Monday, September 14, 2015

14th September,2015 Daily global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine






News Headlines...
·        Returns on produce: Farmers protest for support prices raise
·        Rice exporters follow bandwagon, present demands to PM
·        Rice export to Iran: Reap fears Pakistan may not take advantage
·        Reap team meets Prime Minister, seeks withdrawal of 3.5 percent WHT on rice
·        Pakistan to restart rice export to Iran in Oct
·        CL soon to use app for farm soil analysis
·        Rice@90/kg by March?
·        Manila approves more rice imports due to El Nino
·        Tiny wasps protect rice in the Mekong
·        Research Scientists release new crop varieties
·        Visit with a mission
·        Rice Importer Under US$22M Probe
·        Aerobic’ rice cultivation reduces water usage
·        Hacking Photosynthesis
·        ASEAN ministers plus 3, India visit IRRI
·        Counter Intelligence: Kitchen Curry in a hurry

News Detail...

Returns on produce: Farmers protest for support prices raise

Published: September 13, 2015
Kissan Board and Kissan Raaj Party activists staged a protest demonstration at Charing Cross on Saturday. PHOTO: ABID NAWAZ/EXPRESS
LAHORE: Hundreds of Kissan Board and Kissan Raaj Party activists staged a protest demonstration at Charing Cross on Saturday for increase in the support price of various crops.
Kissan Board general secretary Malik Ramazan Rohari demanded that the government set a Rs1,200 support price for non-Basmati rice per 40 kilogrammes, Rs2,500 for Basmati rice, Rs250 for sugarcane, Rs4,000 for cotton and Rs1,800 for maize. He said farmers were unable to recover the cost of input given the low support prices.The protesters called off the demonstration when Agriculture Minister Farrukh Javed told them that the prime minister would announce a relief package for them during a farmers’ convention in Islamabad on Tuesday.
 “The minister has assured us that our demands would be met through the relief package,” Ramazan said.Javed said the package would be the first of its kind in the country’s history. He said the federal and provincial governments needed to be on the same page to resolve problems faced by the farmers.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2015.

Rice exporters follow bandwagon, present demands to PM

Published: September 13, 2015
Rice exports have increased over the last 10-12 years. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Like other sectors of the economy, the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has also presented its lengthy list of demands to the premier during his Friday marathon meeting with the business community.
The delegation of REAP, led by its chairman Rafique Sulaiman, had a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad and presented demands for addressing issues being faced by the rice industry.They noted that rice exports have great potential and is the only sector which has shown outstanding performance during a very short span of 10-12 years, during which exports have grown from $300 million to a staggering $2 billion.The first demand of REAP representatives was the extension of payback period for all State Bank-based export refinance loans including FE-25 based loans from 180 days to 360 days.
Additionally, it was asked for any penalties incurred to be waived.The second demand is to reduce withholding tax on rice to 0.25% from current one percent and withdrawal of 3.5% withholding tax on local purchase of rice.Another call was to give the status of industry to the rice milling plants and concessions to be extended as the textile industry, including reduced load-shedding of electricity and zero rating of General Sales Tax.
It was also demanded that Trading Corporation of Pakistan and Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) would not intervene in rice trade, as in 2008 when the latter purchased rice.REAP also demanded to privatise both rice research institutes (RRIs) at Kala Shah Kaku and Dokri. In case they are not privatised, the government must facilitate REAP for its own RRI.The delegation also sought protection of the export trade of Basmati rice by focusing on markets of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the largest importers of Basmati rice. To protect the export trade of non-basmati rice, government must focus on the markets of China, the Philippines and Indonesia, they mentioned. REAP representatives also sought GSP Plus status for the rice sector, as was the case for textiles.
They also suggested controlling falling prices of rice by giving direct subsidy to farmers or to subsidise exports, so Pakistani rice can be exported at competitive rates. Finally, they also demanded the Rice Research Institute should work on the project to minimise the input cost and increase the yield and quality of Pakistani rice, so that the cost of paddy is reduced.“The Prime Minister told us to hold another meeting to discuss the proposals presented by the business community of different sectors,” Sulaiman said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2015.

Rice export to Iran: Reap fears Pakistan may not take advantage

September 13, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan has feared that Pakistan may not take advantage of opening of rice export to Iran from October 2015 because of energy crisis and lack of the Research and Development which has turned Pakistan regionally uncompetitive.
In a speech at press conference on Saturday REAP Chairman Rafique Suleman also called for devising a comprehensive mechanism and appropriate currency transfer arrangements by the State Bank of Pakistan to take full benefit of reopening of rice trade with Iran. "Iran is the one of the largest rice importer of the world, which imports around 11 percent of the world rice worth $2.5 billion. He said that the demand for rice in Iran has doubled during 2012-13 and in the last five years, import of rice grew more than 35 percent.
Hence, there exists a huge opportunity for the exporters of Pakistani rice. Pakistan, once, was the largest exporter of rice to Iran, before imposition of sanctions on Iran, which it has lost to India and now almost 90 percent of rice is coming to Iran from India though import from Pakistan is more economical," he said. He also said, "Pakistan rice export has been stagnant for the past many years, both in quantitative and value terms and is hovering around 4 million tonnes in quantity and $2 billion in worth because of devastating energy crisis and inconsistent and discouraging export policies of the government. India has entered the global rice market with a huge surplus and a 20-percent devaluation of its rupee, giving it almost unbeatable comparative advantage against Pakistani exporters.
The State Bank of Pakistan also honoured sanctions against Iran, resulting in drastic drop in basmati exports to it. But the exporters still maintained their share and were able to achieve the mark." Giving the latest data of rice export, he said, "Pakistan's rice exports posted a sharp decline of 27 percent during the first month of this fiscal year mainly due to declining price trend in the world market. The country exported rice amounting to $91 million in July 2015, compared to $125 million in July 2014, depicting a decline of 27.24 percent. Major drop has been witnessed in the export of Basmati Rice, which registered a 30 percent decline to $34 million exports during the period while non-Basmati exports stood at $57 million in July 2015, down by 25 percent.
The government will have to announce freight subsidy of at least $200 per ton on rice export to make it globally competitive, the chairman proposed." He urged the government to refund mark-up amount of 2013-14 and 2014-15 loans of rice exporters, besides withdrawing withholding tax of this period, suggesting a slash in this tax to 0.25 per cent for fiscal year 2015-16 and suggested to extend export refinance period to 360 days from 80 days to facilitate the rice exporters.

Reap team meets Prime Minister, seeks withdrawal of 3.5 percent WHT on rice


September 12, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) has demanded withdrawal of 3.5 percent withholding tax on local purchase of rice and repayment of Export Refinance loans in 360 days instead of current 180 days. The demand was made by a delegation led by Reap Chairman Rafique Suleman during a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday. Suleman thanked the Prime Minister for meeting with the Reap delegation and other representatives of the trade and industry. Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir and Information Minister Pervez Rasheed were also present in the meeting.

The Reap Chairman told the meeting that the country's rice export sector had shown an outstanding performance during a very short span of time and made possible a massive surge in the rice export. "With the struggle and efforts of the exporters, our rice exports reached $2 billion in FY15, compared to only $300 million about ten years back," he added. On behalf of Reap, the Chairman presented detailed proposals and suggestions for the survival and growth of rice export sector. "We assure to expand rice exports to over $4 billion within next three years if our suggestions/proposals accepted by the government," he pledged. 

The following proposals were presented during the meeting: 


1) Payback period for all SBP based Export Refinance loans including FE-25 based loans should be extended to 360 days from current 180 days and any penalty incurred may be waived. 

2) Withholding Tax on rice should be reduced to 0.25 percent from current 1 percent to give relief to exporters. 

3) Withholding tax of 3.5 percent on local purchase of rice should be withdrawn. 

4) Rice milling should be given the status of an industry and same concessions be extended to it as already enjoyed by textile sector including reduced power and gas loadshedding besides Zero rating of GST. 

5) In the current trade policy, the membership of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) is mandatory which must be continued in the next trade policy for the year 2015-18. 

6) The intervention of Trading Corporation of Pakistan/Passco in rice trade should be ended, as in 2008 Passco purchased rice which is still not sold by it and incurring billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer. 

7) Rice research institutes at Kala Shah Kaku and Dokri must be privatised. Otherwise the government must facilitate Reap in setting up its own rice research institute.
 
8) To protect the export of Basmati rice, the markets of Iran and Saudi Arabia must be focused, as these are the largest importers of Basmati rice. 

9) To protect the export of Non-Basmati rice, the focus must be laid on the markets of China, Philippines and Indonesia, as these countries are the major buyers of this rice.
 
10) The rice export sector should also be given GSP status, as given to textile sector. 
11) The rice mills must be exempted from gas and electricity loadshedding during the period from October 2015 to February 2016, so that the export targets could be achieved. 

12) Rice must be included in the list of items under Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with different countries, so that a substantial quantity of rice may be exported. 

13) A sui generis geographical indications law should be enacted and TDAP must be given the mandate to own Basmati rice geographical indications tag on behalf of all the stakeholders and ownership of Basmati rice should be disallowed to any private sector entity. 

14) To control the falling prices of rice, Reap suggests direct subsidy to farmers, or there is also an option to give subsidy to rice exporters, so that they can export rice with competitive rates. 

15) It is imperative that a Rice development board or council is formed as a unified platform that includes federal and provincial authorities besides public and private sector research including molecular science in addition to agriculture extension. As well as all stakeholders, namely, growers, millers and exporters to formulate policies and monitor demand driven evolution of high yielding varieties of rice. 

16) The rice research Institute should work on minimising the input cost and increase the yield and quality of the country's rice.

Pakistan to restart rice export to Iran in Oct

| Reap says rice sector not ready yet to take advantage of this opportunity
September 13, 2015
LAHORE - Pakistan will restart rice export to Iran from October 2015 after a ban of almost six years.“Although there (in Iran) exists a huge opportunity for the exporters of Pakistani rice but country’s rice sector is not ready to take advantage of this opportunity yet, as energy crisis and lack of R&D (research & development) have turned us regionally uncompetitive,” said Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan chairman Rafique Suleman while addressing a press conference here on Saturday. He said restart of rice export to Iran will remain ineffective until detailed mechanism is evolved and appropriate currency transfer arrangements are made through State Bank of Pakistan.
The government will have to announce freight subsidy of at least $200 per ton on rice export to make it globally competitive, the chairman proposed.According to him, Iran is the one of the largest rice importers of the world, importing around 11 per cent of the world rice worth $2.5 billion. He said that the demand for rice in Iran has doubled during 2012-13 and in the last five years, import of rice grew more than 35 percent. Pakistan, once, was the largest exporter of rice to Iran, before imposition of sanctions on Iran, which it has lost to India and now almost 90 per cent of rice is coming to Iran from India though import from Pakistan is more economical, he said.He asked the government to refund markup amount of 2013-14 and 2014-15 loans of rice exporters besides withdrawing withholding tax of this period, suggesting a slash in this tax to 0.25 per cent for fiscal year 2015-16.
 The REAP chairman further suggested to extend export refinance period to 360 days from 80 days to facilitate the rice exporters. resently, the rice exporters are paying withholding tax of 3.5 percent on local purchase of rice which may be abolished so that export industry’s loss may be lessened to some extent, he added.

He said that local rice research institutes have failed to provide any new and good quality seed of Basmati rice during the last 15 years. He demanded that rice mills should be exempted from gas and electricity loadshedding for the next five months which are crucial for us to achieve rice export targets. Rafique Suleman said Pakistan rice export is stagnant for the last many years, both in quantitative and value terms and is hovering around 4 million tons in quantity and $2 billion in worth because of devastating energy crisis and inconsistent and discouraging export policies of the government. He said that India has entered the global rice market with a huge surplus and 20 per cent devaluation of its rupee, giving it almost unbeatable comparative advantage against Pakistani exporters.
 The State Bank of Pakistan also honoured sanctions against Iran, resulting in drastic drop in basmati exports to it. But the exporters still maintained their share and were able to achieve the mark, he added.Giving the latest data of rice export, he informed that Pakistan’s rice exports posted a sharp decline of 27 percent during the first month of this fiscal year mainly due to declining price trend in the world market. The country exported rice amounting to $91 million in July 2015, compared to $125 million in July 2014, depicting a decline of 27.24 percent. Major drop has been witnessed in the export of Basmati Rice, which registered a 30 percent decline to $34 million exports during the period while non-Basmati exports stood at $57 million in July 2015, down by 25 percent.
http://nation.com.pk/business/13-Sep-2015/pakistan-to-restart-rice-export-to-iran-in-oct

CL soon to use app for farm soil analysis

by Rachel Barawid
September 13, 2015
A mobile phone application for soil properties analysis will soon be available in Central Luzon to aid agriculturists, farmers, and researchers.“Soilmate,” a mobile app. that can show soil properties, color groups, and productivity, was recently developed by Information and Technology (IT) students from the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) – Janndel Rosario, Gengee Madarang, and Ramon Rama.The mobile app. bagged the first place under the Enclosed Field Category in the recent “2nd AgriHackathon,” an application development competition organized by the Information Systems Division (ISD) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).AgriHackathon, sponsored by Smart Communications, S1 Technologies, Microsoft Philippines, PowerNet, and Mobility, aims to gather new ideas and innovations to create an efficient agricultural information system for research and development.
ISD Head Jovino de Dios said that compared to harcopy literatures of the soil series, a digital version such as a mobile app. can be more accurate on soil identification and analysis.Soilmate’s design and functions were based on the guidebook “Simplified Keys to Soil Series” provided by PhilRice.One of the main features of this app. is its Geographic Positioning System (GPS), a feature also commonly included in smart phones. The GPS in this app will serve as a locator of the soil’s origin.
http://www.mb.com.ph/cl-soon-to-use-app-for-farm-soil-analysis/#hqZV5JzyDaut3Vxk.99

 

Rice@90/kg by March?

 September 12,2015, 04.13 AM  IST | | THE HANS INDIA

  • Hoarding by traders jacks up prices
  • Goes up by 10/kg in two weeks
  • Officials blame it on lack of mechanism

Hyderabad:  After pulses and onions, rice prices are set to hit a new high. Market trends indicate that rice prices may touch Rs 90 per kg by March next. Despite the State government having stocks to meet the requirements for the next six months, hoarding of rice by traders has resulted in spiraling of prices of all varieties. The superfine variety which was sold at Rs 45 a kg in August last week has now gone up to Rs 55 per kg. The officials of the Civil Supplies department told The Hans India that taking advantage of the drastic fall in paddy production this Kharif season, traders are resorting to hoarding of rice and created an ‘artificial scarcity’ in the market during the last two weeks. “State has 15 lakh tonnes of rice stocks required for the next six months,” officials said.
“Traders, particularly retailers, including supermarkets are not placing the food grains for sale in view of the steep fall in paddy cultivation this year. Traders are fleecing the ‘gullible’ consumers on the pretext that rice stocks are low in the state,” officials said, adding that they have no proper mechanism to check this. Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy Rice Millers’ Association leader S Balaiah said that rice was being sold to the retail traders between Rs 38 and Rs 45 per kg depending on the quality from the milling centres. But the retailers had jacked up the prices heavily. It is the responsibility of the government to curb hoarding and skyrocketing of prices, he said.If the government failed to check this, Balaiah said the rice prices would touch Rs 90-mark once the present stocks were exhausted by March.
He said it was a fact that the cultivation of paddy during Kharif had registered all-time low in the last one decade. The estimations say only 9 lakh tonnes of paddy will be available this year as against the target of 40 lakh tonnes due to delayed and weak monsoon. Telangana Rythu Sangham vice president T Sagar said the prices of essential commodities would come down only when the ‘middlemen’ culture in the purchase of agriculture produce from farmers was stopped. On one side, farmers are not getting support prices and on the other hand the consumer was being burdened due to artificial scarcity created by the traders.
Manila approves more rice imports due to El Nino
By Manolo B. Jara       September 12, 2015      
MANILA: The government has approved the importation of an additional 750,000 metric tonnes (mt) of rice to serve as a buffer stock to blunt the disastrous impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon characterised by a prolonged dry spell which state weathermen warned would affect the country starting this September.Angel Imperial, the spokesman of the state-run National Food Authority (NFA), said the importation was approved by the Inter-Agency Food Security Committee, with the first batch consisting of 250,000 mt expected to arrive before the end of the year.The second batch of 500,000 mt is to arrive by February 2016 when the disastrous effect of El Nino is to be felt by 64 of the country’s 81 provinces, based on a warning by weathermen.Earlier in May, Imperial said the committee also authorised the NFA to import 250,000 mt of rice due to the damage caused by successive typhoons on the country’s agricultural production especially rice and corn.
Rice is the staple food of the most of the 100 million Filipinos and has become a major political issue whose lack has led to the downfall of the country’s presidents.“There is no better option than to be prepared,” Imperial said, citing the weathermen’s warnings of the projected adverse impact of El Nino which could be worse than the last strong episode observed in 1997-98.He assured the NFA has sufficient stock until the end of this year but explained the government was reacting to the possibility of a spike in the prices of rice in the world markets also due to El Nino which could affect the major producers of the staple food like Thailand and Vietnam.
The Philippines is considered the world’s biggest rice importer due to its failure to achieve its aim of becoming self-sufficient in this staple food.Demographers attributed this to the failure of the government to reduce its annual galloping population growth rate of two per cent, considered one of the highest in Asia and the world.Demographers pointed out that the country’s rice production could not keep up with the demands of high population growth rate which also imposes a heavy burden on the government to provide them their other basic needs like education, shelter and health.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/c63bccd0-bf6e-499a-97df-2166dbdb9943.aspx

Tiny wasps protect rice in the Mekong

 Lanie Reyes   |  Sep 14, 2015
Trichogramma are tiny beneficial wasps that feed on the eggs of several pests, including stemborers and leaffolders. To help rice farmers in the Greater Mekong Region, a project was launched in 2011 to promote the establishment of Trichogramma mass production facilities and affordable and practical pest control methods.
A Trichogramma wasp is one of the first defenses against rice pests. (Photo courtesy of Gabi Brändle, Agroscope)
Rice is culture. It’s a way of life along the Mekong—Southeast Asia’s longest river. Six countries share the river, which begins as a small mountain stream on the Tibetan Plateau. After 4,300 kilometers of writhing through forests, swamps, farms, and towns, the river bursts toward the sea, creating one of Asia’s great deltas—the Mekong Delta. Rice is produced all along the river from the highlands of Yunnan, including the ancient Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, to the balmy delta region of South Vietnam. Farmers along the river represent a diversity of cultures including the Dai, Hani, Khmu, and Karen peoples. Despite this diversity, these cultures all share a common responsibility of protecting the health of the Mekong. To achieve a healthy river, farmers must first maintain a healthy rice environment.
Tiny wasp, big project
A project, funded through EuropeAid of the European Union, was launched in 2011 to help rice farmers in the Greater Mekong Region reduce their pesticide use and improve the sustainability of their rice farms. The project turned to an unlikely source for help: a tiny parasitic wasp called Trichogramma.
These wasps are less than one millimeter long—their tiny size can be attributed to their specific life history as they develop inside the eggs of herbivorous insects, particularly moths. Trichogramma wasps will feed on the eggs of several moth species, but in rice they mostly attack the eggs of stemborers (Scirpophaga spp. and Chilo spp.) and leaffolders (Cnaphalocrocis spp.)—two insect pests feared most by farmers.Adult female wasps actively seek out the eggs of the stemborer and leaffolder in rice fields. Once an egg is located, the wasp deposits her own eggs into it. Within about 10 days, instead of caterpillars emerging from the stemborer eggs, completely-formed, young adult wasps come out—with an appetite for more stemborers.
 The highly efficient Trichogramma wasps naturally inhabit rice fields; however, they are sensitive to chemical pesticides. The high use of pesticides in many rice-growing areas has depleted the numbers of Trichogramma and other natural enemies of rice pests, which leaves farms vulnerable.
Protection by wasps
The project promotes integrated management of rice pests (IPM) by establishing rearing facilities to produce Trichogramma wasps and distribute these to local farmers, including farmers of the Dai and other local cultures. The project target was to create four Trichogramma rearing facilities in each of three Mekong countries: China (Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces), Lao PDR, and Myanmar.
Eleven of these facilities have been completed in Dehong and Xing’an in China; Yangon, Mandalay, and Shwebo in Myanmar; and Vientiane and Sayabouri Provinces in Lao PDR. The final facility will be constructed near Yezin Agricultural University in Myanmar in 2015.
A “trichocard”contains about 1,500 Trichogramma eggs. (Photo courtesy of Maolin Hou, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.)
Producing Trichogramma is not a simple task. The wasps need moth eggs on which to feed and develop. Thus, the project uses a nonpest species, the Corcyra moth (Corcyra cephalonica) as a production host. Millions of Corcyra eggs are produced each day in the rearing facilities as food for the developing Trichogramma wasps. While the tiny wasps are still developing inside the Corcyra eggs, they are attached using a light adhesive to special cards called “Trichocards,” which the farmers can hang on their rice plants during the most vulnerable crop stages. Each Trichocard contains about 1,500 developing Trichogramma. Once they emerge from the Corcyra eggs, they fly off and seek out the eggs of stemborers and leaffolders in rice fields. Each rearing facility is expected to reach a target of 600–700 hectares of rice fields protected by the wasps.
Successful collaboration
To develop the most efficient methods of rearing the wasps and bringing them to the farmers, the project brought together a group of specialists. Tianyi Biological Control Company Ltd., (in Hengshui, Hebei, China), a company with experience in the mass production of biological control agents, helped design the production facilities and trained the managers and staff at each facility to rear the Trichogramma wasps. Experts from government plant protection centers in each of the three countries monitored the incidence of stemborers and pinpointed the most vulnerable rice-growing regions, where rearing facilities and IPM training were most needed. Extension workers and social scientists worked with farmers to understand farmers’ attitudes and perceptions of pest management and introduced them to the merits of using biological control and the need to reduce pesticide use in rice.
Young scientists from China and Lao PDR learn together about the ecology of beneficial rice insects (Photo courtesy of Dirk Babendreier, CABI.)
The project’s progress has been impressive. The thousands of farmers that have been introduced to this biological control method are interested and supportive. Furthermore, several national agricultural research and extension institutions have shown keen interest in adopting this biocontrol-based IPM approach. The Plant Protection Station in Guilin, Guangxi Province, China, for example, plans to initiate its own rearing facility this year.
This project is an important step forward in the huge rice bowl that is the Greater Mekong Region. Its success should encourage scientists, agricultural and extension workers, and rice farmers to initiate similar projects and better understand the importance of beneficial insects that inhabit rice fields. Although they are never seen by most people, tiny organisms like the Trichogramma wasps are the first line of defense against harmful pests. Managing the rice environment to create optimal conditions for these farmer-friends will ensure sustainable rice production along the Mekong for generations to come.
Dr. Horgan is an ecologist-entomologist whose research focuses on rice ecosystem services. Dr. Babendreier is a senior scientist at CABI-Switzerland. Dr. Annamalai is a senior scientist at CABI-Malaysia. Dr. Zhang is the country director for CABI-China. Dr. Hou is a project scientist and professor on rice insect pests at the Institute of Plant Protection in the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Mr. Song is chief engineer at Tianyi Biological Control Company Ltd. Mr. Vongsabouth is the deputy director of the Plant Protection Center in Lao PDR. Dr. Win is the deputy director of the Plant Protection Division in Myanmar. Mr. Li is the deputy director of the Agricultural Bureau in Xing’an, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Mr. Gu is the director of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, Dehong, Yunnan Province, China. Ms. Ramal is a researcher in entomology at IRRI.
Research Scientists release new crop varieties
Library file: maize varieties

The Crops Varietal Release Committee of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has released seven out of the eight new maize varieties for mass production in the market. In addition, the Committee also released four cowpea varieties and one rice variety.A team of research scientists from the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR at Fumesua near Kumasi took between three and five years to work on the new varieties.The newly released maize varieties for instance, are known to be very highly rich in protein and Vitamin A, which most cereals and tuber crops based foods lack.

The adoption and consequent release of the maize varieties apart from their being accepted by over 80 percent of respondents, according to research can also help address poverty among farmers because of early maturity and ability to withstand drought.The cowpea varieties and the rice released also have the potential to address protein requirements needed by Ghanaians.According to the researchers, the cowpeas and the rice are all disease tolerant and high yielding.The release of the crops varieties came at the time that rainfall pattern has completely changed as a result of climate change, and also when new diseases continue to merge thereby affecting food production.A visit to the research fields at Fumesua and Nobewam by the Varietal Release Committee, accompanied by research scientists, farmers and the media prior to the release revealed a very good work done by the researchers all aimed at enhancing food production at the sub-region.

 

A Senior Research Scientist at the CRI Dr Obeng Antwi said for the first time all materials used in the research into the hybrid crops were locally produced.He said the poultry and brewery industries would be significant beneficiaries when the new maize varieties are adopted for mass production.A member of the Varietal Release Committee, Delali Nutakor commended the scientists for their hard work and hoped they will continue to be motivated to research and come out with much more improved crops varieties to enhance food production.The Director of the CRI Dr Stella Ennin also commended the sponsors and partners of the project for their continued support

 

http://gbcghana.com/1.6797500
Visit with a mission
Submitted by AT News on Sun, 13/09/2015 - 20:58
Arunachal Pradesh minister of agriculture Chowna Mein was on a recent visit to Phillipines & Malayasia leading a delegation of nine members of his department.The team visited International Rice Research Institute(IRRI) at Los Banos, Laguna(Phillipines) and interacted with senior Rice Scientists of international fame to explore potentialities of technological intervention in the state’s Rice production programme.
http://www.assamtimes.org/node/14975
Chief Executive Officer of UCI, Mr. Anwar Ezedine

Rice Importer Under US$22M Probe

Mon, 09/14/2015 By: William Q. Harmon
Major suppliers of rice from several Asian countries are considering terminating business with importers from Liberia because one of the country’s major importers of the product, United Commodities Incorporated (UCI), has allegedly duped suppliers of tens of millions of United States dollars.According to reliable sources, the Chief Executive Officer of UCI, Mr. Anwar Ezedine, has been craftily duping several international suppliers of rice by manipulating a credit arrangement known as a Collateral Management Agreement (CMA).A CMA is a tripartite agreement between a debtor (rice importer), a creditor (rice supplier) and a Collateral Manager (in this case, a UK-based company called DRUM Commodities) that sets out the obligations of the parties to the agreement.
 The Collateral Manager is expected to hold the relevant assets (rice) on behalf of the suppliers and to regularly inspect and report to the suppliers how much rice has been received by the importer, withdrawn, and is in inventory.In this arrangement, the supplier ships a consignment of rice to UCI, which stores the commodity in its warehouses at the Freeport of Monrovia. The rice, packaged in 25kg bags, remains the property of the supplier until UCI deposits money in the collateral manager's bank account in Liberia. DRUM Commodities has its agents assigned to UCI's warehouses to make sure that all withdrawals of rice are covered by deposit slips from the collateral manager’s bank. Mr. Ezedine has been allegedly conniving with DRUM agents on the ground to withdraw from the warehouse much larger quantities of rice than UCI had paid for.In a classic 'sell-pay' scheme, UCI would pay for a certain amount of rice, but convince the DRUM agents to allow the importer to withdraw a larger consignment than was paid for, with the assurance that the extra rice would be paid for once sold. When the stocks of one supplier were depleted, UCI moved to another supplier.
The first supplier's inventory records would show that there was still rice on hand, but in reality the rice was finished from the warehouse.“Mr. Ezedine did this until the suppliers became alarmed," a source who did not want to be named told the Daily Observer. "Because the rice export community is closely knit, suppliers started comparing notes with each other and soon discovered that something was fishy.
”When the suppliers began to raise the concern with DRUM, the collateral management company, they too were alarmed. “That is when DRUM sent a representative from its UK office to find out what was going on," said our source.“When the DRUM representative arrived in Liberia, he insisted on doing a physical count of the rice on the ground. It was then that he discovered that Mr. Ezedine had withdrawn 37,000 metric tonnes, or 1.5 million 25-kg bags of rice, with a value of US$22 million, without payment. He blew the whistle and other auditors and investigators are on their way to Liberia to do an in-depth analysis of what took place,” the source revealed.Efforts to speak with Mr. Ezedine did not materialize as his phone was switched off. The people at the UCI office on Bushrod Island were similarly unresponsive after several visits and calls.
The threat to Liberia is that a scandal of this magnitude could lead to financiers and major commodity suppliers being more skeptical about doing collateral management agreements with importers in Liberia, increasing the risk of doing business.The very reason CMAs are popular is because importers do not have the cash to pay for very large consignments. “A 20,000 tonne consignment of rice could cost as much as US$12 million,” our source said. “So, the CMA facility enables an importer to import without laying out that much cash (which he doesn't have) and to pay as he sells.”It is uncertain whether or not DRUM has reported this matter to the Ministry of Commerce, whose responsibility it is to safeguard the country's business image and make sure bad business practices do not adversely affect the country's ability to conduct normal commerce, especially for strategic commodities like rice. The DRUM representative has said that they were not ready to make any comment.
Ezedine has allegedly used this trick to dupe suppliers of over 1.5 million of 25kg bags of rice amounting to over US$22 million.DRUM and many other collateral management firms are becoming increasingly important within trade finance. Collateral managers basically "look after" collateral on behalf of a lender financing goods. By using a collateral manager, the lender can make sure that goods, such as commodities, for example, are being controlled in such a way that if anything goes wrong with the loan, such as the borrower defaulting on payments, then the bank can get its hands on the goods which are the subject of the loan, and sell them to recover monies lent.
Leading international collateral management companies such as DRUM, which is one of the most renowned in the West African region, serve a growing international market for structured trade finance, wherein money is lent based on the value of the underlying goods, rather than on the balance sheet of the borrower.Though the suppliers are not yet ready to identify themselves, many of them are from China, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and other countries. Some indicated that they have been doing business with local rice importers for many years.
Everyone tight-lipped
All of the suppliers involved in this scandal have declined to talk to the press though they have been contacted on numerous occasions. Ezedine was initially out of the country and his phone number has been perpetually off.The Daily Observer visited the Bushrod Island office of UCI to get comments but the manager, Samuel Farley, could not be found. When contacted, he promised to provide the contacts of the company’s lawyers who could speak on the issue. The contacts are yet to come.Though being the collateral management company that would be greatly affected in this scandal, DRUM Commodities also remains tight-lipped. When contacted via mobile phone, an official of DRUM did not confirm or deny the information, but said that he would contact his lawyer and get back to the reporter.
This reporter later received a call from Sidney Howard who said that the company was not ready to speak to the press.Rice is Liberia’s staple food and is overly consumed by more than 98 percent of the country’s population. It is also greatly perceived as a highly political commodity with a history of invoking hostilities in the country as far back as 1979. This event, which led to the death of many innocent Liberians, is infamously known as the “Rice Riot of April 14.”Despite its limited budget, the Liberian government spends a whopping US$22M annually on the importation of basic commodities, with over 70 percent of that amount going to the importation of rice.
“It is unfortunate that such a dubious syndicate is unfolding on the Liberian market which is not healthy for the economy because we cannot sit and see people duping major businesses that are helping to stabilize and run our economy, “another source, who asked not to be named, said.“This is a guy who has duped many people in this country and nothing comes out of it. He is highly protected because he is highly connected and if many of our government officials who are heading the commerce sector of this country do not take this case seriously and investigate it for justice to be done, the Liberian people will suffer the consequences because the suppliers will no longer send their commodities to Liberia.
 You and I know what rice means in this country and we cannot sit to see another April 14 creeping on us because one Lebanese man wants to get rich,” the source said.The unfortunate incident came about when Florence Chenoweth, Tolbert's minister of agriculture, submitted a proposal to the cabinet for increasing the subsidized price of rice from US$22 for a 100 pound bag toUS$26, which was strongly protested by the suffering Liberian masses. The rational the government provided then was to induce rice farmers to increase the production of Liberia’s staple food.
Reports also indicate that Mr. Ezedine has been using his political and diplomatic connections to achieve his business advantages.According to another report, which is yet to be independently verified, he currently serves as Liberia’s Honorary Consul to Lebanon, a position that he has held for years now. Mr. Ezedine is also married to the daughter of one of the country’s most powerful and popular Lebanese business tycoons.
http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/rice-importer-under-us22m-probe

Aerobic’ rice cultivation reduces water usage

The suitable areas include irrigated lowlands, where rainfall is insufficient to sustain rice production.

Present day conventional method of rice cultivation utilises 5,000 litres of water for producing one kg of rice than its actual requirement of 3,000 litres. About 2,000 litres is lost due to flooding and seepage losses. Further, decline in water table necessitates the need for improved water-use efficiency and water productivity in agriculture, particularly in rice cultivation. Thus, the newly upcoming approach of rice cultivation called aerobic rice cultivation reduces water use in rice production and increases the water use efficiency.
In simple words, growing rice plant as irrigated crop like cultivating maize and wheat in aerobic condition, where oxygen is plenty in soil. The suitable areas for aerobic rice cultivation includes irrigated lowlands, where rainfall is insufficient to sustain rice production, delta regions where there is delay in water release from reservoir, irrigated system of rice cultivation, where pumping from deep bore well has become so expensive and favourable upland system has access to supplementary irrigation.
Accordingly, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, parts of Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, and eastern Uttar Pradesh are the projected area where there is uneven distribution and frequent occurrence of soil moisture limitation. In aerobic rice cultivation, rice is cultivated as direct sown in non-puddle aerobic soil under supplementary irrigation and fertiliser with suitable high yielding rice varieties. Throughout the growing season, aerobic rice field is kept under unsaturated condition and field is irrigated by surface or sprinkler system to keep soil wet. Therefore, water productivity is reported to be higher in aerobic rice by 64-88 per cent (calculated as grams of grain produced per kg of water input) and utilises 3,000 to 3,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg of rice compared to rice raised under transplanted flooded system.
Mechanised way of sowing

Further, aerobic rice cultivation system involves mechanised way of sowing with no puddling, transplanting and not need of frequent irrigation, which reduce labour usage more than 50 per cent, compared to irrigated rice. However, aerobic rice cultivation needs suitable rice varieties having the characteristics of both upland and high yielding lowland varieties to get good yield under the new unconventional system of cultivation.
Hence, these early-maturing varieties are with good seedling vigour, responsive to high input and tolerate flooding. International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) situated in Manila, Philippines identified several cultivars with high yield potential for this unconventional aerobic rice cultivation. A new improved upland rice variety, Apo developed by IRRI under aerobic rice cultivation system raised during dry season able to attain yield of 5.7 t/ha at IRRI farm. In India, National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) (formerly Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI)), Cuttack, situated in Odisha, has developed rice varieties suitable for aerobic rice cultivation and so far six varieties were released suitable for this system, — CR Dhan 200 (Pyari) (4.0 t/ha), CR Dhan 201 (3.8 t/ha), CR Dhan 202 (3.7 t/ha), CR Dhan 203 (Sachala) (4.0 t/ha) CR Dhan 205 (4.2 t/ha) and CR Dhan 206 (4.2 t/ha) — which gives higher average yield compared to upland high yielding varieties.
Two aerobic rice varieties MAS 26 and MAS 946-1 were also released from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), GKVK, Bangalore, for the State of Karnataka, which is also said to be performing well under this system. However, constrains in aerobic rice cultivation is increased weed growth, poor crop stand, crop lodging, high percentage of panicle sterility and root-knot nematode infestation.
 Importantly, high weed infestation is the major constraint for aerobic rice and cost involved in weed control is higher. Further, due to high infiltration rate of water and imbalanced availability of nitrogen makes the aerobic soil further ailing for micronutrients (iron and zinc) and rise in nematode population. Therefore, efficient nutrient management techniques along with integrated weed management are researchable areas for successful aerobic rice cultivation and research is in progress. However, the yield of aerobic rice is comparable with transplanted rice and it has been reported from several countries.
Thus, it is an alternative option to reduce labour drudgery and to increase water productivity. Further, in environmental point of view, emission of methane is lower substantially in aerobic rice. Therefore, in recent days it is gaining momentum among rice researchers and farmers. However, extra care should be taken, since poorly managed field may cause partial to complete failure of crop, which might happen due to weeds and micronutrient non-availability.
A. Anandan, S.K. Pradhan and O.N. Singh
Crop Improvement Division,
National Rice Research Institute,
Cuttack
Keywords: rice cultivationcrop growthaerobic rice
http://www.thehindu.com/business/agri-business/aerobic-rice-cultivation-reduces-water-usage/article7648721.ece
Hacking Photosynthesis
If we could change photosynthesis, we could dramatically improve crop yields. And the breakthroughs have begun to come.
The most important rate limiting primary biological phenomenon on this planet is photosynthesis, which is responsible for the primary productivity of phototrophs (light harvesting or photosynthesizing green plants). This is the process by which plants convert solar energy into biomass, the true measure of plant productivity.The natural rate of photosynthesis has evolved into a rather slow process. One of the dreams of plant biologists has been to boost the photosynthetic rate. This was not possible until the dawn of modern biotechnology and genetic engineering.
That is, not until the advent of gene-splicing techniques in the mid-1980s. Since the 1990s, the rapid advances in recombinant DNA technology has progressed in astounding ways, which is why the last 70 years have been dubbed the “golden age” of biology. Crop yields are not increasing to keep pace with food demand from a burgeoning population. Boosting of photosynthesis in rice and wheat comes at a time when the yields have been dangerously leveling off for the past four decades. It is the fatigue of the Green Revolution, according to Dr M.S. Swaminathan.
The supercharged photosynthesis is called C4 photosynthesis, an international project at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Manila, the Philippines, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to a global consortium of 12 rice researchers. When the C4 rice plant is planted, it will tower over the conventional rice crop within weeks.
Researchers say that C4 photosynthesis will increase the yield of rice by over 50 per cent.The first exciting evidence of the effect of C4 photosynthesis in rice was seen by Paul Quick et al at IRRI late last year. For this to succeed, not only the C4 photosynthesis genes, but the anatomy of leaf cells known as Kranz anatomy needs to be engineered, which is a daunting task, as scientists do not know how those cells are put together. Thomas Brutnell of the Danforth Plant Science Centre in St Louis, says that with the help of gene editing techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, there is a possibility for altering dozens of genes that might be controlling the formation of Kranz anatomy cells.

ASEAN ministers plus 3, India visit IRRI

by MB Online
September 12, 2015
The International Rice Research Institute and the Department of Agriculture hosted that ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (China, Japan, South Korea), and India in Los Baños, Laguna on September 12, 2015. Photo by Rona Rojas-Azucena via IRRI
Ministers and dignitaries from 11 Asian countries visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters on September 12, 2015.The visit is part of the 37th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF), in addition to the 15th AMAF Plus Three Meetings with China, Japan, and South Korea hosted by the Department of Agriculture this year. India also participated in the discussions.
“IRRI supports ASEAN members in their national rice and food security programs by providing the necessary scientific research as well as technical support and capacity-building,” said Robert S. Zeigler, IRRI director general.The ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework, along with the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in the ASEAN Region, enables sharing of any agricultural commodity. A careful assessment of the various ASEAN+3 countries reveals extensive variation in natural resources for rice production. This is also the case for other crops and agricultural commodities.
http://www.mb.com.ph/asean-ministers-plus-3-india-visit-irri/#emIsw9fOxa6ebUZ5.99

Counter Intelligence: Kitchen Curry in a hurry

The spicy rice is also chock full of sweet raisins and crunchy nuts.
Photos by April Hamilton Deliciousness waiting to happen: the spice box included hard-to-find ingredients often used in Indian recipes.
When the invitation came to test-drive a cooking kit that makes preparing authentic Indian dishes at home “easier than ever,” I said “Yes, please!” I have dabbled in some simple Indian recipes at home, but Channa Masala is about the only one I have mastered. Saute an onion, add some spices and a can of chickpeas. Simmer. Done.
The kit arrived, and I ripped the box open. It felt like my birthday! A collection of aromatic spices and a new cookbook, that’s worthy of celebration. A cooking party was definitely in order, so we packed up the car and the kid and headed to the country to visit my in-laws.We gathered around the kitchen island and enjoyed a three generation chop and chat. The only difficult part of our feast was choosing which recipes to make. It feels like Neena, the kit’s creator, is right there in the kitchen guiding you through her recipes.Crack open the book and you’ll want to assemble an entire buffet. The first one, spicy rice, had me sold in an instant. Spiced rice, tempered with sweet raisins and crunchy cashews and a fresh sprinkle of cilantro, will be in regular rotation at our house.
The recipe format makes it easy to prep for multiple dishes. It begins with the title of the dish and accompanying photograph. You can quickly see what you need to provide under the “Things You Need” section of each recipe, and there’s lots of overlap — chopped fresh garlic, chopped onion, fresh ginger, tomato (canned or paste), fresh cilantro. Just add spices from the kit, fresh vegetables or meat, and you are transported to Mumbai. The type of pan needed, prep and cooking time, and spice level are all indicated, taking the guess work out of the process.Settling on four dishes, Spicy Rice; Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, and Eggplant Curry; Chicken Curry; and finally, a cooling Raita, our teams got to work chopping tons of garlic, ginger and cilantro, and a mountain of vegetables.My mother-in-law was amazed at the simplicity of our cooking session, announcing, “You don’t need a PhD to make this.” Followed by “this vegetable dish is just over-the-top wonderful! The seasoning is … ™mmmmmmmm. I could really get hooked on this!”
My father-in-law added, “The combination really hits the spot!”My teenage daughter suggested adding chickpeas to the vegetable curry and my husband bit right into a cardamom pod to grand laughter at the table. Next time I’ll be sure to fish out the whole spice pieces before serving.Test drive complete, now I’m deciding what to make next. The kit has enough spices to cook through the whole book so I’ll just have to replenish my garlic and ginger and cook up another curry session.
Kitchen Curry Master www.kitchencurrymaster.com
Spicy Rice
The recipe book breaks up the ingredients into “things you need” and “from the spice box” — here I list the ingredients in order of their use.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup corn kernels (frozen or off the cob)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups cooked Basmati rice (hot or cold)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup water
1 handful fresh chopped cilantro
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or saute pan over medium heat.
Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and garlic.
Stir, then cover for 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low and add the onions, cashews, raisins, and corn.
Stir and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the turmeric, chili powder, cooked rice, salt, water, and half of the cilantro, stirring to combine.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes to heat through.
Serve with remaining fresh cilantro.
Sweet Potato, Cauliflower and Eggplant Curry
Add chickpeas for a one-pot meal
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or covered saute pan over medium heat.
Add the mustard seeds and cover for 30 seconds.
Reduce heat to low for 1 minute, then carefully remove the lid and add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder.
Stir and cook 1 minute to toast spices.
Add the crushed tomatoes, coconut, salt,and water and stir well.
Stir in the eggplant, sweet potato, and cauliflower and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Serve with rice, quinoa, or couscous.
Raita
Traditional cooling cucumber and yogurt sauce with herbs — essential for any Indian feast
2 cups plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled and grated (remove seeds before grating, if large)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine yogurt, cucumber, mint, cilantro, and salt in a medium bowl.
Serve with curry dishes or as a dip for fresh vegetables or pita chips.
April Hamilton has always said, “Cooking is fun!” She shares her easy, practical recipes for delicious food through her cooking classes for kids and families. April’s husband and three daughters help with testing and tasting in their Charleston kitchen. April would love to hear from you at aprilskitchencounter@gmail.com. Hungry for more? Visit www.aprilskitchencounter.com, and follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Aprilskitchencounter.
GAZETTE MAIL





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