Thursday, August 06, 2015

6th August (Thursday),2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged Today

Aug 05, 2015
Asia rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged today.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 per ton, about $30 per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $385 - $395 per ton, about $40 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $345 - $355 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is shown at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $325- $335 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360, about $35 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $315 - $325 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $380 - $390 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $375- $385 per ton, about $40 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice was last shown at around $415 - $425 per ton.
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $10 per ton from premium on Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $310 - $320 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $305 - $315 per ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.

Bangladesh Develops New Zinc-Enriched Rice Variety

Aug 05, 2015
The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed a new zinc-enriched rice variety BRRI Dhan72, which is also an early maturing and high yielding variety, according to local sources.
BRRI Dhan72 is the second zinc-enriched Aman variety developed by the BRRI. The first one, BRRI Dhan 62 was developed in August 2013 as the world's first biologically fortified (bio-fortified) high-yielding zinc variety.
The National Seed Board released the new rice breed on July 12, 2015 and the seeds will be made available for farmers for cultivation in the next Aman season (June - November 2016).
Local sources noted that BRRI Dhan72 provides an yield of around 5.7 tons per hectares compared to around 4.5 tons per hectare provided by its predecessor BRRI Dhan62. They also noted that the newer variety is nutritionally richer than BRRI Dhan62. It reportedly contains 22.8 milligram of zinc per kilogram compared to around 19.8 milligram per kilogram of BRRI Dhan62. The new variety also matures in 125 days.
Bio-fortification is a process used to increase nutritional value of crops, and it can be done through conventional selective breeding or genetic engineering. It is understood that the new rice variety has been bio-fortified through conventional selective breeding. 
The BRRI Director General told local sources that zinc is an important nutrient and is vital for children's natural growth and immune system. He noted that though it is found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, most of the Bangladeshis cannot affor them. He therefore urged the government to encourage to increase cultivation of the new rice variety. He added that of all Aman rice varieties developed so far, BR11 is most popular among farmers. However, given the benefits of BRRI Dhan72 over BR11, farmers must be encouraged to switch to  BRRI dhan72. 
The research related to the development of BRRI Dhan72 has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
USDA estimates Bangladesh to produce around 35 million tons of milled rice (around 52.51 million tons, basis paddy) in MY 2015-16 (May - April), up about 1% from an estimated 34.5 million tons (around 51.76 million tons, basis paddy) in MY 2014-15. It estimates Bangladesh to import around 1.1 million tons of rice in 2015, up about 45% from an estimated 751,000 tons in 2014.
Global Rice Quotes
August 5th, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade   375-385                ↔
Vietnam 5% broken        335-345                ↔
India 5% broken               385-395                ↔
Pakistan 5% broken        345-355                ↔
Myanmar 5% broken      400-410                ↔
Cambodia 5% broken     425-435                ↔
U.S. 4% broken                 470-480                ↔
Uruguay 5% broken        535-545                ↔
Argentina 5% broken     530-540                ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken      350-360                ↔
Vietnam 25% broken      325-335                ↔
Pakistan 25% broken      315-325                ↔
Cambodia 25% broken   410-420                ↔
India 25% broken             350-360                ↔
U.S. 15% broken               445-455                ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd     375-385                ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd          415-425                ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd                 375-385                ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken             555-565                ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken          545-555                ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken    NQ         ↔

Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%   860-870                ↔
Vietnam Jasmine             485-495                ↔
India basmati 2% broken              NQ         ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken       NQ         ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails     835-845                ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super            320-320                ↔
Vietnam 100% broken   310-320                ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd          285-295                ↔
Cambodia A1 Super        350-360                ↔
India 100% broken stxd                 305-315                ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens      NQ         ↔
U.S. pet food     325-335                ↔
Brazil half grain NQ         ↔
All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Trade Higher Supported by Rally in Grain Prices and Despite Falling Crude

Aug 05, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep delivery settled 8.5 cents per cwt (about $2 per ton) higher at $11.540 per cwt (about $254 per ton). The other grains finished the day higher; Soybeans closed about 1.2% higher at $9.5325 per bushel; wheat finished about 1.7% higher at $5.0200 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1.2% higher at $3.8325 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded in a range on Wednesday as a renewed decline in oil and some disappointing earnings weighed on investor sentiment, amid data and mixed comments from Fed speakers on the timing of a rate hike. Stocks gave back early gains in midday trade as oil reversed to trade more than 1% lower as investors remained concerned about oversupply. Energy was one of two lagging sectors in the S&P 500. In economic news, the ADP report came in at 185,000, below expectations for 215,000 private-sector payrolls.
The July trade report posted a deficit of $43.84 billion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded down 19 points, or 0.11%, at 17,532. The S&P 500 traded up 5 points, or 0.26%, at 2,098, with information technology leading eight sectors higher and energy and consumer discretionary the only laggards. Consumer staples hit an all-time high. The Nasdaq traded up 33 points, or 0.65%, at 5,138. Gold is trading about 0.5% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 1.3% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading nearly unchagned at about  1:00pm Chicago time.
Tuesday, there were 2,766 contracts traded, up from 1,100 contracts traded on Monday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Tuesday increased by 471 contracts to 9,418

Government of Thailand Expects Fifth Rice Auction to Draw High Interest

Aug 05, 2015
The government of Thailand is expecting the upcoming and fifth rice auction on August 11 would attract high interest from traders as the current demand for white and jasmine rice are high during the harvest season, Bloomberg quoted the Deputy Director General of the Foreign Trade Department (FTD).
The Commerce Ministry has offered to auction about 668,000 tons of stockpiled rice, comprising 11 types of rice, on August 11.
The FTD official noted that prices may not be impacted due to the auction as demand for Thai rice in high in the international markets amid concerns of a low production in India due to a dry spell as well as floods in Myanmar. However, resumption of rains in some areas have eased the drought problem and prices may fall to some extent, she said.
Currently, export prices of Thai 5% rice are at around $365 per ton and those of Thai jasmine rice are at around $865 per ton.
The government still has about 15.11 million tons of rice in its stockpile. 

Oryza Overnight Recap – Chicago Rough Rice Futures Move Higher on Supportive Action in US Grain Markets

Aug 05, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep delivery are currently seen trading 8 cents per cwt (about $2 per ton) higher at $11.535 per cwt (about $254 per ton) during early floor trading in Chicago. The other grains are seen trading higher this morning; soybeans are currently seen trading about 1.1% higher, wheat is listed about 0.8% higher and corn is currently noted about 0.7% higher.
U.S. stocks traded higher on Wednesday as investors digested economic data and mixed comments from Fed speakers on the timing of a rate hike. In economic news, the ADP report came in at 185,000, below expectations for 215,000 private-sector payrolls. Earlier, futures fluctuated ahead of the ADP payroll data, which is not seen as an exact preview for Friday's jobs report but it can give directional hints, and the market watches it for any big surprises. Meanwhile, economists forecast 223,000 nonfarm payrolls in the government's employment report Friday, and that is one of the final key pieces of data the Fed will review before it September meeting.
Overnight, markets digested hawkish comments from FOMC voting member and Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Lockhart said the economy is ready for an increase in short term rates and it would have to deteriorate significantly for it to persuade him not to move. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded up 46 points, or 0.26%, at 17,595. The S&P 500 traded up 12 points, or 0.55%, at 2,104, with energy leading nine sectors higher and consumer discretionary the only declining sector. The Nasdaq traded up 30 points, or 0.60%, at 5,136. Gold is currently trading about 0.1% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 1.6% higher,  and the U.S. dollar is currently trading about 0.2% lower at 9:00am Chicago time.

South Korea Purchases 11,000 Tons of Non-Glutinous Rice in Tender

Aug 05, 2015
 South Korea's state run Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (KAFTC) has purchased 11,000 tons of non-glutinous brewers milled rice of Vietnamese origin at around $384.40 per ton for delivery by November 15, 2015, according to a statement on its website.
 KAFTC originally sought to purchase about 41,000 tons of non-glutinous rice via five international tenders for which the bidding took place on July 31, 2015. The agency announced results for four tenders on the same day and announced results for the remaining 11,000 tons today after sample tests.

Kuwait to Provide $13.6 Million Loan to Chad to Boost Rice Production

Aug 05, 2015
Kuwait will help support rice production in Chad with a loan of KD 4 million (around $13.6 million), according to local sources.
 
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has signed a loan agreement with the government of Chad to help fund rice production in Chari-Logone perennial rice system. KFAED's Deputy Director and Chad's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation signed the loan agreement.
 
The KFAED officials told in a press statement that the fund aims to provide sustainable water sources to irrigate 400 acres (around 160 hectares), increase farmers incomes as well as promote food security in the country.
 
According to USDA, Chad produces around 110,000 tons of milled rice and imports around 30,000 tons to meet an annual consumption demand of around 144,000 tons.

Timely, Adequate Monsoon Rains Expected to Reduce Rice Production Costs, Stabilize Prices in Pakistan

Aug 05, 2015
Agricultural experts in Pakistan have expressed optimism that timely and adequate rains in the ongoing monsoon season will support the country's kharif crop production, including rice, maize and sugarcane, according to local sources.They told local sources that rice crop particularly needs more water at the time of sowing and timely rains have fulfilled this requirement. The Executive District Officer of Punjab Agriculture Department noted that timely rains are also helping rice farmers to lower their cost of production as most of them rely on tube wells to irrigate their crops. Due to receiving sufficient rains, they could reduce their expenditures on diesel and electricity required for running tube wells. 
Experts also noted that the adequate monsoon rains are expected to stabilize rice prices during the year.  

In the July Crop Monitoring System Bulletin, the National Space Agency of Pakistan (SUPARCO) and UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report that the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) has fixed the 2015-16 (July - June) milled rice production target at around 6.902 million tons (around 10.21 million tons, basis paddy) from around 2.836 million hectares. It is targeting an yield of around 2.434 tons per hectare in 2015-16.USDA estimates Pakistan's MY 2014-15 (November - October) milled rice production to increase about 3% to around 6.9 million tons (around 10.35 million tons, basis paddy) from around 6.7 million tons last year.


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5th August (Wednesday),2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 05

wed Aug 5, 2015 3:02pm IST
Nagpur, Aug 5 Gram prices suffered heavily in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on lack of demand from local millers amid poor quality  arrival.
Weak trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses and release of stock from stockists also pulled down prices
prices, according to sources. 
 
               *            *              *              *
 
    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    GRAM
   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
 
     TUAR
   * Tuar black reported down in open market on poor demand from local traders amid good 
     supply from producing regions.   
 
   * Moong Chamki recovered strongly in open market here on renewed demand from local 
     traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.      
                                                                                    
   * In Akola, Tuar - 7,300-7,500, Tuar dal - 10,400-10,600, Udid at 9,500-9,900, 
     Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,000-11,400, Moong - 7,000-8,000, Moong Mogar 
    (clean) 9,700-10,000, Gram - 4,200-4,400, Gram Super best bold - 5,800-6,000 
     for 100 kg.
 
   * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market 
     in thin trading activity because of heavy rains, according to sources.
       
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
 
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close   
     Gram Auction                   3,600-4,270         3,600-4,340
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                n.a.                6,700-7,400
     Moong Auction                n.a.                6,000-6,400
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Gram Super Best Bold            6,000-6,200        6,000-6,200
     Gram Super Best            n.a.                
     Gram Medium Best            5,600-5,800        5,600-5,800
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Mill Quality            5,500-5,700        5,400-5,700
     Desi gram Raw                4,650-4,750         4,650-4,750
     Gram Filter new            6,000-6,200        6,000-6,200
     Gram Kabuli                6,000-7,300        6,000-7,300
     Gram Pink                6,700-6,900        6,700-6,900
     Tuar Fataka Best             10,800-11,000        10,800-11,000
     Tuar Fataka Medium             10,300-10,600        10,300-10,600
     Tuar Dal Best Phod            9,900-10,100        9,900-10,100
     Tuar Dal Medium phod            9,400-9,700        9,400-9,700
     Tuar Gavarani New             7,900-8,000        7,900-8,000
     Tuar Karnataka             8,300-8,500        8,300-8,500
     Tuar Black                 11,000-11,200           11,000-11,300 
     Masoor dal best            7,900-8,400        7,900-8,400
     Masoor dal medium            7,600-8,000        7,600-8,000
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold               9,600-10,400        9,600-10,400
     Moong Mogar Medium best        8,500-9,000        8,500-9,000
     Moong dal Chilka            8,600-9,000        8,600-9,000
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            9,700-10,000        9,600-9,900
     Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG)    11,200-11,800       11,200-11,800
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    10,600-11,000        10,600-11,000
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        9,200-9,600        9,200-9,600
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        4,500-5,000        4,500-5,000
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)           3,250-3,400         3,250-3,400
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)        3,100-3,350        3,100-3,350
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)        3,100-3,200         3,100-3,200
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,300-3,900        3,300-3,900
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,400-1,500        1,400-1,500
     Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG)    1,550-1,700        1,550-1,700
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)        1,300-1,500           1,300-1,500
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)    1,900-2,100        1,900-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,200-3,700        3,200-3,700
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,550-2,850        2,550-2,850        
     Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG)        2,750-3,000        2,750-3,000
     Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)               3,000-3,300        3,000-3,300
     Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)        1,600-1,700        1,600-1,700
     Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)      2,200-2,450        2,200-2,450
     Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)      2,500-2,700        2,500-2,700
     Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG)        3,200-3,750        3,200-3,750
     Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)               3,800-4,200        3,800-4,200
     Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG)    4,200-4,500        4,200-4,500
     Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG)    4,600-5,000        4,600-5,000     
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    8,000-10,000        8,000-10,000
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    7,000-7,500        7,000-7,500
     Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG)    4,300-4,700        4,500-4,800
     Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)        5,000-5,400        5,100-5,500
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,100-2,350        2,100-2,350
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)        2,400-2,500        2,400-2,500
 
WEATHER (NAGPUR)  
Maximum temp. 24.0 degree Celsius (75.2 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
21.0 degree Celsius (69.8 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 78.2 mm
 
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 25 and 22 degree Celsius respectively.
 
Note: n.a.--not available
 
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/05/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N10G3DM20150805

Global basmati rice market 2015 industry analysis, research, growth, trends, share and forecast published by leading research firm

Published on Wednesday, 05 August 2015 01:33
The report divides the market on the basis of application, region, and product type. Furthermore, the global Basmati Rice market in terms of market volume and market value has been evaluated in the report.
The report on the global Basmati Rice market aims to update the reader about the market opportunities. In addition to this, the report will help understand and assess the overall global Basmati Rice market.The market drivers that will fuel the growth of the global Basmati Rice market during the forecast period have been listed in the report. The key challenges the global Basmati Rice market is facing are also available in the report.The report features recommendations on how to overcome these challenges.Browse Complete Report with TOC @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-basmati-rice-industry-2015-market-research-report.htm

Each market segment has been evaluated in detail in the report.Furthermore, the dominating sectors in the global Basmati Rice market and the factors driving these sectors are mentioned in the report.Moreover, the size and share of these sectors is presented in the report.
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The report divides the global Basmati Rice market into several regions. The key trends shaping the growth of each regional market are presented in the report.
The regulations governing these regional markets along with the top regulators and Acts that are influencing the market dynamics of these regions are explained in the report.
Lastly, the report offers a detailed competitive landscape analysis of the global Basmati Rice market. The key companies operating in the global Basmati Rice market are listed in the research study.
The companies with, their latest developments, product innovations, mergers and acquisitions, have been analyzed in the report. Additionally, the factors that the key companies are competing on are discussed in the report.
Global Basmati Rice Market 2015 Size, Share, Trends, Global Price, Segmentation, Growth, Outlook, Company Profiles, Demand, Insights, Analysis, Research and Forecast 2015-2020.
Table of Contents
Chapter One Basmati Rice Industry Overview
1.1 Basmati Rice Definition
1.2 Basmati Rice Classification and Application
1.3 Basmati Rice Industry Chain Structure
1.4 Basmati Rice Industry Overview
Chapter Two Basmati Rice International and China Market Analysis
2.1 Basmati Rice Industry International Market Analysis
2.1.1 Basmati Rice International Market Development History
2.1.2 Basmati Rice Product and Technology Developments
2.1.3 Basmati Rice Competitive Landscape Analysis
2.1.4 Basmati Rice International Key Countries Development Status
2.1.5 Basmati Rice International Market Development Trend
2.1.6 Global And China Basmati Rice New Project and Project Plan
2.2 Basmati Rice Industry China Market Analysis
2.2.1 Basmati Rice China Market Development History
2.2.2 Basmati Rice Product and Technology Developments
2.2.3 Basmati Rice Competitive Landscape Analysis
2.2.4 Basmati Rice China Key Regions Development Status
2.2.5 Basmati Rice China Market Development Trend
2.2.6 China Basmati Rice New Project and Project Plan
2.3 Basmati Rice International and China Market Comparison Analysis

Chapter Three Basmati Rice Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis
3.1 2015 Global And China Key Manufacturers Basmati Rice Capacity and Manufacturing Plants Distribution
3.2 2015 Global And China Key Manufacturers Basmati Rice R&D Status and Technology Source
3.3 2015 Global And China Key Manufacturers Basmati Rice Raw Materials Sources Analysis

Chapter Four Basmati Rice Production by Regions by Technology by Applications
4.1 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Production by Regions (such as Russia Ukraine and China)
4.2 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Production by Applications
4.3 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Price by key Manufacturers
4.4 2009-2015 Russia Basmati Rice Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis
4.5 2009-2015 Ukraine Basmati Rice Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis
4.6 2009-2015 China Basmati Rice Capacity Production Price Cost Production Value Analysis

Chapter Five Basmati Rice Manufacturing Process and Cost Structure
5.1 Basmati Rice Product Specifications
5.2 Basmati Rice Manufacturing Process Analysis
5.3 Basmati Rice Cost Structure Analysis
5.4 Basmati Rice Price Cost Gross Analysis

Chapter Six 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast
6.1 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Capacity Production Overview
6.2 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Production Market Share Analysis
6.3 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Demand Overview
6.4 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Supply Demand and Shortage
6.5 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Import Export Consumption
6.6 2009-2015 Basmati Rice Cost Price Production Value Gross Margin

http://www.whatech.com/market-research/food-beverage/80804-global-basmati-rice-market-2015-industry-analysis-research-growth-trends-share-and-forecast-published-by-leading-research-firm

Scientists in Bangladesh develop new zinc-rich rice
12:00 AM, August 05, 2015 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:59 AM, August 05, 2015
Reaz Ahmad
This second variety more productive, to be cultivated next year
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed a second breed of zinc-rich rice which grows faster, gives better yield and is of better nutritional values than its predecessor.Named BRRI dhan72, the second hi-zinc Aman variety was developed two years into the release of the world's first biologically fortified (biofortified) high-yielding variety zinc rice -- BRRI dhan62 -- in August 2013.
The National Seed Board released the new rice breed on July 12 and the seeds will be made available to farmers for cultivation in the Aman season (June-November) next year.BRRI dhan72 has a yield of 5.7 tonnes per hectare against 4.5 tonnes of BRRI dhan62. The latest breed is also nutritionally richer with 22.8 milligram zinc content a kilogramme, over 3mg higher than what BRRI dhan62 contains.Biofortification is the process of breeding crops to increase their nutritional values. This can be done either through conventional selective breeding or through genetic engineering.
And it's the first method through which BRRI dhan72 has been developed.Zinc is one of the three most vital micronutrients, deficiency of which adversely affects children's natural growth and immune system. Proper zinc supplementation can reduce the severity of morbidity from a number of common childhood diseases including diarrhoea and pneumonia.Though fruits, vegetables and animal products are rich in micronutrients, these are often not available for the poor in Bangladesh as well as in many other Asian countries where the poor's daily diet consists mostly of relatively much inexpensive low-zinc staple -- rice.
According to the World Health Organisation, nearly half a million children die each year globally due to zinc deficiency. Seventeen percent of the global population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake. The regional estimated prevalence of inadequate zinc intake ranges from 7.5 percent in high-income regions to 30 percent in South Asia.Among the three rice seasons -- Aus, Aman and Boro -- in Bangladesh, Aman contributes a big part of the country's total paddy output.It requires less irrigation and inputs to grow rice during the rain-fed Aman season than what it takes during the dry Boro season.
Of all the varieties developed by the BRRI, BR11 (Mukta) has so far been the most popular among Aman rice growers since the breed's release in 1980."With the release of BRRI dhan72, we hopefully will be able to replace BR11 gradually in many parts of the country," BRRI Director General Jiban K Biswas told The Daily Star.While BR11 grows in 145 days, it takes 125 days to harvest BRRI dhan72 from the day of sowing the seeds, he said.Partha S Biswas, the lead breeder of the second zinc-rice variety, said, "We need different varieties of Aman rice for different cropping patterns in different agro-ecological systems. This variety is developed for the areas where Robi crops [mainly wheat and winter vegetables] are cultivated besides Boro and Aman crops."
Md Khairul Bashar, country manager of HarvestPlus that funded the research, said, "This variety is developed for those farmers who want better yield of rice with higher zinc content."After seed multiplication, HarvestPlus will start dissemination of this zinc-rich rice variety in 2016 Aman season," he added.HarvestPlus is a non-profit global biofortification mission launched in 2004 by the Washington-based global agro-science coordinating body -- Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
It is the first recipient of grants from the biofortification research fund of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.Jointly coordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the International Food Policy Research Institute, the HarvestPlus programme provides assistance to both Bangladesh and India for pursuing advanced research for developing zinc-rice breeds.
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/new-zinc-rice-arrives-121960

Excessive Use Of Rice May Causes Cancer


LONDON – Many nations around the world are fond of eating rice, but research reveals that it’s excessive use may cause cancer.

In rice amount of the highly poisonous metal arsenic could be much higher than normal.
http://www.pakistantribe.com/story/42802/excessive-use-of-rice-may-causes-cancer/
The chemical gets into the rice as a result of industrial contaminants and pesticides that were used in the past and can remain in the flooded paddy fields where the rice is grown for decades.British researchers have found the contaminant in rice and rice products sold in this country at levels that could pose a health risk to children.The Queens University of Belfast revealed in its research that, “a poisonous metal arsenic is found much more than normal in rice”.By eating the rice frequently having arsenic increases the risk of cardiology, diabetes, central nervous system, including the weakness of lungs and cancer of urinary bladder.
British expert Andy myharg says that, rice contains the amount of arsenic 10 time more than other foods. Because the only rice is the crop which is cultivated in the fields having excessive water. Its mean, rice crop absorbs the inorganic arsenic from the ground.Experts say that we can decreased the amount of arsenic in rice if we change the traditional method of cooking the rice. We cannot remove the arsenic by boiling the rice in an open pan.We can decrease the amount of arsenic in rice by boiling the rice in a covered pan or in coffee filtration machine.

Basmati has long reputation for pleasing foodie palates

By Ruth Taber / Special to the times
POSTED:   08/05/2015 12:00:00 AM MDT
International relationship issues, a Texas company owned by a European prince, the U.S. patent office gives a patent and then retracts it, and, for extras, product adulteration and fears about arsenic! This is not the script for a long-running TV series — just ongoing chapters in the delicious basmati rice story.A few grains of rice facts are helpful in understanding basmati:

Short-grain rice has a short, plump, almost round kernel; the grain is almost as wide as it is long. It has more starch than medium grains and cooks up moist and very sticky. This is the rice enjoyed in sushi.Medium-grain rice has a shorter, wider kernel — the grain is less than two times as long as it is wide. This cooks up moist but is not as sticky as short-grain. Much of the Italian-grown rice is medium-grain; most popular medium grains are arborio and carnaroli enjoyed in risotto dishes.Long-grain rice kernels are slender and three to four times as long as they are wide. The cooked grains are drier and fluff up nicely; most popular choice in this category is the aromatic basmati rice.
For centuries, basmati rice has been cultivated in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India and Pakistan; emperors favored it and poets have sung its praises. The name is said to be derived from the Sanskrit word vasmati, meaning fragrant — or the Hindi language where bas means "aroma" and mati means "full of." Other translations refer to basmati as the "queen of fragrance" or the "perfumed one." The unique aroma is from 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) a chemical compound found in the rice.
Grilled salmon with baby squash and basmati rice. (Photos by Ruth Taber — Special to the Times)
Basmati has much more of this 2-AP than other rice types. (When I cook basmati rice, my kitchen gives off an intense nutty, buttery popcorn-like aroma — a prelude to the soon-to-be served fabulous dinner!) Another big plus for basmati: Its low glycemic index (slow-releasing carbs) compared with other types of rice makes it a better choice for people with diabetes.This flavor-filled rice moved beyond Indian/Pakistani culinary specialties to Persian (Iranian), Arabic and other Middle Eastern cuisines centuries ago and was accorded star billing on their menus. Vir Sanghvi, a food writer for an Indian newspaper, wrote a column in praise of basmati last year saying that this rice has often been taken for granted in India.
 He wrote about attending lavish banquets in Iran in the 1960s where, after caviar "and a variety of meat dishes were served, a special delicacy would be a bowl of steamed (but still dry) basmati rice that was so aromatic that the smell entered your clothes. The Iranians would add a dollop of butter and serve it on its own without any gravy."Get the picture? Basmati rice is special — so it was not too surprising when a Texas rice company, RiceTec, attempted to patent their version of basmati rice in 1997. RiceTec is active in technology-based breeding techniques and production of hybrid rice seed products along with marketing specialty rice for consumer markets.
The company, owned by the Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein Foundation, faced international outrage over allegations of "biopiracy" when the U.S. granted them a patent.Demonstrations in India and other parts of the world claimed that RiceTec was stealing a nation's indigenous products. India protested RiceTec's claim to the term basmati and insisted that the name should be reserved for rice grown in a specific region in India. (Like limiting Parma ham to Parma, Champagne to France or Scotch whiskey to Scotland.)
India urged the United States Patent and Trade Office to re-examine certain RiceTec claims; after review decisions were issued in 2001, RiceTec lost (or withdrew) most of their original patent claims — especially the right to call their rice lines "basmati." They were granted a limited "varietal patent" dealing with three strains of the rice bred by the company.Compared with other rice types, basmati is a low-yielding crop; increased demand by foodies all over the world has led to higher prices. This, in turn, has led to some vendors offering adulterated products. DNA testing is one of the methods used to authenticate the real stuff. (In 2003, a study in the U.K. found that almost half of basmati-labeled rice packages on market shelves contained non-basmati rice mixed in.)
These rice cakes were made with leftover cooked basmati rice — mix rice with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chopped onions and beaten eggs and bake in a silicone mold.
How do you know you're getting pure basmati when you purchase a bag of rice? Buying a trusted brand should help. At this summer's Fancy Food Show in New York City, I chatted with a representative of Amira Nature Foods, a leading global provider of packaged Indian specialty rice. Amira buys its basmati from thousands of small farmers in India's Himalayan foothill areas. The rice is aged for at least a year after harvest to enhance its aromatic flavor. (The older the rice, the lower its moisture content; it cooks up better and the flavor is even more enhanced.) On each package, Amira emphasizes its commitment to offer high quality, pure products. Authentic basmati rice packages — no matter what brand — usually state their source as India or Pakistan. (Amira's natural basmati rice can be purchased at amazon.com or some western Costco stores — not El Paso.)

The arsenic part of the rice story made headlines a few years ago. Consumer Reports released a report in 2012 that found "measurable levels (of arsenic) in almost all of the 60 rice varieties and rice products" they tested. The good news: Basmati rice from India and Pakistan had the lowest levels of arsenic. The greatest concentration of arsenic was found in rice grown on land formerly used for growing cotton in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. (Rice isn't the only food affected by arsenic. In previous reports, high levels of arsenic were found in apple and grape juices and a 2009-2010 EPA study noted the arsenic contamination in fresh veggies.)

The Food and Drug Administration has been monitoring arsenic levels in food for decades, most recently reporting "arsenic levels in rice do not present an immediate or short-term health risk." The agency and other scientists are studying the problem with an emphasis on long-term exposure. Consumers can minimize risks from all types of contaminants by eating a varied, well balanced diet.
Basmati has a long shelf life. Because of its low moisture, the rice won't lose its quality for three or more years. Store in a tightly closed container; a dry, dark, cool place is best.Cooking basmati is easy. Here's a good rule of thumb for portion estimates: As a side, one-quarter cup uncooked rice per person; for a main/entrée course, one-half cup uncooked rice per person.

Enjoy my "Keep it Simple" Basmati Rice:

Using two parts liquid to one part basmati, rinse the rice before cooking — 4 or 5 times — until the water is clear. Rinsing washes off excess starch — yielding fluffier rice — and possibly any dust collected while rice was aging.Place rice and liquid in pot, bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. As the water level drops, trapped steam in the pot finishes the cooking. Important — don't peek before cooking time is up! Lifting the lid will cut down on the moisture/steam in the pot. When the fifteen minutes are up, check to see if water has been absorbed. If necessary, cover and cook a few minutes more. Remove from cooktop, let the pot stand for about five minutes. Fluff up the delicious basmati and serve.

I often add a chicken bouillon cube (you could use chicken or veggie broth for the liquid) and some olive oil to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. In some parts of the world, crusty rice (slightly burnt) stuck to the bottom is considered a delicacy! If you cooked more rice than you needed — just think of the great fried rice and veggie dish or rice cakes you can make the next day!
Other cooking options: After rinsing the rice, sauté (toast) grains in olive oil, chopped onion, garlic or other spices in fry pan for two to three minutes. Then continue with original recipe — two parts liquid to one part rice. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano on cooked rice and/or add fresh herbs for more compliments on your cooking!

Ruth Taber is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She may be reached at taber.ruth@gmail.com

http://www.elpasotimes.com/living/ci_28584987/basmati

EU-Vietnam deal paves way for major trade boost

5 August 2015

Hanoi: Western exporters and investors are impressed by Vietnam's economic growth

The EU and Vietnam have reached a free trade agreement - the second such EU deal with a South-East Asian nation.
The deal will remove nearly all tariffs on goods traded between the EU and Vietnam. Their annual trade is worth about €28bn (£20bn; $30bn).Communist-run Vietnam exported €22bn of goods to the EU in 2014, including consumer electronics and textiles.The deal is expected to take effect in late 2017 or early 2018. The EU has a similar free trade deal with Singapore.The European Commission says Vietnam's major exports to the EU include telephones, electronic goods, footwear, clothing, coffee, rice, seafood and furniture.EU exports to Vietnam are dominated by electrical machinery, aircraft, vehicles and pharmaceuticals.Vietnam agreed to liberalise 65% of import duties on EU exports from the day the deal takes effect, and gradually eliminate the rest over a 10-year period.
Textile worker in Hanoi: The EU is applying strict country of origin rules for imported garments

 

Market transition period

EU duties will be eliminated over a seven-year period. Some EU foods and beverages will only enter the Vietnamese market tariff-free after seven years.The transition period to allow Vietnam to adapt to market liberalisation "breaks new ground compared to other EU agreements with developing countries", the Commission said.EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said the deal also contained clauses to protect workers' rights and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
The deal includes strict rules of origin for garments, requiring the use of fabrics made in Vietnam, to prevent the deal becoming a back door for Chinese products to flood the EU market."Over 31 million jobs in Europe depend on exports, so having easier access to a growing and fast developing market like Vietnam, with its 90 million consumers, is great news," Ms Malmstroem said."And Vietnam's exporters will now get much easier access to the EU for their products, giving an important boost to the Vietnamese economy."Elsewhere in Asia, the EU has a free trade deal with South Korea and is negotiating similar deals with Japan and Malaysia.Vietnam is the second country after Singapore in the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to reach such a deal with the EU.


Recent drought to trim Thai rice planting areas to lowest in 30 years

BY EDITORON 2015-08-05THAILAND
Recent drought to trim rice planting areas to lowest in 30 years
BANGKOK: — The decade-worst drought hitting Thai farmers recently is expected to trim Thailand’s rice production and reduce farm areas for the next rice cultivation.
The Seventh Regional Office of Agricultural Economics in Chainat province reported that recent drought has affecting large tracts of the main rice producing areas in nine provinces of central Thailand. In 2015, rice acreage was reportedly decreased 6% from last year to about 3.8 million rai.Average yield per acre is about 1,300 kilograms (637 kilogram per rai), down 2% percent year-on-year as drought has taken its toll on water level in the four major irrigation dams leaving them to have less than 10 percent of water left for agriculture.The 2014/2015 rice outputs may be reduced due to smaller agricultural areas projected at 3.38 million rai, down 11%, the lowest in 30 years.
Drought affected rice field would cut rice output down by 20% compared to the last harvest season.Meanwhile the Department of Foreign Trade is set to open the 5th bidding for its rice stockpile.Up to 668,000 tons of rice, under the rice pledging scheme of the previous government, will be put up for auction.The bidders are required to submit tenders on August 10.Name of qualified bidders will be announced on August 11.
Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/recent-drought-to-trim-rice-planting-areas-to-lowest-in-30-years

Harvest: Monsoon rains to help crop production

Published: August 5, 2015
The monsoon rains would boost production of sugarcane, rice and maize crops which require more moisture content for enhancing productivity. PHOTO: APP
FAISALABAD: Agriculture output in central parts of Punjab is expected to increase this year, as recent monsoon rains are likely to enhance production of three major crops. This would also keep prices of sugarcane and rice constant due to better supplies. 
The monsoon rains would boost production of sugarcane, rice and maize crops which require more moisture content for enhancing productivity, according to agriculture experts. They say this will also reduce expenditures on diesel and electricity required for running tube wells to irrigate the crops.
The timely monsoon rains has facilitated the growers to plant their field in time, said Asif Ali, an agriculture expert, while talking to The Express Tribune.He added that cotton crop was under severe stress due to pest attack, especially white fly and cotton leaf curl virus, which increased the threat to crop growth.Out of four major crops of Pakistan, three crops, sugarcane, rice and cotton, are sown in Kharif season. Sugarcane and rice need access to water at the time of sowing and timely monsoon rains fulfilled this requirement.

It has also decreased the cost of production because the growers largely rely on tube wells to irrigate their crops, said Hameed Chaudhry, Executive District Officer of Punjab Agriculture Department.On the other hand, the third major crop, cotton, may be affected by the monsoon rains, as this may become a reason for spread of virus diseases for the cotton plants.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2015.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/932331/harvest-monsoon-rains-to-help-crop-production/

Thailand Expects Strong Interest For Rice Auction


BANGKOK, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- The Thai government is confident of attracting strong interest from rice traders to its fifth rice auction for this year involving 668,228 tonnes.Bangjongjit Angsusingh, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Trade Department, said demand was strong now for white and jasmine rice during the harvest season.The department stated that the average export price for Thai white rice was US$363 per tonne while jasmine rice retailed for US$860 a tonne.Bangjongjit said rainfall had eased the drought problem in paddy planting areas and that could reduce prices slightly."Prices will not drop significantly as there is high demand and neighbouring countries are also facing floods," she added.The government now has about 15.11 million tonnes of rice in its stockpile.—BERNAMA
http://bernama.com/bernama/v8/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1158771

Asia Rice-Thai prices ease amid stock selloff push, Vietnam steady


Wed Aug 5, 2015 2:36pm IST
Thai 5 pct broken rice down at $380-$385/T
* Thai traders selling at break-even prices
* Vietnamese prices steady but sales slim
* Quality of Vietnam's grain seen low
By My Pham
HANOI, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Thai rice prices eased this week as sellers struggling to break even tried to shift stockpiles left over from the previous government's troubled rice pledging scheme, while Vietnamese prices stood unchanged amid thin buying demand.Benchmark 5 percent broken rice of Thailand RI-THBKN5-P1, the second-biggest exporter of the grain after India, edged down to $380-$385 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, from $380-$390 a week ago.
The intervention scheme, which paid farmers well above market rates for their produce, has incurred significant losses and large debts for a country already caught in an economic mire. Thailand currently holds 14.5 million tonnes of unsold inventory and has reduced prices."This has been the worst situation we have seen recently," a Thai trader said, stating that exporters have received no orders in three weeks.
Exporters are willing to sell rice at break-even cost to keep rice trading activity going rather than keep stocks in warehouses, said an exporter in Thailand.In Vietnam, the world's third-biggest rice exporter, demand for rice was thin due to prices and grain quality that were uncompetitive compared with those of Thailand and India.Vietnam's 5-percent broken summer-autumn rice prices remained flat at $340-$345 a tonne, FOB basis, while the 25 percent broken rice prices widened to $322-$340 a tonne from $322.5-$332.5 last month RI-VNBKN25-P1.
"Many people called to check on prices but no orders were placed," said a trader in Ho Chi Minh City, adding buyers may be waiting for Vietnamese prices to drop further before making purchases.Vietnam is estimated to have exported 3.7 million tonnes of rice in the first seven months of 2015, down 3.5 percent from a year earlier, government data showed. (Additional reporting by Pairat Temphairojana in Bangkok; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/05/asia-rice-idINL3N10G21N20150805

Rice exports suspended as 500,000 acres flood

By Su Phyo Win,Htin Linn Aung   |   Wednesday, 05 August 2015
The Myanmar Rice Federation has agreed with traders to suspend rice exports until September as more than 500,000 acres of paddy fields are flooded nationwide, leading to a sharp rise in prices over the past few days.

The Myanmar Rice Federation says over 500,000 acres of paddy fields are underwater, leading to a temporary halt on rice exports. Photo: Kaung Htet / The Myanmar Times

To help contain the problem, rice exports will be suspended until September 15, U Nay Lin Zin, associate secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) told The Myanmar Times.As floods have spread throughout the country, around 100,000 acres of paddy have been destroyed and over 500,000 acres of rice fields are underwater, according to August 2 statistics from the MRF. Rehabilitation efforts are critical and urgent, added U Nay Lin Zin on August 3.
Following heavy monsoon rains, the death toll from flooding reached 46 on August 3 with more than 217,000 people affected, according to state media. President U Thein Sein has declared natural disaster zones in four areas – Chin and Rakhine states and Sagaing and Magway regions.Since the flooding began, the price of a bag of high-quality rice has roughly doubled, from between K40,000 and K50,000 to as high as K100,000. Prices are likely to stabilise if exports are temporarily stopped, said U Soe Tun, vice chair of the MRF on his social network page.Myanmar’s average yield from two paddy-growing seasons – the monsoon paddy and the summer paddy – is normally over 12 million tonnes, according to the MRF. Over 2 million tonnes are for export while more than 10 million are consumed locally. If this year’s yield is lower than 10 million, it will be inadequate to supply local consumers, said rice traders.Rice exporter U Wei Lin said that if exports are suspended until mid-September, traders will be able to redirect up to 25,000 tonnes of rice to the local market. “Over this period, if the weather is fine we can expect average exports of between 5000 and 20,000 tonnes of rice – equal to 500,000 bags of 50kg rice,” he said.This stock will have been harvested during the previous crop. Some of the rice in storage may be waterlogged, but is unlikely to have been destroyed, he said. To help alleviate the problem, the MRF plans to offer paddy seed to farmers as well as financial support, according to U Nay Lin Zin.

“We estimate it will cost around K20 billion to supply the paddy seed and agricultural aid. To address the problem of rising rice prices, we plan to suspend both cross-border and overseas exports,” he said.A major concern is that water in Ayeyarwady Region continues to rise to a dangerous level, he said. This area, in the southwest of the country, is where much of Myanmar’s rice is produced. Until it becomes clear how much further the water will rise, it is hard to tell how much damage will be caused and the likely cost of rehabilitation efforts, he said.The best time for growing the monsoon paddy in most regions is traditionally before the end of August, so farmers urgently need to cultivate their crop, said U Myo Myint, a member of the farmers union in Sagaing Region. As flooding continues, the time for replanting is running out.

With the exception of Tanintharyi Region, all of Myanmar’s regions and states have suffered as a result of flash floods.In total, more than 970,000 acres of farmland and plantations have been flooded, according to an announcement by the Department of Agricultural Planning and Statistics. Of these, around 200,000 acres have been damaged and over 46,000 acres have been destroyed.
“People from various sectors have forecast that economic losses from the flooding are likely to be worse than from Cyclone Nargis,” said U Nay Lin Zin. “If the cost includes not only replanting but also community rehabilitation, it could reach around K100 billion. But we can’t yet measure how badly the rice sector will be hurt.”Nothing can be done until water levels fall, U Ye Min Aung, general secretary of the MRF, told The Myanmar Times. “We will view the damage after the water subsides and will rebuild after that,” he said.


  Translation by
Kyawt Darly Lin and Emoon

Pacific super typhoon helps monsoon to rev up over central India

Vinson Kurian
Thiruvananthapuram, August 4:  
As expected, the monsoon has flared up another time over central India after a well-marked low-pressure area (remnant of cyclone ‘Komen’) ramped up back to being a depression over Madhya Pradesh. This happened with the initiation of super typhoon Soudelor in the west Pacific which has caused the monsoon flows to strengthen across the Arabian Sea. The super typhoon is expected to barrel into the east China coast by Thursday/Friday and weaken.

Super typhoon


Even before this, brakes would have been applied to Soudelor as it grazes the northern tip of the Philippines.
This would bring about a corresponding wind-down in intensity of the depression over Madhya Pradesh. India Met Department sees it travelling to the west to west Madhya Pradesh/Gujarat and petering out. Though early forecasts suggested this phase could signal a lull in the monsoon, the European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts disagrees. It sees scope for yet another ‘low’ in the Bay of Bengal. Here again, it will be another Pacific that typhoon that will initiate the activity off the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts by the same day as the prevailing system signs out of west Madhya Pradesh/Gujarat.

Fresh bay ‘low’

This time, the typhoon would be located farther out to the west/central Pacific and is forecast to wheel into the south-east Japanese coast. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre too agrees with the prognosis. The ‘low’ in the Bay of Bengal would have picked up required momentum to stand on its own and prosper even after the typhoon blasts its way into the Japanese coast.
A US Climate Prediction Centre outlook suggested that the ‘low’ would sustain the rainfall over east and central India, east and southeast Rajasthan, and northern Gujarat until August 15.
The west coast and eastern parts of the peninsula, including coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, too are projected to slip under a wet spell during August 10-16, the forecast said.
(This article was published on August 4, 2015)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/pacific-super-typhoon-helps-monsoon-to-rev-up-over-central-india/article7499633.ece
National Rice Month Promotional Items Now Available
ARLINGTON, VA -- With National Rice Month (NRM) quickly approaching, USA Rice has stocked up on an assortment of exclusive promotional items. Items can be purchased online or by filling out an order form and sending it to USA Rice.    This year is the 25th anniversary of National Rice Month, and USA Rice will debut several new specialty items to commemorate the occasion.Items available for purchase include: t-shirts, sunglasses holders, koozies, aprons, colored pencils, measuring cups, shopping totes, and more. All of the NRM items will feature either the 25th National Rice Month Anniversary logo or the Think Rice logo, which was recently unveiled as the new face of USA Rice consumer marketing initiatives.  
"These promotional items serve as a great platform to promote U.S.-grown rice during National Rice Month," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion. "This branded merchandise generates public awareness for the rice industry and keeps rice on people's minds, and hopefully, on their plates.With strong support from rice producers and millers, NRM has grown into an established national promotion educating consumers about the benefits of U.S.-grown rice and boosting U.S. rice sales nationwide.
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
Fisher Family Visits USA Rice

Visit to USA Rice
From left to right: Pamela, Cannon, Campbell, and Kevin Fisher of Wynne, AR, visited USA Rice headquarters today.  The Fishers farm 1,900 acres, including 500 acres of rice, in St. Francis County, AR.  
CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

WASHINGTON, DC --The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporationtoday announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2015 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Today's announced world prices reflect changes in world prices, 2015-crop loan rates and milling yields, and updated values for domestic byproduct prices, costs of milling, bagging, and exporting milled rice.

World Price
MLG/LDP Rate

Milled Value ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Long Grain
14.92
9.42    
0.00
Medium/Short Grain
14.43
9.68    
0.00
Brokens
  9.00  
----
----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:

U.S. Milling Yields
Whole/Broken
(lbs/cwt)
Loan Rate
($/cwt)
Long Grain
55.01/13.46
6.50
Medium/Short Grain
61.81/8.43
6.50

The next program announcement is scheduled for
 August 12, 2015.  



2015 Rice Expo set for Friday in Stuttgart

 

The 2015 Arkansas Rice Expo will open the doors at 8 a.m. at the Grand Prairie Center, located at 2709 Highway 165 in Stuttgart. The keynote speaker for the event will be Hutchinson, who says he has attended the event the last two years.


By Dawn Teer
dteer@stuttgartdailyleader.com
Posted Aug. 5, 2015 at 5:06 PM 
STUTTGART —
Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be in Stuttgart to address the audience of the 2015 Rice Expo on Friday.The 2015 Arkansas Rice Expo will open the doors at 8 a.m. at the Grand Prairie Center, located at 2709 Highway 165 in Stuttgart. The keynote speaker for the event will be  Hutchinson, who says he has attended the event the last two years.According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension website, “There is no cost to attend and the event ends with a catfish lunch. Field tours of research plots, food demonstrations and family fun are all part of the expo, a salute by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to rice production in Arkansas.”
“Arkansas is America’s No. 1 rice state, growing more than half of the rice produced in the United States,” said Mark Cochran, head of the UA System’s Division of Agriculture. “The Rice Expo is our opportunity to celebrate the successes of the farmers who make agriculture the state’s largest industry and share some of the exciting developments from our research and extension programs.“We also see the rice expo as our open house — an invitation for the community to meet our researchers and extension educators and see their work first-hand,” he said. “We are very pleased that Gov. Hutchinson will be our keynote speaker this year.”
Rice industry issues
This year’s event features breakout sessions that focus on issues looming large in the rice industry, including the implications of rice trade with Cuba, marketing rice and managing barnyardgrass.Expo-goers will get an up close and personal look at the work being done for the rice industry by division researchers, who will be leading field tours.Event attendees with problems in the garden or landscape can take advantage of the plant disease clinic by bringing samples for diagnosis.

There will also be a feral hog exhibit, food preservation clinic, equipment display and an update on crop application technologies.Staff from the Arkansas 4-H Youth Development program will be there with activities for youngsters. Expo directors remind individuals to not miss the cooking demonstrations and tastings, and see the finalists in the rice recipe contest and the creativity on display in the rice tabletop centerpiece competition.
Schedule of events
• 8 a.m. Registration/Exhibits Open Grand Hallway; Rice Centerpiece Contest Begins; Outdoor Tent Rice Recipe Contestants Check-In Salon B
• 8:15 a.m. Field Tours Begin
• 8:30 a.m. Food Preservation Demonstrations; Outdoor Tent; Rice Recipe Contest Judging Salon B
• 9 a.m. Horticulture Seminars Begin Salon A, Stage 2 Rice Centerpiece Contest Judging Salon A
• 9:30 a.m. Rice Cooking Demonstrations Salon A, Stage 1 Irrigation Demonstration outdoors
http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/article/20150805/NEWS/150809851

How rice farmers stand ready to lead the fight against climate change

Aug 4, 2015, 9:45am PDT 
Matthew Baird is a program coordinator for The Climate Trust, which is based in Portland.Working at a climate change-related organization, it is rare to attend a social event where the topic of climate change is not raised.A description of my work is often met with mixed reactions, but occasionally I am rewarded with a stimulating exchange of ideas. During these discussions, I’m frequently asked my opinion about solutions for halting climate change.I wish I had a silver bullet to share, but humanity isn’t altering the earth’s climate through any single action—thus there is no single action to stop it. The solution will take a concerted effort from a multitude of approaches, including embracing carbon markets and growing the number of carbon offset project protocols in the market.
FEATURED JOBS
PORTLAND, OR Benefit Consultant
BCI Group
 The approval of the California Rice Cultivation Carbon Offset Protocol on June 25 is another powerful tool in the toolbox for fighting climate change. Most people don’t associate agriculture with climate change, much less rice cultivation, but the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that agriculture contributed 9 percent to total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2013. herefore, there are great opportunities to reduce global warming through agricultural practice changes.Environmental Defense Fund’s Robert Parkhurst penned a guest post on the Climate Trust's blog last year, describing how the rice protocol could be the first land-based agricultural protocol approved by California’s Air Resource Board, setting a precedent for future agriculture protocols.
The importance of this precedent increases as California’s cap and trade carbon market expanded to include Quebec in 2014, with pending expansions from Ontario and Mexico soon to follow. As more buyers enter the market, the demand for offsets will increase, making the rice protocol a critical stepping stone to unlocking additional agricultural offsets.Standard rice cultivation practices produce methane — a potent greenhouse gas — from anaerobic decomposition caused by the flooding of fields containing organic matter. The organic matter originates from soil amendments, plant residues and root discharges.
Using this information as a baseline, the new rice cultivation protocol details three ways a farmer may generate carbon offsets: dry seeding, early drainage and alternate wet and dry activities.Rice growers in California and the Mississippi River Valley may implement one or more of these practices on their land. The difference between the methane emissions from standard rice cultivation, and the methane emissions after the practice changes to rice cultivation under the protocol, is what generates the carbon offsets.These offsets may then be sold to businesses under California’s cap and trade system that must reduce their emissions; generating additional revenue for the farmer.
The additional practices will require more active management and carry added risks, but the carbon revenues, water savings and other benefits can increase the bottom line for farmers.California’s Air Resources Board worked with multiple stakeholders to add flexibility to the protocol and provide various co-benefits.For example, farmers may halt practices in the protocol during drought periods. The practice changes will improve wildlife habitat habitat for many bird species, as well as habitat for the threatened, giant garter snake in California. Farms operating under these practice changes have also been shown to be more resilient to severe weather.Now that the rice protocol has been approved to generate carbon offsets, it is up to farmers, project developers, offset buyers, verifiers and other stakeholders to utilize this new tool. As with all new tools, we must first use it in order to discover its true value, and inevitably find ways to make it better.
The approval of the rice protocol is a great starting point for bringing additional agriculture practices to the carbon market, and an exciting step in the right direction for addressing climate change. However, there is still much to be done. As Robert Parkhurst put it last year, “Let’s get to work.”Matthew Baird is a program coordinator for The Climate Trust, which is based in Portland.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/08/how-rice-farmers-stand-readyto-lead-the-fight.html?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+August+5%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Golden rice paper retracted over ethical concerns, not quality of science


Alison McCook | August 5, 2015 | Retraction Watch
Golden rice. Photo by International Rice Research Institute under a CC license
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article from the Retraction Watch website:
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is retracting a paper that showed genetically engineered rice serves as an effective vitamin A supplement after a judge denied the first author’s motion for an injunction against the publisher.The journal announced plans to retract the paper last year following allegations that the paper contained ethical mis-steps, such as not getting informed consent from parents of children eating the rice, and faking ethics approval documents.Last July, first author Guangwen Tang at Tufts University filed a complaint and motion for preliminary injunction against the journal’s publisher, the American Society for Nutrition, to stop the retraction.

According to ScienceInsider, initial objections to the study were raised by Greenpeace, who alleged the children eating the rice were being used as “guinea pigs.”After an investigation, Tufts concluded that Tang had indeed breached ethical regulations, and banned her from conducting human research for two years. In addition, she would have to be supervised in order to conduct any future research. A Tufts University spokesperson commented:

“No questions were raised about the integrity of the study data, accuracy of the research results or safety of the research subjects.  The decision to retract a paper is ultimately a matter between the journal and the authors, and we must respect an academic journal’s editorial process and decisions…
There was no evidence found of falsification or fabrication of the data that underlie the study’s primary findings. Those reviews did, however, determine that the research had not been conducted in full compliance with Tufts research policies and federal research regulations.'”

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original postGolden rice paper pulled after judge rules for journal

http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/08/05/golden-rice-paper-retracted-over-ethical-concerns-not-quality-of-science/

Wild Beauty: Winning Ecology Photos Feature Sunbirds and Zebras


Elizabeth Palermo
August 5, 2015
Waterlilies offer an interesting contrast to Baobab trees in Madagascar.
The winning photos from a recent ecology photo contest prove that Mother Nature is always ready for her close-up.In one photo, a small bird sucks nectar from an exotic flower. In another, a zebra munches vividly colored grass. And yet another photo captures a tiny beetle displaying its impressively shaped antennae. These are just a few of the snapshots taken by ecologists all over the world and submitted to this year's BioMed Central (BMC) Ecology Image Competition.The winners of the annual contest were recently announced online. Only researchers affiliated with a university or other research institution were eligible to submit photos, and the portraits had to fit into one of five categories related to ecology, or the study of how living things interact with one another and their environments.

This year, the journal BMC Ecology invited a guest judge to select an overall winner for the contest. Ana Porzecanski, director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, helped decide which photo would nab a cash prize of $400 and land a spot on the BMC Ecology website, as well as its print publications.
The journal's editors chose the contest winners in each of the five ecology-related entry categories, which were: behavioral and physiological ecology; conservation ecology and biodiversity research; community, population and macroecology; landscape ecology and ecosystems; and theoretical ecology and models.The award for best overall photo went to Mohamed Shebi, an ecologist in the Department of Plant Protection at Suez Canal University in Egypt. His photo of a Palestinian sunbird sucking nectar from a thistle plant impressed Porzecanski, who told BMC the image was "truly gorgeous" and that it represented a part of the world (Saudi Arabia) that is "underappreciated in terms of its biodiversity."It was hard for the judges to pick just one runner-up for the overall best-picture category — so they picked two.

One of the winning photos was taken at a garbage heap in Guwahati, India, the last refuge for greater adjutant storks, the world's most endangered stork species. The photo, taken by Dhritiman Das of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in India, depicts humans and storks foraging for resources right alongside one another, amidst heaping piles of debris.The other runner-up was a photo taken at Cipó National Park in southeast Brazil. The photograph shows a small carpenter ant sucking nutrient-rich nectar from a Coccoloba cereifera, a rare shrub that is a favorite food of leaf-loving animals.

The ant's presence on the leaves of this shrub keeps hungry herbivores at bay, demonstrating a unique, symbiotic relationship between insect and plant, said the photographer, Daniel Wisbech Carstensen, a researcher in the Department of Botany at I-UNSESP in Brazil.BMC's competition yielded many other stunning images, as well. A beautiful beetle with magnificently arching antenna took first prize in the behavioral and physiological ecology category. The insect's impressive headgearhelps it sniff out a mate, according to the man who took the photo, Bernardo Segura from the Universidad de Chile.Other winning images included a tray full of different varieties of rice. Pritesh S. Roy from the Central Rice Research Institute, in India, took the photo to draw attention to the fact that many traditional varieties of rice are being lost because of a lack of research attention.

The novel traits and genes that some rice varieties possess could help ecologists develop better crop-improvement programs, Roy told BMC.Two adorable baboons also made the cut in the "Editor's pick" category. The photo, taken by Catherine Markham, an anthropologist at Stony Brook University in New York, shows one juvenile baboon eating while a fellow baboon checks out the snack. A solitary zebra won first prize in the community, population and macroecology category. In that photo, the animal stands, munching grass, near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Taken by Julia Spaet of the Red Sea Research Center in Saudi Arabia, the photo depicts the relationships among the zebra, the grass and the climate.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/wild-beauty-winning-ecology-photos-feature-sunbirds-zebras-133434847.html

Kasargod women win hearts of foodies in France

Deccan Chronicle | August 05, 2015, 06.08 am IST
Ambika and Rathi
Kozhikode: Ambika and Rathi,  the  members of Kudumbashree at Edaneer in Kasargod,  have won the hearts of the foodies in France through the mouth-watering Kerala cuisine they prepared. The  chefs were invited to the UNESCO-sponsored International Folklore Festival of Gannat, France, in early July.Recently, they were the main chefs at a folklore programme held at  Kanhangad.  The duo's dishes had tickled the taste buds  of the guests there who recommended them to the organizers of Gannat festival.“We were  overjoyed to be there in France for 10 days and pleased to hear the good words for our dishes,” said a beaming Ambika.  The folklore artistes from 32 countries participated in the festival.While extending the invite, the sole demand put forward by the organizers was that they should make authentic Kerala cuisine. “Our Basmati rice and sambar,  thoran, salad and local chicken curry were a hit with the crowd,”  said Rathi.

They kept their best for the last.  “We made payasam on the last day. The guests emptied the vessel before it could cool down,”  she said. The culinary culture of France is very different.  “They dislike spicy food. They like their meat grilled,” Rathi said.They use butter, eat raw vegetables, a variety of leaves, bread, fruits and  different kinds of wine, she added. Once in the festival, they wore the traditional Kerala saree and it was greeted with applause. The two women are the members of ‘Sreelakshmi’ Kudumbashree unit in Edaneer.

Holy cow! India is the world's largest beef exporter

   @vharrisoncnn

 

A country where cows are sacred is exporting a record amount of red meat.India was the world's top beef exporter last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, widening its lead over other more established suppliers such as Brazil and Australia.That's because India exports large quantities of meat from water buffalo -- a member of the bovine family classified as beef by the USDA.The buffalo trade has been growing rapidly and now earns India more export dollars than basmati rice.


India's buffalo meat -- a chewier and cheaper alternative to beef -- mostly ends up on plates in Asia and the Middle East, where rising wealth is spurring demand among diners for animal protein.But India's role in the global meat trade sticks out in the largely Hindu country where vegetarianism is widespread.The cow is revered in Hindu culture, the religion observed by roughly 80% of India's 1.3 billion people, and restrictions on cattle slaughter apply in most states.
Buffaloes largely fall outside those bans.Still, the $4.8 billion annual export trade has almost developed by accident -- the animals are needed to keep India's huge domestic dairy industry going, said Rabobank analyst Pawan Kumar.This is unique among countries with large bovine exports, Kumar said. It also means buffalo meat from India is cheaper. That helped the country generate record export earnings from the beef last year, although growth is moderating from the 30% annual rate seen between 2010 to 2013.

Here's where it all goes: Vietnam is the top importer, with Malaysia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia other key markets.Then there's China, which may actually be the largest consumer of the meat, according to Rabobank's Kumar. Some 40% of Indian buffalo is sent to Vietnam, before large quantities make their way across the Chinese border. That trade doesn't show up in official statistics.A small amount is consumed in India. Many locals, including some Hindus and others in the Christian and Muslim populations, eat meat and poultry, and consumption is rising.Data from market research firm Euromonitor International shows sales of beef, lamb and chicken in India have all increased steadily over the past six years.Rising wealth is a big reason for the growth. Analyst Anastasia Alieva said India's disposable income has surged 95% since 2009, and meat consumption has nearly doubled over that time

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