Monday, September 16, 2019

16th September,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


KSU Doubles Down on Making Water, Nutrients Go Further on Southern Plains Farms

KSU Research and ExtensionSeptember 15, 2019
Description: https://www.ksal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/wheat-green.jpg
Kansas State University is leading a multi-agency team focused on improving water and nitrogen use efficiencies and improving soil health in the semi-arid southern Great Plains.
The nearly $10 million five-year research effort is led by K-State University Distinguished Professor Chuck Rice and includes a transdisciplinary team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Oklahoma State University and the University of Maryland
The team will conduct research, teaching, and extension activities to:
  • Increase the growth of agricultural total factor productivity or TFP, from the current 1.5% to 2% per year and agricultural production by 2% annually;
  • Improve water and nitrogen use efficiency by 50%; and
  • Reduce losses due to environmental stresses by 20%.
The work is funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
Crop yields vary widely in the southern Plains, largely because of erratic weather patterns which complicate decision making for farmers. The constant uncertainty over how much – or how little – precipitation will fall pushes many farmers to grow winter wheat for both grain production and cattle grazing, but that provides relatively low nutrient use efficiency for the cattle and winter wheat can be subject to high weed pressure.
“Consequently, crop and food animal production in this region lags well below its potential, and 50% or more of the precipitation received by cropland is lost by evaporation from soil or is used by weeds,” Rice said.
The long-term goal of the new research effort, he said, is to sustainably increase the productivity of farms that solely rely on rainfall rather than irrigation in the southern Great Plains by improving the efficient use of water and nitrogen, plus reduce yield losses due to environmental stresses and enhance soil health.
The interdisciplinary team includes researchers, educators and extension professionals with expertise in agronomy, crop production, soil science, modeling, economics and sociology.
The multi-pronged effort will focus on developing effective management strategies for diversifying and intensifying southern Great Plains cropping systems; developing and using innovative sensors and modeling technologies for improved mid-season input decisions; providing information to farmers and others on the resulting information and technologies; and creating educational opportunities to recruit and train the next generation of scientists to work in agriculture.
The program will provide research experience for over 50 undergraduates recruited across the country and train over 20 graduate and post-doctoral students.
Other K-State researchers on the team are Ignacio Ciampitti, Romulo Lollato, Anita Dille, Andres Patrignani, Doohong Min, Dorivar Ruiz Diaz, Eduardo Santos and Vara Prasad.
Global overdependence on a relatively small variety of staple foods leaves populations vulnerable to crop failures, with climate change adding to the strain, a report by the Food and Land Use Coalition has said. | REUTERS

WORLD / SCIENCE & HEALTH

 

Scientists warn world must transform food production or face possible unrest


THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
  • SEP 16, 2019

The world must diversify its food production and consumption, or face damaging supply disruptions that could lead to suffering and social unrest, scientists warned Monday.
A new global study found the health and environmental benefits of transforming the way we farm would outweigh heavily the cost of doing so, with the authors urging governments to do more to support sustainable agriculture.
“A small disruption in supply really can do a lot of damage and leads to huge price increases,” said Per Pharo of the Food and Land Use Coalition, the global alliance of economists and scientists behind the study.
“That creates suffering and social unrest. And it will highly likely also lead to hunger and instability,” he said.
Global over-dependence on a relatively small number of staple foods leaves populations vulnerable to crop failures, with climate change adding to the strain, the report said.
“Four different crops provide 60 percent of our calories — wheat, rice, maize and potatoes. That increases our vulnerability,” said Pharo.
The panel said the report was the first of its kind to assess the benefits of transforming global food systems as well as the cost of inaction.
The damage the modern food industry does to human health, development and the environment costs the world $12 trillion a year — equivalent to China’s GDP — the study found.
It proposes a series of solutions, from encouraging more diverse diets to improve health and reduce dependency on specific crops, to giving more support to the types of farming that can restore forests, a key tool in fighting climate change.
In Costa Rica, for example, the government has reversed deforestation by eliminating cattle subsidies and introducing payments to farmers who manage their land sustainably.
As a result, the amount of forest cover has risen from a quarter of the country’s land in 1983 to more than half today, the report said.
The cost of the reforms it lays out are estimated to be up to $350 billion a year. But that would create business opportunities worth up to $4.5 trillion — a 15-fold return.
The study said the reforms could also free up 1.2 billion hectares of agricultural land for restoration, an integral part of efforts to curb climate change and halt biodiversity loss.
That is more than twice the size of the Amazon rainforest, which spans seven nations.
“What we’re saying is realistic if the reform agenda is implemented,” said Pharo, adding that under the proposed changes, consumers would actually get “slightly more affordable food.”
“The excuse that we cannot prioritize environment at the same time because we’ve got to focus on development, on human welfare, is simply false. We can deliver both.”

Farmers complain release of NFA stocks will depress prices
September 16, 2019 | 12:03 am
Description: palay
FARMERS said the government’s plan to release imported palay into the market threatens to weaken prices further for palay, or unmilled rice, the form in which they sell their produce to traders.
“There is already a big glut in the market because of the large volume of cheap rice imported by private traders. This glut is the main reason why palay prices are going down. Flooding the market with NFA rice will just worsen the glut,” Federation of Free Farmers National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said in a statement.
The government announced plans to release 3.6 million bags of imported rice from its reserves, in a bid to bring retail prices more in line with what it considers to be fair consumer price given the low cost of imported grain.
The palay farmgate price has been falling since the passage of the Rice Tariffication Act, which liberalized rice imports by private traders. Access to cheap foreign grain has made traders reluctant to buy domestic palay, softening the market for domestic products and leaving the government scrambling to implement palay purchasing schemes at better — than-market prices that provide breathing room for farmers.
On the retail side, consumer prices have remained persistently high despite the decline in acquisition price for imported rice and palay, prompting the Department of Agriculture (DA) to order releases of inventory from the reserves.
The freeing up of warehouse space at the National Food Authority (NFA) is expected to encourage more buying at the NFA support price for farmers, which has been raised to P19 from P17. The NFA’s purchasing budget has also been raised to about P22.5 billion.



According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the average farmgate price of palay fell 4.4% year-on-year during the fifth week of August to P16.68 per kilogram (kg). Some reports have indicated that traders are offering as little as P7 in some rice-growing provinces.
On Sept. 12, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said that the NFA Council approved at a Sept. 10 meeting the release of 3.6 million bags of imported rice onto the market until early October to increase supply and keep retail prices low.
The measure targets “price manipulators” and “hoarders” who have kept retail prices high despite the drop in the value of imported rice and palay.
The NFA inventory release will be sold at P25 per kilo at wholesale and P27 retail.
Mr. Montemayor said that the timing of the release coincides with the harvest this month and will serve to depress prices amid high levels of supply.
“Private traders will be the ones who will buy most of the palay, and they will be forced to buy low because they will have to compete not only with the cheap imported price plus now also the P27 NFA rice,” he said.
The Rice Tariffication Law was enacted in response to the inflation crisis of 2018, with the government making a bet that consumer prices will fall with the entry of more imported rice. The traders then turned reluctant to buy palay at fair prices, threatening a collapse in farmer incomes and forcing the government to step up palay purchasing, roping in local governments to engage in palay purchasing. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

PSA: Average farm-gate price of rice drops to 6-year low

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The average farm-gate price of dry unhusked rice fell to a six-year low in the fifth week of August, according to the latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Data released by the PSA showed palay prices declined by 27.4 percent to P16.68 per kilogram, from P22.98 per kg recorded in the same period last year. Local planters do not usually harvest rice from July to September.
The latest gate figure is the lowest since the fifth week of May 2013, when dry palay farm-gate averaged P16.71 per kg.
“The market is oversupplied by imported inventory,” University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Center for Food and Agribusiness (CFA) Executive Director Rolando T. Dy said.
PSA data showed that as of August 1, total rice stocks expanded by 40.3 percent to 2.133 million metric tons (MMT), higher than the previous year’s level of 1.52  million metric tons (MMT), or by 40.3 percent.
Of the total rice stocks, 37.1 percent were in the households, 41.2 percent were in commercial warehouses, and 21.6 percent in National Food Authority (NFA) depositories.
Government data on rice imports in the first half showed that shipments expanded by 118.73 percent to $621.57 million, from last year’s record of $284.18 million.
This made semi-milled or wholly milled rice as the country’s 13th top import for the first half of the year, compared to only 26th during the same period in 2018.

Downward trend

With the increase in imports and the upcoming harvest starting October, the farm-gate price of palay will continue to go down, according to the Federation of Free Farmers Inc. (FFF).
“We expect prices to go down further as the main harvest comes in. The procurement of the National Food Authority [NFA] will not be able to arrest this by itself, as it will be able to capture only 3 percent of the harvest at most,” FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor told the BusinessMirror via SMS.
The Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) said rice planters in rain-fed areas will be hardest hit by the continuos decline in farm-gate prices.
“The sad thing about it [drop in palay prices] is that majority of farmers in rain-fed areas are harvesting their crop. Of course, they are the most vulnerable. We hope government is ready to address the loss of incomes especially of the most vulnerable,” R1 Executive Director Hazel Tanchuling told the BusinessMirror via SMS.
The drop in the average farm-gate price of unhusked rice, however, was also reflected in the wholesale and retail prices of regular milled rice, according to PSA data.
In the fifth week of August, the retail price of regular milled rice fell by an annualized rate of 18.88 percent to P34.59 per kg.
On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced that it will be “flooding” the market with the NFA cheap imported rice to cut down the prices of the staple.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar disclosed they will be selling 3.6 million bags of rice nationwide.
He said imported NFA rice will be sold at P25 per kg to retailers and P27 per kg to consumers.

Japan to win trade concessions on US rice imports, but hits wall on auto tariffs

September 16, 2019 (Mainichi Japan)
Description: https://cdn.mainichi.jp/vol1/2019/09/16/20190916p2a00m0bu005000p/8.jpg?2
In this June 28, 2019 file photo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, third from right, and U.S. President Donald Trump, second from left, and their teams sit down for talks in Osaka's Suminoe Ward. (Pool photo)
TOKYO -- The amount of U.S. rice that will be allowed to enter Japan tariff-free under a bilateral trade deal will be much less than that set under the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2017.
Under the TPP, which was implemented by the remaining 11 partners at the end of 2018, Japan would have accepted the import of as much as 70,000 metric tons of U.S. rice per year. However, it was revealed on Sept. 15 that negotiators for a Japan-U.S. trade deal are looking to settle on a much smaller figure -- apparently with Trump's blessing.
Meanwhile, tariffs on U.S. wine imports to Japan look likely to be reduced gradually to zero over five to seven years, about the same as the eight-year time frame under the TPP. The cut is eventually expected to reduce Japanese shelf prices of U.S. wines by about 10%.
The two sides are aiming to have a deal ready to be signed by Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a summit in the United States in late September.
The Japanese government pushed for a reduction in the volume of tariff-free U.S. rice from TPP levels to protect domestic producers. American negotiators initially sought to retain the 70,000-ton figure, but the issue appears to have been a low priority for the Trump administration as most U.S. rice is grown in California, a Democratic stronghold.
However, Washington did push back hard on automobiles by outright refusing Tokyo's demand the U.S. cut duties on Japanese vehicle imports. It looks likely the Abe administration will play up its negotiating gains in rice, saying that "both Japan and the U.S. made compromises" to curry favor with its electorate.
(Japanese original by Shuichi Kanzaki and Kenji Shimizu, Business News Department)

Break the rice cartel

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:48 AM September 16, 2019
Much blame has been put on the rice tariffication law for the current plight of local farmers, yet little attention is being focused on the cartel that has been hoarding imported rice to create supply tightness and, in the process, prevent prices from falling.
The liberalization of rice imports was intended to beef up supply of the staple given the shortage in domestic production, which had caused inflation to breach government targets last year. With imports allowed at a 35-percent tariff, economic managers had forecast rice prices to fall by as much as P7 a kilo.
Thus far, however, prices have only managed to stabilize and decline by P1-2 a kilo. The reason: Traders suspected of associating into a cartel have been controlling the supply of the staple to meet demand at a bare minimum and avoid flooding the market, which could help push prices lower.
It is right to focus a lot of attention on the plight of local farmers, but it is shortsighted to blame it all on the rice tariffication law, or Republic Act No. 11203. Some of the proposals to address this problem border on the absurd, including one seeking to impose an import tariff of 600-800 percent on rice, and others calling for the outright repeal of the law.
The rice tariffication law has a provision creating a P10-billion fund precisely to help local farmers survive a liberalized regime. Measures that the fund will finance are geared mainly toward bringing up the productivity of local farmers to enable them to compete with the low prices of imported rice. These include mechanization, improved irrigation, use of modern seeds, better farm-to-market roads and other challenges that local farmers have faced for decades.
The Department of Agriculture has its hands full helping farmers reeling from the falling farm-gate prices of their palay. The new agriculture secretary, William Dar, has been coordinating efforts with local governments and other departments, such as that of social welfare, to help buy the produce of local rice farmers at prices above their production costs.
But this is not enough. The government should likewise address farmers’ lack of access to storage, drying, milling and transport facilities so they can sell directly to the consumer, and eradicate middlemen who have taken advantage of the system for a long time. And it needs to release allotments from the P10-billion fund at a more urgent and more efficient pace, to ensure that struggling farmers are lent assistance in a speedy, timely manner.
Alongside these measures, however, the government should apply all its might to the critical task of dismantling the rice cartel, to allow prices of the staple to go down significantly for the benefit of millions of minimum wage earners and ordinary consumers, as had been promised by the law.
Last week, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda called on the Duterte administration to address the rice cartel problem; he asked authorities to look at the warehouses of big traders and check their import and delivery records, the Department of Justice and the Philippine Competition Commission to investigate possible economic sabotage, and the departments of Trade and Industry and of Agriculture to intensify the monitoring of price manipulations.
In his third State of the Nation Address last July, President Duterte once again warned that rice cartels will not be allowed to sabotage the economy, as he directed concerned agencies to hunt the syndicates behind them and bring them to justice. It’s time for those agencies — the departments of Agriculture and of Trade and Industry, the Bureau of Customs and even the Philippine National Police — to work together and finally
address this problem.
Local rice farmers are in dire need of all the help they can get from the government. At the same time, ordinary consumers also deserve the low prices intended by the rice tariffication law, and dismantling the cartel will do this. These criminal organizations are not that hard to find, if only authorities would stop looking the other way and do as the President had ordered them.

When It Comes To Tech, These Rice Farmers Are Outstanding In Their Field

Sep 15, 2019, 09:28am

 

Description: Andrew Wight
Andrew Wight
Colombian rice farmer Campo Elias Urrutia, at the trial site of the EcoProMIS project, in Casanare, Colombia. 
ANDREW J WIGHT
Dust and noise from a passing rice harvester swirl around Colombian rice farmer Campo Elias Urrutia as he tells of a coming rice doomsday – easing of trade restrictions from a US trade deal means cheap US rice will likely start to pour into Colombia in the next three years. 
But high-tech help is close by: Campo Elias is standing next to high tech sensors measuring carbon dioxide, methane, solar radiation and meteorological data – part of a project to make Colombian rice price-competitive with cheap imports.  
Rice is a vital Colombian staple and it is now the key crop of central Colombia's tropical grassland plains – Los Llanos.  In 2007, 461,000 hectares (1.1 million acres) of rice were sown in Colombia for an output of 2.5 million metric tonnes (2.75 million short tons). 
Today In: Innovation
Facing the threat of reduced yields from climate change, cheap imports and other challenges, the Colombian Rice Grower’s Federation, FedeArroz, has teamed up with a consortium of scientific institutions like Rothamsted Research and private companies to develop a platform called the Ecological Production Management Information System – EcoProMIS
A combination of satellites, drones, handheld devices, IOT weather stations, crop inspections and farmer interviews all feed into the system, where the data is crunched by machine learning, AI and crop modelling. 
For example, heat sensors in the drones detect “sick” rice plants, giving farmers exact data on which parts of the field are infected. 
The benefits are two-fold: farmers can get near-real-time data on the health and projected yield of their crops, while insurance companies can better assess risk – hopefully increasing the alarmingly low prevalence of farm insurance in Colombia.  
Roelof Kramer is CEO of Agricompas Limited, one of the partners in the consortium that came together to win £3.9m ($5 million) in initial funding from the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme.
"Overall, the main goals of the project include increasing the area of rice and palm oil crops insured in Colombia 25 percent by 2021 and the collective incomes of Colombian farmers and smallholders by $30 million annually by 2022."
Roelof Kramer – CEO of Agricompas Limited
In order to address community concerns about farmers giving their data to a third party, the project, which began in February of 2018 and will continue until April 2021, has partnered with local organisations.
Kramer says crop federations like Fedearroz will pass science advances on to farmers; research institutes will conduct further research on climate change effects and genetic improvements; and community group Solidaridad is giving socio-economic support to small-holder growers.
Ricardo Perafan, the executive director at FedeArroz’s research centre in Aguazul, Colombia told me rice is the last cereal grown in Colombia with local varieties – almost all the wheat in Colombia is imported and almost all corn is from imported seed.
"But we only have two farms in the pilot project, so this is just the beginning of greater, integrated actions," he said.
When the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (formally known as the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement or CTPA) came into force in May of 2012, Colombia’s rice attracted a tariff of 80% but those will soon be phased out completely.
Back in his rice field, Urrutia is hopeful. 
“The EcoProMis program will help keep the Colombian rice industry alive, but, we won’t be competitive until the Colombian farmer has the control and management of his product, is supplied with appropriate machines and tools for the development of the work, has real ownership of the land, and has a state agricultural policy where the campesino and the nation converge together,” he said.

Safeguard probe on rice imports begins

Description: Top03 091619This file photo shows various rice varieties are on display in a market in San Andres, Manila. The Philippine government has formally notified the World Trade Organization that it has launched an investigation into the surge in rice imports to determine whether the application of safeguard measures is warranted.
The Philippines has formally informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it has launched an investigation into the surge in rice imports following the plunge in the farm-gate prices of local rice to determine whether it should apply safeguard measures.
Manila submitted a formal communication to the WTO Committee on Safeguards (CoS) on September 12 to inform member-states that it has initiated a preliminary investigation into rice imports last September 11.
“Pursuant to Article 12.1[a] of the WTO Agreement on Safeguards [AoS], the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the WTO hereby notifies the Committee on Safeguards of the initiation of a preliminary safeguard investigation on the imported rice from various countries,” read the notification, which was made public on September 13.
Manila said it initiated the safeguard investigation, as the decline in the farm-gate prices of unhusked rice continue, which caused farmers to incur losses, coincided with the jump in imports.
Rice imports rose after the Philippines implemented the rice trade liberalization law, which removed the quantitative restriction on the staple and eased import rules.
“[The] continued increase in rice imports coincides with the drop in farm-gate prices of paddy resulting in income loss for farmers,” the document read.
“Skyrocketing rice imports significantly affect the Philippines’s ending stock, subsequently affecting the positioning of local rice in the market,” it added.
Since the passage of the rice trade liberalization law, Manila argued that “rice traders abruptly shifted from buying local paddy to importing rice as the latter is now more convenient to do.”
WTO AoS Article 12.1 (a) stipulates that member-states shall immediately notify the CoS when initiating an investigation relating to the possible imposition of safeguard measures.
Farmers groups, including the Federation of Free Farmers Inc. (FFF), have been urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to initiate a safeguard investigation as the farm-gate price of local palay continued to go down.
FFF argued that rice farmers have incurred losses amounting to at least P40 billion due to the 20-percent year-on-year decline in palay prices.
FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said trade remedies, such as safeguard measures and antidumping duties, would limit imports as it would become more expensive. This, Montemayor added, would prevent farmers from incurring more losses as domestic palay prices are expected to stabilize.

‘Record high imports’

From March 5 to August 30, the latest data from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed that the total volume of rice imports has reached 1.304 million metric tons (MMT). Republic Act (RA) 11203, or the rice trade liberalization law, took effect on March 5.
During the period, traders, farmers’ cooperatives and importers have sought sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-IC) for 2.776 MMT of rice from Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Spain, India, Italy and Pakistan, according to BPI data.
In the month of August alone, rice traders applied for SPS-ICs for 735,127 MT of rice. The figure is the highest monthly volume of rice that the private sector sought to import since RA 11203 took effect.
BPI data also showed that the agency has issued a total of 3,115 SPS-ICs to over 228 eligible rice importers from March 5 to August 30. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the removal of the QR and the relaxation of import rules would cause increase the purchases of rice from abroad this year.
The USDA projected that the Philippines’s total rice imports this year would rise by 24 percent to a record-high 3.1 MMT, making the country the second-top buyer of the staple after China.


Fertiliser-N harmful for environment, warn experts

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, Dhaka
Description: Fertiliser-N harmful for environment, warn experts
Scientists have expressed concern over the use of fertiliser-N (nitrogen), which has caused severe environmental disturbances. Nitrogen has been released in the water bodies, causing unwanted growth of aquatic organisms, and has been released into the atmosphere, causing atmospheric pollution and enhancing climate change-related events.
The scientists made these observations while addressing a two-day-long workshop on ‘Towards Integrated Nitrogen Management System (INMS)’, held at a city hotel yesterday (Sunday).
Agriculture minister Dr Abdur Razzaque spoke at the workshop as the special guest.
The director-general of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Dr M Shajahan Kabir, the vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Agriculture University, Dr M Gias Uddin Mia, the director of International Nitrogen Management System, Prof. D. Mark A Sutton, and SANC professors in New Delhi, India, Prof. Dr Nandulal Raghuram and Dr Tapan K Mukherji, also spoke at the workshop.
“Excessive use of fertilisers is harmful for the environment. Though crop production has increased by 30 to 34 per cent after using N-enriched fertilisers, at the same time it has also reduced the fertility of the arable lands,” Dr Razzaque said.
He pointed out that many farmers have no knowledge about the proper use of fertilisers. “The farmers often over-use fertilisers with a view to increase their production. But the
environment becomes polluted after the nitrogen gets mixed with air. It even becomes harmful for humans after the nitrogen mixes with water. Hence, we have to use such fertilisers on a limited scale. The use of such fertilisers will have to be reduced in phases,” the agriculture minister said.
According to experts, in order to extract maximum efficiency of the fertilizer-N in an agricultural way and an environmentally sustainable manner, it is essential that farmers are advised on the rational use of fertiliser-N in different sectors of agricultural productivity like horticulture, aquaculture, animal husbandry and so on.
Apart from agriculture, other sectors of the economy, such as energy production, transport, industry and waste management, also contribute to N-pollution, the scientists said.
The scientists noted that South Asia is one of the most populous regions on this planet. With an agrarian economy to feed its growing population, it is hugely dependent on the use of N-fertiliser.
According to experts, nitrogen is the most important nutrient affecting the growth of all living organisms in this planet. Although more than two-thirds of the atmosphere is nitrogen, it cannot be directly used for biological growth, the experts said.
They opined that this nitrogen has to be converted into its active forms for their uptake and incorporation into plants and animals.
Soil scientists have pointed out that the continuous use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in the arable land gradually decreases its productivity.
Chemical fertilisers also destroy soil biomass, which is important for maintaining the ecosystem and crop production. Excessive use of chemicals destroys soil nutrients like sodium, potassium and nitrogen, creating imbalances in soil fertility, according to researchers.
Most of the soils have low fertility because of the high removal of plant nutrients from soils. Annual removal by major field crops is about 2.98 million tonnes compared to acreage application of 0.80 million tonnes of nutrients. About 85 per cent of the net cultivable areas have less than the optimum level of organic matter content. Chemical fertiliser use, combined with the timely transfer of appropriate technology, is essential to sustaining and increasing yields.
Urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP)/triple super phosphate (TSP) and muriate of potash (MOP) are the major sources of plant nutrients in Bangladesh. Urea represents about 80 per cent, DAP/TSP 15 per cent, and MOP, zinc sulphate, gypsum, etc. account for the remaining 5 per cent of all other nutrients.
This nutrient use pattern indicates a less than ideal nutrient balance. Though paddy does require, in most instances, a higher nitrogen ratio to phosphate and potash, soil testing, soil type and crop rotation are required to determine the exact NPK ratio required to maximise yield to the extent the yield relates to nutrients.

S. Korea to push for localization of rice varietiesUpdated: 2019-09-16 10:50:03 KST

Back in the 1970s, Korean rice varieties had a reputation for tasting inferior to Japanese rice.
Since then, the country has developed local varieties that taste good and are resistant to disease and pests.
Most farms nationwide have switched to these new local varieties, …with the exception of some regions.
Japanese rice varieties make up 64 percent of rice grown in Gyeonggi-do Province …and 35 percent in Chungcheongbuk-do Province, …even if their output is lower than the output of local varieties.
The rice plants fall over easily and are prone to disease and attacks from pests.

"We have planted foreign varieties for a long time and they were purchased by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and other agencies."

By putting forward a variety of Icheon rice called "Haedeul," the government is looking to phase out Japanese varieties from the region.
The variety, developed by Korean researchers in 2017, has strong stalks and is more resistant to disease and pests.
A panel of experts and consumers tasted it and gave the variety favorable feedback.

"It's glutinous and chewy and has a nice texture in the mouth. It's tasty."

By increasing the supply of domestic rice varieties and developing a specialized production and distribution complex, …the Rural Development Administration looks to achieve 100 percent localization by 2022.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.
Reporter :

Policy rate change on the cards

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was elected to office on the promise of creating ease of doing business, envisaging reduction of bureaucratic morass, lower utility rates for the business to propel their capacity in the economy, but it all became redundant when the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir raised the interest rates to 13.25 percent on July 16, a 150 basis points increase.
Yet again, the state bank is set to announce its monetary policy on September 16 for the next two months, however the experts are predicting that the interest rate is likely to be fixed slightly downward with most of them predicting that the central bank will opt to reduce the rate by 25 basis points.
“Inflation rose considerably to 7.3 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 19 due to higher government borrowings from the SBP, lagged impact of exchange rate depreciations, hike in domestic fuel prices, and rising food prices. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation was 8.9 percent in June 2019 and is expected to rise in the near term due to the one-off impact of adjustment in utilities’ prices and other measures in the FY20 budget. These pressures are expected to recede in the second half of the fiscal year and the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) expects inflation to average 11 to 12 percent in FY20,” The SBP governor said, while giving a reason for raising interest rates on July 16.
However, after the May and July increase in the policy rate by the state bank, inflation failed to decline, in fact it rose. The rise in interest rate in theory should have raised the cost of capital, a key input to productivity, and concomitantly elevated the cost of borrowing by households which are significant in the perfect model of the economies. Thus a higher discount rate would lower aggregate demand and consequently inflation in advanced well documented economies.
The situation for Pakistan is different and has exacerbated over the time. The trust deficit between PTI government’s economic team and business community has widened as the rhetorical commitment of Khan’s government to generate an environment conducive for business has been divorced to the policy initiatives of technocrats in the economic team.
Instead of bringing its own house in order and correcting inflationary pressure through fiscal management by reducing government spending to decrease aggregate demand and thus the inflation, the government’s spending surprisingly increased exorbitantly. Last year the budget deficit was at 8.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while this year it is projected to escalate at 7.2 percent with current expenditure alone is due to rise by 31 percent. The ironic contrast makes the contractionary policy of the SBP at odds with the government’s fiscal policy.
The government may have given an unrealistic tax collection target to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to collect Rs 5.5 trillion under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) package commitment; however it has consistently been on the adverse journey of expansive budgeted expenditure. As the IMF team is due to visit Pakistan, its spokesperson Gerry Rice said that one of the key elements of the IMF programme in Pakistan was the need to mobilise domestic tax revenue to fund the “much needed” social and development spending while placing debt on a “firm downward trend”. Hence, in order for the government to land at safe fiscal position it needs to handle its tools well instead of depressing the economy through contractionary monetary policy Khan’s economic team may not have been elected to the office but the government owes it to its constituents; to make things right, before Pakistan’s economy takes a turbulent course to deep recession.


All Basmati rice growers in Punjab to be registered
To boost export of basmati by incorporating quality traceability feature in its production and supply, Punjab Government has launched an ambitious project of registration of all Basmati growers in the State. The process is being carried out in collaboration with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), said the State Agriculture secretary KS Pannu adding that the registration of Basmati growers on the Centre’s portal — basmati.net — is on full swing. The relevant information pertaining the names and mobile numbers of basmati rice growers as well as the longitudinal and latitudinal details of their farms is being uploaded on the portal. Also details of the quantity and quality of fertilizers and pesticides used by the farmers on the crop are also being recorded. Pannu said that so far, about 70,000 Basmati farmers have been registered and the tagging of details of over 25,000 farms spanning to 1,37,864 hectares, has also been realised. This tag will help to preserve the unique identity of their rice in the national and international market, he said. After the completion of registration process, the farmers are being issued a unique ID and the registration certificates, said Pannu, adding that 15,000 certificates have been distributed till date. This is a win-win situation for the farmers as well as the Department because farmers will get good price of their produce as the buyers would be able to contact them and get the samples of Basmati directly from them. Besides, the Department will be able to identify the farmers who are using the fertilizers over and above the recommended quantity and also those who are using prohibited pesticides. Subsequently, the Department can monitor and motivate the non-adherents towards using optimum quantity and quality of fertilizers or pesticides. This mammoth exercise will be a giant step towards making Basmati crop “pesticide free”, said Pannu adding that the gradual elimination of these poisons will result in Punjab’s Basmati passing all the international import parameters. It is pertinent to mention that use of nine pesticides including Acephate, Triazophos, Thiamethoxam, Cerbendazim, Buprofezin, Arbofuron, Propiconazole and Thiophanate Methyl has been banned since they lead to rejection of Basmati export orders to the European Union and other Western countries. But, some farmers in a bid to get better yield, continue to use thrice the recommended urea and a bag of Dai Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) which are not recommended.

High prices cut non-Basmati rice exports 37%

Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year. 

gh Basmati rice exports have also declined 1.5 per cent, but experts don`t suggest price as reason behind it. Image source: Reuters
Written By: IANS
Updated: Sat, Sep 14, 2019
09:50 am
Description: India stares at losing Rs 1700 crore worth of EU basmati exports to PakistanIndia stares at losing Rs 1700 crore worth of EU basmati exports to Pakistan
Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year. Though Basmati rice exports have also declined 1.5 per cent, but experts don`t suggest price as reason behind it.
Arvind Kumar Gupta, Director of the Basmati Export Development Institution that comes under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), told IANS, "Prices of non-Basmati rice are high in the country, which has affected its demand overseas. Exports have declined in the first four months of this financial year (FY20) against the corresponding period of FY19".
According to APEDA data, 17,06,891 tonnes of non-Basmati rice were exported in April-July of FY20 against 26,94,827 tonnes in the same period of FY19. The non-Basmati rice exports have declined around 9.88 lakh tonnes or 36.66 per cent.
In value terms, it has declined by 36.30 per cent to Rs 48.16 crore over the smape period of FY19. Similarly, Basmati rice exports have declined by 1.42 lakh tonnes to 14.35 lakh tonnes between April and July against the year-ago period.
Vijay Setia, Chairman, All India Rice Exporters Association, said due to the high prices of non-Basmati rice its demand had soften in the foreign market. "The paddy is sold on the minimum support price (MSP) decided by the government, which pushes rates compared with other competitive countries".
Rise in local production in the importing countries is also the reason behind the falling demand. For instance, demand in Bangladesh has come down because of domestic production, said Setia.
India is world`s top rice exporter, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. Pakistan also exports rice.
"Countries, like Bangladesh, have to pay less shipping charges when they import rice from India. Therefore, high-prices don`t cost them much. But in the far away African countries, the situation is different. They purchase it from where they find it cheaper," Gupta told IANS.
There is a price difference of around $30 per tonne of non-Basmati rice between India and other nations. It meant that the domestic price was $30 per tonne higher, said Gupta

High prices cut non-Basmati rice exports 37%

Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year. 

 Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year. Though Basmati rice exports have also declined 1.5 per cent, but experts don`t suggest price as reason behind it. Arvind Kumar Gupta, Director of the Basmati Export Development Institution that comes under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), told IANS, "Prices of non-Basmati rice are high in the country, which has affected its demand overseas. Exports have declined in the first four months of this financial year (FY20) against the corresponding period of FY19". According to APEDA data, 17,06,891 tonnes of non-Basmati rice were exported in April-July of FY20 against 26,94,827 tonnes in the same period of FY19. The non-Basmati rice exports have declined around 9.88 lakh tonnes or 36.66 per cent. In value terms, it has declined by 36.30 per cent to Rs 48.16 crore over the smape period of FY19. Similarly, Basmati rice exports have declined by 1.42 lakh tonnes to 14.35 lakh tonnes between April and July against the year-ago period. Vijay Setia, Chairman, All India Rice Exporters Association, said due to the high prices of non-Basmati rice its demand had soften in the foreign market. "The paddy is sold on the minimum support price (MSP) decided by the government, which pushes rates compared with other competitive countries". Rise in local production in the importing countries is also the reason behind the falling demand. For instance, demand in Bangladesh has come down because of domestic production, said Setia.
India is world`s top rice exporter, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. Pakistan also exports rice. "Countries, like Bangladesh, have to pay less shipping charges when they import rice from India. Therefore, high-prices don`t cost them much. But in the far away African countries, the situation is different. They purchase it from where they find it cheaper," Gupta told IANS. There is a price difference of around $30 per tonne of non-Basmati rice between India and other nations. It meant that the domestic price was $30 per tonne higher, said Gupta.

Better domestic prices eat into non-Basmati rice exports of India Source :
By : PK Jha Last Updated: Sat, Sep 14, 2019 14:02 hrs
New Delhi: Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year. Though Basmati rice exports have also declined 1.5 per cent, but experts don't suggest price as reason behind it. Arvind Kumar Gupta, Director of the Basmati Export Development Institution that comes under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), shared with this agency, "Prices of non-Basmati rice are high in the country, which has affected its demand overseas. Exports have declined in the first four months of this financial year (FY20) against the corresponding period of FY19". According to APEDA data, 17,06,891 tonnes of non-Basmati rice were exported in April-July of FY20 against 26,94,827 tonnes in the same period of FY19. The non-Basmati rice exports have declined around 9.88 lakh tonnes or 36.66 per cent. In value terms, it has declined by 36.30 per cent to Rs 48.16 crore over the smape period of FY19. Similarly, Basmati rice exports have declined by 1.42 lakh tonnes to 14.35 lakh tonnes between April and July against the year-ago period. Vijay Setia, Chairman, All India Rice Exporters Association, said due to the high prices of non-Basmati rice its demand had soften in the foreign market. "The paddy is sold on the minimum support price (MSP) decided by the government, which pushes rates compared with other competitive countries". Rise in local production in the importing countries is also the reason behind the falling demand. For instance, demand in Bangladesh has come down because of domestic production, said Setia. India is world's top rice exporter, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. Pakistan also exports rice. • Here's how much India earned through Basmati exports last year "Countries, like Bangladesh, have to pay less shipping charges when they import rice from India. Therefore, high-prices don't cost them much. But in the far away African countries, the situation is different. They purchase it from where they find it cheaper," Gupta told this agency. There is a price difference of around $30 per tonne of non-Basmati rice between India and other nations. It meant that the domestic price was $30 per tonne higher, said Gupta. P.K. Jha can be contacted at pramod.j@ians.in

https://www.sify.com/finance/better-domestic-prices-eat-into-non-basmati-rice-exports-of-india-news-agriculture-tjohAxebdafca.html

Truth-tellers are the heroes
·       Cokie Roberts and Steven V. Roberts Commentary
·       Sep 15, 2019
Cokie & Steven Roberts
Sharpie-gate really matters.
Yes, President Trump's erroneous insistence that Alabama would be hit by Hurricane Dorian — and his ham-handed alteration of an official map to support his mistake — has spawned countless hilarious memes. But the larger implications of this incident are far more serious. It starkly symbolizes this president's ferocious war on any facts or findings that contradict his warped view of the world.
He's single-handedly destroying the ability of his own government to make sensible policy because he refuses to accept the work of professionals — scientists and economists, intelligence analysts and agronomists — who remain dedicated to their standards of independent nonpartisanship.
Three former administrators of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made this point about weather forecasting in the Washington Post, but their words apply to all information produced by government researchers.
"Even a hint that a forecast or warning was influenced by politics would undermine the public's trust and the ability to respond quickly and effectively under potentially life-threatening conditions," wrote Jane Lubchenco, D. James Baker and Kathryn D. Sullivan. "If political appointees overrule trained scientists, imposing political concerns on scientific matters, they endanger public safety as well as the credibility and morale of the agency charged with protecting that safety."
When Trump inflates the size of his inaugural crowds, or denies hush-money payments to former girlfriends, he's being outrageous, but not dangerous. But when his delusions undermine government policy, the consequences can be deeply damaging.
When he insists that trade wars are "easy to win," or that tax cuts pay for themselves, the results can be fiscal disaster. When he denies that Russia tried to help him win the last election, he cripples our ability to protect the integrity of future elections.
No issue illustrates Trump's war on facts better than climate change. Maria Caffrey was a climate scientist for the National Park Service who documented the potential danger to coastal parks from future sea level increases. After Trump took office, she writes in The Guardian, senior park service officials "tried repeatedly, often aggressively, to coerce me into deleting references to the human causes of the climate crisis."
After a long battle, Caffrey's report was published, but she was forced out of her job. "Politics has no place in science," she writes. "I am an example of the less discussed methods the administration is using to destroy scientific research. ... The current administration may only last a matter of years, but its actions may potentially impact our planet for centuries."
As an analyst in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Rod Schoonover produced a report "on the national security implications of climate change" for the House Intelligence Committee. But his superiors truncated his live testimony and blocked the submission of his written conclusions.
"The White House trampled not only on the scientific integrity of the assessment but also on the analytic independence of an arm of the intelligence community," Schoonover writes in the Post, after resigning from "the institution I loved."
Lewis Ziska, a plant scientist for the Department of Agriculture, documented "how rice is losing nutrients because of rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," writes Politico. Department officials tried to bury his findings, "which raised serious concerns for the 600 million people who depend on rice for most of their calories."
"You get the sense that things have changed, that this is not a place for you to be exploring things that don't agree with someone's political views," Ziska told Politico. "That's so sad. I can't even begin to tell you how sad that is."
The political leadership at NOAA bent to the president's pressure, contradicting their own analysts and issuing a statement supporting Trump's fallacious claims about the risk to Alabama. But the professionals in the agency are fighting back and defending their integrity.
Craig McLean, NOAA's chief scientist, said the heads of his own agency had acted "inappropriately and incorrectly" when they undermined their staff's forecast that Alabama was not in danger. "My understanding is that this intervention to contradict the forecaster was not based on science, but on external factors including reputation and appearance — or, simply put, political," Mclean wrote.
"I have a responsibility to pursue these truths," he added. "I will."
McLean speaks for a vast army of professionals — judges and journalists, analysts and researchers — who share his determination. The best way to constrain the Lord of the Lies is to pursue the truth, wherever it leads.



Midday Brief, Sunday, September 15, 2019

 September 15, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:54 PM, September 15, 2019

 

Description: https://assetsds.cdnedge.bluemix.net/sites/default/files/styles/very_big_1/public/feature/images/mdb_photo_110.jpg?itok=3q1v43qP
CRUELTY SHE CAN’T TAKE … Grief-stricken 4th grader Shathi Akhter demands justice for the killing of birds at a rice mill near her home in Aponpara of Lalmonirhat. Local millers allegedly poisoned over 100 birds of different species. A magistrate said the offenders may face jail time or fines of up to Tk 1 lakh


DOF credits cheap rice for low inflation

 September 14, 2019, 10:00 PM
By Chino S. Leyco
The Department of Finance (DOF) said the continued downward trend in the growth of consumer prices was reflective of the government’s “decisive efforts” to keep inflation at a manageable level.
Description: dof building 3
One such measure that significantly contributed to the record-low inflation rate was the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) or Republic Act (RA) No. 11203, said the DOF’s Strategy, Economics and Results Group (SERG) in a report.
It said the lifting of quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice imports helped increase the domestic supply of the staple, thereby pulling down retail prices by P7 to P10 per kilo and benefitting most especially poor Filipinos who spend about 20 percent of their total household budget on rice.
SERG issued this statement as the country’s inflation rate decelerated further to 1.7 percent in August, or the lowest rate since October 2016. This brings the year-to-date average inflation to 3 percent, or well within the government’s target range of 2 to 4 percent.
The inflation of rice decelerated at -5.2 percent year-on-year, the lowest ever recorded and the fourth consecutive month of a negative rate.
At the household level, the August inflation rate means an additional spending of just P1.70 for every P100 spent in the same month last year.
Had rice inflation remained flat YOY, the additional spending would have been P2.20 for every P100.
This was further validated in a report by Jose Sosa of the Bulacan Consumer Affairs Council, Inc. during the Malacañang economic press briefing last Sept. 4.
According to the consumer group leader, local-milled rice in Sta. Maria, Bulacan now costs only P25 to P32 per kilo.
This downtrend is expected to help reduce poverty incidence, malnutrition, and hunger in the medium-term as more Filipino families gain access to affordable and high-quality rice, said SERG.
As of 31 August, the government has raised P9.2 billion in Customs duties from 1.5 million metric tons (MT) of rice imported by the private sector under the new tariffication regime as put in place by RA 11203.
The tariff revenues from the rice imports are being utilized to boost our local farmers’ productivity and global competitiveness through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which RA 11203 has set up with an annual allocation of at least P10 billion.
Of the P10-billion RCEF fund, P5 billion will go to rice farm machineries and equipment to be administered by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, and P2 billion to the production of high-yield seed varieties by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
About P2 billion was also released to skills training programs of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and P1 billion to credit facilities via the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
Should tariff collections exceed P10 billion, the excess amount shall also be utilized for similar intervention programs to boost rice farmers’ productivity.
SERG called on the Department of Agriculture to fast-track the provision of rice farm machineries and equipment distribution, high-yielding seed development, expanded credit assistance, and extension services under the RCEF to help our local rice farmers be more competitive.
The government will stay on course towards a more competitive rice sector and a robust economy, which will translate into a comfortable life for all Filipinos as envisioned by President Duterte, SERG said.


Non-basmati rice exports slump 37 pc


Description: PAddy.9.jpg
SME Times News Bureau | 14 Sep, 2019
Rising domestic rice prices have affected exports this year with shipment of the non-Basmati variety falling about 37 per cent or 10 lakh tonnes, over the previous year.


Though Basmati rice exports have also declined 1.5 per cent, but experts don't suggest price as reason behind it.

Arvind Kumar Gupta, Director of the Basmati Export Development Institution that comes under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), told IANS, "Prices of non-Basmati rice are high in the country, which has affected its demand overseas. Exports have declined in the first four months of this financial year (FY20) against the corresponding period of FY19".

According to APEDA data, 17,06,891 tonnes of non-Basmati rice were exported in April-July of FY20 against 26,94,827 tonnes in the same period of FY19. The non-Basmati rice exports have declined around 9.88 lakh tonnes or 36.66 per cent.

In value terms, it has declined by 36.30 per cent to Rs 48.16 crore over the smape period of FY19. Similarly, Basmati rice exports have declined by 1.42 lakh tonnes to 14.35 lakh tonnes between April and July against the year-ago period.

Vijay Setia, Chairman, All India Rice Exporters Association, said due to the high prices of non-Basmati rice its demand had soften in the foreign market. "The paddy is sold on the minimum support price (MSP) decided by the government, which pushes rates compared with other competitive countries".

Rise in local production in the importing countries is also the reason behind the falling demand. For instance, demand in Bangladesh has come down because of domestic production, said Setia.

India is world's top rice exporter, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. Pakistan also exports rice.

"Countries, like Bangladesh, have to pay less shipping charges when they import rice from India. Therefore, high-prices don't cost them much. But in the far away African countries, the situation is different. They purchase it from where they find it cheaper," Gupta told IANS.

There is a price difference of around $30 per tonne of non-Basmati rice between India and other nations. It meant that the domestic price was $30 per tonne higher, said Gupta.

Border closure: Benin, Niger economies under pressure



 

As the anti-smuggling and anti-oil theft borders patrol operation launched recently by the Federal Government of Nigeria, enters its day 26 today, indications are that the economies of Benin and Niger Republics have come under severe pressure even as the Government of Niger Republic has banned the importation of foreign (parboiled) rice into the country in an effort to persuade Nigeria to re-open the borders.
The people of Niger Republic do not eat parboil rice (they eat white rice), but importers based in Benin and Nigeria import parboiled rice to Benin Republic in very large quantities and then re-export same to Niger, Chad and Cameroon (all Nigeria’s next door neighbours) for smuggling into Nigeria where parboiled rice is eaten.
This is coming as the National Security Adviser (NSA) Maj. Gen. Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd) has disclosed that the ongoing border security operation, code-named ‘Exercise ‘Swift Response’, will continue in the four geo-political zones of the country until Nigeria’s neighbours take decisive action to ensure that their countries no longer serve as transit points for smuggling of goods into or out of Nigeria.
Speaking at the inauguration of two armoured anti-smuggling patrol vessels acquired by the Nigerian Customs Service, on Thursday in Lagos, Maj. Gen. Monguno said President Muhammadu Buhari had already conveyed to the leaders of the neighbouring countries that the operation will continue until neighbours ensure smuggling into or out of Nigeria stops
He said: “The bottomline of what Mr. President is saying is that if it is in the interest of neighbouring countries to allow all these dangerous items to transit their territories into Nigeria, so that they can collect transit charges, then it is in Nigeria’s national interest to shut our borders.”
Maj. Gen. Moguno added that the operation has been very successful and did not give any indication that it will end soon.
Sunday Telegraph learnt that as the border hurts the economy of Niger Republic, President of the country, Mahamadou Issoufou had pleaded that the borders be reopened, but Nigeria had told him to first of all stop smuggling of rice and other products across the borders into Nigeria.
To this end, President Issoufou had on September 5, placed a ban on the importation of the foreign (parboil) rice from Benin Republic.
In a circular to all the Customs formations and relevant Government Agencies in Niger a copy of which was made available to PRNigerian; the Nigerien government said that the ban took effect from September 5, 2019.
The DIG in-charge of Customs Service in Niamey, Mr. Oumarou Amadou said revenant agencies of government are to comply strictly or face severe sanctions. 
Recall that when the President of Benin Republic, Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon met with President Buhari at the recent Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) in Yokohama, Japan; he had pleaded that the border operation be brought to an end.
Meanwhile, the Controller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has said at the commissioning of the two anti-smuggling patrol vessels in Lagos that Nigeria’s quest for non-oil revenue is a largely dependent on the Nigerian Customs Service to fight smuggling and bring it to the barest minimum.
According to him, experience has shown that whenever smugglers face stiff enforcement by Customs anti-smuggling operatives on the land, they turn to the waterways to carry out their illegal trade.
He added: “Unfortunately, before now the Service has been weak on the water arising from the lack of seagoing vessels to effectively to checkmate smugglers on the high sea. This situation led to the death of nine Customs Marine officers while confronting deadly petrol smugglers on the sea in 2014.
He explained that the two seagoing vessels are well equipped with necessary firepower and other requirements for long time water patrol is in line with the ongoing repositioning of the Service to effectively deliver its mandate to the nation.
Col. Ali said: “With these vessels, I hope smugglers will no longer take advantage of NCS vulnerability on water to smuggle in contraband. NCS Marine operatives can now sail to intersect them right on the high sea.
“The timing of this commissioning is strategic as it will on the immediate boost the ongoing joint security Ex-Swift Response on the water and henceforth remain symbol of NCS strength on the sea  the NCS as a present unbundling of the Service now has four marine Commands, namely Western marine,  Easter Maritime,  North western marine and North Eastern marine Command. It is therefore the resolve of management that smugglers find no space to operate either on land, air or sea.”


Trade mulls over 'SRP' on imported rice
September 15, 2019 at 12:50 am by Manila Standard
The Department of Trade and Industry is considering a suggested retail price on imported rice, with officials believing retail prices should have gone down with the Rice Tariffication Law in place which allowed the runaway importation of the commodity.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV on Saturday and heard nationwide, said in Filipino they would study implementing SRP if the volume of imported rice had gone up.
During the Department of Agriculture’s price monitoring at the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City certain well-milled varieties were discovered being sold at up to P45 per kilo.
“We were expecting more vendors were hawking the commodity at P34-P37 per kilo,” Lopez said.
The Cabinet official said retail prices of rice had not plunged as expected because several importers were not yet releasing their stocks in the market.
“This must be the reason the prices have remained in that level,” Lopez added.
The DA said Friday it was looking at a list of traders suspected of “manipulating” the release of imported rice in the market.
The farmgate price of palay has plunged to as low as P7 per kilo after rice tariffication was implemented earlier this year, prompting farmers to ask for government intervention.
After the Rice Tariffication Law was passed in February, up to 2.4 million metric tons of imported rice entered the country, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
But not all of the imported volume was released into the market. 
The Rice Tariffication Law removed the quantitative restrictions on rice and imposed a 35 percent tariff on imports from Southeast Asian neighbors.

Country’s future
HIDDEN AGENDA - Mary Ann LL. Reyes (The Philippine Star) - September 15, 2019 - 12:00am
Agriculture is literally going down the drain in this country and if the sector’s problems are not addressed immediately, then farming in the Philippines will just be a thing of the past.
Take a look at these facts: agriculture employs 30 percent of the Philippine workforce but accounts for only seven percent to eight percent of the gross domestic product. The average age of the Filipino farmer is 57 and his average education level is Grade 5 only. And according to studies, assuming an average life span of 70, we might reach a critical shortage of farmers in just 15 years. From 2008 to 2018, the Philippine agriculture workforce went down from 35 percent to 26 percent.
Nobody wants to be associated with agriculture, which is linked to poverty, anymore.
To attain and ensure food security, Agriculture Secretary William Dar is appealing to the youth to engage in agriculture, fisheries, food processing, and other agribusiness ventures to ensure sustainable food security.
To make farming more profitable and increase rice production, the DA and the Villar SIPAG Farm Schools have partnered to teach farmers on farm mechanization and inbred seeds production.
Sen. Cynthia Villar said farmers can avail of free training courses on rice crop production, modern rice farming techniques, inbred seed production, as well as farm mechanization, farm machinery servicing and maintenance.
At least 21 schools all over the country have been identified to train trainors who will in turn teach the farmers.
Under Republic Act 11203 or the rice tariffication law, P1 billion of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be for skills training of farmers and knowledge and technology transfer through farm schools nationwide.
Villar said that at the rate of doing two sessions of two-week training programs in a month, the 21 schools will be able to teach farmers from 54 provinces in two to three months.
Meanwhile, Dar said he aims to double the income of farmers and fishermen in the next five years through industrialization, promotion of exports, infrastructure development, and higher budget and investments, among others.

Still no end in sight

It seems the fight of Panay Electric Co. (PECO) to have a congressional imprimatur to distribute electricity in Iloilo City and two neighboring towns is over, at least in the meantime, but it doesn’t mean that PECO is taking things sitting down.
According to reports, the House of Representatives legislative franchise committee denied PECO’s application for a franchise even before PECO could present documents and data to back up its bid. The committee is chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez.
It will be recalled that the committee threw out PECO’s bid for a new 25-year franchise in the 17th Congress, and instead granted a franchise over the same area to newbie More Electric and Power Corp. 
PECO was hoping that things would change under the 18th Congress but they didn’t. Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel moved to quash PECO’s application, citing the firm’s alleged bad record in supplying power to Iloilo households. This, in spite of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) having recognized PECO as a top performer among the country’s 160 electricity suppliers for decades.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda opposed the PECO bid by citing Republic Act 11212 which granted an electricity distribution franchise to More Power. This law granted More Power the authority to undertake expropriation or eminent domain proceedings to take over PECO’s assets, including poles, wires, cables, transformers, switching equipment, stations and buildings, machinery, and other equipment used to distribute electricity in Iloilo, after payment of just compensation.
PECO, however, filed an action before the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court, which ruled last July that RA’s 11212’s provisions (Sections 10 and 17) giving More Power the power of eminent domain are unconstitutional since PECO’s assets are already being used for a public purpose and there is no necessity of taking, both of which are legal requirements for a valid expropriation.
Mandaluyong RTC Judge Monique Ignacio said that these provisions are void and unconstitutional for infringing on PECO’s rights to due process and equal protection of the law, adding that PECO’s rights to its properties are protected against arbitrary and confiscatory taking.
More Power has filed an expropriation case before the Iloilo RTC and the company maintains that the Mandaluyong RTC decision has no serious effect on the Iloilo case being co-equal courts.
But in last Wednesday’s hearing, PECO counsel Estrella Elamparo told the franchise committee that the proceedings at the Iloilo court have to give way to the Mandaluyong RTC ruling since the Mandaluyong case was filed before More Power sought for expropriation.
It was learned that the Iloilo RTC granted More Power’s application for the issuance of a writ of possession to expropriate distribution assets of PECO. But the RTC Branch 37 Judge Marie Yvette Go who issued the ruling inhibited herself from the case. The expropriation case was raffled again and will now be heard by Judge Daniel Amolar of RTC Branch 35.
Last May, More Power deposited P481.8 million with the Land Bank, equivalent to the assessed value of PECO’s properties subject to expropriation but way below what PECO claims is the fair market value assessment of more than P1 billion.
More Power went to Supreme Court asking it to review the Mandaluyong RTC ruling and for a restraining order but the High Tribunal has not acted on the petition for more than two months now.
PECO insists that the Iloilo court ruling is patently invalid and preempts the Supreme Court decision on the matter while More Power said it expects the enforcement of the writ of possession anytime now.
PECO top executive Marcelo Cacho revealed that they will wait for the SC decision and if it rules in PECOs favor, then it will pursue the renewal of its franchise,” stressed PECO top executive Marcelo Cacho.
While the legislative, judicial, and executive departments are co-equal branches of our government, under a system of checks and balances, a law enacted by Congress and signed by the President can be set aside by the SC if it is found to be unconstitutional. As held by the High Tribunal in one case, the power of the courts to test the validity of executive and legislative acts in light of their conformity with the Constitution is not an assertion of superiority by the courts over the other departments, but merely an expression of the supremacy of the Constitution.



One-time settlement scheme for rice millers soon, says Ashu

Minister inaugurates tennis court in Muktsar
Sep 15, 2019, 7:32 AM; last updated: Sep 15, 2019, 7:32 AM (IST)
Description: One-time settlement scheme for rice millers soon, says Ashu
Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu after inaugurating tennis court in Muktsar on Saturday. Tribune photo
Muktsar, September 14
Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu inaugurated an international-level tennis court at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium on Saturday.
Built by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats under the supervision of the District Olympic Association at a cost of Rs32 lakh, the six-layer synthetic court is the first tennis of its kind in the public sector in the state.
Ashu said the tennis court would prove a boon for players of the district and the academy would prepare international-level players. He further called upon youth to obtain maximum advantage of this facility.
Notably, the announcement of the court was made by the minister during his visit to the district on January 26 this year as the chief guest at the Republic Day function.
Interacting with the mediapersons, Ashu, who holds Food and Civil Supplies portfolio, said the state government was making all arrangements for the procurement of paddy, so that farmers did not face any problem. He further informed that the state government was also coming up with a one-time settlement scheme for rice millers and a milling policy would also be framed soon. — TNS

Ineffective and delusional

Published September 14, 2019, 10:00 PM

Dr. Emil Q. Javier
This is how I describe the well-meaning nevertheless futile efforts to raise the farm gate price of palay by reviving the mandate of the National Food Authority (NFA) to buy palay beyond the requirement to maintain the country’s buffer stock. Forceful words indeed but appropriate to stress the point and bring us to our senses.
The intention is to prop up the price of palay to stem the losses inflicted on rice farmers by the lifting of restrictions on the import of rice under the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).
However, the reality was/is NFA never had enough resources to really influence the market. The rice traders knew this all along and had been gaming the system accordingly at the expense of the rice farmers themselves and the rest of us consumers.
This year’s NFA budget for palay procurement is P7 billion. Since the national output of 20 million tons of palay is worth about P340 billion, this is equivalent to a measly 2% of the market. If we multiply five times NFA’s buying capacity to 10%, we will need P35 billion. Unfortunately, the more palay NFA buys, the more it loses. How much can we really afford?
In addition to not having enough resources to really influence the market, the price support scheme as implemented by NFA has two infirmities: First, since most of the palay are already in the hands of traders, assemblers, and rice millers soon after harvest, most of the price support subsidy accrue to them, rather than the primary producers. Second, the really poor rice farmers are those without irrigation and they are often located distant from NFA’s buying stations and warehouses. Thus, the benefits of price support do not reach those most in need. It is not fair.
Therefore, the more honest and equitable approach to bring immediate partial relief to rice farmers adversely affected by the RTL is by direct payments. This practice is prevalent in USA and Europe, albeit for a different purpose. The problem of these developed economies is surplus grains, milk and butter. They have realized that the most expedient way to address this is to compensate their farmers for not planting at all, culling their herds or based on their historical production records.
Description: Dr. Emil Q. JavierHowever in our case, farmer pay-outs based on production will be problematic and could be prone to exaggeration. More prudent are pay-outs based on physical area as reflected in land titles and/or tax declarations. Moreover, it should be made clear that the farmer pay-outs are not permanent doleouts but temporary measures to help the rice farmers in market transition.NFA’s primary remit should therefore be limited to buying palay from domestic producers with which to maintain our country’s grain buffer stock as provided in the RTL.Nevertheless, NFA could have a life of its own beyond its buffer stocking role. As proposed by former NFA Administrator Romeo David, NFA with its strategically placed facilities and warehouses, increasingly valuable real estate and with a right-sized bureaucracy, can be a profitable logistics service provider not only to the government but also the private sector.
The sooner we disabuse ourselves of the notion that price support is a cost-effective and equitable way of helping our rice farmers, the better.
The permanent long-term equitable and sustainable solution is to provide the rice farmers ready access to timely and affordable credit with which to diversify and raise their productivity, competitiveness and incomes.
*****
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chairman of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
For any feedback, email eqjavier@yahoo.com

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Lundberg Family Farms® Unveils NEW “Ready to Heat” Rice Pouches

-- Richvale, CA, Sept. 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lundberg Family Farms, a national leader in organic rice, rice products and US-grown quinoa, add flavor and variety with their “Ready to Heat” rice line. These handy pre-cooked, rice pouches make a great side dish or entrée base, and provide a quick and convenient way to prepare a meal. Each eight-ounce pouch contains approximately 2 servings. All are organic, non-GMO verified, gluten-free, vegan, and are ready to serve in only 90 seconds!
The first addition is a line of five flavored rice pouches inspired by recipes from around the world. These products are currently available in supermarkets now with an MSRP of $3.69. Flavors include: 
·       Coconut Rice
·       Spanish Style Rice
·       Turmeric Rice
·       Sesame Soy & Ginger Rice
·       Harissa Rice
·       Black Thai Khao Dum Rice
And also new is Black Thai Khai Dum Rice, a black rice variety imported from Thailand that is “Ready to Heat” and ready in 90 seconds. It is Fair Trade certified and contains 47 grams of whole grains per serving. The Black Thai pouch is available in supermarkets now with a MSRP of $2.99.
Lundberg Family Farms is also introducing a new 90 second format of their most popular rice and quinoa varieties. These convenient pre-cooked microwavable pouches do not contain any oils or sodium, and come in four delicious offerings:
·       Organic Long Grain White Rice
·       Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
·       Organic Lundberg Wild Blend® Rice (a blend of brown, red, black, and wild rice)
·       Organic California Basmati & Quinoa (Brown Basmati rice and Tri-color Quinoa blend).
Each 8 ounce pouch contains approximately 2 servings. Three of the varieties are whole grain, providing more than 65 grams of whole grains per serving. These products are available now in supermarkets with an MSRP of $3.49 for the Wildblend®, $3.29 for Basmati & Quinoa, and $2.99 for the Long Grain White or Short Grain Brown rice.
For more information about Lundberg Family Farms and other products, visit www.lundberg.com.
About Lundberg Family Farms
Since 1937, the Lundberg Family has been farming rice and producing rice products at their farms in the Sacramento Valley. Now led by its third generation, Lundberg Family Farms uses organic and eco-positive farming practices to produce wholesome rice and quinoa products while protecting and improving the environment for future generations. For more information, visit Lundberg.com and follow us on FacebookPinterestTwitter and Instagram.  

UP government wants to promote 'Kala Namak' rice cultivation

IANS13.09.19
Description: Kolkata: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a press conference at BJP office, in Kolkata on May 15, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) (Syndicated story. Not edited by The Quint.)
Gorakhpur, Sep 13 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government is preparing to promote the cultivation of a special variety of rice called 'Kala Namak'.
Once known as the 'pride of Purvanchal' , this rare variety of rice known for its rich aroma and exotic taste, has been shunned by farmers because of its low yield and non-profitability.
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises' Principal Secretary Navneet Sehgal recently visited Siddhartha Nagar and interacted with officials and farmers.
He assured farmers that they would be provided good quality seeds for the next sowing season and informed them about the government's decision to promote cultivation of 'Kala Namak' rice.
Sehgal said that this variety of rice contained zinc and iron in ample measure and could be consumed by diabetes patients too.
"If we can create awareness of this rice variety on an international level, the income of farmers can easily be doubled," he said.
The state government plans to consult the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad on ways to preserve the aroma of the 'Kala Namak' rice. Scientists have said that if organic fertilizer is used in rice cultivation, its aroma can be preserved up to three years.
The Principal Secretary said that the government was keen to increase the cultivated area of 'Kala Namak' rice and set up special rice mills for this variety. "Talks are on with the private sector for this," he said.
Incidentally, the Kala Namak rice gets its name from the fact that its husk is black in colour.
Agricultural Scientist Dr S.K. Misra, meanwhile, said that four more varieties of the 'Kala Namak' rice were being researched.
The state government has chosen 11 districts of Purvanchal that will apply for a GI tag and then export the rice.
At present, this variety of rice is being sold online at Rs 299 per kilogram and has customers from Chennai and Hyderabad too.
--IANS
amita/rs/bg
(This story was auto-published from a syndicated feed. No part of the story has been edited by The Quint.)

Wide world of rice in K-W restaurants highlights globally eaten food

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Grain eaten by billions has versatile use in global panorama of dishes

Description: https://i.cbc.ca/1.3317815.1505493269!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/square_140/andrew-coppolino.jpg
Andrew Coppolino · CBC News · Posted: Sep 14, 2019 7:07 AM ET | Last Updated: September 14
Description: https://i.cbc.ca/1.4800810.1535751114!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/sushi.jpg
One of the most popular uses for rice in K-W: sushi. (Jenn Hueting/Oceana) comments
From sushi to paella, rice is a basic food for many people around the world.
While it nourishes billions and can have traditional and ritualistic importance (good luck, for instance), we can simply eat it for its flavour and the unique ingredients for which it forms a foundation.
And you can find examples of all that right here in Waterloo region, whether it's jasmine, basmati or Arborio varieties.
Drop by just about any restaurant and you'll find rice in its Italian, Spanish, Indian and Chinese iterations: Sicilian arancini with a tomato gravy are food-truck staples, and classic dishes such as risotto Milanese with saffron, like that found at Kitchener's Italian-inspired Del Dente.
Restaurants specializing in Chinese dim sum, the little snacks we order with pen and paper, serve a sticky, glutinous rice wrapped in a lotus leaf; the heady, earthy aroma arrives before the dish gets to the table and you dig in to find "treasures" of pork and shrimp.
It's available at Cameron Seafood in Kitchener and Crystal Palace in Uptown Waterloo, among a host of other venues too numerous to name here.

Thai influences

Rice appears in kitchens that specialize in Thai and Laotian cooking, too. MiMo Kitchen in Waterloo serves a delicious Thai fried rice that includes shrimp and cashews.
Choun Kitchen in Hespeler prepares a Thai-influenced rice, according to chef-owner Bobby Chounramany, adding that high heat and flame are essential for the best flavour.
"It's a street-style fried rice," he says. "The oil in the wok has to be super hot so when the vegetables get tossed in it creates a flame for about five seconds, giving it the perfect amount of heat to cook and also char the veg to give it a smoky flavour."
Choun also serves nam kao, a crispy rice salad with pork.
Description: https://i.cbc.ca/1.5209597.1562942642!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/flavours-india-rice.jpg
From Asia to Europe to Africa and both the Americas, rice is used in dishes from all around the world. (Adam Walsh/CBC)
Rice is also served at breakfast in many countries such as China, India, Cambodia and Korea: check out congee, a thin rice-based "porridge" that is eaten in Asian countries. Examples that I have enjoyed are found at Jia Jia Lok on King Street near Wilfrid Laurier University and Crystal Palace.

Filipino rice

At her thrice-weekly pop-up on Hurst Avenue, Rosel DeGuzman, who was born in the Philippines, says she grew up with rice and acknowledges the importance of the foodstuff to the culture. She makes pineapple-fried rice and garlic fried rice as well as coconut sticky rice.
"At home, we ate rice five times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and sometimes for snacks. Coming to Canada was different because here it's bread. I found that I needed rice when I came here," she says.

Heavenly rice

Paul Boehmer, chef and owner of Waterloo's Bhima's Warung, notes the significant role that rice plays in food and culture.
"Rice plays a huge part of most Asian cultures, but in particular in Bali where Sri Dewi, the goddess of rice and fertility, is the most important and revered god. Rice is raised to a heavenly status," Boehmer says. "I prefer sticky rice done perfectly. Nasi kuning, a yellow coconut rice is good."
He says there are different Balinese words for rice seed, rice that's growing, rice that has been harvested but not yet cooked, and rice that has been cooked.
"That took me a while to figure out," he says, adding the restaurant has also prepared nasi ulam, a northern Malay rice with a good amount of shredded herbs and spices added at the last minute.

Central American rice

Central American rices are found in many dishes and often seasoned with annatto, which creates a rich reddish-orange colour in the jasmine rice. Genesis Restaurant and Latinoamerica Unida are Cambridge examples.
At Waterloo's Taco Farm, the kitchen uses basmati rice, not typically Central American, because of the way it cooks for service. They add caramelized garlic, charred-tomato salsa, lime juice and the liquid from the pickled jalapenos that they make.
"The acidity and the subtle touch of heat give this rice a unique flavour," says owner Nick Benninger.

Other rice

At Bogda Restaurant in Waterloo, the menu focuses on Uyghur dishes (those found in the autonomous Xinjiang region in northwest China), including what owner and chef Rahila David calls a pilau — a rice dish simply prepared with carrots, onions and raisins and served with roasted lamb.
Rice bowls and bibimbap like those at Waterloo's Aroma Cafe and Taste of Seoul in Kitchener, respectively, are other classic rice dishes; the former is made with kimchi and gochujang; the latter features the wonderful nurungji crunchy-crisp rice on the bottom.
Hakka cuisine blends Indian and Chinese flavours and techniques; check out Hakka Hut in Cambridge for Manchurian fried rice, which is cooked in a high flame with spicy Szechuan seasoning.
One of my all-time favourites is arroz de mariscos, the Portuguese rice and seafood dish. It's not on the menu at Kitchener's Algarve Restaurant on Stirling Avenue at Courtland, but if you call them and order it they will prepare it for you: it's for two people.
Suffice it to say that in many ways and in many cultures, rice is the great equalizer: nothing in the fridge is off limits, according to Chounramany at Choun.
"Growing up as kids our grandma, grandpa, our mom, dad and aunts and uncles were making rice for us," he says. "It's a quick go-to meal, but it's always different because fried rice is like a casserole. It's whatever is in the fridge that gets tossed in."
Description: https://i.cbc.ca/1.4940933.1544543943!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/original_780/horchata-rice-png.png
Secret to success with any rice: keep it cold before you use it, say chefs. (Julie Van Rosendaal/CBC)

Recipe

Basic fried rice at home
This recipe is flexible and is only a guide: make fried rice using ingredients that you've got on hand. It can have protein, such as leftover chicken or pork, or not. Don't be afraid to experiment: you're not going to break anything! The amounts and measurements in this recipe aren't important, so cook and adjust to your taste.
Ingredients
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • Spices to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ carrot, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup red pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup green pepper, chopped
  • fresh ginger, grated
  • 2-3 cups cooked and cold rice
  • sesame oil
  • soy sauce
  • 1-2 eggs, beaten (depending on how eggy you want it)
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced on the bias
  • sesame seeds
Method
  • Add some vegetable oil to a pan and heat it on medium-high.
  • Toss in the onion and cook just until soft. Add whatever spices you like and toast them a bit.
  • Add the garlic, but be careful it doesn't burn. Throw in the vegetables and cook, then add the ginger.
  • Cook for a few minutes. Add the rice and turn the heat to high. Stir and toss to combine.
  • Add sesame oil and soy to taste.
  • Make a space in the centre of the pan and pour in the beaten egg. Stir egg vigorously, then combine and toss with the other ingredients.
  • At the last minute, add the green onion slices, reserving a few for garnish. To serve, place in a bowl, add green onion garnish and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

India's WPI inflation remains unchanged at 1.08% in August

The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from Primary Articles group and ‘Food Product’ from Manufactured Products group increased from 4.54% in July 2019 to 5.75% in August 2019.
September 16, 2019 11:47 IST | India Infoline News Service
The annual rate of inflation, based on monthly WPI for August 2019, remained unchanged at 1.08 compared to July 2019 and 4.62% during the corresponding month of the previous year. Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 1.25% compared to a build-up rate of 3.27% in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from Primary Articles group and ‘Food Product’ from Manufactured Products group increased from 4.54% in July 2019 to 5.75% in August 2019.

The official Wholesale Price Index for 'All Commodities' (Base: 2011-12=100) for August 2019 rose by 0.2% to 121.4 (provisional) from 121.2 (provisional) for the previous month, as per Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Primary Articles (Weight 22.62%)
The index for this major group rose by 1.3% to 143.9 (provisional) from 142.1 (provisional) for the previous month.

The index for 'Food Articles' group rose by 1.4% to 155.9 (provisional) from 153.7 (provisional) for the previous month due to higher price of betel leaves, condiments & spices and jowar (4% each), ragi, barley, fruits & vegetables and pork (3% each), fish-inland, wheat, arhar, maize and beef and buffalo meat (2% each) and fish-marine, milk, peas/chawali, rajma, paddy and mutton (1% each). However, the price of egg (7%), tea (2%) and poultry chicken and gram (1% each) declined.

Fuel & Power (Weight 13.15%)
The index for this major group rose by 0.1% to 100.7 (provisional) from 100.6 (provisional) for the previous month.

Manufactured Products (Weight 64.23%)
The index for this major group declined by 0.3% to 117.8 (provisional) from 118.1 (provisional) for the previous month.

The index for 'Manufacture of Machinery and Equipment' group declined by 0.4% to 113.1 (provisional) from 113.5 (provisional) for the previous month due to lower price of dumper (12%), rice mill machinery (8%), conveyors - non-roller type and gasket kit (5% each), pressure vessel and tank for fermentation & other food processing (4%), open end spinning machinery (3%), pharmaceutical machinery (2%) and pump sets without motor, air or vacuum pump, hydraulic pump, precision machinery equipment/form tools, threshers and mining, quarrying & metallurgical machinery/parts (1% each). However, the price of packing machine (5%), chillers (4%), roller and ball bearings, separator and manufacture of bearings, gears, gearing and driving elements (2% each) and air gas compressor including compressor for refrigerator, harvesters, injection pump, soil preparation & cultivation machinery (other than tractors), deep freezers, agricultural tractors, motor starter and furnaces & ovens (1% each) moved up.

Buy local rice, DA Region 11 asks consumers

Updated September 16, 2019, 2:46 PM
By Zea Capistrano
DAVAO CITY – In a bid to help local farmers, the Department of Agriculture in Region 11 said they are encouraging consumers to buying and consuming local rice.
Description: Department of Agriculture (DA)
Department of Agriculture (MANILA BULLETIN)
Noel Provido, chief of the Regional Regional Agriculture & Fishery Information Section, of DA-11, said a way to help the local farmers is for consumers to buy their produce. To make it more accessible in the market, Provido said they recently held a meeting with provincial governors in the region to appeal for their support in engaging in rice business.
“Since provinces have their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and the Landbank of the Philippines offers a loan for LGUs to engage in rice business, encouraging the provincial governments to engage in rice business is a way to offer fair price to farmers,” he said in a phone interview.
Provido said that the LGU officials have shown interest in the proposal.
The DA official said the price of palay in the region is currently at P16 to P17 a kilo. The NFA, he added, buys clean and dry palay at P19 per kilo.
He said they aim to cut down the cost of production by 30 percent and increase rice yield from four metric tons per hectare to six metric tons per hectare by providing farmers with machinery and seed subsidy under the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund.
“Our production cost is currently at P12 per kilo, while the rice from other countries like Thailand and Vietnam have lower production cost at P8 per kilo and P6 per kilo, respectively,” he said.
Provido said mechanization will help bring down the cost of rice production.

Distributor seeking to expand use of rice combine harvester
September 16, 2019 | 12:02 am
Description: https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/rice-farmer-091619.jpg
ALL CERTIFIED Equipment Trading Corp. (ACETC), a supplier of farming equipment, said it is targeting more rice-producing provinces to grow the market for its rice combine harvester.
ACETC has been distributing various brands of farming equipment in the past eight years, and is seeking to promote the Massey Ferguson 2168 (MF 2168) Rice Combine Harvester from Massey Ferguson Ltd., based in the US state of Georgia.
“Positively, our goal in the following months is to promote and sell this product nationwide, especially in the major rice producing parts of the country,” ACETC President and Chief Executive Officer Benigno P. Limcumpao said in an email interview.
The MF 2168 was launched in the Philippines in 2017 and sells for P1.5 million per unit. Some 100 units are currently active in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, South Cotabato, Cotabato City, Cotabato Province, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City (SOCCSKSARGEN), and Caraga.
The company claims that the MF 2168 can harvest and bag palay, or unmilled rice, in an hour, compared to 12–24 hours for a crew of 10 employing traditional manual methods. It said the combine has been optimized for Philippine conditions.
Mr. Limcumpao said mechanization largely explains the gap in production costs between the Philippines and Thailand. He said the Thai production cost is equivalent to P8.86 per kilogram, as opposed to P12.72 for the Philippines. The Thai farm mechanization rate is 4 horsepower per hectare against 2.31 for the Philippines.“Evidently the level of mechanization greatly contributes in lowering the production cost,” he said.
He said mechanization also increases yields.“The Philippines averages 16% production losses due to traditional post-harvest operations… Through this machine post-harvest losses due to harvesting will be greatly reduced compared to the conventional or traditional way,” he said.
“Less palay is lost (compared to) manual labor,” he said, because traditional methods expose the grain to heat, dirt and rain,” he said.
The government started this year its bid to improve the farm mechanization through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which has allotted P5 billion for such purpose.
“ACETC has been constantly and actively participating in government public biddings, a move that gives our farmers an opportunity to use quality farming machinery,” Mr. Limcumpao said. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Brunei to achieve national rice sufficiency targets: minister

Xinhua, September 15, 2019
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Efforts to boost Brunei's rice production to achieve its national rice sufficiency targets are gaining momentum with the use of high-yielding rice strains and the doubling of sites for commercial rice cultivation, local media reported on Sunday, quoting Brunei's Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Haji Ali.
According to the Borneo Bulletin, the minister said at a ceremony to mark the second harvest of the "Sembada (188)" high-yielding strain that a local company has successfully doubled the output to about six tonnes of rice per hectare for this harvest season from its maiden season in February since it was first planted last October.
Despite the success in doubling the output, the minister said that they are seeking more higher-yielding paddy varieties through research and collaboration with various parties including higher education institutions locally and abroad to get the best method of paddy farming for Brunei's soil.
He told Xinhua in July this year that the Brunei government is currently collaborating with a China-based institution, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co Ltd, to come up with a hybrid that can produce an even higher yield. Yuan Longping is a world-known award-winning rice scientist dubbed "the father of hybrid rice."
According to the report, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah participated in the first cultivation of "Sembada (188)" last October and officiated its maiden harvest in February this year. Enditem

Genetic code to increase the size of rice grain cracked

Kalyan Ray, DH News Service, New Delhi,
Sep 15 2019, 21:02pm ist
updated: Sep 15 2019, 22:03pm ist
Looking for ways to enhance rice yield, Indian plant biologists have cracked a novel genetic code that could nearly double the length of a rice grain.
As a consequence, the yield per every rice plant would increase, providing the country with yet another option to augment rice productivity.
While India has the world's largest rice acreage with every state cultivating paddy, the overall productivity is low compared to China, Japan, Korea, the USA and Indonesia.
The Indian productivity is little more than 2,000 kg per hectare which is far less compared to others.
Researchers at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Delhi have now identified a rice gene named OsMed15a that has the potential to transform the landscape as it plays a key role to regulate the rice grain size and consequently the yield. A tweak of the gene can make the rice grains bigger.
Globally scientists are yet to fully comprehend the complex biochemical mechanism that lies behind the process to determine the grain size and weight in rice, though important roles played by several genes and proteins are known.
“Our understanding about the molecular mechanism is full of gaps. We don't know how different regulators coordinate to regulate the size and shape of the grain. The genetic and molecular interactions between these regulators are not yet known. In this context, our study is very significant,” NIPGR scientist Jitendra K Thakur, who led the team, told DH.
Thakur and his colleagues at NIPGR have discovered a genetic switch, which can be turned on or off in order to control the grain size. Once turned on, the gene can influence several other molecular behaviours related to grain growth in the rice plant.
“When we suppressed the expression of the gene (OsMed15a), the seeds became smaller and wider. On the other hand, its over-expression makes the rice seeds bigger. Thus expression level of the gene has a profound effect on rice grain size and weight,” he said.
Buoyed by early success in the laboratory, the NIPGR team has tied up with Indian Institute of Agriculture Biotechnology, Ranchi — one of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research units— to create rice plants with the gene turned-on through the standard breeding methods.
"We hope to nearly double the grain size, from about 5 mm to nearly 10 mm," Thakur said.
This, however, may take several months as standard breeding techniques are time consuming. Meanwhile, a part of the NIPGR team's research has been accepted for publication in the journal BBA - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms.