Thursday, August 11, 2016

11th August,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine















            New State of the Art University of Arkansas Foundation Seed Facility Opens Doors  

STUTTGART, AR -- It was standing room only here yesterday at the dedication of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's new Foundation Seed Facility.

The $8.6 million facility will be part of the Rice Research and Extension Center and is a tremendous leap forward for Arkansas rice farmers and the industry as a whole.

Dr. Glen Bathke, the center's program director, said the facility will manage the certified rice, soybean, and wheat foundation seeds produced by the Division of Agriculture, which require inspections throughout the entire process, from the field to the point of sale. The facility will be capable of processing as much as 250 bushels of seed an hour, including pre-cleaning, cleaning, sizing, and other steps in ensuring the high quality of as many as 25 varieties of seed each year.
 
Dr. Mark Cochran, University of Arkansas System vice president for Agriculture, said it was time to bring seed processing into the 21st century for one of the nation's leading agricultural states.

"It was time to replace something from the 1950's," Cochran said, noting the aging of the division's original seed facility.

The new facility features a 6,419-square-foot warehousing area, a nearly 3,330-square-foot conditioning area, and a 1,835-square-foot business area.  The bulk storage area includes 20 bins with a capacity of 26,000 bushels, enabling operators to dry and store as many as 20 different crop varieties at one time.  The facility's belt conveyors can move 2,000 bushels an hour under one roof.

Bryan Moery, a rice farmer from Wynne, Arkansas and chairman of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board, the group that provided $2 million for the project, was among the many growers who attended the dedication ceremony.

"We're quite pleased with this cutting edge facility that befits an already world-class rice research program," Moery said.  "When Dr. Cochran brought this project to the board several years ago, we saw the need and supported his vision.  It's nice to see it realized today."
USA Rice Daily, Wednesday, August 10, 2016







Commodity Panel Briefs State FSA Reps on Farm Bill Implementation

WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, a panel of agriculture commodity representatives briefed the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state executive directors and state committee chairmen here during their annual summer meeting on various aspects of Farm Bill implementation and effectiveness.

USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely participated on the panel to provide the rice industry's perspective on past, present, and future Farm Bills. Other panelists participating represented the corn, wheat, and soybean industries along with a general representative from the National Farmers Union.

"As the governing bodies for FSA within each state, it's important for the participants here to be able to take home the sentiment brought forth by our growers," said Mosely.  "Each sector of agriculture and each state has their own strengths and challenges whether it be regulatory barriers, lower prices, weather damage, etc., and the Farm Bill programs implemented by FSA typically play a large role in addressing those challenges to keep America's agriculture industry in business."

Prior to the panel briefing, meeting participants engaged in broader discussions on Farm Bill effectiveness and taking stock of where FSA is in the process of implementation and where programs are headed.

Mosely's comments largely reflected the need for the agriculture community to build coalitions leading up to the next Farm Bill.

"It will take a united front to pass the next Farm Bill and the sooner we can build consensus around the shape of commodity programs the better.  The Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program works well for rice farmers and we will be focused on maintaining that support.  Crop insurance may work for some commodities and regions but it certainly is not the cornerstone of the safety net when it comes to rice," he concluded.






APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1534

Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 09-08-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Chala (Kerala)
Other
2900
3020
2
Dhekiajuli (Assam)
Fine
2000
2300
3
Sainthia (West Bengal)
Common
1830
1870
Wheat
1
Siddhpur (Gujarat)
Other
1650
1900
2
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1687
1900
3
Nagpur (Maharashtra)
Other
1650
1758
Banana
1
Batala (Punjab)
Other
1100
1300
2
Solapur (Maharashtra)
Other
1100
1100
3
Thanesar (Haryana)
Other
2000
2200
Brinjal
1
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
1900
2100
2
Bargarh (Orissa)
Other
1400
1500
3
Barnala (Punjab)
Other
800
1000
















Losses lead to closure of 100 Naogaon rice mills

Our Correspondent


NAOGAON, Aug 10: Over 100 rice mills have been closed recently due to heavy losses, pushing nearly 1,500 male and female labourers towards unemployment. The families of the workers are in deep trouble financially.

Adoption of auto rice mills, Open Market Sale (OMS) of rice, importing rice from neighbouring India and falling prices of locally produced rice have been the keys reasons for the deteriorating financial condition of rice mills in the upazila, sources said.

Mill owners said that as the rice sale have fallen sharply in the last several months, they had to count a loss of Tk 100 to 160 per maund.

Officials of Upazila Food Department said around 10 to 15 rice mills started functioning in upazila's Kujail Bazar, Ataikula, Harishpur, Betgari, Trimohani, Kubratali, Krishnapur and Abadpukur areas in early 1990. Now the number of those rice mills stands at 134.

But, nearly 110 rice mills in the upazila have faced shutdown for the slump in sales of local rice varieties. Production at rest of the rice mills have also been lessened, they added.

General secretary of Raninagar Rice Mills Association Shitanath Ghosh said the situation would be changed if the government started purchasing rice from the millers at reasonable price soon.

    ritushar.ru@gmail.com
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/08/10/41603/Losses-lead-to-closure-of-100-Naogaon-rice-mills





New rice here

ICCTISI members with the new bags of rice.
ABOUT 2,490 bags of ten kilogram rice have been arrived in the country.
They are being imported by Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Trade and Industries of Solomon Islands (ICCTISI) from Vietnam.

It cost ICCTISI about $345,500 to purchase the long grain rice.

The bags of rice have been unloaded from two containers yesterday and ready for sale in the market in Honiara and the provinces.

It will cost $84 per bag.

ICCTISI chief executive officer, Charles Dausabea said they imported the rice after seeing foreign companies importing rice from overseas.

“We understand most of the profits of foreign companies go back to their countries.

“However, profit money we make from the sale of this rice will remain in Solomon Islands,” Dausabea said.

He said the profit will help alot of indigenous people to improve their standard of living in future.

Dausabea said ICCTISI plans to import other commodities like noodles in future.

But he said for the start, they want to start with staple food like rice.

Media was given the opportunity to taste the rice and it was very delicious.

It would soon become available in the local markets.

ICCTISI is made up of five zones namely Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern.

The Central zone covers Central Province and Honiara, while Northern zone covers Malaita, Malaita Outer Island and Isabel.

The Southern zone covers Guadalcanal and Renbel and Eastern zone covers Makira Ulawa and Temotu.

Prior to importing of rice, ICCTISI had visited its zone to promote their vision and goals of the association.

In the meantime, Solrais, Fangs and Solomon Islands Ports Authority are importing rice in the country for sale

Losses lead to closure of 100 Naogaon rice mills

Our Correspondent


NAOGAON, Aug 10: Over 100 rice mills have been closed recently due to heavy losses, pushing nearly 1,500 male and female labourers towards unemployment. The families of the workers are in deep trouble financially.

Adoption of auto rice mills, Open Market Sale (OMS) of rice, importing rice from neighbouring India and falling prices of locally produced rice have been the keys reasons for the deteriorating financial condition of rice mills in the upazila, sources said.

Mill owners said that as the rice sale have fallen sharply in the last several months, they had to count a loss of Tk 100 to 160 per maund.

Officials of Upazila Food Department said around 10 to 15 rice mills started functioning in upazila's Kujail Bazar, Ataikula, Harishpur, Betgari, Trimohani, Kubratali, Krishnapur and Abadpukur areas in early 1990. Now the number of those rice mills stands at 134.

But, nearly 110 rice mills in the upazila have faced shutdown for the slump in sales of local rice varieties. Production at rest of the rice mills have also been lessened, they added.

General secretary of Raninagar Rice Mills Association Shitanath Ghosh said the situation would be changed if the government started purchasing rice from the millers at reasonable price soon.

    ritushar.ru@gmail.com
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/08/10/41603/Losses-lead-to-closure-of-100-Naogaon-rice-mills






Get the latest on rice at Field Day

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Posted: Tuesday, August 9, 2016 7:06 pm
Growers from around the state are gearing up for the annual California Rice Field Day in Biggs to see the latest research and findings regarding the commodity.
Scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 31, those in attendance will receive an update on research findings from this past year, be briefed on ways to protect the crop from weeds and insects, and take a tour around the facility to see how different rice varieties have been growing this season.
Industry leaders will be honored during the award ceremony portion of the event. Scholarships for graduate students will also be presented. Sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation and the University of California, the event is held at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs that has been around since 1912.
"We are a breeding station where growers fund us to breed all the different varieties," said Kent McKenzie, director and plant breeder for RES. "We come up with improved rice varieties that grow better in different places around the state."
In total, RES currently has 18 different varieties, with 90 percent of the rice grown around the state coming from the breeding facility, McKenzie said.
RES is funded entirely by rice growers around the state to experiment and develop research to optimize the commodity's growth and yield. Growers statewide pay into a fund which then pays for RES to experiment.
Essentially, this annual event is to show growers how their money is being spent.
"The event is for growers and anybody working in the rice industry in California," said Whitney Brim-Deforest, UC farm advisor. "A lot of students go from Davis, Chico State and Butte College as well. The focus is to know what's happening and know the latest research on rice in California."
McKenzie said he plans on addressing a couple of issues seen in the industry this year, the biggest being the emergence of red rice — a "wheaty" form of rice — which he said has become more of a problem recently.
He also plans on releasing information on new varieties of rice RES has developed or has been working on. The last announced variation was long grain rice.
The 2016 California Rice Field Day is free and open to the public. Registration for the event begins at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 31. Brim-Deforest said past events have seen up to 500 people attend.
Following the event, lunch will be served to guests. McKenzie said the meal is rice-based and will involve sushi.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/glenn_county_transcript/get-the-latest-on-rice-at-field-day/article_0a74d5a2-5e9f-11e6-a965-e3894880cb4e.html








Leprozo opens exhibit in UB

Tuesday, August 09, 2016
By
CULTURE through the eyes of veteran lensman, Dave Leprozo Jr. is on display at the University of Baguio Centennial building.
Leprozo in his exhibit dubbed “Tradisyunal Kordilyera Habi” pays tribute to the culture of the highlands anew focusing on traditional weaves.
The veteran photojournalist opened the on August 5 with University of Baguio president Dhanna Kerina Bautista-Rodas and former Mayor Peter Reynaldo Bautista Jr. joining the simple rites.
The show features photographs depicting Cordillera woven fiber and costumes from the different unique designs from the six provinces of the region, which have their own patterns that are totally different from each tribal group.
“The show is a tribute to the tradition of weaving for the region,” Leprozo said.
Bankrolled by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts with a grant to be able to stage the solo exhibition through the Committee on Arts and Galleries, the exhibit is expected to travel around the country.
Before the UB show, the exhibit came from the Asian Cultural Center of the University of the Cordilleras, its next stop is the NCCA gallery in October in celebration of IP Month.
Leprozo has been touring the world, taking his images with him and promoting the rich culture of the region in Canada, Hawaii and South East Asia and is also known as lover of the region’s culture, arts and heritage taking in the camera to the remotest areas to document the highland way of life.
Leprozo just finished a show depicting the rice culture of the region at the International Rice Research Institute in Laguna dubbed as “Rice Culture of the Cordilleras” dedicated to the rice cycle which are depicted in festivals like Ayyoweng di Lambak and Begnas in Mountain Provinces, Imbayah, Kulpih and Gottad in Ifugao and Ullalim in Kalinga and Adivay in Benguet.
Leprozo, Jr. has also exhibited in Hawaii his collection of photographs called “Ilocandia, A Photographic Odyssey,” as a tribute to the first Filipino migrants in Hawaii
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/local-news/2016/08/09/leprozo-opens-exhibit-ub-490401






Cosmos: Exotic, Flavorful And Inexpensive Take-Out

Cosmos International on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford sells Indian spices, groceries and take-out food.
Contact Reporteraellis@ctnow.com
Cosmos International on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford packs a lot of Indian culture into a little space, including groceries, aromatic spices and flavorful prepared foods.
On the take-out front, there's something for carnivores and vegetarians alike. The $4.99, generous lunch special includes one veggie, one meat, rice and naan. For $5.99, you can have two meat options.
My go-to dish at Indian restaurants is usually some sort of chicken offering (vindaloo or tandoori). But this time I chose saag paneer (soft Indian vegetarian cheese and curried spinach in a mild sauce), basmati rice and navratan korma (a blend of different vegetables). My friend chose the chicken kebab lunch ($4.99) that came with rice and chhole, a mixture of chickpeas and onions slowly simmered in a tangy sauce. The beef kebab lunch costs a little more.
Even less expensive, at $3.99, is the kebab sandwich: chicken or beef on bread with garnish, onion, tomato, spicy chutney, yogurt and coriander.
Sides are plentiful. The spinach pakoras, flavorful onion and spinach fritters coated with a chickpea butter, are $6.99 per pound.
I have to have samosas when I eat Indian food. The fried flour shells filled with spiced potatoes, onions, peas and lentils (with a meat option), are served with a mint sauce or chutney. Cosmos' samosas weren't the best I've had, but good enough for $2 each. And for dessert, a bag of plantain chips is a must.
The parking at Cosmos is limited, but you can usually grab a spot. A few circles around the block are worth what's waiting inside.
Cosmos International, 770 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 860-232-6600.



Surge seen in farm machinery exports
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION August 11, 2016 1:00 am
EXPORTS of agricultural machinery are expected to increase by 10 per cent to Bt33.19 billion this year under the government’s policy to promote the growth of the machinery industry and innovation technology under the “Thailand 4.0” model.
After witnessing the signing of an agreement by the International Trade Promotion Department, Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and Kasetsart University to promote trading and marketing of agricultural equipment and machinery, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said yesterday that since the government wants to boost value-added exports, agricultural machinery was one of targeted industries that it will keep on marketing.

The agricultural-machinery industry could help add value to exports, while almost 100 per cent of its parts are made locally.

The value of agricultural-machinery exports reached Bt30.17 billion last year and Bt15.81 billion in the first half of this year.

Key products are wheel ploughs, feed mills and grinders, tractors, water pumps and combine harvesters.

Demand was primarily from Asean countries for their rice and grain farming.

Over the past two years, emerging markets in Africa have also shown strong interest in Thai agricultural-machinery innovations. For instance, Thailand is negotiating to establish rice-milling plants in Nigeria. The Thai government, the FTI and Kasetsart could join in technology transfers and training for Nigerian farmers and millers.

Borpit Tangwongkit, an associate professor of agricultural machinery and mechatronics at Kasetsart's Khamphaeng Saen campus in Nakhon Pathom, said the agreement for Thailand to help establish a mill in Nigeria was expected to be finalised soon.

Initial capital will run in the several hundred millions of baht, which the Nigerian government is keen to support, while Thai enterprises want to form joint ventures.

To promote the sale of agricultural machinery, the ministry urges local entrepreneurs to join the "Thailand Tractor and Agri-Machinery Show" to be held from December 2-11 at the Khamphaeng Saen campus.

More than 150 Thai and international exhibitors will showcase the latest agricultural technologies, ranging from tractors to farming machinery, to 50,000 trade visitors from Asean, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Australia.


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Surge-seen-in-farm-machinery-exports-30292659.html












Vox Pop: Consumers had this to say about GMO labeling...

By Adi Menayang & Mary Ellen Shoup , 10-Aug-2016
Last updated on 10-Aug-2016 at 17:11 GMT2016-08-10T17:11:54Z
Related tags: GMO Disclosure Bill, Vox Pop, GMOs, DARK Act, genetically modified ingredients

On the heels of President Barack Obama signing into law a federal bill requiring the disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on packaged food and beverage products, we at Beverage Daily and FoodNavigator-USA asked consumers at a downtown Chicago farmers market what they thought of GMOs.

GMOs have steadily fallen out of favor among US consumers, pressuring some manufacturers to rid their products of genetically engineered ingredients. For example, General Mills removed GMOs from its flagship original Cheerios cereal. Similarly, dairy giant Dannon announced in July that it would bring more non-GMO ingredient options and clear labels to its yogurt products.
In order to see just how much GMOs mattered to US consumers and affected their purchasing decisions, we surveyed a number of consumers who visited the Thursday farmer's market in downtown Chicago's Daley Plaza.
The questions were straightforward:
“What are GMOs?” and “Do you think about GMOs when you go food shopping and you’re looking at label?”
We also brought with us a few common food products by companies who have already added a GMO disclosure label to comply with Vermont's GMO labeling law , such as products by Mars Inc., Campbell's Soup, and General Mills, though Vermont's law was eventually nullified by the new federal one .
The sample size of our respondents was of course too small to reach sweeping conclusions, but even with only a handful of randomly selected consumers selected in a very specific type of place (a farmer's market), opinions on what GMOs are were very diverse. Of all the people we approached (20), five people declined to participate because they felt they did not know enough about the subject of GMOs.

Two-year deadline for federal GMO labeling legislation

The law requires the USDA to establish a national standard for GMO labeling within two years, and pre-empts state GMO disclosure laws including Vermont’s law which went into effect on July 1.
While it requires mandatory disclosures on food labels, however, there is some flexibility over the form they can take - a compromise industry associations such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the International Dairy Foods Association  say they can support.
However, anti-GMO activists - and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders - remain staunchly opposed, primarily because it will allow companies to use QR codes or other symbols instead of forcing them to state on pack that a product uses GMOs - as the law in Vermont requires.


http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/Vox-Pop-Consumers-had-this-to-say-about-GMO-labeling/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10-Aug-2016&c=uOmQpTGayC7rzjzudajaUPTDg9OCc9iN&p2=




USDA
Farm Service Agency

1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20250




Mark Simone

(202) 720-5653



Program Announcement
PREVAILING WORLD PRICES AND LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENT RATES


WASHINGTON, August 10, 2016-The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today 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 2016 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices decreased $0.18 per cwt for long grain and $0.17 per cwt for medium/short grain.

--------World Price-------     MLG/LDP Rate

Milled Value
Rough
Rough
($/cwt)
($/cwt)
($/cwt)
Long Grain
14.89
9.47
0.00
Medium/Short Grain
14.51
9.70
0.00
Brokens
8.98
----
----

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
55.67/13.17
6.50
Medium/Short Grain
61.16/9.21
6.50

The next program announcement is scheduled for August 17, 2016.

#
World | Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:57pm BST
Related: World

Venezuelans flood Brazil border in 36-hour grocery run

PACARAIMA, Brazil | By Brian Ellsworth
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Men load boxes of food onto the back of a pick-up truck, after arriving from Brazil, in front of the bus terminal in Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela August 2, 2016.
Reuters/William Urdaneta
Government employee Jose Lara this month used some vacation days to take a long scenic bus ride through the verdant plateaus and sweeping savannas of southern Venezuela, but the trip was anything but a holiday.
It was a 36-hour grocery run.
Lara took an overnight bus and then a pick-up truck to get across the border to neighboring Brazil to buy food staples that have gone scarce in Venezuela's crisis-stricken economy.
"Workers can't even enjoy vacation anymore. Look where I am! Buying food for my children," said Lara, 40, who was preparing to load 30-kilo (66-pound) packages of rice and flour onto a bus to complete a journey that takes close to 36 hours.
Venezuelans seeking to escape their socialist economy's dysfunction are flooding into the remote Brazilian town of Pacaraima in search of basic goods that are prohibitively expensive or only available after hours in line.
Shoppers have been coming for months, primarily from the industrial city of Puerto Ordaz - already a 12-hour bus ride - but lately they're also arriving from even more far flung regions across the country.
Venezuelans spend hours in supermarket lines. Many increasingly complain that they cannot get enough food to eat three meals per day.
Low oil prices and massive debt-servicing costs have left the country without foreign exchange to import goods, while price and currency controls have crippled domestic companies' capacity to produce locally.
President Nicolas Maduro says the government is the victim of an "economic war" led by the United States.
'THE LINE'
Under pressure from local residents after Maduro shut the western border with Colombian border in 2015, Venezuelan authorities allowed several temporary openings for similar shopping excursions in July. Colombia last month halted those trips after more than 100,000 people crossed in a single weekend.
The more remote Brazilian border was never closed.
In the Pacaraima, known to Venezuelans as "La Linea" or "The Line" because it is immediately across the border, cramped shops are now piled high with sacks of rice, sugar, and flour.
Products piled to waist height stand at the entrance of convenience stores, auto parts shops and even a farm supply store.
"It's good business, but the price of everything is going up in Boa Vista," said Mauricio Macedo, 26, who works at a family business that sells artisanal decorations such as clay figurines but for three months has been primarily focused on food items.
Venezuelan regulations require that staple products be sold for a pittance – a kilo of rice is set at the equivalent of $0.12. But obtaining goods at those prices requires waiting in long lines that are increasingly the site of robberies or lootings. That leaves Venezuelans reliant on the black market, where the same bag of rice fetches the equivalent of $2.20.
In Pacaraima, sugar and rice sell for about 40 percent to 45 percent less than what they would cost on Venezuela's black market. The discount is worth it despite the cost of the trip.
Shoppers usually take a 12-hour overnight bus ride from Puerto Ordaz to the town of Santa Elena de Uairen. They then travel roughly 15 minutes by van or pick-up truck to La Linea. They spend the morning and much of the afternoon shopping, then head back across the border to catch another overnight bus.
"We're in an economic crisis and I have to come to another country to buy food," said Juan Sansonetti, 31, standing under the sun with a large sack of flour on his shoulder. "There isn't much more to say, is there?"
(Editing by Christian Plumb and Kieran Murray)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-brazil-idUKKCN10L1KE





Thailand Recovers World First Place as Rice Exporter

miércoles, 10 de agosto de 2016

10 de agosto de 2016, 00:15Bangkok, Aug 10 (Prensa Latina) Thailand became the world''s biggest rice exporter during the first semester of the present year, as told by the National Exporters Association of Rice in Thailand.
The National Exporters Association said Thailand commercialized in the first semester of 2016 5 million tons of rice. This represented an increase of 12.1 percent compared to the same period of 2015.

Thailand excelled its main competitors: India, which exported 4.76 million tons; Vietnam, which exported 2.66 million, and Pakistan (2.44 million tons).

The president of the Association, Charoen Laothammathat, expressed his desire for the country to maintain this position at the end of this year, with a goal of 9.9 million tons of rice.

Nevertheless, he warned that the India might overcome the sales of Thailand for 2017, due to the over abundant supply and the decrease of the demand, because of the increase of the quotation of the baht (Thai national currency)




Rice one of the most manipulated crops, including in the U.S.

Aug 10, 2016 Forrest Laws  | Delta Farm Press

The U.S. rice industry has made no secret of their feelings on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As far as rice industry members are concerned, the trade agreement seemingly has something for everyone – except Southern rice.Bill Reed, vice president for corporate communications and public affairs at Riceland Foods, says TPP could actually reduce sales of rice from the Mid-South because of increased access to the Mexican market for Southeast Asian countries, primarily Vietnam.Rather than specifically work against the agreement, the rice industry is trying to get the Obama administration to make greater use of rice in food aid programs to help spur rice consumption and offset some of the damage that could occur from TPP.
Reed discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Cuba and other rice industry issues during a presentation at the annual RiceTec Arkansas Field Day at the company’s Arkansas Business Center near Harrisburg in northeast Arkansas.
For more information on RiceTec, visit http://www.ricetec.com/.




Get the latest on rice at Field Day

Growers from around the state are gearing up for the annual California Rice Field Day in Biggs to see the latest research and findings regarding the commodity.
Scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 31, those in attendance will receive an update on research findings from this past year, be briefed on ways to protect the crop from weeds and insects, and take a tour around the facility to see how different rice varieties have been growing this season.
Industry leaders will be honored during the award ceremony portion of the event. Scholarships for graduate students will also be presented. Sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation and the University of California, the event is held at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs that has been around since 1912.
"We are a breeding station where growers fund us to breed all the different varieties," said Kent McKenzie, director and plant breeder for RES. "We come up with improved rice varieties that grow better in different places around the state."
In total, RES currently has 18 different varieties, with 90 percent of the rice grown around the state coming from the breeding facility, McKenzie said.
RES is funded entirely by rice growers around the state to experiment and develop research to optimize the commodity's growth and yield. Growers statewide pay into a fund which then pays for RES to experiment.
Essentially, this annual event is to show growers how their money is being spent.
"The event is for growers and anybody working in the rice industry in California," said Whitney Brim-Deforest, UC farm advisor. "A lot of students go from Davis, Chico State and Butte College as well. The focus is to know what's happening and know the latest research on rice in California."
McKenzie said he plans on addressing a couple of issues seen in the industry this year, the biggest being the emergence of red rice — a "wheaty" form of rice — which he said has become more of a problem recently.
He also plans on releasing information on new varieties of rice RES has developed or has been working on. The last announced variation was long grain rice.
The 2016 California Rice Field Day is free and open to the public. Registration for the event begins at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 31. Brim-Deforest said past events have seen up to 500 people attend.
Following the event, lunch will be served to guests. McKenzie said the meal is rice-based and will involve sushi


http://www.appeal-democrat.com/glenn_county_transcript/get-the-latest-on-rice-at-field-day/article_0a74d5a2-5e9f-11e6-a965-e3894880cb4e.html




Govt denies Yingluck 'no justice' claim

- +
The Commerce Ministry has rebutted former premier Yingluck Shinawatra's court testimony that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered that "justice be bypassed" in seeking to fine her over losses incurred by the rice-pledging scheme.
Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara insisted yesterday it was a gross misunderstanding to say Gen Prayut has ordered justice be ignored in pursuing the compensation case against Ms Yingluck.
Ms Yingluck told the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders last week she was not receiving fair treatment on account of the prime minister's "order" to ignore justice, contained in a classified document she managed to obtain and which was presented to the court.
The document describes the minutes of a national rice policy and management committee meeting chaired by Gen Prayut.
In the document, Gen Prayut told the meeting the duty of the committee looking into the compensation issue against Ms Yingluck was to assess the losses from the rice scheme and forward the findings to the Comptroller-General's Department without having to consider the issue of justice.
The committee's task, added the prime minister, was to proceed quickly within a given deadline, according to Ms Yingluck.
During the trial, Ms Yingluck dismissed accusations by the state that she turned a blind eye to graft under her rice-pledging programme, saying several panels had been set up to scrutinise the scheme. The government is trying to hold her to account for her alleged negligence of duty.
Ms Chutima said the prime minister did not mean to say the panel should not give Ms Yingluck justice and the matter went far beyond that panel anyway.
The justice process, in fact, does not rest with the committee as it will be meted out by the court of law, she said.
Also, Ms Yingluck has the right to petition the Administrative Court to revoke the fine of 286.6 billion baht calculated by Jirachai Moonthongroy, deputy permanent secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, who headed the compensation committee.
The former premier is entitled to full rights and freedoms to fight the case in the courts and so it is impossible for an individual to order an action to deny someone else justice as alleged, Ms Chutima said