options we can think through together?"

Mark Knisely, CEO of Ag Country Farm Credit Services, agreed that the nature of agricultural work is cyclical, but also pointed out that the current climate in the industry is unique.  "We have to realize that this is probably an unusual time in agriculture.  Being proactive and intentional is important."

Knisely also shed light on the issue of mental health during such times.  "When you have these kinds of stresses in rural America, mental health is something that we need to address.  We've been very intentional about sponsoring programs that are available."

Through the many storms the ag industry must weather, all three farm credit leaders expressed a similar motto that they want their clients to take to heart:  "We're in it for the good times and the bad."

"We are all familiar with the inherent risks in farming," said USA Rice Chairman Charley Mathews, Jr.  "It's comforting to know there are people and organizations we can go to for help, support, and advice if we need it."

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Market Information


LSU researchers design high protein rice

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Researchers at LSU have grown rice cultivars with protein levels over 10%, more than double what rice typically produces.
Their findings eventually may lead to more nutritious gluten-free products, World Grain reports. While rice is gluten-free, its protein content, normally in single-digit percentage levels, does not compare to the protein content of wheat

“We are now studying exactly how flour from this rice bakes differently than other rice flour,” says Herry Utomo, a professor with LSU’s Rice Research Station. “The interest in gluten-free baked products continues to grow. This will present another opportunity for rice growers to give people what they are looking for.”
Utomo and his team at LSU already developed Frontiere, a rice type that was released in 2017. Marketed as Cahokia rice and grown commercially in Illinois, it has an average protein content of 10.6%, marking a 53% increase compared to its original protein content. The high-protein rice needs less heat, time and usually less water to cook, according to LSU.

“Because the original line is new to the market, marketing channels have to be put in place,” Utomo said. “In parallel, research for the next generation of high-protein rice lines is being carried out.” Read the full story.  

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019

Preaching support for ExxonMobil, Broome declares Baton Rouge ‘open for business’

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Reinforcing her administration’s support for ExxonMobil’s future investment in the parish, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome declared this morning that the Baton Rouge is ready and willing to compete for business investment over any other parish, city and state in the country.
“My mission here today is to send a unified and powerful message on behalf of the citizens of Baton Rouge,” Broome said today at a City Hall press conference. “Baton Rouge is not only open for business, but we are open for growing businesses in a way that’s beneficial for the company and our community,” Broome said at a City Hall press conference.
Larissa Littleton-Steib, chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College; Donna Saurage, widow of longtime Community Coffee head Henry Norman Saurage III; and George Bell, president and CEO of Capital Area United Way also spoke at the conference of ExxonMobil’s importance to the community.  
Calling ExxonMobil a “model of corporate citizenship,” Littleton-Steib said the community college’s partnership with ExxonMobil has been a springboard for workforce and educational opportunities in Baton Rouge, as well as for the entire region. Bell praised the company’s $25 million in contributions to the Capital Area United Way.
Broome’s public declaration comes nearly a week after ExxonMobil pulled two of its Industrial Tax Exemption Program requests after the East Baton Rouge School Board voted to deny the requests, which led the company to call Baton Rouge an unpredictable place to do business, adding it would revisit its plans for future expansion in the area.
Asked if she would support planned legislation by state Sen. Mack “Bodi” White, R-Central, and Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge, that would return the ITEP approval process solely to the state, Broome said she would have to look at the bill before making a comment, adding she thought guidelines set by the Metro Council for ITEP approval should be given time to work before any more changes are made to the program.

Global Brown Rice Market 2018 Industry scenario – Asia Golden, T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat

January 25, 2019
4 Min Read
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The new research report on Brown Rice, offered by LPInformation.biz, has been just made available providing financial data derived from different research sources to represent unique and reliable analysis. The report is based on the existing market conditions and past data. Skillful market realities of this study report cover the trends as well as the size of each separate segment which comprises of submarkets, regional and country level analysis in the Brown Rice market.
Global Brown Rice Market Snapshot:-
The current and historical data was gathered, separated and analyzed to form a detail future prospect from 2018 to 2025 for the Brown Rice Market. Researchers have analyzed every type of data and the participants and have also covered the applications aspect for end-users. The report combines estimation capacities and information coordination with a relevant discoveries. Generations in this report are isolated by locales, innovation, and applications. The report thinks about the current fundamental realities associated with the market that will allow businessmen to expand knowledge on the industry chances. The market players are profiled and their development procedures are break down in order to guide new entrants as well as established players.
Numerous prominent Companies cited in the report are Asia Golden, T.K. Mills, Shiva Shellac & Chemicals, Daawat, Amira Nature Foods, Riviana Foods, Chandrika Group, Ebro Foods, Sun Food, Agistin Biotech.
Goals of The Report Are:
• To answer questions available on the industry size of Brown Rice market by 2025
• To identify important vendors in the market
• To analyze sales revenue of services and products
• To simplify the fresh market trends in global industry
Table of Contents –
Chapter 1 Industry overview, covering Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force
Chapter 2 Analysis of the top manufacturers with sales, revenue, and price of Brown Rice
Chapter 3 Global industry capacity, production, revenue (value) by region (2013-2018)
Chapter 4 To analyze the key region with supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018);
Chapter 5 To show the market with production, revenue (value), sales, market share, growth rate, and price trend by type;
Chapter 6 Global industry analysis by Application
Chapter 7 To display profiles/analysis of the industry manufacturers
Chapter 8 Manufacturing cost structure analysis
Chapter 9 Industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream buyers
Chapter 10 To describe Brown Rice marketing strategy analysis, distributors/traders
Chapter 11 Market effect factors analysis
Chapter 12 Brown Rice market forecast, (2018-2025)
Chapter 13 Research findings and conclusion
Chapter 14 Appendix
Research Methodology: 
Market analysis is performed using a standard and the tailored research methodology approach. The market gauges and estimates were determined through a mix of crucial and optional research. The varied sources used for integrates Technical Journals, Paid Data Sources, Annual Reports, Company Websites, and other industry distributions.
Furthermore, the Brown Rice market report gives forecasts of the industry along with best players that are dominating. You will also find key information about consumption figures based on type and application. The report analysis covers all of the essential things affecting the international market such as demand, gross profit, cost, capacity, and global market share, sales, accredited data, and production. To pursue the regional and international market, all the predictions of the industry report were quantity-wise as well as quality-wise considered.
Customization of the Report:
This report can be customized to meet the client’s requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sales@lpinformation.biz), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.
About us – LPInformation.biz we are enthusiastically inquisitive about people, society, brands and markets. We deliver data and research that makes our mind-boggling world less simple and quicker to explore and motivates our customers to settle on more intelligent decisions.
We trust that our work is vital. Security, speed and simplicity applies to all that we do. Through specialization, we offer our customers a one of a kind profundity of information and skill. Gaining from various encounters gives us point of view and rouses us to strongly raise doubt about things, to be inventive.

ANGRAU to set up National Rice Research Institute in Srikakulam dist
THE HANS INDIA |    Jan 27,2019 , 12:39 AM IST
      

Description: ANGRAU to set up National Rice Research Institute in Srikakulam dist
ANGRAU to set up National Rice Research Institute in Srikakulam dist


  • It will come up at Naira
  • The agriculture university has earlier set up maize research institute at Vijayarai in WG district
  • ANGRAU VC Dr Vallabhaneni Damodar Naidu says soon vacancies will be filled up in the university
Guntur:  Acharya N G Ranga Agriculture University will set up National Rice Research Institute at Naira in Srikakulam district and changed the name of the rice research institute at Bapatla as Agriculture Research Institute in Guntur district, according to university Vice-Chancellor Dr Vallabhaneni Damodar Naidu.  

He said a maize research centre was set up at Vijayarai in West Godavari district. He hoisted the national flag at ANGRAU premises in Guntur city on the occasion of Republic Day on Saturday.

Speaking on this occasion, he said that steps should be taken to promote research in agriculture. He said university buildings were constructed at a cost of Rs 135 crore and solar power system was introduced in the university. 

He pointed out that the agriculture scientists of the university visited the Titli cyclone affected agriculture fields in Srikakulam and provided suggestions and advise to the farmers. 

The university released new seeds of paddy, black gram, sugarcane and groundnut and imparted training to the farmers to improve their skills. 

He said that steps will be taken to soon fill the vacant posts in the agriculture university.

ANGRAU board member Mekala Lashminarayana said that they have taken up construction of buildings in the research centres at a cost of Rs 31.5 crore which was sanctioned under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

He said that they will give 40% of the seats to the children of the farmers. Earlier it was meant to children of ryots who had three acres of land and now it has been reduced to one acre. 

He further said that they increased dress code allowance to the SC,ST students from Rs 200 to Rs 600. 

ANGRAU Registrar Dr D Bhaskar Rao, scientists Dr L V Naidu, Dr K Yella Reddy, Dr L Uma Devi and Dr S R Koteswara Rao were among those who participated.

Patanjali files 4 patents for ‘swadeshi’ fertilisers to help India’s distressed farmers

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Patanjali promises Indian cow manure fertilisers, claims they will help farmers beat financial stress and improve incomes.
New Delhi: Ramdev’s Patanjali, having established itself in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) space, is now set to enter the country’s agriculture sector.    
The company, through one of its arms, the Patanjali Bio-Research Institute, has filed for four patents with the Modi government, claiming that its organic fertilisers are innovative and first-of-their-kind products.
The company, according to its patent applications, has manufactured its chemical-free fertilisers by using a mixture of herbs, including turmeric, aloe vera, and natural sweeteners to boost per acre productivity.
In line with its ‘swadeshi’ marketing, which it applies to all its business ventures, the company claims its bio-fertilisers contain manure from Indian cows. Apart from the regular mixture, the company says it has added a list of minerals and nutrients to boost crop production.
“We are ready with the investments in our agriculture business as it is likely to benefit the Indian farmers who are passing through financial distress,” Acharya Bal Krishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurveda told ThePrint. “We have a plan to solve their financial stress and improve their income.”
If granted, Patanjali’s venture would compete with other fertiliser makers such as Tata Chemicals, Hindalco Industries, Sriram Fertilisers & Chemicals among others.


Firm brings in experts, promises better yield

To help with its efforts, Patanjali has hired four scientists from the country’s top agricultural institutes.
The company has brought in A.K. Mehta, former additional director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research — the autonomous body responsible for coordinating agricultural research in India under the ministry of agriculture — to oversee its entire project.
The other scientists are Ravindra Babu, former director of the Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad; Ravindra Reddy, a one-time senior scientist with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an international organisation; and Jawahar Lal Dwivedi, former head of department of Plant Breeding and Genetics and officer incharge at the Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology in Faizabad.
Patanjali has also cited internal research to claim that its bio-fertilisers are likely to boost the income of the farmers by reducing production cost.
The company claims that with regard to wheat, for instance, the average production cost with traditional fertiliser (per acre) is Rs 9,369 and the cost increases every year as soil loses fertility and minerals.
With organic fertilisers, the company claims that while production cost starts at Rs 10,900 per acre, after two continuous years of using these fertilisers, it will reduce to Rs 9,580 per acre and then continue to fall.
Moreover, Patanjali says, the market offers a higher selling price for products made from organic fertilisers. According to the company, the average sale price of wheat grown with traditional fertiliser (per acre) is Rs 47,500 against the selling price of Rs 58,200 for organic fertilisers.
“In this case, the benefit to the farmer is more while using organic fertiliser in that a farmer saves around Rs 47,800, on an average, per acre,” Bal Krishna said.
Patanjali’s foray into agriculture comes on the back of Ramdev having announced last year that his company is now focusing on the sector and plans to bring out several products in the coming future.


For ThePrint’s smart analysis of how the rest of the media is doing its job, no holds barred, go to PluggedIn

FPCCI panel hopes rupee will stabilise

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Description: FPCCI panel hopes rupee will stabilise

APP

January 27, 2019


LAHORE - Businessmen Panel for the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Saturday hoped that now Pakistan rupee would get stable after increase in country's foreign reserves.
Panel Chairman Mian Anjum Nisar said in a media statement that the business community appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan for his efforts to get support from the brotherly countries like Saudia Arabia and United Arab Emirates, and now country's reserves were moving towards a comfortable position.
He mentioned that during the last few months, sudden depreciation in rupee had put business community in great confusion, but now they hoped some stability would prevail in exchange rate which was need of the hour.
Similarly Pakistan had recently received the third tranche of US$1 billion from Saudi Arabia and US$1 billion from the UAE, which was a good omen for country's foreign reserves position. The chairman, however, urged the government to also take effective measures to narrow down the current account deficit.
He was of the view that Pakistan was likely to cross its export target of $25 billion for the current fiscal year, citing that China was also extending a helping hand to assist Pakistan in boosting exports by $1 billion through exports of Pakistani sugar and rice, while Qatar had also lifted ban on rice export from Pakistan and these would definitely help strengthen country agriculture exports and increase the overall exports volume.
About recent Finance Amendment Bill 2019 (Economic Reforms Package) he said, "The sentiments of business community have largely been positive and felicitated the government for presenting a pro-business package."


VN, Thailand head toward $20 billion in trade #AsiaNewsNetwork
Description: Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai chair a two-day meeting in Thailand which wrapped up yesterday. — Photo vov.vn
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai chair a two-day meeting in Thailand which wrapped up yesterday. — Photo vov.vn
PUBLISHED 26 JANUARY 2019
(Viet Nam News/ANN) BANGKOK — Viet Nam and Thailand have agreed to implement measures to boost economic co-operation with the aim of reaching US$20 billion in two-way trade turnover by 2020 at the meeting of their Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation in Thailand which wrapped up yesterday.
 
The two-day meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.
The two sides agreed to create favourable conditions for businesses of the two countries to increase investment and business cooperation as well as to facilitate agricultural import and export activities between the two countries.
They also agreed to promote cooperation and share experience in rice research, production and export.
They stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in sub-region connection, particularly in connecting road, water and air transport between Việt Nam and Thailand as well as among ASEAN countries.
The two sides committed to continue promoting and expanding cooperation in culture, education and people-to-people exchanges, including increasing the teaching of Vietnamese and Thai languages in each country.
Việt Nam applauded the Thai Government for its decision to expand fields that Vietnamese workers will be licensed to work in Thailand.
The two sides expressed delight at the active development of the strategic partnership between Việt Nam and Thailand. The political, diplomatic and security and national defence cooperation between the two countries has developed practically, which is evident through the regular exchanges of delegations between high-ranking officials of the two countries.
They expressed pleasure at the cooperation between the two countries during the framework of regional and international forums, particularly ASEAN and the United Nations.
As Thailand is Chair of ASEAN in 2019 and Việt Nam becomes ASEAN Chair in 2020, the two sides agreed to work with member countries to promote the key role of ASEAN in regional issues, including the East Sea (South China Sea). They stressed the strategic importance of ensuring peace and maritime and aviation security and safety, and maritime safety.
Yesterday, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh paid a courtesy visit to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.





Sowing plant-based seeds
The SacTown VegFest grows the vegan community and success for local businesses
This article was published on 01.24.19.

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Sacramento Vegetarian Society president Glenn Destatte (left) and Chili Smith Family Foods owner Steve Smith hold some of Smith’s heirloom beans and rice in front of the McClellan Conference Center, the new home of this year’s SacTown VegFest.
PHOTO BY SHOKA
Join the Sacramento Vegetarian Society for the SacTown VegFest on January 26 at the McClellan Conference Center, 5411 Luce Avenue. Visit vegevents.com/events/sactown-vegfest-2019 for tickets and more info.
Related stories:
SacTown VegFest’s optional dress code
The third annual SacTown VegFest celebrating and educating veganism is on January 27—wear your best vegetable outfit. SN&R, 01.18.18.

SacTown VegFest is back
Learn how to deliciously save your health and the world with a plant-based lifestyle at the SacTown VegFest on Saturday, January 28. SN&R, 01.19.17.

State of the veggie union
Just in time for the fourth annual Sacramento VegFest, local experts explain how the city's meat-free options have evolved beyond lonely iceberg lettuce dinners.SN&R, 01.24.13.

Where’s the veggie beef?
Sacramento VegFest 2012 leaves this vegetarian very, very hungry. SN&R, 02.09.12.
Related websites:

·       chilismith.com
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It’s hard not to notice the many fast-food restaurants flanking Watt Avenue on the route to the SacTown VegFest at its new location. The vegan festival, now in its fourth year, has relocated out of the city center to the McClellan Conference Center for the first time, next to the closed Air Force base.
The event, put on by the Sacramento Vegetarian Society, happens on Saturday, January 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 5411 Luce Avenue. It hosts food and lifestyle vendors who cater to the vegan crowd and also has speaker presentations and cooking demos.
SVS president and organizer Glenn Destatte said he scrambled to find a place when he found out in the fall that the festival’s former venue, Sacramento Charter High School on 34th Street, was not an option.
“SacTown VegFest is a great event, and we have been proud to host it in the past,” Kari Wehrly, chief of schools for St. HOPE Public Schools, said in an email. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us to host it this year, but we will look for future opportunities to partner on this important initiative.”
But Destatte made that lemon into agave-sweetened lemonade.
“Losing the old venue is a blessing in disguise,” he said. At the school, he said, would-be festivalgoers told him they would circle around trying to find parking, then give up and leave. The conference center has 2,000 parking spaces.
While parking may be plentiful, the new venue is costing a lot more, Destatte said. So for the first time, SVS is charging admission, which may be purchased in advance online or at the door. Tickets range from $2.50 to $5, with free entry for kids under 6 years old.
Weather permitting, the plan is to have a “rescue animal area” on the grassy area by the conference center’s entrance. Animal rescue organizations Blackberry Creek Animal Sanctuary and Harvest Home agreed to bring animals with whom people can get up close and personal. Asked if he was worried that having essentially a petting zoo would conflict with some attendees’ values of how humans use animals, Destatte replied, “The organizations that we talked to say they were willing. If they are saying it helps promote the cause, we’re good with it.”
Destatte, SVS president since 2011, said he “became vegan by marriage” in 2006, when he married Mary Rodgers, who co-organizes the VegFest. SVS stepped up in 2016 to put on the festival when the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, which previously hosted the VegFest, stopped presenting the event after 2015.
Many of the 40 or so vendors confirmed for this year’s event (as of January 22) are local, such as vegan gelato company Conscious Creamery and Bambi’s Vegan Tacos food truck, and others are from afar, such as Southern California vegan clothing and accessory company Cowhugger.
A new vendor is Chili Smith Family Foods from Carmichael, which will be selling rice and beans, chili dogs and chili sauce. Owner Steve Smith began selling locally grown heirloom beans and rice online, and around April 2017 settled into a brick-and-mortar storefront, where he hosts cooking classes. Two each month are plant-based and taught by Twyla Teitzel, who will also be at the festival. While Chili Smith is not an exclusively vegan venture, Smith said, “We were one of the original people at the Farm-to-Fork Festival,” and “we’re committed that we support the local shows and plant-based community.”
Yolanda’s Tamales is another nonexclusively vegan company that has participated at every VegFest and found success in the plant-based market. Andres Yanez, son of namesake Yolanda Yanez, said his mom began selling tamales out of her van in 1988. She brought the company to Sacramento in 1996, and has been selling at local markets, such as the Oak Park Farmers Market.
“A lot vegan and vegetarian people always asked for a vegan menu, then VegFest came up… and [Destatte] gave us the opportunity,” Yanez said. So the company had a “menu shakeup,” and has sold out every year at the festival, including 1,000 units last year. It even got hired to cater a vegan wedding.
While no one in the family-run company is vegan, they stand by their plant-based food—tamales, tacos, tostadas, berry lemonade, almond-milk horchata and mint-cucumber-lime aguas frescas—and enjoy eating it themselves.
“Every year the event has surprised us,” Yanez said. He said their herbivore customers “are our most passionate,” and they are grateful to the vegan community. This year, Yanez said he and his family plan to bring more supply to try their best not to sell out.
“Vegans have been good for business,” Yanez said.
And not just for local businesses. Recently, even some of those fast-food chains on that stretch of Watt Avenue introduced vegan and vegetarian menus at some of their U.S. locations, such as Carl’s Jr. using the Beyond Meat burger patty. Maybe more will join the trend in time for the fifth VegFest next year.


LSU researchers design high protein rice

By

Researchers at LSU have grown rice cultivars with protein levels over 10%, more than double what rice typically produces.
Their findings eventually may lead to more nutritious gluten-free products, World Grain reports. While rice is gluten-free, its protein content, normally in single-digit percentage levels, does not compare to the protein content of wheat

“We are now studying exactly how flour from this rice bakes differently than other rice flour,” says Herry Utomo, a professor with LSU’s Rice Research Station. “The interest in gluten-free baked products continues to grow. This will present another opportunity for rice growers to give people what they are looking for.”
Utomo and his team at LSU already developed Frontiere, a rice type that was released in 2017. Marketed as Cahokia rice and grown commercially in Illinois, it has an average protein content of 10.6%, marking a 53% increase compared to its original protein content. The high-protein rice needs less heat, time and usually less water to cook, according to LSU.

“Because the original line is new to the market, marketing channels have to be put in place,” Utomo said. “In parallel, research for the next generation of high-protein rice lines is being carried out.” Read the full story.



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Congress last year passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
The STAR/Edd Gumban
Farmers’ association wants Duterte to veto rice tariffication bill
332SHARES27201
(philstar.com) - January 25, 2019 - 4:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — A farmers’ group called on President Rodrigo Duterte to veto a legislation on his desk lifting the more than two-decade-old caps on rice imports, saying the measure would make the government “powerless” should price of rice turns volatile.
Congress last year passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
Related Stories
Under the measure, individuals and businesses can import additional volumes of the crop from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam but will have to pay a 35-percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass irrigation, warehousing and rice research.
Once the bill is signed, the National Food Authority’s corruption-riddled role in rice imports will be removed. The grains agency’s function will be limited to buffer stocking which will be sourced only through buying palay from local farmers.
“The economic thinkers are saying that a free market will ensure that rice prices will go down even without NFA. They could be correct but what if they are wrong?” Federation of Free Farmers National Business Manager Raul Montemayor said in a statement.
“What if importers collude to bring up prices? What if they refuse to import because prices are too high? What if palay prices suddenly go down because of excessive imports?” Montemayor added.
“The government will be practically powerless in all these scenarios under the proposed bill.”
Based on the central bank’s estimate, scrapping import caps on rice could reduce annual inflation by 0.7 percentage points in 2019. 
While the measure is expected to give households reeling from soaring prices a reprieve, farmer groups said replacing rice import limits with a system of tariffs would drive down prices for their produce and hurt their business.
In the same statement, Montemayor said his group is worried that the NFA will likely stop buying from farmers when it acquires sufficient rice for its buffer stock even if palay prices are declining.
“The tariffication bill should focus only on the removal of volume restrictions on rice imports. This is all what we have to do under our commitments to the World Trade Organization,” he said.
“The issue of what happens to NFA and the role of government in the rice trade must be addressed separately and only after a comprehensive study and following genuine consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
The rice tariffication bill was submitted to Malacañang last January 15 for Duterte’s signature. Under the Constitution, the president can either sign the bill or veto it. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral with a report from BusinessWorld

Worms can process rice straw, scientists discover

January 24, 2019, Sechenov University
Description: Worms can process rice straw, scientists discover
An experimental set of mesocosms that helped understand the role of earthworms in the process of rice straw decomposition. Credit: Andrey Zaitsev
A team of scientists from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (MSMU) have discovered that earthworms efficiently process rice straw and enrich the soil with organic matter, increasing its fertility while preventing the burning of the straw, which takes a long time to decompose naturally. The results of the study were published in the European Journal of Soil Biology.
Rice is staple food product for the majority of the Earth's population. The demand for it is constantly growing, and production increases annually. Harvesting and grain peeling leave a considerable amount of crop residue which is not naturally consumed by herbivorous animals, and is therefore burned. Burning causes the emission of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) and black carbon, which negatively affect the climate. Therefore, it is important to develop a more eco-friendly method for rice straw recycling.
The authors collected soil samples at three regions of Russia where rice is grown: Krasnodarsky Krai, Kalmykia, and Primorsky Krai. In all three regions the rice fields lacked earthworms, and the scientists tested Eisenia fetida, a species cultivated in Russia on an industrial scale for fishing and humus production. The scientists wanted to find out if the worms were able to process rice straw.
The team created several mesocosms, closed confinements imitating natural conditions, to study the ratio between the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and organic carbon. The setup tracked the type of soil, the presence of straw, and the number of earthworms in the mesocosm. Each system contained 1 kg of soil with or without rice straw. Finally, different amounts of earthworms were placed into each mesocosm to find out how their activity would influence the concentration of greenhouse gases and carbon input into soil.
It turned out that adding rice straw to any type of soil increases carbon dioxide emission at least by the factor of three. The ratio between the emitted CO2 and the number of earthworms varied depending on the soil type. For example, the emissions barely changed when the worms were added to the mesocosms with soil from Primorsky Krai. In other types of soil with rice straw, the emission of carbon dioxide considerably increased after the worms were added.
The highest effect in the soils from Kalmykia was reached at the density of six worms per mesocosm, and from Krasnodar Krai at four worms per mesocosm. At the same time, the increase in concentration of organic carbon in Krasnodar soils turned out to be 10,000 times higher than its loss in the course of emissions. When bound with the soil, organic carbon improves fertility and erosion resistance, and when burned, produces carbon dioxide or black carbon. The worms did not influence methane emissions.
"This work is of practical importance. We've found a way to efficiently process rice straw instead of burning it, which is currently the most common practice worldwide. Along with increasing the sustainability and climate safety of rice cultivation, it reduces the risks for the environment and mankind associated with agricultural burns as causes of fires and atmospheric pollution, including that with carcinogenic substances. Moreover, adding earthworms to soils will increase the quality, fertility and soil health of the fields and reduce the risk of erosion due to binding with organic substances," said Andrey Zaitsev, a researcher from MSMU.
More information: Andrey S. Zaitsev et al, The earthworm species Eisenia fetida modulates greenhouse gas release and carbon stabilization after rice straw amendment to a paddy soil, European Journal of Soil Biology (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.ejsobi.2018.10.003 
Provided by: Sechenov University



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Congress last year passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
The STAR/Edd Gumban
Farmers’ association wants Duterte to veto rice tariffication bill
332SHARES27201
(philstar.com) - January 25, 2019 - 4:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — A farmers’ group called on President Rodrigo Duterte to veto a legislation on his desk lifting the more than two-decade-old caps on rice imports, saying the measure would make the government “powerless” should price of rice turns volatile.
Congress last year passed the Rice Tariffication Bill, which seeks to amend the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
Related Stories
Under the measure, individuals and businesses can import additional volumes of the crop from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam but will have to pay a 35-percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass irrigation, warehousing and rice research.
Once the bill is signed, the National Food Authority’s corruption-riddled role in rice imports will be removed. The grains agency’s function will be limited to buffer stocking which will be sourced only through buying palay from local farmers.
“The economic thinkers are saying that a free market will ensure that rice prices will go down even without NFA. They could be correct but what if they are wrong?” Federation of Free Farmers National Business Manager Raul Montemayor said in a statement.
“What if importers collude to bring up prices? What if they refuse to import because prices are too high? What if palay prices suddenly go down because of excessive imports?” Montemayor added.
“The government will be practically powerless in all these scenarios under the proposed bill.”
Based on the central bank’s estimate, scrapping import caps on rice could reduce annual inflation by 0.7 percentage points in 2019. 
While the measure is expected to give households reeling from soaring prices a reprieve, farmer groups said replacing rice import limits with a system of tariffs would drive down prices for their produce and hurt their business.
In the same statement, Montemayor said his group is worried that the NFA will likely stop buying from farmers when it acquires sufficient rice for its buffer stock even if palay prices are declining.
“The tariffication bill should focus only on the removal of volume restrictions on rice imports. This is all what we have to do under our commitments to the World Trade Organization,” he said.
“The issue of what happens to NFA and the role of government in the rice trade must be addressed separately and only after a comprehensive study and following genuine consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
The rice tariffication bill was submitted to Malacañang last January 15 for Duterte’s signature. Under the Constitution, the president can either sign the bill or veto it. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral with a report from BusinessWorld


PCCI backs liberalizing sugar importation

30

By Kris Crismundo/PNA
MANILA — The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) backs the government’s move to deregulate sugar importation in a bid to moderate prices of the essential commodity.
In a statement Friday, PCCI President Alegria Limjoco said opening up sugar importation is a welcome development to enterprises in the food processing and manufacturing sector where sugar is a vital ingredient.
“Our domestic food processors, which are mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are taking the brunt of the high cost of domestic sugar, which actually makes them uncompetitive. That’s why we laud the government for taking this initiative to liberalize sugar imports,” Limjoco said.
Last week, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said sugar is next on the government’s list of agricultural products that importation rules will be relaxed.
The administration already pushed for deregulation of rice imports with the Rice Tariffication Bill, which is only waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
PCCI said deregulating rice imports will “help to stabilize and lower the prices of rice in the domestic market and ensure its sufficient stock”.
“We are glad that our government is listening to our concerns because this has become a burden on our part. We absolutely cannot compete with similar products from ASEAN due to the prohibitive prices of our sugar,” said Roberto Amores, PCCI Chair for Agriculture Committee.
He noted that refined sugar in the country is much pricier at PHP60 to PHP65 per kg. compared to neighboring countries’ prices of PHP28 to PHP30 per kg.

Farmers Sinking Into Debt After EU Tariffs Lead to Plunging Rice Prices

26 JANUARY 2019
·       Sun Narin
A villager in Srayov commune, Kampong Thom province, sold rice to a dealer as the price is low, January 19, 2019. Photo: Sun Narin/VOA Khmer
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KAMPONG THOM— Hun Samnang, a rice farmer, has to pay off his loan in a few months.
But he fears that he will not be able to meet the payments from this year’s harvest due to plummeting grain prices caused by the imposition of tariffs by the European Union, imposed over protectionist concerns.
Rice prices at market have decreased by about 12.5 percent since the EU announced the tariffs earlier this month.
“If the price keeps the same or goes lower than that, I will lose,” the 39-year-old farmer told VOA Khmer at his paddy field in Kampong Thom’s Srayov commune.
He rented the 30 hectares of land he farms to export rice to Vietnam, costing about $7,500 for four months.
He now owes about $15,000 to the bank and needs to meet the $100 monthly payments of interest, as well as paying off half the loan by mid-year.
“I thought the rice price would be higher ... That’s why I tried to invest in that,” he said. “We saw others coming here and they managed. So we took the risk to come here.”
The cost of fertilizers, gasoline and labor costs has also risen, he said.
Description: A rice farmer Hun Samnang, in Kampong Thom province, sitting in a hammock while giving an interview to a VOA reporter, rented 30 hectares of land for growing rice, but he was worried that the falling price of rice would make unable to pay off his loans from the bank, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
A rice farmer Hun Samnang, in Kampong Thom province, sitting in a hammock while giving an interview to a VOA reporter, rented 30 hectares of land for growing rice, but he was worried that the falling price of rice would make unable to pay off his loans from the bank, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)

New tariffs

Paddy rice prices in Cambodia have fallen sharply following the EU decision to re-introduce import duties on grains from Cambodia and Myanmar over the next three years.
The European Commission had received a request from Italy that called for the imposition of safeguards on Indica rice originating in the two countries.
The request was supported by rice growing states in the EU, according to the EU ambassador.

“The commission opened a formal investigation on 16 March 2018. The findings of this investigation confirm a significant surge of imports of rice that has caused economic damage to the rice sector in Europe. As a result, the EU has decided to impose safeguard measures on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar,” he said in an email to VOA Khmer.
Under the new rules, normal customs duties will be imposed on the product, reducing annually over the coming years.
The EU is one of the world’s largest rice importing regions, with lower income countries gaining tariff-free access via its Everything But Arms preferential trading scheme.
“However, it is important also to ensure that EU farmers and producers do not suffer as a result of high volumes of cheap imports. The regulation related to the scheme foresees that in such cases tariffs can be restored,” Edgar said.
In response to the tariff, the Cambodian government has expressed its disappointment, saying it would be used as “a weapon to kill farmers and their families”.
Description: Male laborers prepare to spray pesticides in the rice field in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Nar/VOA Khmer)
Male laborers prepare to spray pesticides in the rice field in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Nar/VOA Khmer)

Farmers deceived

But on the ground local farmers are unaware of the cause of their misfortune.
“I didn’t know about this,” says Samnang. “I just grow rice and I don’t know about the market.”
Farmers are largely reliant on an informal network of brokers who provide access to international markets.
Srey Vuthy, an agriculture ministry spokesman, said the dealers can exploit events like the EU tariff imposition to manipulate prices.
“Villagers don’t know about it and they just follow [what the dealers say]. They are deceived.”
The problem was compounded, he added, by the harvest season in Thailand and Vietnam coinciding with Cambodia this year.
“Our country’s paddy rice still depends so much on Vietnam,” he said. “We heard that Vietnam won’t buy much from us.”
Samnang does not trust the dealers, but has no choice but to use their connections to sell his produce.
“We can’t talk about the price much with the dealers. When they say it costs this and that, we have to follow.” I don’t think the dealers are honest with us. They want more profit,” he said.
Storage until the prices change is also not an option as the rice will spoil in the heat and humidity, he says.
Nory Noeun, 35, a laborer who collects rice from the farmers, complains about the price increases, which he attributes to an “EU tax.”
“I think the dealers have taken this opportunity to relate [a price rise] to the EU,” he said.
Description: Nory Noeuy, a tractor laborer working for farmers in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
Nory Noeuy, a tractor laborer working for farmers in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
Another farmer, Tong Y, also has an outstanding $15,000 loan to pay for her 70-hectare land.

”I want to try this year, but it is bad since the prices are low already,” she said.
Other farmers VOA Khmer spoke to agreed.
Description: Tong Y is a farmer who rented 70 hectares of land for growing rice in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
Tong Y is a farmer who rented 70 hectares of land for growing rice in Kampong Thom province, January 19, 2019. (Sun Narin/VOA Khmer)
The Srayov commune chief, Sao Sothy, said he was aware of the problem, adding: “I can’t help them. If you can, you should.”
“Farmers know what profit they can make. It’s a free market. When there is more rice, the price decreases.”
Vuthy, the agriculture spokesman, said the government could not intervene to help farmers. “Our country does not have a subsidy policy. We don’t have money.”

Chinese help

China has grown increasingly close to Cambodia in recent years. A week after the EU decision, Prime Minister Hun Sen met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bejing, securing a purchase of 400,000 tons of Cambodian rice.
Cambodia exported some 630,000 tons of rice last year, with about 40 percent going to Europe.
Despite the EU tariff, Vuthy said he still believes Europeans will demand Cambodian rice, even if it is more expensive.
“They want to eat delicious rice. Why not spend more money? We still urge [farmers] to grow fragrant rice for the EU and still believe EU people will purchase the rice despite the higher cost,” he said.
Local farmer Samnang, this is his last rice-growing season.
“I don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.
For Pha Sreysor, 32, Samnang’s wife, the mounting debts are a real worry.
“I am now very sad because of the paddy rice price. If [we] don’t have the ability to pay, [our land] will be withdrawn.”

Sound and fury are not enough

C. BEN MITCHELL, Opinion columnistPublished 6:45 a.m. CT Jan. 25, 2019
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Since late 2018, there has been a great deal of sound and fury over the alleged birth of gene-edited twins through the research of scientist He Jiankui in China.
Using CRISPR-Cas9, He edited the genes of multiple human embryos. More than a few died in the process, but two were allegedly brought to term.  He’s announcement brought almost universal criticism, including from the National Institutes of Health in the United States and his own China Association for Science and Technology. In fact, the Chinese government has ordered a temporary halt on his research activities and is investigating the scientist and his research. One American professor at Rice University is also under scrutiny for his collaboration with He.
Although this is not the place to list them all, there are very good reasons to be concerned, not least that He’s research protocol apparently was not evaluated and approved by any review board or other body of ethical oversight. Instead of being lauded as a pioneer, He is likely to go down in science history as a rogue. Worse, he clearly caused harm to the unborn embryos and may have harmed the twins and their future offspring. If the allegations prove to be true, this is a serious violation of every accepted international policy on the protection of human subjects in research.
Beyond the sound and the fury, however, international bodies and professional societies owe it to the world to double down in an effort to ensure that this does not happen again. Although (some) scientists will not welcome more stringent oversight, this case demonstrates that, at least in some quarters, it is clearly necessary. In addition, significant penalties should be applied when the canons of medical research are violated, especially on human subjects. The power of gene editing, among other emerging biotechnologies, is too potentially harmful to go un- or under-supervised.
The He Jiankui case has led many individuals and groups in the United States to call on President Trump to rehydrate a national council on bioethics. After his election in 2009, President Obama dissolved the President’s Council on Bioethics that was very active under President Bush. President Obama’s Presidential Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues met until 2016, when Trump was elected to the presidency. Whether or not Mr. Trump will appoint a bioethics council is yet to be seen, but some agency or research body should be commissioned to study the implications of human gene editing. The stakes are too high not to have a national conversation about the potential for harm to future generations.
C. Ben Mitchell, PhD, is Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy and Special Assistant to the President at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He is also the editor of “Ethics & Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics” (www.ethicsandmedicine.com).
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India rice rates rise, Vietnam prices slip before holiday
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices rose in India, driven by higher procurement costs for local paddy even as demand was tepid, while rates for the Vietnamese variety slipped as activity slowed before a holiday season.


A farmer works in his rice paddy field on Ghoramara Island, India, November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo
Top exporter India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety rose to $381-$386 per tonne this week from the $379-$384 range last week, traders said. “Paddy prices have risen due to lower supply in the local market, so we have to raise export prices,” said an exporter based in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Export prices had shot up after the central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised minimum paddy buying prices to 2,500 rupees per 100 kg from 1,750 rupees. Neighbouring Bangladesh has no plan to cut the import duty on rice, despite a rise in domestic prices in recent week, given good crops and healthy reserves, a food ministry official said on Wednesday. Higher domestic prices for the staple had prompted speculation amongst traders that the government would cut the duty.

The south Asian country, which emerged as a major rice importer in 2017 after floods destroyed crops, imposed a 28 percent duty in June to support its farmers after local production revived. A report from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated Bangladesh’s rice output would hit a record 53.6 million tonnes in 2018 on strong domestic prices and bumper yields due to favourable weather conditions. In Vietnam, rates for the benchmark 5 percent broken rice fell further to $340 a tonne from to $355-$360 last week, ahead of Tet, the Lunar New Year Holiday during the first week of February. “Trade is very quiet and I think it will stay like this until Tet is over,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. “Customs offices will close during the week-long holiday and things will get slow.” Another trader based in Hanoi said the government was mulling buying rice for stockpiling this year.  “The government couldn’t buy last year because prices were high, but we are seeing downward pressure on prices this year given that China has moved to limit shipments from Vietnam,” a second trader said. 

Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices were quoted at $390-$402 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, versus last week’s $385-$400, with traders attributing the change to gains in the domestic currency, as demand remained flat. “The Philippines remains the focus for many Thai rice exporters because of its liberalized market and because their government said last year that they still need to import a million tonnes,” a Bangkok-based trader. “But we are still waiting to hear more about the possible auction.”



My Mother's Place Of Escape Is Patel Brothers, Indian Grocery In US

(c) 2019 The Washington Post | Published: January 25, 2019 12:22 IST
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My mom's bucket list doesn't include lavish trips to far-flung locales like Bora Bora or Peru. Instead, it stars a grocery store - more specifically, a Patel Brothers location in Naperville, Illinois. She has heard rumors of its size, including one particularly egregious claim that it's as big as a football stadium. (Most people agree that it's as large as any beloved Midwestern supermarket, which is rare for an Indian grocery store in the States.) Every time she speaks about it, her eyes become wide and animated, as if she is running through the aisles in her mind. Recently, upon hearing that one of my friends is from Naperville, she asked him a million questions, not about his childhood or career, but about the Patel Brothers. Is it really that big? Is it really busy? Is it really as nice as everyone says?
It's unfathomable to her that such a place could exist.
She arrived in the United States from India in the early 1980s, armed with a jet-black braid that fell down her back, dreams of dental school, and an adamantine sense of determination. It was the first time she had been on a plane, the first time away from the comforts of home. Gone was the man who delivered fresh milk to the door in thick glass bottles, and the vegetable seller who roamed the streets of her neighborhood shouting out his selections for the day. As she and my dad settled in a small, barren apartment in Detroit, armed with just a sleeping bag and a radio, there was only one place to find the flavors of home: A tiny, dimly lit Patel Brothers that was as well stocked as it could be. Still, she was thankful. There she could find mounds of jaggery; bags of crispy, salty sev; and pounds of whole wheat atta for making rotis. It meant she wouldn't have to warm up limp grocery store pita and pretend it was naan or live only off the one American dish she did like: Bean tostadas at Taco Bell.
Description: lhv3p06o
The author with her mother in Michigan in 1994.
Patel Brothers was started in 1974 by Mafat and Tulsi Patel. What was once a small grocery on Devon Avenue in Chicago has grown into more than 50 locations in 19 states. No Indian grocery store chain offers the same expansive selection of fresh produce, boxed spices, Indian beauty products and thousands of other items from the Indian subcontinent that were once smuggled back to the States in suitcases. Some have even begun to offer fresh, hot food, such as flavor-packed kati rolls. Most locations now feature the same fluorescent lighting and neat organization of a Whole Foods, but with burlap bags of basmati rice instead of boxes of quinoa, and a freezer full of paneer instead of a cheese counter.
Just as Patel Brothers has evolved, so has my mom. She is no longer an immigrant fresh off the plane, trying to adjust to a new home thousands of miles from everything and everyone she knew. She owns a thriving dental practice that she built tooth-by-tooth. Her English features a robust vocabulary dotted with a soft accent. She likes one more item at Taco Bell (a soft taco with beans), and she has developed an inexplicable penchant for candy corn. At her local supermarket, she picks up bottles of ranch dressing and peruses the bulk bins for grains and nuts.
Patel Brothers is no longer her place of survival; it's her place of escape.
Grocery shopping is usually a chore, one she does out of a strong distaste for restaurant food and an even stronger drive to feed my dad, my brother and me a mind-blowing range of high-quality home-cooked Indian meals. At Patel Brothers, memories of her childhood flood back to her brain and her taste buds.
Description: ul3o42e
A selection of Patel Brothers grocery products.
In the produce section, she always excitedly points out the plump and craggy karela, filling the thin plastic bag to the top. Same for the okra - she swears Indian grocery stores always carry better okra - and mango, which she buys 12 at a time during peak season. On the rare days Patel Brothers stocks fresh sitafal, a fruit she reminisces about more than any other, it's game over. On the aisle brimming with bags of lentils and flours, she pauses often to explain the favorite ways her mom and her neighbors would use them. On the spice aisle, she buys bags of dried bay leaves, bright yellow turmeric, jet black mustard seeds and hing, or asafetida, the pungent spice that gives certain Indian dishes their signature zing. Then she'd pick up Indian peanuts, raisins and figs - all of which she swears have more flavor than the American versions.
Like many fellow immigrants, my mom has not lost her sense of frugality, even as she has become more financially stable. She still buys clothes only off the sale rack and collects Bed Bath & Beyond coupons like they are Pokemon cards. But at Patel Brothers, she throws caution to the wind. Nothing feels off-limits, a rare boon to me and my brother when we were growing up. A new snack mix I want to try? I could get it. A tin brimming with saffron? Sure. Packets of Maggi Noodles, India's answer to Top Ramen, bags of India-exclusive flavors of potato chips, chocolate bourbon biscuits and Parle-G cookies all go in the cart. Argue for the same cookie leniency in an American grocery store, and we'd get a firm no and a stern look.
Perhaps her desire for her children to engage in their heritage overrides her desire for us to eat more fruits and vegetables. Or maybe Patel Brothers is just where she's truly comfortable.
I've always had my feet firmly planted in two worlds: I am Indian and I am American. I am fully Indian American. I am just as comfortable among stacks of pepperoni pizzas and platters of Salisbury steaks as I am piles of samosas and biryani. My mom cannot say the same. Though she is an American citizen, she is part of a small but mighty class of immigrants who have lived in their chosen country longer than their homeland. On visits back, roads that once felt familiar now feel like an alien planet, and merchants at the market instantly peg her for an NRI (a nonresident Indian). She exists in a Venn diagram of never quite belonging.
While she prefers many things about life in America, certain aspects she will never be able to adjust to. She was raised in a Jain household, a religion built on the idea of Ahimsa, or nonviolence. This strict code of vegetarianism is instilled deep within the fibers of her being. To this day, going to the regular grocery store means engaging in a choreographed route that lets her dodge the seafood counter. She speeds through the meat aisle, refusing to look up from her cart, wrinkling her nose the whole time. She must constantly compromise on her beliefs to just walk through the world.
Patel Brothers never asks her to be anyone except who she is. The store carries no meat, meaning my mom can breathe deeply. Every aisle is open to her. Conversations with staff can take place in an easy blend of English and Gujarati or Hindi, her now preferred method of conversation. It's possible to say, "Where is the jeeru?" and get an answer. At Whole Foods, she must remember to ask for cumin. At Patel Brothers, they know what besan is, and they carry the right brands of basmati rice, the kind that smells sweet and starchy. The freezers are packed with ice cream in the flavors Ben & Jerry's will probably never make, such as kaju pista, or cashew pistachio. Staff understand that she buys Bisquick not to make pancakes but to make gulab jamun. That she wants India's flavors with America's conveniences. That she wants to remember her original home while living in her chosen home.
It may seem silly to plan a trip centered around a grocery store, but I hope to take my mom to Naperville this year. There are so few spaces in the world where we can uncompromisingly be ourselves. And if she is able to do so, between aisles of frozen parathas and boxes of spice mixes, I will be there, filling up the cart beside her.
(Khushbu Shah is a food writer)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.




Trade war impact: Indian exports to China up 25% in Jun-Nov 2018 to $8.5 bn

Growth in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has a huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi Last Updated at January 24, 2019 20:19 IST
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The tariff war between the US and China is benefitting India as its exports to the neighbouring country have increased by about 25 per cent during the June-November 2018 period to $8.46 billion, apex exporters body FIEO said on Thursday.

Exports to China had stood at $6.37 billion in June-November 2017.
In June and September 2018, the US announced high customs duties on several Chinese goods. In retaliation, China also raised levies on American goods.
"US-China tariff war is benefiting India. Exports to China jumped from $6.37 billion in June-November 2017 to $8.46 billion in June-November 2018," Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta said in a statement.
He said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine products.
Growth in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has a huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country. 
Trade deficit with China increased to $63.12 billion in 2017-18 from $51.11 billion in 2016-17.
 
India is taking several steps to promote shipments to China. Recently, it has managed to export agricultural goods such as non-basmati rice to China. 
First Published: Thu, January 24 2019. 19:25 IST


CROP-EATING ARMYWORMS HIT SRI LANKA'S RICE AND MAIZE OUTPUT

1/25/2019
COLOMBO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is facing what could be its worst pest infestation in history, potentially cutting the country's rice and maize output and forcing the island nation to import the commodities, government officials said on Friday.
Crop-eating army worms, first confirmed in October, have spread across the country and damaged crops, they said.
The pest has damaged half of the country's 80,000 hectares of maize and it has also infected rice and vegetable crops, W.M.W. Weerakoon, director general of agriculture, told Reuters.
More than 100 crops, including vegetables have become infested with the armyworm, Weerakoon said.
"We have never experienced this kind of damage in the past," he said, adding the government is trying to find out the source of the pest attack.
Authorities have found traces of the pest in about two hectares of rice, but they have successfully stopped the spread of the worm, he said.
Lower output could trigger large-scale imports of essential food products, pushing up the country's import bill and deepening a balance of payments crisis, S. Attygala, central bank deputy governor, said.
So far conventional chemicals used in pest management have failed to check the spread, authorities said.
The government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will give 40,000 rupees ($220.4) per hectare to farmers to compensate for them their losses. President Maithripala Sirisena has established a task force to help control the pest.
Sri Lanka in November forecast a bumper 3.3 million tonnes of rice production in the November-February cultivation season, after intermittent floods and droughts in the past four years cut the country's crops and economic growth.
Many sectors in Sri Lanka have suffered because of the political crisis that hit the island country in November when Sirisena fired Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister. ($1 = 181.50 Sri Lankan rupees) (Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal; editing by Mayank Bhardwaj and Louise Heavens)
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Click For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp


JANUARY 24, 2019 / 5:29 PM / 5 DAYS AGO
India rice rates rise, Vietnam prices slip before holiday
3 MIN READ
·        
·        
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices rose in India, driven by higher procurement costs for local paddy even as demand was tepid, while rates for the Vietnamese variety slipped as activity slowed before a holiday season.
A farmer works in his rice paddy field on Ghoramara Island, India, November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo
Top exporter India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety rose to $381-$386 per tonne this week from the $379-$384 range last week, traders said.
“Paddy prices have risen due to lower supply in the local market, so we have to raise export prices,” said an exporter based in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
Export prices had shot up after the central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised minimum paddy buying prices to 2,500 rupees per 100 kg from 1,750 rupees.
Neighbouring Bangladesh has no plan to cut the import duty on rice, despite a rise in domestic prices in recent week, given good crops and healthy reserves, a food ministry official said on Wednesday.
Higher domestic prices for the staple had prompted speculation amongst traders that the government would cut the duty.
The south Asian country, which emerged as a major rice importer in 2017 after floods destroyed crops, imposed a 28 percent duty in June to support its farmers after local production revived.
A report from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated Bangladesh’s rice output would hit a record 53.6 million tonnes in 2018 on strong domestic prices and bumper yields due to favourable weather conditions.
In Vietnam, rates for the benchmark 5 percent broken rice fell further to $340 a tonne from to $355-$360 last week, ahead of Tet, the Lunar New Year Holiday during the first week of February.
“Trade is very quiet and I think it will stay like this until Tet is over,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. “Customs offices will close during the week-long holiday and things will get slow.”
Another trader based in Hanoi said the government was mulling buying rice for stockpiling this year. 
“The government couldn’t buy last year because prices were high, but we are seeing downward pressure on prices this year given that China has moved to limit shipments from Vietnam,” a second trader said. 
Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices were quoted at $390-$402 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, versus last week’s $385-$400, with traders attributing the change to gains in the domestic currency, as demand remained flat.
“The Philippines remains the focus for many Thai rice exporters because of its liberalized market and because their government said last year that they still need to import a million tonnes,” a Bangkok-based trader. “But we are still waiting to hear more about the possible auction.”
Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Arpan Varghese and and Edmund Blair




Rice federation to argue against European tariffs on Cambodian exports | #AsiaNewsNetwork
Description: A worker carries a bag of rice inside a rice mill in Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
A worker carries a bag of rice inside a rice mill in Phnom Penh. Heng Chivoan
PUBLISHED 25 JANUARY 2019

POST STAFF
The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) announced on Wednesday it planned to argue on the international stage against EU tariffs on Cambodian rice exports, saying the decision will cause the Kingdom to lose its competitiveness and hurt its ability to sustain itself.
According to CRF’s statement, imposing tariffs on Cambodian rice to the EU is a regressive move.
“The decision to impose tariffs is happening too quickly, Cambodian rice will need more time to be strong enough to fully compete against other rice without being tariff free,” it read.
The statement did not outline in detail the procedures it would take to negotiate over the EU’s decision.
Despite mentioning in the release that it will find ways to lower production costs across the rice sector to cope with the financial blow, CRF has not yet provided further details on how it will do so.
CRF also said it will aim to build a brand name for Cambodian premium fragrant rice, Angkor Malis, in the international market, and urged Cambodian people to buy local rice to grow the market.
The Cambodian rice sector lost its duty-free export status to the EU last Friday after the bloc decided to impose tariffs on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb a surge in such imports they say was undercutting European production.
The decision will be in effect for three years, during which the tariff rate will be steadily reduced.
The sector will be forced to pay approximately $53 million in the first year based on the amount the Kingdom exported to the EU last year.

Rabi sowing gap at 3 million ha; rice worst-hit

Our Bureau  New Delhi | January 25, 2019
Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/migration_catalog/rwrxrj/article18354341.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/rabi

Tamil Nadu reports 27% shortfall in sowing; huge drop in Andhra Pradesh also

The gap between rabi sowing this year and the previous year has further widened with the difference surpassing more than 3 million hectares for the first time in the current season.
As compared to 622.12 lakh hectares (lh) planted during the corresponding period, the sowing covered only 591.64 lh till Friday, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry.
The worst hit seems to be winter rice, which reported a shortfall of more than 21 per cent in planting, with Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu reporting a huge drop in rice acreage. Tamil Nadu, which accounts for nearly half the rice cultivation in the rabi season, reported a nearly 27 per cent shortfall in sowing.
Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/jsn1gr/article26092728.ece/alternates/FREE_615/bl26JanRabicol

Wheat cultivation, on the other hand, is restricted to 296.37 lh, which is 2.5 per cent lower than the 304.88 lh reported in the corresponding week in the previous rabi season. The shortfall was mainly from Maharashtra and Gujarat, which are suffering a drought currently.
The acreage under pulses dropped to 151.6 lh, a little over 6 per cent lower than in the same period in 2017-18. The drop is mainly due to less sowing of gram — the main rabi pulse crop — in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

Higher sowing of peas, kulthi

Though there was a slight increase in pulses acreage in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, it wasn’t enough to pull up the numbers. Two pulse varieties that have reported higher sowing this year were green peas and kulthi, which are substantially higher than in the same period last year.
Another group of crops hit by drought conditions is coarse cereals. The subdued sowing in Maharashtra and Karnataka has led to a 14 per cent fall in acreage, which is 47 lh as compared to 54.63 lh in the corresponding period in the previous year.
A good showing by the mustard crop, mainly in Rajasthan, has somehow helped oilseeds come up close to the levels last year. The total area covered under oilseeds so far is around 79 lh, as per the official data.
Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission reported that the cumulative water storage in 91 major reservoirs monitored by it was 74.23 billion cubic metres, which is 46 per cent of the total capacity of these water bodies.


DA rapped for try­ing to ‘weaken’ rice tar­if­fi­ca­tion bill

While Agri­cul­ture Sec­re­tary Em­manuel Piñol ea­gerly awaits the im­ple­men­ta­tion of Rice Tar­if­fi­ca­tion Law, So­cioe­co­nomic Plan­ning Sec­re­tary Ernesto Per­nia said there is cur­rently an at­tempt from the De­part­ment of Agri­cul­ture (DA) to "weaken" the law, which will lib­er­al­ize rice im­por­ta­tion in the Philip­pines.

Buy ITC, target Rs 340: ICICI Direct

ETMarkets.com|
Updated: Jan 25, 2019, 10.37 AM IST
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The current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.

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ICICI Direct has a buy call on ITC with a target price of Rs 340.

The current market price of ITC is Rs 281.80.

Time period given by the brokerage is one year when ITC price can reach the defined target.

Investment rationale by the brokerage-
Cigarette margins to improve; strong FMCG margins to aid profitability: Cigarette business EBIT increased by 8.8 per cent on the back of a stable taxation regime during the year. However, due to high leaf cost tobacco prices and increasing salience of capsule filters from 2-3 per cent to 7 per cent, cigarette EBIT margins declined by 50 bps YoY. ITC has taken 14-16 per cent price hikes in the select portfolio (some of the Gold Flake varieties: 2.5 per cent volume of cigarette portfolio) and is planning to localize capsule filter from next year (capsule filters are largely imported), which should improve cigarette segment margins going forward. FMCG segment EBIT improved from Rs 47 crore to Rs 76.7 crore (EBITDA increased from Rs 122 crore to Rs 173 crore) led by strong growth in atta, biscuits (Dark Fantasy growing in double digits and Bounce seeing a recovery in South India), snacks and noodles. With operating margins at nearly 5.4 per cent in FMCG during the quarter, we believe ITC should be able to reach double-digit EBITDA margins in next two years (ITC’s FMCG gross margins are comparable to peers).

Foraying into newer segments: ITC’s vision of reaching Rs 100,000 crore turnover with FMCG contributing nearly Rs 70,000 crore is on right track with company’s slew of new launches recently. It has forayed into packaged non-basmati rice market with Sona Masoori in Bengaluru. In the dairy segment, it has launched four variants of RTD milk beverages under Sunfeast Wonderz brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. ITC is looking to expand its dairy business further by launching paneer in Kolkata and milk beverages on a pan India level in the near term. It has launched pouch milk under Aashirvaad Swasti and curd under Aashirvaad Swasti Dahi. It expanded its noodle portfolio by launching Sunfeast Yippee noodles in four new variants and launched its traditional flavours snack Tedhe Medhe Wakhra Style under Bingo brand. It launched recently acquired floor cleaner brand Nimyle across North Eastern states. We believe ITC’s strategy will be to reach profitable growth within each of the segments after achieving a meaningful scale.

Robust financials to provide support; reiterate 'Buy': Being a formidable player in the consumer space, ITC has a strong margin profile with an EBITDA margin of 38.3 per cent and net profit margin of 27.6 per cent in FY18. Led by superior margins, ITC has been able to generate operating cash flow of Rs 12,650 crore in FY18. While overall RoCE for the company is at 30.9 per cent, the cash cow cigarettes business enjoys RoCE of over 200 per cent due to superior pricing power and low capital intensity. High cash generation has enabled ITC to invest aggressively in other fast-growing businesses and thereby enable the company to diversify into other, non-stringent segments. We expect revenues and earnings to grow at a CAGR of 10.2 per cent and 10.6 per cent, respectively, in FY18-21E. We continue to maintain our BUY rating on the stock with a revised target price of Rs 340.
Read this article in :Hindi


India's exports up 25 % to China during June-Nov 2018: FIEO

PTI|
Updated: Jan 24, 2019, 09.22 PM IST
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He said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine products.
New Delhi: The tariff war between the US and China is benefitting India as its exports to the neighbouring country have increased by about 32 per cent to USD 8.46 billion during the June-November 2018 period, exporters body FIEO said Thursday.

Exports to China had stood at USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017.

In June and September 2018, the US announced high customs duties on several Chinese goods. In retaliation, China also raised levies on American goods.

Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta also said that during the period, India's exports to the US grew by 12 per cent.

"Exports to China jumped from USD 6.37 billion in June-November 2017 to USD 8.46 billion in June-November 2018," Gupta said in a statement.

He said commodities that have exhibited high growth during the period to China include petroleum products, chemicals, cotton yarn, plastic raw material, and marine products.

"While tariff war is not good for the global trade, the same has come as an opportunity for other countries including India. Our exports to China in June-November 2018 went up by 32 per cent and to US by 12 per cent in the same period," Gupta said.

If the tariff escalation continues, India has to increase production capabilities to meet the growing demand in both the markets, he added.

Growth in exports to China is beneficial for India as it has huge trade deficit with the neighbouring country.

Trade deficit with China increased to USD 63.12 billion in 2017-18 from USD 51.11 billion in 2016-17.

India is taking several steps to promote shipments to China. Recently it has managed to export agricultural goods such as non-basmati rice to China.




Cash-strapped Pakistan receives $1 bn each from Saudi Arabia, UAE

ANI  |  Asia  Last Updated at January 25, 2019 18:15 IST

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Battling a severe financial crunch, Pakistan received the third tranche of $1 billion from Saudi Arabia and a similar amount from the United Arab Emirates.
On its Twitter account, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that it has received the amount.
Under the financial package, Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan as balance of payment support besides providing oil on deferred payment for three years, Radio Pakistan reported.
The State Bank of Pakistan has also received $1 billion from the UAE which has committed to provide a financial support package of $3 billion to Pakistan.
Pakistan has also approached China for funds to avoid its balance of payment crisis.
Pakistan's current account deficit rose to $7.9 billion in the first half of the current fiscal and is likely to reach $16-18 billion by June 30.
Finance Minister Asad Umar on Thursday said there was no panic in Pakistan over a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the country would neither go down on its knees and surrender before anybody nor would it be dictated to for the economic support, Dawn reported.
He said this at a post-budget news conference when a questioner said the feeling among the Washington-based multilateral lenders was that Islamabad was taking expensive loans from alternative avenues instead of cheaper support from the IMF, World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Umar said Saudi Arabia had provided the deposit at about 3pc return and almost the same rate was on the UAE loan.
The Finance Minister revealed that an economic support package had been finalised with China and more such successes would be available over the next two weeks - in a reference to Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Qatar earlier this week.
Razak Dawood, Adviser to the PM on Commerce, said an agreement had been reached with China for financial support and a team would visit Beijing next week to finalise how much rice, sugar and textile products from Pakistan should be exported to China.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, January 25 2019. 10:10 IST