Wednesday, January 22, 2020

21st January,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Introducing the Future Crops Collection

Posted January 20, 2020 by Jamie Males in Call for PapersCollections
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We are excited to be launching our Future Crops Collection, the result of an interdisciplinary call for papers convened by PLOS ONE and our fabulous team of Guest Editors. The theme of the Collection encompasses a broad range of research aimed at the development and delivery of resilient, climate-smart crops and cropping systems for the 21st century. We are pleased that the Collection features research articles that span a considerable diversity of crop species, geographical locations, and fields of research.
All submitted research was evaluated by the Guest Editors, who have selected articles for inclusion in the Collection. At the time of launch, there are twenty-one research articles featured in the Collection- and discussed below- but more papers will be added as they are published over the coming weeks.
Wheat is the focus of three articles featured in the initial Collection release. In South Africa, Mathew and colleagues used a panel of 100 genotypes to perform a genome-wide association study of drought tolerance and biomass allocation (1). They identified a number of markers for further validation and application in breeding programmes. Meanwhile, in Germany, Dadshani and colleagues evaluated salinity tolerance in lines resulting from back-crossing synthetic hexaploid wheat with an elite winter wheat cultivar (2). The back-crossed lines showed enhanced performance relative to the parents on a range of measures, suggesting potential for application in future breeding for salinity tolerance and other
desirable traits. Finally, in Hungary, Balla and colleagues investigated the influence of the timing and duration of heat stress on responses shown by winter wheat cultivars (3). The researchers found substantial heterogeneity in response profiles among cultivars, highlighting the importance of leveraging existing genetic diversity in breeding efforts.

Five studies among the first batch of Collection articles focus on maize. In Brazil, Couto and colleagues looked at whether the F1 or F2 generation represented the better choice for haploid induction, a cornerstone of maize breeding (4). Their results suggest that, for tropical germplasm, the F1 generation showed a superior balance between time saving and genetic variability. Erasmus and colleagues in South Africa introgressed a Bt transgene into an open-pollinated maize variety and quantified the concentration of the defensive Cry1Ab protein accumulated in maize tissues, as well as the survival of maize stalk borer larvae in the transgenic plants (5). They found that introgression of the transgene could produce plant progenies that express Cry1Ab at sufficient concentrations to control pest larvae. In China, Li and colleagues evaluated the utility of fitting large-effect SNPs as fixed effects and including a genotype-by-environment component in modelling genomic selection for developmental traits (6). This approach improved prediction accuracy and could find application in future maize breeding strategies. Cuello and colleagues in France used a multiscale systems approach to examine the genetic basis of maize cell wall degradability (7). Their results shed light on the regulatory mechanisms by which a major locus influences cell wall degradability, and lay the foundations for future engineering of cell wall properties. Finally, Ewing and colleagues in the USA uncovered evidence for a ‘home field advantage’ in maize breeding, whereby genotype-by-environment interactions can be exploited to develop varieties with reliable high productivity in narrow environments (8).
Four articles now available in the Collection investigate rice biology and cultivation. In China, Fang and colleagues analysed the transcriptome of the rice leaf streak pathogen under oxidative stress, finding evidence that key components of the stress response are derived from horizontal gene transfer (9). Working in the USA, Kraus and Stout explored the potential of methyl jasmonate seed treatment for the induction of resistance to rice water weevil (10). They found that the treatment was effective, despite some reductions in plant growth. In Japan, Ogawa and colleagues demonstrated the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles and image analysis to quantify rice plant architecture under field conditions (11). Meanwhile, in Germany, Bierschenk and colleagues screened rice wild relative genotypes for tolerance to iron toxicity (12). They uncovered significant levels of variation in tolerance among genotypes, suggesting potential for the use of interspecific crosses to produce more stress-resilient cultivars.
Two other cereal crops appear in the first batch of Collection articles. Sakamoto and colleagues, working in Japan, compared the effect of shape quantification method selection on the results of genomic prediction and genome wide association studies of seed morphology in sorghum (13). They found that choice of direction and scaling standardisation procedures affected the results of the analyses. Meanwhile, in the USA, Palmer and colleagues compared the transcriptomes of two switchgrass cultivars during leaf development (14). Their results highlight differences between cultivars in the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in environmental signal transduction.
Fruit crops are the focus of three articles highlighted in the Collection. In Canada, Marty and colleagues looked at the impact of competition from weeds on blueberry growth and fruit yield under different nitrogen fertilisation regimes (15). They concluded that inorganic nitrogen fertilisers were most effective at improving yield, but that this effect was mediated by the identity and density of neighbouring weeds. In the USA, Hendrickson and colleagues found evidence for pre-climacteric activation of alternative oxidase transcription in pear fruit during cold-induced ripening (16). Finally, in Spain, Garmendia and colleagues performed a systematic review of studies of role of gibberellic acid in citrus flowering and fruiting, finding strong evidence in support of a number of hypotheses (17).
Many other crop species are also represented in the Future Crops Collection. In the UK, Huang and colleagues found that a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for resistance against fungal blackleg infection in leaves of young oilseed rape plants overlapped with a QTL for quantitative resistance in stems of adult plants (18). Meanwhile, in Bhutan, Katwal and Bazile performed the first trials of quinoa varieties in the Himalayan context (19). They describe the potential for quinoa production in the country’s mountainous environments, and initiatives underway to promote its adoption. In the USA, Sharpe and colleagues investigated the effects of organic and conventional fertilisers on the phytonutrient and transcriptomic profiles of tomato fruit and leaf tissues (20). They found evidence for transcriptional and metabolic adaptation to the different fertiliser regimes, with implications for future breeding strategies.

Finally, one paper featured in the first batch to be highlighted in the Collection focuses on the contribution of crop diversification to agricultural intensification in India during recent decades (21). Smith and colleagues emphasised the importance of considering multiple spatial scales when analysing changes in crop diversity and production through time, with important lessons for modelling future trends.
The breadth of research submitted to our Future Crops call for papers meant that we relied on the time and expertise of many members of PLOS ONE’s editorial board for this project, and we extend our sincere thanks to them for all their invaluable contributions.
If you’re interested in keeping up to date with the latest research in Crops, Food Security and Food Systems, check out our PLOS Channel. Keep an eye out too for an exciting announcement about a new PLOS ONE Collection on plant phenotyping, with a Call for Papers to be launched in the coming weeks!

About the Guest Editors

Gert Kema

Gert Kema has 33 years of experience in plant pathology, host and pathogen genetics and genomics, specializing in foliar diseases of cereals and banana. Since five years major lead of international programs on Fusarium wilt in banana. Published over 100 peer reviewed scientific articles, holder of patents and international speaker. Interests are plant diseases (in the tropics) and their management and food security. He obtained a BSc degree in agronomy and a MSc in plant breeding. He obtained his PhD in 1996 on research into Zymoseptoria tritici, the Septoria tritici blotch fungus of wheat. Currently he also holds a special chair as professor of tropical plant pathology and heads the Department of Phytopathology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. His research focus is currently on banana and the fungal pathogens causing Panama disease (Fusarium spp.) and Black Sigatoka (Pseudocercospora fijiensis). He is a co-founder of three companies related to banana crop and cultivation innovation. Dr Kema is also a Channel Editor for the PLOS Crops, Food Security and Food Systems Channel.

Lee Hickey

Dr Lee Hickey is a Senior Research Fellow and ARC DECRA Fellow at The University of Queensland in Australia who conducts discovery and applied research on major food crops like wheat and barley. This includes the genetic dissection of key traits that limit productivity on farms and the development of novel technologies to assist plant breeders. Dr Hickey has played a pivotal role in developing crop ‘speed breeding’ technology for rapid generation advance, which enables growing up to six generations of major crops per year and dramatically reduces the length of the breeding cycle. Speed breeding is adopted by research institutes and companies around the world and is fast-tracking development of more productive and robust crop varieties for farmers. For his speed breeding innovation, Dr Hickey was awarded the 2017 Queensland Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year. He is passionate about training the next generation of plant breeders and communicating plant science to the broader community.

Sean Mayes

Sean Mayes BA (Hons), PhD, is an Associate Professor in Crop Genetics in the University of Nottingham and Theme Leader/Mentor with Crops For the Future in Malaysia. He joined the University in 2004 and was made an Associate Professor in 2008. During a leave of absence between 2012 and 2015 he was based in Malaysia while helping to establish Crops For the Future as a programme and theme leader. He still runs research groups in both UK and CFF, as well as collaborating with researchers at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and is co-director of the CFF-UNMC-Doctoral Training Partnership. His research interests are focused around the use of marker assisted selection within crop species and he has research in wheat, oil palm and a number of minor or underutilised crops, including bambara groundnut; an African drought tolerant legume. He has developed and applied genetic markers to a wide range of species (including studying population structures within insect populations) and many tropical crop species. In 2016 he took over the chief editor position for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews and has just co-edited a comprehensive book on oil palm breeding, genetics and. To date, he has published over 100 peer reviewed journal articles.

Rob Sharwood

Dr Sharwood completed his PHD at ANU in 2006 in Plant Sciences and then moved to the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University to understand the intricacies of chloroplast gene regulation. In 2010 he returned to the Hawkesbury Institute, UWS to continue an independent photosynthesis research program focusing on C4 grasses, Eucalypts and Cotton. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis at the Research School of Biology, ANU. The overarching theme of his research is to improve plant productivity under future climates. This will be achieved by deciphering chloroplast gene regulatory mechanisms critical for engineering chloroplasts. The second theme of his research is to understand the adaptive evolution of Rubisco catalysis within food and fibre crops to provide the next generation solutions for tailoring CO2 fixation to variable future climate conditions. He also works within the Cotton Industry to translate fundamental research into future cotton crops to improve resource use and mitigate climate extremes. Dr Sharwood is also a Channel Editor for the PLOS Crops, Food Security and Food Systems Channel.

Zerihun Tadele

Dr Tadele is Group Leader at the Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern in Switzerland and Adjunct Associate Professor at Addis Ababa University, Institute of Biotechnology in Ethiopia. He is also a member of CDE (Centre for Development and Environment) at the University of Bern. He received PhD from the University of Basel and habilitation from the University of Bern. He is interested in contributing to global food security through improving productivity of orphan crops from the developing world. His current research focuses on tef (Eragrostis tef), an important indigenous cereal in the Horn of Africa which is annually cultivated on over three million ha of land and is a staple food for over 60 million people in Ethiopia alone. Tef is a versatile crop which performs better than most other cereals under extreme climatic and soil conditions. It is also considered as a life style crop due to its nutritional- and health-related benefits. Using genetic and genomic tools, his group focuses on tackling major yield limiting factors in tef. Dr Tadele’s group closely works with the Ethiopian Agricultural Research System in developing and disseminating improved tef varieties to farmers. Dr Tadele is also a Channel Editor for the PLOS Crops, Food Security and Food Systems Channel.

Sieglinde Snapp

Sieglinde Snapp is a Professor of Soils and Cropping Systems Ecology and Associate Director of the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University. She has been a member of the American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America since 1983, was elected a fellow in 2010, awarded the International Service Award in 2015, and Fulbright Fellowships in 2009 and 2016. She has published two text books, 128 journal articles and dozens of extension bulletins as well as an innovative learning lab website for sustainable land management and food security in Africa.She carries out participatory action research and extension in Malawi and the region, to support co-generation of agronomic knowledge, and disseminate. Her highly collaborative approach to sustainable systems science has brought to the world’s attention the inadvertent negative consequences, tradeoffs and synergies of sole versus diversified cropping, and the urgent need for biologically sound soil and crop management. She co-edited the text book ‘Agricultural Systems’ and is ‘Mother of the Mother and Baby Trial Design’, used in over 30 countries by agricultural scientists to communicate with farmers and extension educators, in support of relevant, adaptive research. Open science to engage stakeholders in agricultural systems design is her current focus, as a key component of contested agronomy approaches to sustainable agriculture.

Olivia Wilkins

Olivia Wilkins leads the Plant Systems Biology research group at McGill University. She received her PhD from the University of Toronto in 2010. From 2011 to 2015, she was an NSERC postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Genomics and Systems Biology at New York University where she collaborated extensively with scientists at the International Rice Research Institute. In 2015, she was a Visiting Scientist at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. In 2013, she was awarded a Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development Award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her lab studies the effect of water and temperature extremes on early development of cereal crops. She is particularly interested in regulatory network prediction and the interplay between episodic stressors and photoperiod. Her research group will be moving to the University of Manitoba in July 2019.

Kate Tully

Dr Kate Tully is the Assistant Professor of Agroecology in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English, Spanish, and Biology from Kenyon College and a master’s and doctorate in Ecology from the University of Virginia. She conducted her postdoctoral research at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where she studied the environmental impacts of the African Green Revolution. Her research assesses the sustainability of food production systems by examining how they affect the interactions between plants, soils, carbon, nutrient, and water cycles.

Sophien Kamoun

Sophien Kamoun grew up in Tunisia where he developed a passion and curiosity about nature. He studied genetics in Paris and Davis, California, before working in Wageningen, Ohio and Norwich, where he is currently a Senior Scientist at The Sainsbury Laboratory and Professor of Biology at The University of East Anglia. He is known for his seminal contributions to our understanding of plant diseases and plant immunity. Professor Kamoun pioneered genomics and molecular biology methods to reveal fundamental insights into the biology and evolution of eukaryotic plant pathogens. He discovered virulence effector families from pathogenic oomycetes and fungi, and showed how they can modulate plant immunity. He demonstrated how antagonistic coevolution with host plants has impacted the architecture of pathogen genomes, accelerated the evolution of effector genes, and drove the emergence of immune receptors networks. His inventive work in plant pathology has resulted in new approaches to mitigate some of the world’s most serious crop diseases. Professor Kamoun has received many awards and recognitions, notably the Kuwait Prize and The Linnean Medal.

References
1.     Mathew I, Shimelis H, Shayanowako AIT, Laing M, Chaplot V (2019) Genome-wide association study of drought tolerance and biomass allocation in wheat. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0225383. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225383
2.     Dadshani S, Sharma RC, Baum M, Ogbonnaya FC, Léon J, Ballvora A (2019) Multi-dimensional evaluation of response to salt stress in wheat. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222659. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222659
3.     Balla K, Karsai I, Bónis P, Kiss T, Berki Z, Horváth Á, et al. (2019) Heat stress responses in a large set of winter wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum) depend on the timing and duration of stress. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222639. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222639
4.     Couto EGdO, Cury MN, Bandeira e Souza M, Granato ÍSC, Vidotti MS, Domingos Garbuglio D, et al. (2019) Effect of F1and F2 generations on genetic variability and working steps of doubled haploid production in maize. PLoS ONE 14(11): e0224631. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224631
5.     Erasmus R, Pieters R, Du Plessis H, Hilbeck A, Trtikova M, Erasmus A, et al. (2019) Introgression of a cry1Abtransgene into open pollinated maize and its effect on Cry protein concentration and target pest survival. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0226476. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226476
6.     Li D, Xu Z, Gu R, Wang P, Lyle D, Xu J, et al. (2019) Enhancing genomic selection by fitting large-effect SNPs as fixed effects and a genotype-by-environment effect using a maize BC1F3:4 PLoS ONE 14(10): e0223898. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223898
7.     Cuello C, Baldy A, Brunaud V, Joets J, Delannoy E, Jacquemot M-P, et al. (2019) A systems biology approach uncovers a gene co-expression network associated with cell wall degradability in maize. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0227011. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227011
8.     Ewing PM, Runck BC, Kono TYJ, Kantar MB (2019) The home field advantage of modern plant breeding. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0227079. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227079
9.     Fang Y, Wang H, Liu X, Xin D, Rao Y, Zhu B (2019) Transcriptome analysis of Xanthomonas oryzaeoryzicola exposed to H2O2 reveals horizontal gene transfer contributes to its oxidative stress response. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0218844. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218844
10.  Kraus EC, Stout MJ (2019) Seed treatment using methyl jasmonate induces resistance to rice water weevil but reduces plant growth in rice. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222800. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222800
11.  Ogawa D, Sakamoto T, Tsunematsu H, Yamamoto T, Kanno N, Nonoue Y, et al. (2019) Surveillance of panicle positions by unmanned aerial vehicle to reveal morphological features of rice. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0224386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224386
12.  Bierschenk B, Tagele MT, Ali B, Ashrafuzzaman Md, Wu L-B, Becker M, et al. (2020) Evaluation of rice wild relatives as a source of traits for adaptation to iron toxicity and enhanced grain quality. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0223086. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223086
13.  Sakamoto L, Kajiya-Kanegae H, Noshita K, Takanashi H, Kobayashi M, Kudo T, et al. (2019) Comparison of shape quantification methods for genomic prediction, and genome-wide association study of sorghum seed morphology. PLoS ONE 14(11): e0224695. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224695
14.  Palmer NA, Chowda-Reddy RV, Muhle AA, Tatineni S, Yuen G, Edmé SJ, et al. (2019) Transcriptome divergence during leaf development in two contrasting switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222080. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222080
15.  Marty C, Lévesque J-A, Bradley RL, Lafond J, Paré MC (2019) Lowbush blueberry fruit yield and growth response to inorganic and organic N-fertilization when competing with two common weed species. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0226619. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226619
16.  Hendrickson C, Hewitt S, Swanson ME, Einhorn T, Dhingra A (2019) Evidence for pre-climacteric activation of AOX transcription during cold-induced conditioning to ripen in European pear (Pyrus communis). PLoS ONE 14(12): e0225886. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225886
17.  Garmendia A, Beltrán R, Zornoza C, García-Breijo FJ, Reig J, Merle H (2019) Gibberellic acid in Citrus flowering and fruiting: A systematic review. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0223147. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223147
18.  Huang Y-J, Paillard S, Kumar V, King GJ, Fitt BDL, Delourme R (2019) Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) resistance to growth of Leptosphaeria maculansin leaves of young plants contributes to quantitative resistance in stems of adult plants. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222540. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222540
19.  Katwal TB, Bazile D (2020) First adaptation of quinoa in the Bhutanese mountain agriculture systems. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0219804. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219804
20.  Sharpe RM, Gustafson L, Hewitt S, Kilian B, Crabb J, Hendrickson C, et al. (2020) Concomitant phytonutrient and transcriptome analysis of mature fruit and leaf tissues of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Oregon Spring) grown using organic and conventional fertilizer. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0227429. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227429
21.  Smith JC, Ghosh A, Hijmans RJ (2019) Agricultural intensification was associated with crop diversification in India (1947-2014). PLoS ONE 14(12): e0225555. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225555
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Jamie Males

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Jamie received an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, where he became especially fascinated by plant ecophysiology, before undertaking a PhD in Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His doctoral research focussed on the evolutionary physiology and ecology of one of the largest families of tropical plants. He has extensive experience of fieldwork in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and Australia, and has participated in a range of science education and outreach initiatives. Through interacting with researchers in the developing world, Jamie developed an interest in science communication and the opportunities of Open Access publishing, leading him to join PLOS ONE in June 2017.

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U of A releases new long-grain Clearfield rice variety

A Horizon Ag seed expansion field shows CLL16, a new high-yielding, long-grain Clearfield(R) rice variety from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station rice breeding program. The new rice will be available to farmers from Horizon Ag in 2021, according to a news release. Special to The Commercial/Horizon Ag
   
FAYETTEVILLE — CLL16, a new high-yield, long-grain Clearfield® rice variety developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will be available to rice growers from Horizon Ag in 2021.
Karen Moldenhauer, professor and rice breeder for the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said CLL16 has excellent rough rice yields, averaging 205 bushels per acre, slightly better than Diamond, which averages 204 bushels per acre.
“Horizon Ag is excited to market CLL16, developed in partnership with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and BASF,” said Tim Tim Walker, Horizon Ag general manager, Ph.D, Horizon Ag general manager.
“This variety promises a step change in yield potential, while offering industry leading blast tolerance and a milled product that continues to bring back the Gold Standard rice the Southern USA has historically produced,” Walker said.
CLL16 is resistant to blast in Arkansas growing conditions, Moldenhauer said. It has demonstrated good milling yields, averaging 63 percent whole kernel and 69 percent total milled rice for samples from Arkansas Rice Performance Trials across the state.
“We recognize that the Clearfield® technology continues to offer significant benefits and ROI potential to rice farmers in the region, particularly when combined with top-performing varieties like CLL16. Horizon Ag is proud to continue to partner with the elite university breeding programs which benefit the industry immensely.”
CLL16 is a very stable cultivated variety with an early maturity date, averaging 86 days to 50 percent heading, similar to CL172 and Wells and about four days earlier than Roy J, Moldenhauer said. The plant is standard height with a 36-inch canopy, similar to Diamond.
“Grain weight and size are similar to Diamond with nice long, plump kernels,” Moldenhauer said. “It has typical southern U.S. long-grain cooking quality.”
“The plants have very strong straw, indicating good lodging resistance,” Moldenhauer said. It is rated moderately susceptible to false smut and susceptible to sheath blight and bacterial panicle blight.
Nitrogen fertilizer requirements were 135 pounds per acre in performance trials, she said.
Clearfield® rice was developed at Louisiana State University from a breeding line of rice with a naturally occurring genetic mutation that was tolerant to the imidazoline family of herbicides, said Bob Scott, Rice Research and Extension Center director.
Scientists at LSU licensed the original Clearfield® lines to American Cyanamid, now BASF, which later shared the breeding material with the Division of Agriculture, Scott said. Horizon Ag is a seed technology company licensed by BASF to market Clearfield® rice varieties.
Breeder seed for CLL16 will be maintained at the Rice Research and Extension Center. It will be distributed to growers by Horizon Ag.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture rice breeding and research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu or follow the agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.
— Fred Miller is a Science Editor at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Australia’s platypus on brink of extinction, scientists say

Description: https://i1.wp.com/sundiatapost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/theplatypusi.jpg?resize=678%2C381&ssl=1Australia’s platypus
Canberra – Australia’s duck-billed platypus could be on the brink of extinction, scientists said in a newly released study on Monday.
The platypus, a beaver-tailed species that is one of very few mammals that lay eggs, is endemic to eastern Australia, Tasmania, and South Australia, but is “practically extinct” in the latter.
According to the study published in the Biological Conservation journal, Australia’s devastating drought is having a critical impact on the declining platypus population as rivers have dried up and left the animals stranded.
The study’s authors pointed to a loss of habitat caused by human activity as well as climate change as reasons for the population drop-off.
“We have already driven [the] platypus to extinction at local levels in many areas and completely destroyed their habitat,’’ Gilad Bino, one of the authors of the study, told dpa.
The study predicted a drop in “expected minimum population” size of 52 per cent to 72 per cent depending on the severity of drought over a period of about 100 years.
According to the estimates, this means the platypus will become extinct in about 40 per cent of the areas where it currently lives.
“Australia has the worst land clearing rate in a developed country as well as the worst mammal extinction rate in the world.
“Australia is not prioritising environment,’’ Bino, a research fellow at the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales, said. (dpa/NAN)
Many projects seen in DUSD science fair
·       By Delano Union School District Community submission

·       Jan 20, 2020

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1 of 3


Kalea Popoy, eighth grader at LaVina Middle School, answers questions for science fair judges Joanna Trigo, Terrace academic coach, and Cesar E. Chavez High School student Elizabeth Renteria on Jan. 16 during the DUSD science fair. Popoy took second place, advancing her to compete at the county level.
·       Maria Ahumada-Garaygordobil / The Record


More than 100 kids participated in the Delano Union School District science fair on Jan. 16.
·       Maria Ahumada-Garaygordobil / The Record


Delano High Student judge Jandre LaFradez goes over his notes as he helps judge the DUSD science fair on Jan. 16.
·       Maria Ahumada-Garaygordobil / The Record
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With projects ranging from if plants like certain types of music, to how earth’s layers filter water, to polar bear blubber, scientists from grades fourth through eighth around the Delano Union School District demonstrated their experimentation skills during the district's annual science fair on Jan. 16 at Almond Tree Middle School.
Selected from each grade level were four students or teams for first place and four each for second place through fourth place. According to district GATE resource teacher Lea Cantu, first and second place finishers advance to the Kern County Regional Science Fair on March 17 at the Mechanic’s Bank Convention Center in Bakersfield.
FOURTH GRADE
First place: “Water Level vs. Growth,” Natalie Jaime, Harvest; “Does Playing Video Games Affect Eye Coordination,” Lakhvir Gansie, Morningside; “Black Pepper,” Salsabeel Alzindani, Harvest; “Electromagnets,” Dylan Flores, Fremont.
Second place: “Electrolytes,” Jocelynn Garcia, Pioneer; “Tetherball Wraps Around Me,” Kareli Amezcua, Fremont; “Which Brand of Antifreeze is Better for the Environment?" Roopjot Kaur, Morningside; “Paper Towel Absorbency,” Heather Herrera, Harvest.
Third place: “How Much Sugar is in Your Food?” Isabel Zatarain, Albany Park; “Temperature and Affect,” Charlotte Vera, Morningside; “Connecting Potatoes with Batteries,” Rafael Kimpo, Harvest; “Nail It,” Samantha Alvarez, Nueva Vista.
Fourth place: “Gumtastic! Which Brand of Gum Lasts Longer?” Ashley Heredia, Princeton; “Walking Water,” Ryan Datta, Harvest; “Cleaning Coins,” Julian Ornelas, Harvest; “Sunflower Girls Batteries,” Lizzania Dueñas, Albany Park.
FIFTH GRADE
First place: "Which Paper Model Will Fly the Farthest?" Ezekiel Basconcillo, Princeton; "Static Electricity," Mohammad Senan, Terrace; "Slope Sliders," Leah Magaña Nava, Terrace; "The Stroop Effect," Alexa Davalos, Terrace.
Second place: "Group Size on Conformity," Alyssa Barragan, Nueva Vista; "Crash!" Eduardo Moreno, Terrace; "Energy Efficient Windows," Brandan Barroga, Harvest; "Does Gray Water Slaughter Plant Development?" Cherise Frost, Pioneer.
Third place: "Candy Snap," Fabiola Avila, Albany Park; "Keeping Up With Weather," Khanh Van, Nueva Vista; "How Earth’s Layers Filter Water," Emma Smith, Del Vista; "Heart Rate Recovery," Camila Fregoso, Terrace.
Fourth place: "Germaphobe … Much?" Mya Garcia, Nueva Vista; "Which Bristle Makes the Bristle Bot Go Faster?" Kendra Sandoval, Princeton; "Does Music Change a Person’s Heart Rate?" Miley Rubio, Morningside; "Let’s Stick Together," Elissa Cortes, Morningside.
SIXTH GRADE
First place: "Lies Hidden in Blood Pressure," Nataly Flores, Evelin Molina, and Stephanie Cota, Terrace; "Which Water Will Make the Plants Grow Most?" Elena Ochoa, Cecil Avenue; "Child Proof or Not?" Jada Lynn Ramos, La Viña; "Does Music Affect Concentration?" Khushwant Kaur and Haley McClintock, La Viña.
Second place: "Memory Game," Alan Fregoso, Terrace; "Music’s Effect on Performance," Omar Rivera, Cecil Avenue; "Rusting Out," Aryana Moreno, Pioneer; "Color Affects Memory," John Cantorna, Pioneer.
Third place: “How Does Age Affect Memory?" Leslie Campos, Terrace; "Polar Bear Blubber," Reo Palmari, Cecil Avenue; "Does Air Pressure Affect the Dynamics of Ball Bouncing?" Dane Fontanilla, Cecil Avenue; "Acid Volcano," Jordan Leyva, Cecil Avenue.
Fourth place: "Water Absorption in Different Flowers," Allyson Martin, Terrace; "Not So Fantastic Plastic," Gabby Mendez, Terrace; "Which Diaper Will you Choose?" Kaiden Bumagat, Cecil Avenue; "Colorful Mind," Yaquelin Ramos, Pioneer.
SEVENTH GRADE
First place: "How to Reduce Noise Pollution in a Box," Leslie Gonzalez, Cecil Avenue; "Color Memory," Violet Mendoza, Pioneer; "Reaction Time, Peppermint vs. No Peppermint," Mya Reyes, Cecil Avenue; "Can Plants Stop Soil Erosion?" Nevaeh Herrera, Cecil Avenue.
Second place: "Batteries’ Temperature Fluctuation," Jonathan Maldonado, Pioneer; "Milk…Into Plastic?" Alpha Salviejo, Cecil Avenue; "Does a Temperature of a Magnet Affect Its Strength?" Julius Salon, Cecil Avenue; "Rechargable vs. Non-Rechargable Batteries," Oscar Juarez, Cecil Avenue.
Third place: "How Sweet It Is?" Emily Rodriguez Lopez, Pioneer; "Music to My Heart," Jasmine Rodriguez, Alyssa Lipayon, and Jerardo Diaz, Pioneer; "White Rice vs. Brown Rice," Jay Harry Guinto, La Viña; "Maintain Teeth Stain," Shivtaj Gill, La Viña.
Fourth place: "Does Density Affect the Rate a Liquid Cools?" Xavier Palomo, Cecil Avenue; "Splitting Water," Natalie Espinoza, Pioneer; "Will the Earth Determine Our Seasons?" Yazmin Sanchez, Pioneer; "Optical Illusions," Sara Murillo, Cecil Avenue.
EIGHTH GRADE
First place: "Smart Home," Cristian Duran, La Viña; "Can Color of Your House Save You Money?" Matthew Joshua Gonzalez, La Viña; "Crack the Code," Noah Khalil Abitago, Pioneer; "Turn it Up! The Science Behind Music and Test Scores," Susana Zaragoza, Cecil Avenue.
Second place: "Worm Phonomones," Kavanpreet Kaur, La Viña; "Calorie Difference Between Baked and Regular Chips," Austin Arias, Cecil Avenue; "How Do Oil Spills Affect Plant Growth?" Kalea Popoy, La Viña; "Catapult vs. Trebuchet," Ian Hernandez, Cecil Avenue.
Third place: "Paper Airplane Launcher," Vicente Gastelum, Salvador Madrigal, and Romel Licardo, Almond Tree; "Which Organic Mix Has the Least Soil Compaction?" Jayla Albano, Cecil Avenue; "What is the Electrolyte Level in Your Drink?" Marc Quiocho, Cecil Avenue; "Eggcellent Solution," Brenda Cabanillas, Almond Tree.
Fourth place: "Plants vs. Salt," Maria Martinez, Almond Tree; "Do Plants Like Certain Types of Music?" Melissa Vaca and Nereida Medel, Pioneer; "Electrolysis Mask," Ray Ramirez, Cecil Avenue; "How Sweet Is It? Glucose in Your Food," Kenia Landa, Cecil Avenue.

Agric Minister’s statement on GMOs unprogressive – Alliance for Science Ghana
Source: Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim
Date: 20-01-2020 Time: 04:01:11:pm
Description: http://photos.myjoyonline.com/photos/news/201711/3525969260527_7427820846127.jpg
Civil Society Group Alliance for Science Ghana has described as unfair and unprogressive comments by Minister for Agriculture that Ghana does not need genetically modified organisms (GMO) technology.
Dr Akoto Owusu Afriyie at government’s Results Forum last week said Ghana will only need GMOs in a hundred years.
“I’m a scientist. I believe in science. GMO is a method of science. But it’s like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Ghana does not need to go GMOs,” he said.  
“The essence of Planting for Food and Jobs is to bring these well-researched varieties created by or own scientists, to bring them to the farmers. And to do that, you need what we call the extension service… So my lady, forget about GMOs. There is no GMO in what we are doing,” the minister said in response to a question.
“It’s only when we have exhausted all the beautiful work done by our own scientists that we may have to fall on it, and that will be another 100 years. Because there is a lot that our scientists have done using traditional breeding methods, not GMO methods… And we don’t need GMOs. And I can assure you, this government is not here for GMOs,” he said.
But Alliance for Science Ghana, a coalition of farmers, students, scientists, and other well-meaning Ghanaians says, “that position is unfair to the millions of farmers across the country who probably need improved technology to help make their work better and there is the need for us all Ghanaians to reflect on this issue further.”
The group says the GMOs being worked on in Ghana are not being done by foreign scientists as the picture is being painted.
“Dr Mumuni Abdulai who is principal investigator in charge of the GMO cowpea (Bt cowpea) project at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute of the CSIR and Dr Maxwell Asante Darko who is in charge of the GMO rice (Nitrogen Efficient, Salt Tolerant, Water Efficient – NEWEST rice) at the Crop Research Institute of CSIR in Fumesua – Kumasi are Ghanaian scientists working on the varieties in Ghana,” the statement said.
Below is the full statement
The debate over whether Ghana needs GMOs has been re-ignited by last week’s comment by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Akoto Owusu Afriyie, that Ghana will only need GMOs in a hundred years. That position is unfair to the millions of farmers across the country who probably need improved technology to help make their work better and there is the need for us all Ghanaians to reflect on this issue further.
For better analysis, let’s recount exactly what the minister said at government’s recent Results Fair in response to a question. He said; “I’m a scientist. I believe in science. GMO is a method of science. But it’s like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Ghana does not need to go GMOs. Our scientists have done a lot of research on creating new varieties of all kinds and situations. You will be amazed if you go to the universities and CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) organisations, most of their products are sitting on the shelves and are not coming out to help farmers.
The essence of Planting for Food and Jobs is to bring these well-researched varieties created by or own scientists, to bring them to the farmers. And to do that, you need what we call the extension service… So my lady, forget about GMOs. There is no GMO in what we are doing. It’s only when we have exhausted all the beautiful work done by our own scientists that we may have to fall on it, and that will be another 100 years. Because there is a lot that our scientists have done using traditional breeding methods, not GMO methods to come up with short gestation varieties, disease resistance varieties, drought-resistant varieties. You will be amazed by the range that we have. And we don’t need GMOs. And I can assure you, this government is not here for GMOs.”
First of all, the GMOs being worked on in Ghana are not being done by foreign scientists as the picture is being painted. Dr Mumuni Abdulai who is principal investigator in charge of the GMO cowpea (Bt cowpea) project at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute of the CSIR and Dr Maxwell Asante Darko who is in charge of the GMO rice (Nitrogen Efficient, Salt Tolerant, Water Efficient – NEWEST rice) at the Crop Research Institute of CSIR in Fumesua – Kumasi are Ghanaian scientists working on the varieties in Ghana.
Secondly, if weather patterns are terrible and rain is falling less and pests continue to devastate your farm to the extent that average yield of maize on Ghanaian farms is 1.7 metric tonnes per hectare whilst their colleagues in South Africa are producing averagely at up to 5 tonnes per hectare, it’s unfair to say using advanced science like GMOs on Ghanaian farms is “using sledgehammer to crack nuts.” Do we want to deal with the problem or we don’t? Do we want to increase productivity or we don’t?
Do we want to deal with the pest attacks or we don’t? Cowpea (beans) producers in the northern part of the country spray their fields with chemicals between 8 to 10 times in the three-month life cycle of their produce every season to control the deadly Maruca pests. Research work done at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute shows if you use the GMO cowpea currently on trials there, the number of spray reduces to two. Do we want to continue polluting the environment with chemicals and poison the cowpea products with chemicals or we do not want to? Those are the critical questions requiring answers.

Thirdly, the argument that Ghana will only need GMOs after all available improved varieties developed through conventional breeding have been commercialized is obviously untenable. It’s like saying no Ghanaians should use the latest iPhone 11 Pro until everyone has used all the other earlier versions. In fact, it’s like saying we will not use mobile phones until everyone in the country has used and become conversant with landlines. That has never been our history as a people.
In the USA, more than 94% of soybean and 93% of corn produced there is GMO. A lot of our imported cornflakes, flour and soya oil, among other products come from there. In fact, in the US, about 70% of all processed foods in grocery shops contain some form of genetically modified ingredient, just as is the case in several other countries like South Africa, Brazil, among others.
In South Africa, approximately 99% of all soya bean and 84% of maize grown is GMO. Nigeria recently approved the growing of GMO cowpea and cotton which will be on the market soon as they work towards being a market leader on the continent in the production of these crops.
In total, 67 of the world’s 195 countries have adopted GM crops. Five industrial nations — led by the United States —grow GM crops, and 43 countries, including 26 in the European Union, formally import biotech crops for food, feed and processing. It’s the fastest adopted crop technology in the world. In 2016 alone, GM crops resulted in reduced carbon emissions equal to taking 16.75 million cars off the roads.
Biotech crops have also helped farmers cut their use of insecticides and herbicides, or apply the products more strategically, reducing the environmental impact associated with their use by 18.4 per cent since 1996. So, who are we deceiving when we say we are not going to grow GMOs in Ghana until 100 years to come? That obviously means we will rather import GMOs into the country than grown them ourselves. That posture sounds very unprogressive.
Recently, the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute of the CSIR announced plans to apply to the National Biosafety Authority for approval by the end of the month to put GMO cowpea on the market. It’s a good time to reflect on what we want for the future of agriculture in our country. But let us allow dialogue to prevail and not jump into conclusions too soon when the debates and conversations haven’t ended.
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Concern over low quality of local rice

Description: Concern over low quality of local rice

When people are given the opportunity to make a choice between foreign and local rice, what usually comes to mind is the local product because of its unique taste and nutritional value. The case seems to be different with the Nigerian local rice. JULIANA AGBO, in this report, examines consumers’ opinion on local rice production.


IN Nigeria, rice has become so prominent that the average meal in a day will predominantly comprise one of rice or a meal whose main or base ingredient is rice.
Rice is no longer a luxury food in Nigeria as it has become a major source of calories for both the rich and the urban poor.
As such, the consumption of rice has since the mid-1970s risen tremendously to about 10 per cent per annum. This figure, according to research, is predominantly due to changing consumer preferences thereby accounting for a large chunk of the Nigerians’ food basket.
Rice importation constituted a major source of the country’s depleting foreign reserve with over N1billion spent daily on imported rice.
Currently, the government is strongly discouraging rice import by promoting local production for import substitution.
Recall that the Federal Government, in April, 2018, said Nigeria will achieve self-sufficiency in rice production by 2020 with sustained implementation of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme launched on November 17, 2015.
Also in August, last year, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the closure of land borders between Nigeria and Benin Republic in long-running effort to boost rice production.
President Buhari also said the partial closure of Nigeria’s border with the Benin Republic, was due to the massive smuggling activities, especially of rice, taking place on that corridor.

Annual production and consumption

In 2019, the President of Rice Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, said Nigeria had hit annual eight million metric tons of rice production, with a target of 18 million metric tons by 2023.
Goronyo said the feat was achieved with the disbursement of N40 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (CBN/APB) to over 12.2 million rice farmers.
However, Nigeria is the 6th highest consumer of rice in the world with over six million metric tons of milled rice consumed annually.

Consumer satisfaction

Despite government’s action on border closure to boost local rice production, there is influx of foreign rice in the market due to consumers’ preference.
Although, Nigerians have come to accept local rice as a better alternative to the imported brands, they are of the view that most of the brands of local rice in the market are yet to meet international standard due to poor processing and packaging.
However, they are also of the view that the price of local rice per bag should not go above N15, 000 so as to have competitive advantage over imported rice.
Research by Journal of Agricultural Extension revealed that the major constraints to rice consumption preference for Nigerian rice were presence of husk, dirt and stones (90.0%), poor quality (85.8%), broken grain (75.0%), low swelling capacity (72.50%) breakages (71.60%), lack of competition advantages (68.33%).
It also noted that the constraints to imported rice consumption were high cost (73.33%) and affordability of the products (62.50%), adding that factors that significantly influence the household consumption preference for imported and Nigerian rice were price, nutritional value, ease of preparation, cleanliness and taste.

Acceptability

It is observed that poor finishing and high cost of local rice per bag which goes for N20, 000 hinders its acceptability.
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor Godwin Emefiele, in October, last year, told rice farmers not to increase the price of the product as a result of the border closure.
Emefiele also reiterated the need to increase rice production, promising that the CBN would support the rice millers to stem off smuggling and grow the rice sector for food self–sufficiency.
The CBN Governor maintained that the closure was done for the benefit and well-being of the people as most of the “imported rice had chemicals for preservation”.
However, a foodstuff seller at Mararaba Market, Nasarawa State, Ifeanyi Onuigbo, said he is still struggling to sell off the bags of rice he bought due to poor processing.
“If we can improve on our locally processed rice, it will be more beneficial to Nigerians than reopening the border because the money will now be within the country,” Onuigbo said.
Another foodstuff seller, Mary Okoh, said rice processed in Nigeria could compete with any variety in the world if Nigerian farmers could process the product better.
“There is no problem with our locally processed rice in terms of taste but the problem lies in the processing and packaging. There is no difference between our local rice and the imported ones, except in the processing of our rice. We still have a long way to go.
An entrepreneur, Moses Omoikhoa, who noted that he preferred the consumption of imported rice to local ones, also blamed the poorly processed rice on inadequate processing technology.
Omoikhoa said government has major role to play in forming strong policies that will favour production of local rice as it is being practised in the advanced world.
“The Nigerian rice industry is currently not doing so badly. It is just that our local rice processors need to improve on their final product. I believe that it is the increase in the demand for locally processed rice, following the border closure that has resulted in the recent poor processing of local rice.
“The price of local rice is also discouraging. If I can get foreign rice for N22, 000 per bag in the market, why won’t I abandon local rice which goes for 20,000 per bag for the imported rice that is not stressful to prepare.
“I get scared of eating local rice because of the presence of stones and dirt in it; this means we still have a long way to go.
“Most Nigerians will still go for the foreign rice if it is available because of the poor processing of our local variety,” said Omoikhoa.

Barriers

A survey carried out by The Nation across major markets and restaurants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and some markets in Nasarawa and Niger states revealed that most Nigerian rice processors lack adequate technology of rice processing to meet international standard.
Matthew Ayaka, a Keffi-based rice miller blamed the low quality production on poor quality and insufficient paddy rice.
Ayaka said equipment constraint and use of outdated milling technology are also major challenges.
“Money is another big issue. Rice farmers in Nigeria have limited access to credit facilities. Those who obtain loans often default on repayments, and are not able to use the money to build their enterprises. Furthermore, rice farming is an expensive business: machinery, seeds, fertilisers and other agro-chemicals cost a great deal of money.
“Nigeria also hasn’t invested enough in training farmers. There’s a lack of knowledge about how to use pesticides and herbicides; how to handle rice once it’s been harvested; and how to market one’s produce. Traders are reluctant to go out and purchase produce from rice farms in the rural areas because the state of the roads is so bad,” Ayaka said.
An off taker, Clement Omonu, told The Nation in Abuja that Nigerians are paying more for local rice, not necessarily because it is scarce but due to the high cost of production.
Omonu, who also blamed government’s interference in agriculture, poor marketing infrastructure, financial constraints and lack of well-trained machine operators on the challenges associated with quality rice production, urged government to invest in Nigerian rice production by providing loans facilities for Nigerian rice farmers and encourage mechanisation.
“The reasons people still go for imported rice is because government at all levels do not practice what they say.
“Government said they don’t want to see foreign rice in the market, but the same people don’t want to give us incentives to produce rice locally. You don’t get equipment, you don’t get loans and you don’t get seeds.

Support for farmers

The government is trying to boost its agriculture sector, especially in rice production as it can be cultivated in all the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The support include government’s grants, loans offered at cheap interest rates to farmers, grants and technology given by non-profit organisations and funding from foreign agencies such as the World Bank.
Despite these supports, some farmers are lamenting that Federal Government’s policy on assistance to enhance rice production is not getting to the grassroots.
On poor processing and packaging, the Chairman, Rice Millers’ Association, Mr. Peter Dama said most Nigerians condemning the rice in the market have refused to change their appetite for local rice.
Mr. Dama said despite some challenges faced by some local rice millers, especially in having access to complete rice equipment to clean up their rice, does not mean that the rice is bad.
“Nigerians are used to foreign rice and they find it difficult to change their appetite for local rice. There are some challenges with some millers, because some of them are the smaller ones that bring in rice into the market without going through the appropriate processing procedure.
“We as an association are trying our best to make sure that our members can have appropriate equipment for rice milling.
“It may also take some time before we can get the appropriate milling we are talking about.
“The government has assisted by asking our members to apply for special intervention funds to purchase equipment so as to mill rice properly. We are all in the process and we are engaging our members who are out of funds for them to be able to purchase their own equipment.
“Also, our millers are still receiving trainings on how to use the modern equipment available for milling because it is computerised. All they need is to be familiar with the equipment and how they operate,” Dama said.

Govt cuts reserve prices of wheat,

WFP India Country Brief, December 2019

REPORT
Published on 31 Dec 2019 View Original
Description: preview
Highlights
WFP released its report on the “Review of Take-Home Rations (THR) distributed under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme”. The study reviewed the various components of the THR from production to nutritional composition, quality control and packaging. It provided guidance on how each component could be further strengthened for improving infant and young child feeding practices.
WFP conducted a study on intra-household food distribution and consumption in two districts of Uttar Pradesh. A state level dissemination workshop of the study with Government, development partners and academics was organized in Lucknow on 27 December. The final report is expected by the end of January 2020. This study was supported by WFP’s Regional Gender Unit.
Operational Updates
Protecting Access to Food
• WFP’s Innovation Accelerator approved funding for the Grain ATM project in India through their Sprint Programme. The project will design, develop and pilot an automated multicommodity dispensing solution. The beneficiaries of the Government’s targeted food safety net programme will have access to the Grain ATM which will ensure full time access to their entitlements.
• WFP has prepared a formal letter of agreement with the Government of Uttarakhand to provide technical support for supply chain optimization of their public distribution system. In support of this work, WFP completed a situation mapping assessment with representatives from WFP’s regional bureau and headquarters.
• The Department of Food and Public Distribution has approved a proposal by WFP to support improvements in the supply chain and warehousing operations of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Central Warehousing Corporation. Funding has been secured through the private sector.
Improved Nutrition
• WFP is continuing to support seamless implementation of rice fortification into the mid-day meals in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Each month, 3,100 mt of fortified rice is now being produced and distributed, while partners are continuing to raise community awareness on key nutrition and health practices through one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions.
• The prototype for an ICT-based intervention under the Government’s mid-day meals scheme is ready. The mobile application will improve food safety and hygiene practices among cook-cum-helpers in schools and will be piloted in selected geographies in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha next month.
• Through its support to the Government in the implementation of the Central Sector Scheme on rice fortification for the public distribution system, WFP is setting up state programme monitoring units in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. WFP completed assessment of 23 participating rice millers in Malkangiri, Odisha.
• WFP established a rice fortification unit in Kannur, Kerala, which will produce fortified rice for distribution through the integrated child development service scheme. The unit is fully automated and has produced 14.6 mt of fortified rice thus far.

https://reliefweb.int/report/india/wfp-india-country-brief-december-2019Wheat Production In Pakistan Decreased By 42 Percent Due To Weeds—Spokesperson Agriculture

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In the wake of recent wheat crisis in Pakistan, a spokesperson from agriculture department said, “Wheat production in Pakistan was affected by the weeds which reduced the overall production of wheat by 42 percent, the country has also faced 41 percent loss in cotton production, 39 percent in rice, 35 percent in sugarcane, 47 percent in Maize, 55 percent in pulses, 45 percent in oil-seed and 89 percent in vegetable crops.
According to the figures provided by the Agriculture Department, it was a huge loss in corps production. The department also advised farmers to take precautionary measures to remove weeds and it a top priority to curb further losses.
The spokesperson said weeds not only affected the production of corps but also damaged the quality of the grains. The figures came out after the full-scale survey which was conducted by the experts of the agriculture department. The government of Pakistan has already made necessary arrangements to fight the wheat crisis, the government’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved the import of 300,000 tonnes expensive wheat in order to overcome the wheat shortage in the country.
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Yasir Zeb

Manager at Research Snipers, RS-NEWS, Digital marketing enthusiast and industry professional in Digital Marketing, Social Media, Business News, and Technology News, with vast experience in the media industry, I have a keen interest in business technology, News breaking.

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Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt optimistic to leave mark at international level

  Last Updated On 21 January,2020 09:11 am
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Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt optimistic to leave mark at international level.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – As the three-match T20I series between Pakistan and Bangladesh begins on Friday in Lahore, Ahsan Ali and Amad Butt are optimistic to leave a mark at the international level.
The two were among three uncapped players named in the 15-player line-up for the three home T20Is, which will be played in Lahore on 24, 25 and 27 January, the PCB reported.
Talking to Test cricketer Shan Masood in an exclusive interview, the pair reflected on how it will look to take inspiration from the performances in the domestic events.
Ahsan impressed in the last edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League in 2018 as he scored 178 runs in eight matches batting at the top of the order for Quetta Gladiators. The 26-year-old scored 131 runs at a strike rate of just under 149 in the National T20 Cup in October, which pressed his case further for selection.
In the same tournament, Amad, who turned out for Balochistan, the eventual finalists, scored 80 runs at a strike-rate of 170 and took 10 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.62. The 24-year-old was part of Pakistan’s squad that won the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh in November.


When Shan asked which performances, in particular, they would take inspiration from, Ahsan said: “Our qualifier against Peshawar Zalmi [in the last season] is a memorable contest for me. I played a crucial role in my side’s win by scoring 46 [his highest score that tournament] over the course of a crucial [111-run] partnership with Shane Watson. I had not played the last two matches so I was under a lot of pressure.”
Amad recalled the semi-final of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup against the archrivals, India. “At one stage in our match against India, we were almost out of the game. Then suddenly our fielding clicked and we got a run-out. I had to defend eight off the last over and their main batsman was at the crease. You know, matches against India are full of pressure as people take a keen interest in them. I am glad that I was able to deliver in it.”
Speaking about his fitness regime ahead of his selection in the national side, Ahsan told Shan, his teammate in the Pakistan Cricket Club and National Bank of Pakistan sides, he had given up on his favourite dish Biryani along with rice, roti and sweet dishes to meet the desired fitness levels.
“There has been a significant change in the past 31 days since I have been at the NCA. I used to eat Biryani a lot, but I have given up on it. I have also stopped eating rice, roti, and sweet dishes as we have to take light diets.”
Recalling the moment when he was informed about his selection for the Pakistan national men’s team, Ahsan said: “No matter how much I emphasis on it, I won’t be able to put my happiness in words. Every player wants to play for Pakistan. I am blessed that I have gotten the opportunity to play alongside those players whom I once used to desire to meet.”
Amad told Shan: “I was in Mardan when I got to know. To know that I am about to achieve my goal of playing for Pakistan was an extraordinary feeling, which cannot be explained. It adds extra responsibility because you want to do something for your country. I am praying to God to help me play a role in my country’s win in the upcoming matches, even if it is by scoring a single.”
The first ball of the first T20I on Friday is scheduled to be delivered at 2pm (PST).

New crisis in Pakistan: People long for chapattis, naan as wheat flour vanishes from market

As people long for chapattis and naans in Pakistan, the authorities seem to have no clues why wheat flour vanished from the market. Blame-game appears to be the only answer at the moment for atta crisis in Pakistan.

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New Delhi
January 21, 2020
UPDATED: January 21, 2020 11:32 IST
Description: Atta crisis in Pakistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar has more than 2,500 naanbais selling naans which residents prefer to buy in this city. But a large number of these shops have closed in the face of deepening wheat flour crisis. (Photo: Twitter)

HIGHLIGHTS

·       Pakistan is facing acute shortage of wheat flour across the country
·       Several shops selling naans in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa closed
·       Reports say people are longing for chapattis and naans
Pakistan is facing a unique and yet unexplained crisis. The wheat flour crisis. Cities after cities in all four provinces of Pakistan - Balochistan, Sind, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - are facing acute shortage of wheat flour. It is the most essential kitchen item.
Reports from Pakistan say that people are longing for chapattis and naans in these provinces with governments deflecting blames on each other for the crisis. They are forced to depend on rice mainly to meet their daily food requirement.
Pakistan's news outlet Dawn reported that the wheat flour crisis had been looming for the past several months but became severe on Sunday after Prime Minister Imran Khan issued orders to the provincial governments to act against rising prices and hoarding by profiteers.
BBC reported that several naanbais (shops selling naan, very popular in Pakistan) have shut their operations due to shortage of wheat flour. Various naanbai associations stepped up campaign against the regional and federal governments.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa appears to be worst affected. Its capital has more than 2,500 naanbais as residents here prefer to buy naans from these shops. Many of these shops are closed now.
In Sind, the provincial government fixed the rate for wheat flour at Rs 43 per kg. But Ary News reported that the price regulation order by the government was a failure as the government failed to enforce the order.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf blamed the provincial governments of Punjab and Sind for the flour crisis. But these regional regimes hit back at the federal government saying the Imran Khan government did not intervene in time.
According to National Food Security (NFS) officials, the wheat flour crisis in Pakistan is likely to ease with the arrival of new wheat crop in Sindh by March 20 and in Punjab by April 15.
President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, issued a statement from London hitting out at the Imran Khan government. He said the government's incompetence had triggered the crisis.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari too slammed the Imran Khan government saying it has turned Pakistan from a wheat exporter into a wheat importer, to the one facing wheat flour crisis. He alleged that Pakistan is facing atta crisis because the Imran Khan government sent out 40,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.

Hamilton Academical Boss Rice Reveals Gambling Addiction

 
Description: Hamilton Academical boss Rice reveals gambling addiction

Hamilton Academical manager Brian Rice opened up over his struggles with a gambling addiction on Monday after reporting himself for a breach of Scottish football's gambling rules

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jan, 2020 ) :Hamilton Academical manager Brian Rice opened up over his struggles with a gambling addiction on Monday after reporting himself for a breach of Scottish football's gambling rules.
Rice, 56, has been served with a notice of complaint from the Scottish Football Association, but has been backed by the club for his bravery in going public with the issue.
"I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned," Rice said in a statement on the Hamilton website.
"I have apologised to those at the club in whom I have sought counsel and I apologise today to the players, fans and colleagues I have let down through my gambling addiction.
"The reason I am speaking out is to remove the stigma attached to this horrible, isolating disease, in the hope that those involved in Scottish football who are similarly in its grasp feel they can seek help and draw strength from my admission.
" The Scottish Premiership and both major cup competitions in Scottish football are sponsored by bookmakers.
Hamilton's CEO Colin McGowan called for amnesty for players and coaches to be able to admit to bets they have placed without fear of facing suspensions and fines and be able to seek help if needed.
"Brian's courage today can be a seminal moment for Scottish football," said McGowan.
"We support our head coach and we feel certain that the community will get fully behind him.
"We also believe Brian's public admission today can be hugely significant in helping the lives of other coaches and players who can relate to his addiction and other addictions."Rice has been in charge of Hamilton for just under a year. The Accies are second bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

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Nigeria border closure: Foreign rice drops as dealers, CBN, Customs react

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The federal government’s border closure, increased surveillance by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Anchors Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have dropped the volume of foreign rice in Nigerian markets.
A report released on Sunday by Economic Confidential puts the figure at 37 percent, down from 70 percent as at March/April 2019.
Foreign rice such as Mama Gold, Royal Stallion, Rice Master, Caprice, Falcon Rice and Basmati have reduced in the market, while Nigerian rice including Umza and Fursa Crown from Kano, Mama Happy from Niger, Labana Rice from Kebbi, Olam Rice from Nasarawa, Abakaliki Rice from Ebonyi, Ofada Rice from Ogun State, Swomen Dama from Plateau, Lake Rice of Lagos/Kebbi States are dominating.
The survey covered Utako Market, Abuja; Terminus Market Jos; Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt; Main Market, Onitsha; Ogbete Market in Enugu, G-Cappa Market, Lagos; Jimeta Main Market, Yola and Singer Market in Kano.
Dealers now buy local rice at about N14,000 per 50kg bag, while they sell to customers between N16,500 and N18,000. Hitherto, they bought smuggled foreign rice at N15,000 and sold to consumers between N22,500 and N25,000 per bag.
Mrs. Angela Okafor, a rice distributor at Ogbete market in Enugu, said: “I stopped selling foreign rice. Customs are now everywhere, that is why I don’t have it again. You can see only Nigerian rice here and I am making a profit.”
Ahmed Sule, a merchant in Singer Market Kano, recalled that “There was demand and profit for us in foreign rice because it is cheaper. But the government are removing foreign rice from the market. I only sell local rice now”
Another merchant, Hajia Rilwanu in Utako Market, Abuja, said: “I used to buy foreign rice to sell, but they have been scarce. So, I rely on Nigerian rice since last year”.
At Jos, Port-Harcourt and Onitsha markets, the rice traders gave similar responses.
CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okoroafor, agreed that the volume of rice importation into Nigeria had drastically declined.
Okorafor noted that since the bank stopped allocation of foreign exchange for the commodity, there has been a massive production of high-quality Nigerian rice in most of the states.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Joseph Attah, stressed: “The partial border closure by the federal government has boosted local capacity in rice production; it is creating job opportunities and generating huge revenue to the national coffer.
“The border closure has also addressed the challenging issue of trans-border crime and criminalities fuelled by non-compliance with ECOWAS Protocol on the transit of goods by neighbouring countries.
“All our warehouses and available places were filled with seized smuggled rice. The federal government recently gave a directive that rice and other relief materials in warehouses should be distributed to orphanages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps”.
The National Chairman of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata expressed optimism that “the level of smuggling foreign rice will soon get to “a zero level”.
“The closure has helped our local processing industry to work at full capacity and the farmers are able to sell all that they produce. This has encouraged more people to join rice farming”.

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Foreign Rice in Nigerian Markets now at 37% – Report

The interventions of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) through the partial border closure against smuggling and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) via the Anchors Borrowers Programme (ABP) on the rice sub-sector of the Nigerian economy, have drastically reduced  foreign rice  prevalence in the Nigerian markets, bringing the figure to 37%, Economic Confidential can report.
Recall that Economic Confidential conducted a 3-week survey on foreign rice imports and smuggling in April last year to the effect that over 70 percent of rice in the Nigerian market were foreign. The report prompted further actions by various agencies of government (Over 70% of Rice in Nigerian Markets are Foreign- Investigations …. Customs, CBN React:https://economicconfidential.com/2019/04/rice-nigerian-markets-foreign/)
In the latest one month survey on the rice market across the six geopolitical zones in the country, the economic intelligence magazine observed that foreign rice such as Mama Gold, Royal Stallion, Rice Master, Caprice, Falcon Rice and Basmati have reduced almost have of the last year figure and thinning out due to the activities of the Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) in  partnership with the task force set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
In the survey and investigations carried out,  Nigerian rice namely: Umza and Fursa Crown from Kano, Mama Happy from Niger, Labana Rice from Kebbi, Olam Rice from Nasarawa, Abakaliki Rice from Ebonyi, Ofada Rice from Ogun State, Swomen Dama from Plateau, Lake Rice of Lagos/Kebbi States among others have dominated the Nigerian Rice markets.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and stakeholders in the rice subsector have reacted to the latest report.
Stakeholders in the rice subsector, namely, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) however gave kudos to the apex bank for the timely intervention and banning of rice since 2015,  and the combined task force, a development that has seen growth in local production of rice and serious savings of foreign exchange.
The stakeholders in separate interviews attributed the current success level on the political will of the Buhari administration to tackle the menace headlong, the cooperation of the stakeholders to give adequate and timely information of smugglers and their activities to the task force team and the encouraging raids on various warehouses by the Nigerian Customs Service which led to serious seizures and reduction of foreign rice to the present level.
As part of efforts to reach different markets across the six geopolitical zones of the country, the investigative team  of Economic Confidential spread its dragnet to Utako Market, Abuja; Terminus Market Jos; Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt;, Main Market, Onitsha; Ogbete Market in Enugu, G-Cappa Market, Lagos,  Jimeta Main Market, Yola and Singer Market Kano.
On-the-spot checks by this intelligence magazine show the dominance of local rice in these markets by merchants who however  admitted that profits coming from foreign rice far out-weigh the local rice, just as the majority of those interviewed believed local rice has more nutritional value.
The dealers buy local rice at about N14,000 per 50kg bag, while they sell it, customers, for between N16,500 to N18, 000. The same merchants hitherto pay about N15,000 for the smuggled foreign rice and sell to consumers between N22,500 and N25,000 per bag.
Speaking on the gradual disappearance of smuggled foreign rice, Mrs. Angela Okafor, a rice distributor at Ogbete market in Enugu said: “My brother, let me tell you that Customs are everywhere ooh. I can’t even tell whether you are one of them. But as you can see, go inside and check, no more foreign rice in my shop. You can see only Nigerian rice here. And I am making profit.”
Ahmed Sule, a merchant in Singer Market Kano said: “There is more market and profit for us in foreign rice, because it’s cheaper, but government and customs have removed foreign rice from the market and only local rice I am trading in now”
Mrs. Okafor earlier interviewed said. ‘tell them to bring the cost of local rice down” she pleaded.
Another rice merchant, Hajia Rilwanu in Utako Market, Abuja, noted that “I try as much as possible to buy foreign rice, but they are scarce and so I rely on Nigeria rice now because customs personnel are everywhere watching. I don’t want wahala. Check inside you can see only local rice in my shop.”
The same goes for Terminus Market Jos, Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt, Main Market, Onitsha.
The rice traders in separate interviews attributed the decline of rice smuggling to the border closure and frequent raids by Customs service in collaboration with sister security agencies.
When contacted for his comments on the level of  foreign rice prevalence  in the Nigerian markets, the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor said stakeholders in the rice value chain are smiling to the banks and if you visit the markets,
Okoroafor noted that the volume of rice importation into the country had drastically declined as the CBN had not allocated any foreign exchange for the importation while there had been a massive production of high-quality Nigeria’s rice in most of the states.
Also speaking in the same vein, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah said the rice farmers, millers and processors and daily smiling to the banks.
“The partial border closure by the federal government has boosted the local capacity in massive Nigeria rice production, creating job opportunities and generating huge revenue to the national coffer.
The border the closure has also addressed the challenging issue of trans-border crime and criminalities fuelled by non-compliance with ECOWAS Protocol on the transit of goods by neighbouring countries.
“All our warehouses and available places are filled up with seized smuggled rice. In fact, the federal government recently gave a directive that rice and other relief materials in the warehouses should be distributed to orphanages and Internally Displaced People Camps to address the plights of the victims as well as to free the warehouses”, he said.
The National Chairman of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata said the percentage of foreign rice smuggled into the country through land borders have reduced drastically and will definitely hit the zero level.
“I can confidently tell you that the level of smuggling foreign rice will soon come down to a zero level”.
“In general, this has helped our local processing industry to work at full capacity and the farmers are able to sell all that they produce, and this has encouraged many more farmers to join rice farming”, he said.

Nigeria border closure: Foreign rice drops as dealers, CBN, Customs react

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The federal government’s border closure, increased surveillance by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Anchors Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have dropped the volume of foreign rice in Nigerian markets.
A report released on Sunday by Economic Confidential puts the figure at 37 percent, down from 70 percent as at March/April 2019.
Foreign rice such as Mama Gold, Royal Stallion, Rice Master, Caprice, Falcon Rice and Basmati have reduced in the market, while Nigerian rice including Umza and Fursa Crown from Kano, Mama Happy from Niger, Labana Rice from Kebbi, Olam Rice from Nasarawa, Abakaliki Rice from Ebonyi, Ofada Rice from Ogun State, Swomen Dama from Plateau, Lake Rice of Lagos/Kebbi States are dominating.
The survey covered Utako Market, Abuja; Terminus Market Jos; Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt; Main Market, Onitsha; Ogbete Market in Enugu, G-Cappa Market, Lagos; Jimeta Main Market, Yola and Singer Market in Kano.
Dealers now buy local rice at about N14,000 per 50kg bag, while they sell to customers between N16,500 and N18,000. Hitherto, they bought smuggled foreign rice at N15,000 and sold to consumers between N22,500 and N25,000 per bag.
Mrs. Angela Okafor, a rice distributor at Ogbete market in Enugu, said: “I stopped selling foreign rice. Customs are now everywhere, that is why I don’t have it again. You can see only Nigerian rice here and I am making a profit.”
Ahmed Sule, a merchant in Singer Market Kano, recalled that “There was demand and profit for us in foreign rice because it is cheaper. But the government are removing foreign rice from the market. I only sell local rice now”
Another merchant, Hajia Rilwanu in Utako Market, Abuja, said: “I used to buy foreign rice to sell, but they have been scarce. So, I rely on Nigerian rice since last year”.
At Jos, Port-Harcourt and Onitsha markets, the rice traders gave similar responses.
CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Isaac Okoroafor, agreed that the volume of rice importation into Nigeria had drastically declined.
Okorafor noted that since the bank stopped allocation of foreign exchange for the commodity, there has been a massive production of high-quality Nigerian rice in most of the states.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Joseph Attah, stressed: “The partial border closure by the federal government has boosted local capacity in rice production; it is creating job opportunities and generating huge revenue to the national coffer.
“The border closure has also addressed the challenging issue of trans-border crime and criminalities fuelled by non-compliance with ECOWAS Protocol on the transit of goods by neighbouring countries.
“All our warehouses and available places were filled with seized smuggled rice. The federal government recently gave a directive that rice and other relief materials in warehouses should be distributed to orphanages and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps”.
The National Chairman of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata expressed optimism that “the level of smuggling foreign rice will soon get to “a zero level”.
“The closure has helped our local processing industry to work at full capacity and the farmers are able to sell all that they produce. This has encouraged more people to join rice farming”.

Rice exports grew 26.30% as 2.02 million tons in firs half of FY 2019-20
 ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):Rice exports from the country during first half of current financial year grew by 26.30% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year. During the period from July-December 2019-20, rice over 2.020 million metric tons worth $1.033 billion exported as compared to the exports of 1.587 million tons valuing $817.923 million of same period of last year. According the latest trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports of Basmati rice witnessed overwhelming growth of 55.89% as about 415,083 metric tons of above mentioned commodity worth $380.623 million exported as compared to the exports of 241,491 metric tons valuing $244.169 million of same period of last year. Meanwhile, exports of rice other then Basmati also grew by 13.71% during the period under review as 1,605,613 metric tons of rice worth $652.428 million exported as against 1,345,961 metric tons valuing $573.754 million of same period of last year. However, on month on month basis, rice exports decreased by 8.19% in December, 2019 as 403,923 metric tons of rice valuing $197.185 million against exports of 431,744 metric tons of same month of last year. It is worth mentioning here that in first six months of current financial year, food group exports from the country witnessed 10.96% growth as food commodities worth $2.199 billion exported as compared to the exports of $1.994 billion of same period of last year. On the other hand, food imports during the period under review decreased by 13.48% as it came down from $2.966 billion in July-December, 2018-19 to $2.556 billion in same month of current financial year. The other food commodities that witnessed positive growth in their respective exports included fish and fish products by 22.56%, vegetables 40.44% and meat and meat products 51.89%. The import of the food commodities that had witnessed negative growth included milk, cream and milk for infants 26.69%, wheat 0%, dry fruits nuts 9.96% tea imports reduced by 24.12%, the data revealed.
Date: 20-Jan-2020
Foreign Rice in Nigerian Markets now at 37% -Report By Economic Confidential -January 19, 2020 Rice Smuggling Foreign Rice in Nigerian Markets now at 37% -Report The interventions of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) through the partial border closure against smuggling and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) via the AnchorsBorrowers Programme (ABP) on the rice sub-sector of the Nigerian economy, have drastically reduced foreign rice prevalence in the Nigerian markets, bringing the figure to 37%, Economic Confidential can report. Recall that Economic Confidential conducted a 3-week survey on foreign rice imports and smuggling in April last year to the effect that over 70 percent of rice in the Nigerian market were foreign. The report prompted further actions by various agencies of government (Over 70% of Rice in Nigerian Markets are Foreign- Investigations …. Customs, CBN React: https://economicconfidential.com/2019/04/rice-nigerian-markets-foreign/) In the latest one month survey on the rice market across the six geopolitical zones in the country, the economic intelligence magazine observed that foreign rice such as Mama Gold, Royal Stallion, Rice Master, Caprice, Falcon Rice and Basmati have reduced almost have of the last year figure and thinning out due to the activities of the Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) in partnership with the task force set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). In the survey and investigations carried out, Nigerian rice namely: Umza and Fursa Crown from Kano, Mama Happy from Niger, Labana Rice from Kebbi, Olam Rice from Nasarawa, Abakaliki Rice from Ebonyi, Ofada Rice from Ogun State, Swomen Dama from Plateau, Lake Rice of Lagos/Kebbi States among others have dominated the Nigerian Rice markets. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and stakeholders in the rice subsector have reacted to the latest report. Stakeholders in the rice subsector, namely, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) however gave kudos to the apex bank for the timely intervention and banning of rice since 2015, and the combined task force, a development that has seen growth in local production of rice and serious savings of foreign exchange. The stakeholders in separate interviews attributed the current success level on the political will of the Buhari administration to tackle the menace headlong, the cooperation of the stakeholders to give adequate and timely information of smugglers and their activities to the task force team and the encouraging raids on various warehouses by the Nigerian Customs Service which led to serious seizures and reduction of foreign rice to the present level. As part of efforts to reach different markets across the six geopolitical zones of the country, the investigative team of Economic Confidential spread its dragnet to Utako Market, Abuja; Terminus Market Jos; Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt;, Main Market, Onitsha; Ogbete Market in Enugu, G-Cappa Market, Lagos, Jimeta Main Market, Yola and Singer Market Kano. On-the-spot checks by this intelligence magazine show the dominance of local rice in these markets by merchants who however admitted that profits coming from foreign rice far out-weigh the local rice, just as the majority of those interviewed believed local rice has more nutritional value. The dealers buy local rice at about N14,000 per 50kg bag, while they sell it, customers, for between N16,500 to N18, 000. The same merchants hitherto pay about N15,000 for the smuggled foreign rice and sell to consumers between N22,500 and N25,000 per bag. Speaking on the gradual disappearance of smuggled foreign rice, Mrs. Angela Okafor, a rice distributor at Ogbete market in Enugu said: “My brother, let me tell you that Customs are everywhere ooh. I can’t even tell whether you are one of them. But as you can see, go inside and check, no more foreign rice in my shop. You can see only Nigerian rice here. And I am making profit.” Ahmed Sule, a merchant in Singer Market Kano said: “There is more market and profit for us in foreign rice, because it’s cheaper, but government and customs have removed foreign rice from the market and only local rice I am trading in now” Mrs. Okafor earlier interviewed said. ‘tell them to bring the cost of local rice down” she pleaded. Another rice merchant, Hajia Rilwanu in Utako Market, Abuja, noted that “I try as much as possible to buy foreign rice, but they are scarce and so I rely on Nigeria rice now because customs personnel are everywhere watching. I don’t want wahala. Check inside you can see only local rice in my shop.” The same goes for Terminus Market Jos, Mile 3 Market Port-Harcourt, Main Market, Onitsha. The rice traders in separate interviews attributed the decline of rice smuggling to the border closure and frequent raids by Customs service in collaboration with sister security agencies. When contacted for his comments on the level of foreign rice prevalence in the Nigerian markets, the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor said stakeholders in the rice value chain are smiling to the banks and if you visit the markets, Okoroafor noted that the volume of rice importation into the country had drastically declined as the CBN had not allocated any foreign exchange for the importation while there had been a massive production of high-quality Nigeria’s rice in most of the states. Also speaking in the same vein, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah said the rice farmers, millers and processors and daily smiling to the banks. “The partial border closure by the federal government has boosted the local capacity in massive Nigeria rice production, creating job opportunities and generating huge revenue to the national coffer. The border the closure has also addressed the challenging issue of trans-border crime and criminalities fuelled by non-compliance with ECOWAS Protocol on the transit of goods by neighbouring countries. “All our warehouses and available places are filled up with seized smuggled rice. In fact, the federal government recently gave a directive that rice and other relief materials in the warehouses should be distributed to orphanages and Internally Displaced People Camps to address the plights of the victims as well as to free the warehouses”, he said. The National Chairman of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata said the percentage of foreign rice smuggled into the country through land borders have reduced drastically and will definitely hit the zero level. “I can confidently tell you that the level of smuggling foreign rice will soon come down to a zero level”. “In general, this has helped our local processing industry to work at full capacity and the farmers are able to sell all that they produce, and this has encouraged many more farmers to join rice farming”, he said. Read more at: https://economicconfidential.com/2020/01/foreign-rice-nigerian-markets-2020/
Arkansas rice production will be higher in 2020
·       Jan 20, 2020

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Rice is Arkansas' leading agricultural crop.
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While 2019 was doom and gloom for rice producers, 2020 may be the year of the rebound for Arkansas’ largest agricultural export, with total rice acreage expected to increase 25 percent to nearly 1.5 million acres.
“We’re expecting a sharp increase in total rice acres driven by long-grain rice, with a modest reduction in medium-grain acreage,” said Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Total rice acreage is projected to increase by 290,400 acres from about 1.2 million acres planted last year to about 1.4 million acres this year. Acreage for long-grain cultivars is expected to increase 32 percent from 950,000 acres last year to about 1.3 million acres this year. Medium-grain acreage is expected to decline 8 percent from 205,000 acres in 2019 to 188,600 acres this year, Stiles said.
Rain — and lots of it — plagued rice producers in 2019. Overall, 511,819 acres of rice were not planted due to flooding, putting Arkansas’ share of 2019 U.S. rice production at 45 percent, down from 48 percent in 2018.
“Instead of a 35-year high, we now have long-grain ending stocks that are at their lowest in 16 years,” Stiles said.
Despite a record year for prevent planting, yields remained good.
Planting between March 21 and April 3 typically produces the best yields, Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said, but those dates came and went last year, leaving rice producers with their slowest planting in 25 years.
“Our true summer happened in late August,” he said. “The majority of what affects milling issues depends on what happens after heading. Usually the later the plant, the better the head rice yields. In 2018, we saw the opposite, but this year we had some phenomenal millage yields.”
Currently, rice is grown in 40 of the state's 75 counties, primarily in the eastern half of Arkansas. Counties in northeastern Arkansas account for the majority of production, with Poinsett, Jackson and Lawrence counties leading production.
Gemini 214 CL, Diamond and Jupiter will continue to be the most popular rice cultivars in 2020.
Low production last year helped avert a long-grain rice price collapse — and may have been the silver lining in the cloud. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast long-grain ending stocks to reach the highest level since the mid-1980s. At that time rice futures prices were trading near $10 per cwt. By September, futures prices had climbed to $12 per cwt.
Futures contracts are starting 2020 well above $12 per cwt, with March 2020 rice futures currently trading at $13.22 per cwt, Stiles said.
Regarding 2020 inputs, seed costs for rice have remained mostly unchanged over the past year, and fertilizer prices are below early 2019 levels.
“The fact we haven’t seen sharp increases in the largest drivers of input costs works in favor of rice acreage this year,” Stiles said. “Recent political events in Iraq and Iran moved the energy markets significantly higher. How this will impact fuel costs is something we’re watching closely.”
So what — besides weather — could be a potential game changer for rice in 2020?
If the “Phase 1” trade agreement with China includes significant agriculture commodity purchases, particularly in the first quarter of this year ahead of planting, that could move competing crops like corn and soybean prices to more attractive levels, Stiles said.
Also, if dry conditions in parts of Argentina and Brazil persist and production estimates start to decline, corn and soybean prices would get a lift from that as well.
Soybean prices, however, will have to increase a lot to steal rice acres. The $10 price level for soybeans would begin to get grower’s attention. November 2020 soybean futures have rallied over 50 cents in the past month and currently trade near $9.70 per bushel.


Rice imports rise almost 60% in 2019


1 day ago






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RICE IMPORTS in 2019 rose nearly 60% to 2.245 million metric tons (MT), according to initial estimates by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), whose estimate is based on imports authorized under its regime of sanitary permits.
Imports in January and February — prior to the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law — totaled 418,724.44 MT.
Over the rest of the year, under the new rice tariffication rules which liberalized imports, import volumes totaled 1.826 million MT, according to the bureau’s initial data. It is awaiting further reports from regional offices which could bring the total higher.
Imports were from Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan, China, India, Spain and Italy. Some 1.813 million MT was shipped in from Vietnam.
In 2018 rice imports totaled 1.404 million MT.
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) issued in 2019 numbered 4,513 of which 4,069 were issued after the law took effect, against 1,705 in 2018.
The Rice Tariffication Law came into force in March, removing restrictions on rice imports as long as they paid a 35% tariff on Southeast Asian grain.
Asked for his import projection this year, Rolando T. Dy, executive director of Center for Food and Agribusiness of the University of Asia and the Pacific, said, “this will depend on the interaction between running inventory level and production, while monthly demand is almost the same over the year, February to April is low peak harvest and October to December is high peak,” indicating that imports may come in between June and September. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
The Rice Tariffication Law came into force in March, removing restrictions on rice imports as long as they paid a 35% tariff on Southeast Asian grain. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

ROK to import over 55,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice

Monday, 2020-01-20 10:52:59
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Vietnam’s ST25 rice honoured as best in the world at the Rice Trader World Rice Conference 2019. The country has been granted a quota of 55,112 tonnes of rice for export to the ROK. (Photo: VNA)
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NDO – The Republic of Korea (ROK) has opened its market to Vietnamese rice, granting a quota of 55,112 tonnes of rice from Vietnam only.
Information from the Agency for Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade revealed that in addition to a quota of 20,000 tonnes of rice to all the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the ROK has given a quota of 55,112 tonnes for all types of rice grown by Vietnam.
The East Asian country has made sure to apply a quota allocation mechanism in accordance with WTO regulations that would not cause import restriction effects.
As it is an opportunity for Vietnamese rice to access the Korean market, the Agency for Foreign Trade has sent an official dispatch to the local Industry and Trade departments and the Vietnam Food Association, asking them to promptly inform Vietnamese rice exporters of the news.
Rice traders can seek more information about the Korean market, quota and rice bidding on the website of the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at http://www.mafra.go.kr/english.
They have been advised to contact the Agency for Foreign Trade via email at xnk-ns@moit.gov.vn for further help.

Rice and broken rice export earnings exceed $ 270 m in three months
Description: Rice bags at Bayintnaung wholesale center in Yangon. (Photo-Zeyar Nyein)
Rice bags at Bayintnaung wholesale center in Yangon. (Photo-Zeyar Nyein)
PUBLISHED 19 JANUARY 2020

Till 3 January of 2019-20 fiscal year, Myanmar earned 270.230 million US dollars from exports of 941,835.493 tons of rice and broken rice, according to Myanmar Rice Federation.
During this period, the rice export earnings amounted to over 190 million US dollars generated from exports of over 648,000 tons to 55 countries and the broken rice export earnings, to over 76 million US dollars from exports of over 293,000 tons to 46 countries.
Myanmar earned over 34 million US dollars from exports of over 130,000 tons of rice and broken rice via border trade, accounting for around 15 per cent of the total rice exports.
Myanmar fetched over 220 million US dollars from exports of over 760,000 tons of rice and broken rice via sea route. It makes up 85 per cent of the total rice exports.
In 2018-19 FY, Myanmar generated 709.693 million US dollars from exports of 2.355 million tons of rice and broken rice, according to the MRF.
In 2017-18 FY, Myanmar’s rice and broken rice exports reached nearly 3.6 million tons, hitting a record high in 50 years.
The MRF took measures to help farmers in solving their difficulties as they faced dropping rice prices in the summer paddy harvest season and other difficulties.
The government has reserved a fund of Ks 15 billion to purchase paddy when the paddy price is below the basic paddy price.

Rice exports grew 26.30% as 2.02 million tons in firs half of FY 2019-20

118

Description: https://www.app.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/rice-export.jpg
ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):Rice exports from the country during first half of current financial year grew by 26.30% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
During the period from July-December 2019-20, rice over 2.020 million metric tons worth $1.033 billion exported as compared to the exports of 1.587 million tons valuing $817.923 million of same period of last year.
According the latest trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports of Basmati rice witnessed overwhelming growth of 55.89% as about 415,083 metric tons of above mentioned commodity worth $380.623 million exported as compared to the exports of 241,491 metric tons valuing $244.169 million of same period of last year.
Meanwhile, exports of rice other then Basmati also grew by 13.71% during the period under review as 1,605,613 metric tons of rice worth $652.428 million exported as against 1,345,961 metric tons valuing $573.754 million of same period of last year.
However, on month on month basis, rice exports decreased by 8.19% in December, 2019 as 403,923 metric tons of rice valuing $197.185 million against exports of 431,744 metric tons of same month of last year.
It is worth mentioning here that in first six months of current financial year, food group exports from the country witnessed 10.96% growth as food commodities worth $2.199 billion exported as compared to the exports of $1.994 billion of same period of last year.
On the other hand, food imports during the period under review decreased by 13.48% as it came down from $2.966 billion in July-December, 2018-19 to $2.556 billion in same month of current financial year.
The other food commodities that witnessed positive growth in their respective exports included fish and fish products by 22.56%, vegetables 40.44% and meat and meat products 51.89%.
The import of the food commodities that had witnessed negative growth included milk, cream and milk for infants 26.69%, wheat 0%, dry fruits nuts 9.96% tea imports reduced by 24.12%, the data revealed.

Basmati paddy prices recover on ease in US-Iran tensions

The price of basmati increased to Rs 3,229 per quintal on Friday from Rs 3,157 in the earlier week.

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, ET Bureau|
Jan 20, 2020, 09.17 AM IST
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The partial recovery is supported by an increase in international price and lower rice production forecast by United States Department of Agriculture in its last report, say analysts.
Chandigarh: The spot price of basmati paddy recovered by more than 2 per cent last week after tumbling over concern that escalation of tension between Iran and the US would hit exports of the premium variety rice to the western Asian nation, India’s largest buyer.

The price of basmati increased to Rs 3,229 per quintal on Friday from Rs 3,157 in the earlier week, as per data from the Indian Commodity Exchange (
ICEX) spot price index. Prices had mellowed since the last week of October when they stood over Rs 3,400 per quintal.

The partial recovery is supported by an increase in international price and lower rice production forecast by
United States Department of Agriculture in its last report, say analysts.

In the second week of January, The price of the aromatic rice had fallen 6-8 per cent in sport markets on stock build-up after exporters started holding back shipments to Iran fearing escalating US-Iran tensions would further delay payments.

The spot market prices of par boiled basmati, widely exported to Gulf nations, had fallen to Rs 51 per kg from Rs 54-55 after exports were halted in response to escalation of tension. “Prices have come down as Indian exporters are jittery over exporting to Iran due to prevailing uncertainty over payments,” Vijay Sethia, former president of All India Rice Exporters’ Association (
AIREA), told ET. “The price has come down as exports to the largest buyer of Indian basmati have come to a halt.”

Ajay Kedia, director Kedia Advisory, said prices also got support as India had witnessed abnormal rainfall during Kharif season 2019-20 and, consequently, rice production was expected at 90 million tonnes, 12 per cent down from last year’s production estimate of 102 million tonnes. Besides this, flooding due to consistent rains during November 2019 had affected the Kharif cropped areas, including paddy, in 15 states, including the major rice-producing states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, he said.

“Also, prices should get support this season from higher procurement by the government--seen with increased MSP of paddy, which is at Rs 1,815 as against Rs 1,750 per quintal,” Kedia said.

Kedia said international market prices were quoted near to $425-$428, an increase from $395-$420 the week before, after the USDA in its last report had estimated the global availability of rice to be 67.10 million tonnes in the 2019-20 marketing season, which has increased by 600,000 tonnes from the December report.

“Basmati prices are likely to remain range-bound at Rs 3,350-3,380 per quintal till the global scenario brightens. It could go 20 points up or down, but not much price movement is expected by next month,” said a Karnal-based analyst.

The price had crashed to Rs 3,157 per quintal on Friday last week following an advisory by the AIREA to restrict shipment to Iran till the situation in the region eases.

Prices of rice, edible oil increase
·       Published at 09:38 pm January 18th, 2020
Description: Edible-Oil_Mahmud-Hossain-Opu
Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Vegetable prices decrease amid adequate supply
Prices of rice and edible oil increased in Dhaka's kitchen markets in the past week, while prices of some vegetables decreased. 
Traders from Rampura, Malibgh and Shukrabad in the city’s kitchen market said the prices of fine varieties of Miniket rice went up by Tk2-4 per kilogram due to lack of supply in the market. 
Fine Miniket rice was retailing at Tk55-60 per kg, while its coarse variety retailed at Tk50-52 per kg.
Retail price of non-packed soybean oil also went up by Tk2 per litre as refiners increased the wholesale price of the edible oil.
Non-packed soybean oil retailed at Tk90-96 a litre on Saturday.
Rahmat Ullah, a retailer at Malibagh kitchen market, said a one-litre bottle of soybean oil retailed at Tk110 which was Tk100-105 previously.
A five-litre container retailed at Tk515-520, which was Tk500-510 earlier.
Vegetable prices slightly decrease
As the supply of vegetables increased during winter season, prices of most vegetables decreased by Tk5 to Tk10 per kg.
Cauliflowers retailed at Tk30 apiece, cabbage Tk35 apiece, radish Tk25 per kg, beans Tk40-50 a kg, tomato Tk50 a kg, green chilli Tk60-80 a kg, aubergine Tk60 a kg, cucumber Tk50 a kg, carrot Tk40 a kg, newly-harvested potato Tk30 a kg and lemon at Tk20 for four pieces.
Sukkor Ali, a retailer at Rampura kitchen market, said only the prices of bitter gourd sold at Tk60-70 per kg, a little higher than other vegetables.
The local variety of onion retailed at Tk110-120 a kg, while onion imported from China and Egypt sold for Tk60-70 a kg and ones from Pakistan at Tk100 per kg. 
Prices of fish remained unchanged in the city markets. 
Rohita sold for Tk250-350 a kg and Katla for Tk250-350 a kg depending on their size and quality. Pangas was selling for Tk140-180 a kg and Tilapia for Tk120-160 a kg.
Shamima Siddiki from Malibagh, said prices of most vegetables were reasonable now compared to the last few weeks. 
"But I think the price of all food items should decrease more as many people like us are from middle and lower income groups," she added.
  
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Home  Business  Rice exports grew 26.30% as 2.02 million tons in firs half of...

Rice exports grew 26.30% as 2.02 million tons in firs half of FY 2019-20

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Description: https://www.app.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/rice-export.jpg
ISLAMABAD, Jan 20 (APP):Rice exports from the country during first half of current financial year grew by 26.30% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
During the period from July-December 2019-20, rice over 2.020 million metric tons worth $1.033 billion exported as compared to the exports of 1.587 million tons valuing $817.923 million of same period of last year.
According the latest trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports of Basmati rice witnessed overwhelming growth of 55.89% as about 415,083 metric tons of above mentioned commodity worth $380.623 million exported as compared to the exports of 241,491 metric tons valuing $244.169 million of same period of last year.
Meanwhile, exports of rice other then Basmati also grew by 13.71% during the period under review as 1,605,613 metric tons of rice worth $652.428 million exported as against 1,345,961 metric tons valuing $573.754 million of same period of last year.
However, on month on month basis, rice exports decreased by 8.19% in December, 2019 as 403,923 metric tons of rice valuing $197.185 million against exports of 431,744 metric tons of same month of last year.
It is worth mentioning here that in first six months of current financial year, food group exports from the country witnessed 10.96% growth as food commodities worth $2.199 billion exported as compared to the exports of $1.994 billion of same period of last year.
On the other hand, food imports during the period under review decreased by 13.48% as it came down from $2.966 billion in July-December, 2018-19 to $2.556 billion in same month of current financial year.
The other food commodities that witnessed positive growth in their respective exports included fish and fish products by 22.56%, vegetables 40.44% and meat and meat products 51.89%.
The import of the food commodities that had witnessed negative growth included milk, cream and milk for infants 26.69%, wheat 0%, dry fruits nuts 9.96% tea imports reduced by 24.12%, the data revealed.