Friday, October 27, 2017

27th October,2017 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine


REAP demands ‘relief package’ for rice exports

·       RECORDER REPORT

·       OCT 26TH, 2017

·       KARACHI
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has urged the federal government to announce a relief package for the rice exports. A delegation of REAP led by Chaudhary Samiullah Naeem held meetings with federal ministers including Commerce Minister Muhammad Pervez Malik, Minister Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan and Minister of Defense Eng Khurram Dastgir to discuss various issues relating rice trade. Rafique Suleman Senior Vice Chairman REAP, Shahzad Ali Malik, Faizan Ali Ghori, Shah Jahan Malik, Mian Muhsin Aziz, Karim Aziz Malik and Pir Nazim Hussain were also a part of the delegation.

Suggestions and proposals for betterment of rice trade were also discussed and ministers assured to resolve all the issues being faced by rice exporters. Commerce Minister announced to form a high level committee for increase in rice exports. The committee will meet monthly basis to review the rice exports situation and draw further strategy for higher rice exports.

Chairman REAP informed the ministers that rice exports, the second largest foreign exchange earned sector, is facing several challenges from the last few years due to lower commodity price in the world market. "Rice should be given status of industry as rice is being exported after value addition through a processing procedure", he demanded.

He said that the government has announced Rs 180 billion relief package for the major several exporting sectors, however rice could not be included in this package. "Rice is also facing some issues, therefore, it should be included in already announced relief package or another package should be announced for rice exporters", he demanded.

Chairman REAP said that Iran is one of the largest rice importing country as it imports are over one million ton rice annually. Despite the lifting of US sanctions, banking channel between Pakistan and Iran has not yet restored, of which Pakistan exporters are unable to directly export to Iran, he added.

"We can earn some 300 to 400 million dollar foreign exchange annually for the country by exporting up to 0.4 million tons to Iran", he said. Senior Vice chairman Rafique Suleman said that Indonesia is also an important market for Pakistani exporters, but unfortunately, rice is not included in the Free Trade Agreement items. He urged commerce minister for dialogs with Indonesia to finalize the formalities for export of rice.

He suggested that like India and Thailand, the rice exporting association-REAP should be declared a competent authority for export of rice to Indonesia. Suleman also proposed subsidy on agricultural inputs such as seed, water, diesel, electricity, besides measurers to enhance the per acre yield. "We demand that Rice Research Institute should work on a mage project to minimize the input cost and increase the yield and quality of Pakistani rice, so that cost of paddy will be reduced and exporters can compete in the world market", he added. He also demanded REAP representation on Export Development Board.
https://fp.brecorder.com/2017/10/20171026229555/

      Rice harvest races to finish before autumn rains

POSTED: 10/25/17, 10:40 AM PDT | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO
Harvest started with a field of short-grain rice last month. The earlier-maturing variety is typically one of the first to be harvested in the Sacramento Valley.
After being held up by late spring rains that led to a hectic planting schedule, California rice farmers have begun harvesting what is expected to be a smaller crop.
With an estimated 458,000 acres in production this year, California rice acreage declined by 78,000 acres from 2016, according to a forecast this month from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers have attributed that drop to the difficult spring weather that did not allow them to finish on time.
“Everybody in the industry thought we were going to have a big crop this year,” said Sutter County rice farmer Greg Van Dyke. “But with the type of weather we had, we just physically couldn’t get in and plant it.”
He ended up leaving 40 percent of his normal acreage fallow because it got too late in the season to plant the rest.
The late planting was also expected to push back the start of harvest, which could put farmers at risk of early fall rains that could wreak havoc on their crop. Farmers agree the number of sweltering days this summer helped speed growth of the plants, but there are also concerns that the high heat could lower yields.
“I don’t think yields are going to be bad by any means; I just think they’re going to be slightly reduced from last year, which had very good yields,” Van Dyke said.
A smaller incoming crop could help firm up prices, he added, noting the depressed rice market in recent years. Also boosting grower optimism is the prospect of China, the world’s largest consumer, opening its doors to U.S. rice. A phytosanitary agreement reached by the U.S. and China in July is expected to be particularly beneficial to California growers and millers, by raising long-term export sales.
Van Dyke started harvest last week on a short-grain variety, which has a shorter growing season than the state’s predominant, medium-grain Calrose variety and is typically one of the first to come off in the Sacramento Valley.
Colusa County farmer Brian Barrett said he expects some medium-grain fields will begin cutting sometime next week, with harvest ramping up in October, on par with typical harvest dates.
“I think (the crop) has caught up a little bit, but I think it’ll still be about a week behind where we were last year,” he said.
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His family managed to plant all their ground except for about 100 acres, which were covered by prevented-planting insurance. The option of the indemnity, Barrett said, allowed farmers to focus on the fields they were able to plant.
“It was like, let’s do it right and get the best crop we could,” he said.
With half his acreage in the Yolo Bypass, which remained flooded late in the season, Yolo County farmer Mike Hall said he left some 4,800 acres unplanted. He completed harvest on about 2,000 acres of wild rice—another short-season crop—more than two weeks ago, but he said some of his later-maturing, medium-grain varieties won’t be harvested until mid-October.
“When you start to get into October, you run the risk of late October wind and rain that could knock (the plant) down,” he said. “We’ve encountered that before, where the yield was cut more than 50 percent when those fields just got wet and knocked down.”
Because many fields were planted during a two-week window, Barrett said if farmers try to harvest it all in a similar timeframe, it could “make things hard” for dryers as they face a possible logjam.
Yuba County farmer Charley Mathews Jr., who expects to start harvest sometime this week, said when there’s late planting, farmers typically scramble on the back end, with multiple varieties coming off at the same time.
“It’s going to be a rush, but it always is,” he said. “We all harvest a lot faster than we used to.”
Now that the weather has started to cool down, he said, it has slowed progress of the crop.
Consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures this summer may cause some yield losses, Barrett said.
During the heading stage of the rice plant, temperatures exceeding 104 degrees could dry out the pollen, thwarting fertilization, which leads to blanking, or empty kernels, said Luis Espino, a University of California Cooperative Extension farm adviser.
“And this year, I’ve seen some of that,” he said. “I don’t know how widespread it is. It’s going to depend on when the panicles were coming out and the temperature at that time. I’ve seen some fields where you can see can blanking, and I believe it’s because of the high temperature.”
Blanking more often happens when temperatures below 55 degrees damage the pollen when it is first formed, making it unviable, Espino said. But this year, temperatures never dropped that low during that stage of the plant’s development, raising hopes that there would be less blanking and higher yields, he said.
Aside from possible heat-related issues, Espino described the overall growing season as “good,” noting that he didn’t see any blast in fields and received few reports of it this year. However, there were more reports of stem rot, a common fungal disease caused by a pathogen in the soil that he said may be becoming more prevalent.
The pathogen overwinters in rice straw, and farmers used to manage the disease by burning the straw after harvest. Because burning has been greatly reduced for many years, Espino said he thinks the pathogen has accumulated in some fields, leading to an increase in stem-rot problems. Fungicides, he noted, have not been very effective.
Small infestations of weedy rice, or red rice, also are showing up in more California fields, Espino said. As of the end of 2016, it had been confirmed in more than 10,000 acres, according to UCCE.
Because the weed is considered one of the most damaging for rice and can affect yield and quality significantly, Espino said farm advisors have been “trying to spread the word and get growers to be on the lookout for it.”
“We want to make sure that if a grower finds something that looks suspicious, they let us know,” he said.


http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/NI/20171025/BUSINESS/171029919 What the heck is view-through in digital marketing?

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If your digital ad campaign generates the same click-through rates as the average campaign, then more than 99 percent of people who see your ad won’t click on it. So what’s the point of advertising online?
Just because someone sees your digital ad and doesn’t click on it doesn’t mean the ad wasn’t valuable. Understanding that most digital ads are never clicked but can still result in brand management, subsequent searches, delayed conversions, and offline sales will help you more effectively track view-through rates and plan better campaigns.

Three Values of View-Throughs

Digital display ads that don’t get clicked can reinforce a brand message, help with a new product launch (e.g., get a new name or feature in front of people), remind core customers about you, and provide other valuable benefits. For example, a manufacturer of tennis racquets might be introducing a new racquet for advanced-level women. Men might not click on that ad, but they’ll be aware of the racquet and might later mention it to their female partners who are looking for a new racquet specifically designed for competitive female players.
A second value of view-throughs is that, while they don’t create immediate clicks, they can lead to a potential customer visiting your site later because of the impression. These delayed click-throughs, called “view-through visits,” can lead to conversions (“view-through conversions”). In our tennis example, if a female tennis player doesn’t click on the ad for the new racquet while she’s on that website page, she might make a mental note of that information and find her way to the manufacturer’s site later, when she has more time.
A third benefit of view-throughs is that they stimulate offline sales. Again, using our tennis racquet example, a woman sees a banner ad for a new racquet, doesn’t click on it, but heads over to the racquet wall the next time she visits her tennis club pro shop. While there’s no way to track these sales back to view-throughs, knowing they happen makes tracking view-throughs all the more important to digital advertisers who want to gauge the overall importance of an ad campaign.

Tracking Display Ad View-Throughs

In addition to tracking clicks and conversions, marketers should track both kinds of view-throughs: those that create an impression only, and those that result in later conversions when a customer visits your site because of the original viewed ad.
To track deferred click-throughs and conversions, digital advertisers use embedded code to track user cookies. The advertiser sets different expiration dates for cookies, depending on what they believe is a realistic view-through conversion for a campaign. This window is known as the view-through timeframe or lookback window.
For example, if someone sees an ad, doesn’t click on it, and navigates to the advertiser’s website within 48 hours and/or converts, the ad probably was the reason. If the person sees an ad and comes back two weeks later, it could have been for any number of reasons, including a print or TV ad. Using a more robust marketing analytics platform can help you dive even deeper into your data to track user paths to your door and help you better determine a campaign’s return on investment (ROI).
Tracking view-throughs will help digital advertisers determine whether a website that offers higher view-throughs but lower click-throughs than other sites is a waste of money, or if it’s at least producing some value, either through brand awareness or delayed conversions. In this case, a creative department should focus on creating ads that provide information that makes an impact from just a view, even if the visitor doesn’t click for more information.

Tracking Video Ad View-Throughs

Video ads can be more valuable than display ads, even if they don’t generate a click-through. If they are watched, they deliver a message. This is the whole purpose of a display ad click-through — to get the consumer to a landing page to get a message. This doesn’t need to happen with a video, but the more view-throughs of a video ad, the more benefit to the advertiser (similar to a click-through).
With online video ads, tracking impressions can be trickier because many video ads are “skippable,” meaning the video viewer can skip all or part of the ad instead of watching it. Some ads require the viewer to watch the first three to five seconds before skipping, which can provide some benefit to the advertiser if those few seconds contain a message.
Digital advertisers have the opportunity to track what percentage of a video a viewer watches, which can help them create better ads. For example, if people only watch 25 percent of Video A, but leave after watching at least 50 percent of Video B, that might be an indicator that Video B has a better ad (if it’s run on the same site as Video A ads), or that the site Video B is playing on is a better buy (if the videos run on different sites).
Using a tracking pixel or a program like Google’s AdWords conversion tracking code (code that’s inserted into a video ad), marketers can track when an ad viewer comes back to the advertiser’s website later. Just as with display ads, video ads can be clicked on, providing tracking for click-through and conversion rates. Digital marketers should look to determine if the deferred conversions from video ad view-throughs are similar to those for display ads, or if there is a different view-through timeframe or lookback window.

Set Multiple Parameters to Measure Success

Immediate or same-session conversions are not always an indicator of a digital ad’s success.  This is borne out by the fact that the vast majority of people who see an ad (we’re talking more than 99 percent) don’t click on it. This means that view-throughs themselves, which can lead to a variety of advertiser benefits including later conversions, better brand management and offline sales, must be tracked to determine which campaigns, which audience segments and targeting  provide the best ROI

Agri chief bets on achieving rice self-sufficiency in 2019

Published 2017-10-26 13:02:55
TED CORDERO,GMA News
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Thursday the Department of Agriculture's rice self-sufficiency target can be achieved one year earlier than its original time frame.

"Our target is 2020, but we could achieve it as early as 2019," Piñol said in an interview after a breakfast forum at Klub Filipino in San Juan City.

"As early as 2019 this country will be rice sufficient," he said.

The Department of Agriculture saw a positive "trend" in average rice production per hectare. "We used to be just 3.9 metric tons per hectare per harvest. We are now 4.38 metric tons per hectare per harvest," Piñol said.

The DA is targeting an average of 6 metric tons per hectare per harvest or about 19 million metric tons of palay per year.

Piñol said the DA is embarking on a hybrid rice-planting program to cover around one million hectares and providing small farmers with "easy access" to loan financing. — VDS, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/630952/agri-chief-bets-on-achieving-rice-self-sufficiency-in-2019/story/
Vietnam uses remote sensing to monitor rice production
The use of satellite earth observation date to monitor rice production in the Red River and Mekong Deltas was discussed at a workshop in Hanoi on October 25.


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Signals collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can help calculate rice productivity in Vietnam 


The workshop on remote sensing application in agricultural production in Vietnam was jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Swiss Embassy. 
Nguyen Quang Dung, Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP), said the project on remote sensing application in rice production in 10 provinces of the Red River and Mekong Deltas has been launched since 2012.
The two-phase project conducted studies using finance from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and other international partners, he said. 
Dung said rice production in Vietnam has been monitored from the Sentinel satellite of the European Space Agency, with the algorithm and model developed by Sarmap Company of Switzerland and the International Rice Research Institute. 
Signals collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can help calculate rice productivity in Vietnam. 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Ha, from the NIAPP, said losses caused by natural disasters can be evaluated by remote sensing technology, thus assisting insurance activities to ease risks facing farmers.-VNA 
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/189091/vietnam-uses-remote-sensing-to-monitor-rice-production.html

BANGLADESH APPROVES PURCHASE OF RICE FROM THAILAND AT $465/T

10/26/2017
DHAKA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has approved the
purchase of 150,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand at
$465 a tonne, officials said on Thursday, as the government
races to secure supplies amid depleted reserves and high
domestic prices of the staple grain.
Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer,
Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the grain, with
imports set to hit their highest levels in a decade after floods
damaged its crops.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
http://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/bangladesh-approves-purchase-of-rice-from-thailand-at-465t



ecord harvest of rice gathered in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region
26 October 2017 17:18 (UTC+04:00)
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 26
By Nigar Guliyeva – Trend:
In Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region, there has been a growth tendency in the export of agricultural products and volume of gross output since early 2017, said the region’s head Krimbek Kusherbayev.
He was addressing a regional government meeting dedicated to the results of socio-economic development in January-September 2017.
According to preliminary data, a record harvest of rice was once again reaped in the region – more than 500,000 tons, average yield of 55.3 centners per hectare.
In January-September 2017, the region’s industrial enterprises manufactured products worth 547.9 billion tenge. Meanwhile, due to the increase in the production of light, chemical industry and refined products, the growth of production by 6.2 percent was ensured in the processing industry (products worth 78.2 billion tenge were produced).
(333.40 KZT = 1$ on Oct. 26)

https://en.trend.az/casia/2812818.html Paddy production crosses target

October 26, 2017
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Description: Paddy production crosses target

Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Paddy yield across the country has increased by 7.2pc against the govt
target for year 2017-18. The govt had fixed rice production target at 6.8 million tons but the yield crossed 7.3m tons. In Punjab, paddy was sown on 1.8m acres and production target was set 3.5m tons but the production crossed 3.7 million tons. In Sindh, paddy was sown over 822,000 acres and its yield crossed 2.8 million tons against the target of 2.6 million tons. Rice production crossed 159,000 tons in KP against the target of 144,000 tons but the production decreased by 3pc in Balochistan.–Staff Reporter
http://nation.com.pk/26-Oct-2017/paddy-production-crosses-target

Rice worth US$ 320.242mn exported in first quarter

26.10.2017

Rice exports from the country during first three months of current financial year grew by 31.91 percent as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

During the period from July-September, 2017-18 around 621,094 metric tons rice exported  as compared the exports of 482,445 metric tons of the same period last year,  according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

During the period under review, rice worth US$ 320.242 million exported as compared the exports of US$ 242.694 million of same period last year.

Meanwhile, exports of “Basmati” rice grew by 2.43 percent and reached at 86,672 tons valuing of US$ 90.31 million in last three months as against 92,321 metric tons worth US$ 88.772 million tons of same period last year, it added.

In first quarter of current financial year, about 534,442 metric tons of rice other then basmati worth US$ 299.321 million exported as against the exports of 390,124 metric tons valuing US$ 153,922 million of same period last year,

During the period under review, seafood exports from the country  registered an increase of 17.64 percent as about  28,488 metric tons of fish and fish products valuing US$ 75.370 million exported as compared the exports of 21,959 metric tons worth of US$ 64.06 million of same period last year.

However, the exports of fruit, vegetable reduced by 24.37 percent and 0.99 percent respectively during the period under review, where as no quantity of pulses exported in first quarter of current financial year, the data reveled.

It may be recalled that food group exports from the country during first quarter of current financial year increased by 17.52 percent as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

Food commodities worth US$ 742.391 million were exported during the period from July-September, 2017-18 as compared the exports US$ 631.731 million of same period of last year.

Wheat exports grew by 100 percent and about 1088 metric tons of wheat valuing US$ 344,000 exported, where as 91,916 metric tons of sugar worth of US$ 41.99 million exported which was also up by 100 percent as compared the exports of same period last year, it added.

During the period under review, all other food commodities worth US$ 140.299 million exported as against the exports of US$ 132.216 million of same period last year, hence showing an increase of 16.11 percent.
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/rice-worth-us-320-242mn-exported-in-first-quarter

OCTOBER 26, 2017 / 5:47 PM / UPDATED 21 HOURS AGO
Rice prices in India dip on rising supply; Thailand eyes Sri Lankan demand
3 MIN READ
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BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices in India slipped this week on expectations of a rise in supplies from the new season crop, while rates for the staple grain edged higher in Thailand as traders were optimistic about the possibility of demand from Sri Lanka.
Farmers winnow paddy crops at a field in Gudem Kotha Veedhi village in Andhra Pradesh January 20, 2015. REUTERS/R Narendra/Files
Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent broken rice was quoted at $375-$388 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, up from $375-$385 last week.
“There looks to be demand from Sri Lanka, which we’re optimistic will translate into more demand for Thai rice,” said a Bangkok-based rice trader.
The government of Sri Lanka has issued a tender to buy 200,000 tonnes of rice as recent floods in the country have destroyed crops.
In Thailand, however, heavy rain have not hurt crops and all of the rice has already been harvested. But, the rains have caused difficulties for shipments to be collected and delivered, which has had a negative impact on exports, traders said.
“Due to heavy rains, a lot of ships from abroad coming in to get rice have had to push their schedule back. From November onwards when the rains subside, exports will hopefully be more active,” said a Bangkok-based trader.
India’s 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices edged down by $2 per tonne to $402 to $405 per tonne this week.
“New season supply will be available in the next few weeks. Exports will also pick up with supply,” said B V Krishna Rao, managing director of leading exporter Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt.
“Demand is expected to be robust from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the next few months,” he added.
Bangladesh, which has emerged as a major importer this year after floods damaged its crops, has approved the purchase of 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from India in a government-to-government deal at $455 a tonne, including CIF and discharge costs.
It has also approved a purchase of 150,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand at $465 a tonne.
The country’s major summer rice output in 2017 fell about 5 percent from a year earlier to 18 million tonnes, the lowest in seven years, according to a preliminary estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, high prices prevailed as rice stocks were running dry, traders said. Benchmark 5-percent broken rice rates rose to $395-405 per tonne, FOB Saigon, from $390-400 last week.
“Supply is very low. We are running out of stock, so rice prices will stay high,” a trader in Ho Chi Minh City said, adding trade was dull as Vietnam’s prices are not appealing to foreign rice importers.
“I think prices will have to fall, otherwise no one would buy from us,” another trader said.
Traders said new supply would not be available until the completion of minor autumn-winter crop harvest in November.
Rice growing areas in southern regions have shrunk due to flooding, but productivity is expected to rise 3.2 percent from a year earlier, an agriculture ministry report said on Thursday.
Reporting by Mi Nguyen in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Suphanida Thakral in Bangkok; editing by David Evans
http://in.reuters.com/article/asia-rice/rice-prices-in-india-dip-on-rising-supply-thailand-eyes-sri-lankan-demand-idINKBN1CV1Y5



FOOD

Rice, in a Starring Role

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This pilaf combines lamb with basmati rice and is baked in the oven rather than on the stovetop, once the lamb is nicely browned. CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
I’m always in the mood for rice. Any kind will do: Carolina rice, boiled and buttered; steamed jasmine rice; basmati rice in any guise; nutty brown, red or black rice; short-grained sticky rice. You can tempt me with a plate of Louisiana dirty rice, risotto, paella or biryani. I’ll travel miles for fried rice, congee or coconut rice pudding.
There are times when a simple pot of freshly cooked rice is the perfect accompaniment to a meal. On other occasions, a rice dish can be the main event. Pilaf (it goes by other names, like pilav, plov and pulao) falls into this category. Pilaf usually involves simmering rice with onions, aromatics and broth to amplify flavor and nutrients.
Some types of pilaf are meant to escort a main course. They can be unadorned, or may have small additions of tomato, or a handful of orzo.
In the cuisines of the Middle East, from Turkey to Afghanistan (and beyond to India and western China) pilaf-style rice and meat dishes are traditional and popular, especially for festive occasions. Usually, they’re made from steamed long-grain rice studded with spices, meat or chicken.
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Here, the rice is added to the lamb, chickpeas, onion and spices in preparation for baking.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times
A pilaf I tasted in Istanbul inspired this particular one-pot meal. Essentially a fragrant lamb stew combined with basmati rice, it is not at all difficult to prepare. Though many pilafs are made entirely on the stovetop, my version is baked instead, once the lamb is nicely browned. Using the oven provides more-even heat for cooking the rice, and frees up your stovetop for other dishes.
The best cuts to use are lamb shoulder and neck, both of which are succulent and juicy when cooked; leaner leg meat is apt to turn dry. Browning the meat and onions very well is important for building the flavor of the dish. Once this initial work is out of the way, all the dish requires from you is an (unattended) hour in the oven.
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Cinnamon, mace, allspice, cumin and coriander perfume the mixture. Golden raisins add sweetness, while chickpeas contribute a welcome flavor and texture, as well as additional protein. I prefer to cook my own chickpeas, and use their cooking liquid to moisten the rice. If you use canned, rinse them and use chicken broth instead.
With a topping of buttery walnuts, fresh mint leaves and tart pomegranate seeds, this is a nuanced, harmonious, festive pilaf. Served with a dollop of thick yogurt, it makes a fine family dinner, but is special enough for company, too
                                  October 26, 2017

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Cooks Rule at Annual Rice Festival  

CROWLEY, LA -- The 81st Annual International Rice Festival was held this past weekend here in the "Rice Capital of America."  A celebration of all things rice, the festival is Louisiana's oldest agricultural festival, and also one of the largest - since its beginning in 1937, more than seven million people have attended the annual event.

The celebration showcases the importance of rice as a food and emphasizes its place in the world economic picture.  The festival also hosts a Rice Creole and Cookery Contest, and this year more than 100 entries, some from as far away as Arkansas, competed in four divisions: Children, Intermediate, Teen, and Adult.

Dishes submitted by contestants must contain at least one cup of cooked rice to qualify in one of four categories:  Rice and Meats, Rice and Seafood, Rice Salad/Vegetable, and Rice Desserts.  First place dishes in the Teen and Adult divisions compete for the coveted "Chef de Riz" title, and the honor of becoming an official representative of the International Rice Festival.  Selection of the grand prize winner is based on taste, originality, and eye appeal, plus an interview with judges where contestants are quizzed on their knowledge of rice and the U.S. rice industry. 
Kane Webb (left) with this year's winners:  Joshua Dietz from Lafayette, Teen Division; Aubrey Broussard from Maurice, Children's Division; Alex Welch from Oakdale, Intermediate Division; Greta Lindsey from Arkansas, Adult Division; and "Chef de Riz" Beverly Klumpp

New science suggests the ocean could rise more — and faster — than we thought

In this Sept. 10, 2017, photo, waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes by in Miami.
 (Wilfredo Lee / AP)
Chris MooneyWashington Post
Climate change could lead to sea level rises that are larger, and happen more rapidly, than previously thought, according to a trio of new studies that reflect mounting concerns about the stability of polar ice.
In one case, the research suggests that previous high end projections for sea level rise by the year 2100 — a little over three feet — could be too low, substituting numbers as high as six feet at the extreme if the world continues to burn large volumes of fossil fuels throughout the century.
"We have the potential to have much more sea level rise under high emissions scenarios," said Alexander Nauels, a researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia who led one of the three studies. His work, co-authored with researchers at institutions in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, was published Thursday in Environmental Research Letters.
The results comprise both novel scientific observations - based on high resolution seafloor imaging techniques that give a new window on past sea level events — and new modeling techniques based on a better understanding of Antarctic ice.
The observational results, from Texas and Antarctica, examine a similar time period - the close of the last Ice Age a little over 10,000 years ago, when seas are believed to have risen very rapidly at times, as northern hemisphere ice sheets collapsed.
Off the Texas coast, this would have inundated ancient coral reefs. Usually, these reefs can grow upward to keep pace with sea level rise, but there's a limit — one observed by a team of scientists aboard a vessel called the Falcor in 200 foot deep waters off the coast of Corpus Christi.
These so-called drowned reefs showed features that the researchers called "terraces," an indicator of how the corals would have tried to respond to fast rising sea levels. Because the organisms must maintain access to a certain amount of sunlight, they would have tried to grow higher to keep up with fast rising seas — but they wouldn't have been able to do so over a very large area. And so their growth became concentrated in progressively smaller, stepped regions.
"The reef under stress often has a tendency to kind of shrink to this higher elevated area," said André Droxler, one of the authors of the study in Nature Communications and a researcher at Rice University. "It creates this pyramid-like system." (Droxler completed the research with colleagues from Rice and Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.)
The youngest drowned corals date to the end of the last ice age, around 11,500 years ago — corresponding to what scientists believe were large warming events in the northern hemisphere and so-called meltwater pulses from now melted ice sheets. And multiple drowned reefs off Texas show a similar pattern — and terminate in similar water depths.
"Over 120 kilometers, the reefs behaved the same way. It's difficult to find any other reason why they would do this," Droxler said.
Droxler thinks the reef structures suggest eras when sea level was rising by tens of millimeters annually, far beyond the current, roughly 3 millimeters per year. (A 50 millimeter annual sea level rise would produce a meter, or over 3 feet, of rise every 20 years.) The new study therefore concludes that during the last ice age, there were multiple bursts of fast sea level rise - and implies that our future could hold something similar.
"The steady and gradual sea-level rise, observed over the past two centuries [may] not be a complete characterization of how sea level would rise in the future," the study concludes.
Meanwhile, far away in the Southern hemisphere, a team of scientists used a very similar seafloor mapping technology to detect ancient iceberg "plough marks" etched deep into the seafloor of Pine Island Bay, an ocean body that currently sits in front of one of West Antarctica's most worrying glaciers, Pine Island. The results were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday by researchers at the University of Cambridge, the British Antarctic Survey, and the Bolin Center for Climate Research in Stockholm.
The seafloor grooves, the researchers believe, were made during a similar era to the Texas coral steppes (the close of the last ice age), and signal a very rapid retreat of Pine Island over roughly a thousand years.
What's critical about the markings, explains lead study author Matthew Wise of the University of Cambridge, is their maximum depth — 848 meters, or around 2,800 feet. Because ice floats with 10 percent of its mass above the surface and the remaining 90 percent below it, this suggests that when the ice broke from the glacier, close to 100 meters (over 3oo feet) of it was extending above the water surface.
That's a key number, because scientists are converging on the belief that ice cliffs of about this height above the water level are no longer sustainable and collapse under their own weight — meaning that when you get a glacier this tall up against the ocean, it tends to crumble and crumble, leading to fast retreat and potentially fast sea level rise.
"If we think about how thick these icebergs would have needed to be considering these float with 90 percent of their mass and thickness beneath the sea," Wise said, "we think of an ice cliff that was at the maximum thickness implied by the physics of the ice."
The problem is that if it happened then, well, it could happen again. Both Pine Island glacier and its next door neighbor, Thwaites, are known to get thicker as one travels inland away from the sea, which means they are capable of once again generating ice cliffs taller than the critical size detected by the current study.
"If a cliff even higher than the ~100 m subaerial/900 m submarine cliffs were to form, as might occur with retreat of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, it might break repeatedly with much shorter pauses than now observed, causing very fast grounding line retreat and sea level rise," explained Richard Alley, a glaciologist at Penn State University, by email after reviewing the current study for the Post.
The final study, released Thursday morning in Environmental Research Letters, takes a different approach but provides perhaps the most sweeping verdict.
The study used five "shared socioeconomic pathways" that analyze possible futures for global society and its energy system, and resulting climate change, over the course of this century. These scenarios will feed into the next report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the most influential scientific body that assesses climate change, according to the University of Melbourne's Alexander Nauels, the lead author of the current study
The research combined these scenarios with tools to project future sea level rise in light of recent science suggesting that Antarctic ice in key regions could collapse relatively rapidly. That includes possible fast retreat at Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers due, in part, to the problem of ice cliff instability.
The result was that in one scenario assuming high fossil fuel use and strong economic growth during the century, the study predicted that seas could rise by as much as 4.33 feet on average — with a high end possibility of as much as 6.2 feet — by 2100. That includes possibly rapid sea level rise as high as 19 millimeters per year by the end of the century. These numbers are considerably higher than high end projections released in 2013 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(It is important to emphasize that the highest sea level numbers presented in the new study would result from human choices to pursue large fossil fuel exploitation and economic growth with little attempt to slow climate change. It is far from clear that this is the path the world will actually take.)
On the other hand, if the world limits global warming to the Paris climate agreement emissions target, the study finds that sea level rise might be held as low as 1.7 feet by 2100, on average.
When the IPCC undertakes a similar analysis, Nauels said, it could produce results like these. "I think the numbers will go up," he said of the body's report, which is expected in 2021.
So in sum — new research is affirming that seas have risen quite rapidly in the planet's past, and that major glaciers have retreated quickly because their enormous size makes them potentially unstable. Meanwhile, additional modeling projects these kinds of observations forward and suggests that the century in which we are now living could — could — see similar changes, at least in more severe global warming scenarios in which the world continues to burn high volumes of fossil fuels.
But unlike those submerged corals off the coast of Texas, the difference is that we know this could be coming — which gives us a chance to stop it.

Nigeria saves N216bn from rice importation – BOA

Posted By: Agency Reporter On: October 27, 2017 In: News Update
0Description: http://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/themes/thenationonline/images/chat-green.png  Description: image_print
Description: • Rice production in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State
Nigeria has saved over N216 billion from the importation of rice alone from Thailand and other countries since the nation’s domestic mass production flooded the markets under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
Prince Niyi Akenzua, the Executive Director, Risk Management and Finance, Bank of Agriculture (BOA) disclosed on Thursday in Ibadan when he visited Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Akenzua had led some other officials of the bank on the visit to the state.
He said that the figure represented a fraction of a staggering $22 billion (N7.92trillion) spent on importation of foods into the country annually prior to the advent of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Akenzua said it was worthy of commendation that the country had committed itself to diversifying from oil economy, with emphasis on revitalisation of agriculture.
He said he had embarked on advocacy visit around the country to enlist the support and involvement of state governments in ABP, which freed the country from reliance on importation of rice.
“We enjoin Oyo State to participate in the ABP as we have remodelled the programme to expand the scope of beneficiaries.
“The pilot scheme was so successful that $600m was saved from rice importation due to massive rice production in the country.
“One or two rice millers in Thailand have closed down because Nigeria, which has always been their major importer, has stopped importing their rice.
“We used to spend $22 billion importing food into Nigeria and with our consciousness that every square meter in the country is arable land.
“We felt that it was not sustainable. Of course, the crash in crude oil price has forced us back to agriculture,’’ he said.
Akenzua said that the state could choose a particular crop to produce under the programme, with a promise to co-fund or fund the production of such crop.
Ajimobi in his remarks commended the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh for the positive changes he had brought into the agriculture sector since he assumed duties at the ministry.
The governor stated that the fundamental problem besetting the country was attitudinal, stressing that the country was not bereft of knowledge, policies and programmes capable of enhancing its economy.
Ajimobi said that the state was supposed to be the food basket of the nation if past leaders had seen agriculture as a major solution to unemployment, hunger and economic driver.
According to him, the state is in good stead to be a major agric hub, judging by the concentration of reputable research institutions in the state and its vast arable land.
“The state is also strategically located between Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of the country and the North among other comparative advantages.”
He advised the new management of BOA to do all that is humanly possible to sustain the momentum in its renewed drive to revitalise the agriculture sector.
“You need to change the attitude of our people so they will know that there is money in agriculture.
“We are in this sorry state today because of bureaucracy and lack of sustenance of past agric policies. What has happened to Operation Feed the Nation?
“Don’t just talk the talk, walk the talk. In the past, some people will just give loans to themselves, which they knew they would not recover and this had crippled the bank.”
The governor stated that the state was ready to take advantage of all opportunities available in agriculture to promote the standard of living of its people.
The governor promised to lead by example by also venturing into commercial agriculture, urging the BOA team to advise him on how he could go about obtaining a loan for the purpose.
·         http://thenationonlineng.net/nigeria-saves-n216bn-rice-importation-boa/ USINESS

o    CATTLE

o    SHEEP & WOOL

o    DAIRY

o    CROPPING

o    HORTICULTURE

o    WINE

o    ON FARM

o    FOTY

o    FARM MAG

o    DECISIONAG

o    PHOTOS
·         COUNTRY LIVING
·         SPORT
·         PROPERTY
·         MACHINE
·         WEATHER

Description: In the black: Rice importers Marcus Brown and Jarrod Milani, and (below) the black rice.In the black: Rice importers Marcus Brown and Jarrod Milani, and (below) the black rice.

Forbidden Foods opens up healthy market for black rice from China
PETER HEMPHILL, The Weekly Times
October 26, 2017 6:00pm
TWO of Australia’s youngest health food entrepreneurs believe farmers could benefit from burgeoning black rice sales if local varieties can be bred for domestic production.
Marcus Brown and Jarrod Milani, both in their late 20s, have built a flourishing business importing organic black rice from northeast China to Australia for sale in the health food sector under their Forbidden Foods brand.
Black rice is an ancient grain grown in China, with healthy attributes such as several antioxidants not found in brown rice that show potential for fighting heart disease and cancer.
Mr Brown said black rice was just as healthy, if not more so, than quinoa.
Forbidden Foods’ black rice sales have doubled every year for four years, selling through 1600 retail outlets.
Description: http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/0f3510005e44310100584586a8424e43?width=316The black rice.
It imports a few hundred tonnes of the grain each month for processing and packaging.
After originally importing packaged product from Asia, the pair have now brought all stages of the production chain to Australia except one — growing the rice.
That is carried out overseas but Mr Brown believes it, too, could eventually be brought to Australia.
“Maybe the CSIRO could develop a local variety for growing here,” he said.
“It’s really going to take someone to really drive it.
“And you are going to have the major volumes there to start the R and D (research and development) and also start getting the right farmers willing to help develop those genetics.”
Rice Rural Development Committee chairman Ian Mason said there were thousands of different rice varieties, of which black rice was just one of several coloured rice types.
“We are always looking at varieties like coloured rice,” he said.
“The breeders will have a look at it, the marketing team will have a look at it and they will assess where it sits in terms of its importance and prioritise that, along with all the other work we have to do.”
Mr Mason said the breeding process for a rice variety took about eight years on average.
Forbidden Foods imported its first consignment in 2012.
“Our first container was bought with a credit card,” Mr Brown said. “Over time we have got capital from a bank.
“And now we have capital from four investors who have farms in Serpentine and the Western District.”
Six months after Forbidden Foods imported its first shipment, NSW monopoly rice processor SunRice began importing packs of black rice from Thailand.
Mr Brown said the black rice from China was a natural grain, while the Thai product was a hybrid developed from crossing with jasmine rice.
He said Forbidden Foods’ black rice was certified as organic.
“We have seen a big uptake in people seeking higher quality and organic products,” Mr Brown said.
The company now produces a black rice flour that is sold into the gluten-free market.
It is also using chefs to help develop products for the convenience meal market.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/forbidden-foods-opens-up-healthy-market-for-black-rice-from-china/news-story/7850cd18bb5715678af7b53034060b5b +1

Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo
Samuel Awoyinfa, Abeokuta
A former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Thursday flayed former President Shehu Shagari for scuttling the efforts the nation was making to be self-sufficient in rice production.
Obasanjo spoke as the chief launcher at the unveiling of Okun Rice at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Okun Rice is produced by Hyst Global Business Limited, owned by Mr. Biodun Onalaja.
Obasanjo, who noted that Nigeria was almost achieving self sufficiency in rice production in 1979 before he quit as the military Head of State, said due to policy inconsistency, the Shagari administration later set up a committee on importation of rice.
He said this shift in policy focus from his own agricultural revolution, served as a disincentive to rice farmers who had to compete with government-backed rice importers.
Obasanjo, however, commended  Onalaja for rekindling the hope of the country at achieving self-sufficiency in rice production and ensuring food security for the nation.
He said, “One of our problems in this country is inconsistency in policy. In 1979, we were getting to a place where we would be self-sufficient in rice production, but then a new administration came and set up a presidential committee on rice importation instead of a presidential committee on exportation of rice.
“In no time, when the imported rice started a arriving, those farmers who were cultivating rice gave up.
“Today, I commend  Hyst Global Business Limited and the Chairman, Mr. Biodun Onalaja, for his doggedness, persistence, and stubbornness. It is not easy to succeed here as a farmer. But I want to say Onalaja is a success story, because despite the odds he never gave up.”
Obasanjo said if the nation had just 100 Onalajas, the country would not only be self sufficient in rice production but would have become an exporter of rice.
The former President appealed to commercial banks to offer soft loans to farmers at a single digit interest rate, arguing that no farmer could break even on two digits interest rate.
In his remark, Onalaja said the company, currently located at Ejiba, in Kogi State, engages in rice farming on 1,000 hectares of land, in the precinct of the Lower Niger River Basin.
He said the company started its operation at Ejiba in 2014, after its efforts to start rice farming at Taraba State ran into a hitch.
Onalaja, who commended Obasanjo, said his (Obasanjo’s) administration’s policy on agriculture and assistance  helped the company to find its footing in rice production.
He said, “The rice project was made possible by the assistance given by the chief launcher of today, who is a former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
“While in office, he had food self-sufficiency for the nation as one of his goals. He assisted us to set up the company while also blazing the trail for people like us as farmers. Here is a person who not only talks agriculture, but also walks the talk of a farmer and agro entrepreneur.”
Onalaja also commended the current administration on the priority given to agriculture, and noted the assistance of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, in getting a 20-tonne integrated rice mill for the company at a subsidised rate.
He, however, disclosed that the company’s five-year lease on the rice plantation at Ejiba would lapse in November and pleaded with the state and federal governments to renew it, in order to sustain food self-sufficiency for the nation and employment opportunities for the youth.
Onalaja, who said the company had trained many youths and women in rice production and offered to do more, added that the Okun Rice, “is available in different sizes of 1kg, 5kg, 10kg, 25kg and 50kg bags.”
The Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle  Amosun, also commended Onalaja for his company’s efforts at making the nation self-sufficient in rice production.
Amosun, who was represented by the  state Commissioner  for Commerce and Industry, Bimbo Ashiru, noted that through rice production, “he is helping to industrialise the nation.”
He, however, appealed to him to invest in his home state, Ogun.
Highlight of the event was an informative documentary on the rice plantation at Ejiba.
Among the dignitaries at the event were the Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye, Oba Razak Adenugba; a former Vice-Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Prof. Segun Awonusi; the Managing Director, Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Demola Osinubi; and other royal fathers from  Ogun and Kogi states.
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Bangladesh to import 150,000 tons parboiled rice from Thailand

·         Asif Showkat Kallol
·         Published at 02:32 PM October 26, 2017
Description: Bangladesh to import 150,000 tons parboiled rice from Thailand
File photo: A Bangladesh rice vendor waits for customers at a market in Dhaka |AFP

150,000 tons will be imported from Thailand and rest will be supplied by local traders

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The government has decided to import 150,000 tons of parboiled rice from Thailand, and procure another 100,000 tons from local traders at a total cost of Tk1017.14cr to boost domestic food grain reserves.
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved two Food Ministry proposals on the purchases on Wednesday, at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
After the meeting, Additional Secretary of Cabinet Division Mostafizur Rahman said: “A total of 150,000 tons of rice will be imported from Thailand at a cost of Tk578.92 crore.
“The remaining 100,000 tons will be supplied at a cost of Tk438.22 crore by local traders, who import rice from India, Thailand, Pakistan and Vietnam.
He added that traders Rabiul Islam and Mahmmand Aynul Haque would deliver the rice to 38 warehouses across the country.
Bangladesh is the fourth biggest producer of rice. It moved to import rice to replenish its depleted stocks and cool local market, after flash floods cut domestic production and pushed up rice prices in local market earlier this year.
The government slashed taxes on rice imports to 2% from 28% to replenish supplies and cool the soaring prices.
According to the Food Ministry proposals, the negotiations between Bangladesh and Thailand ended successfully with the Thai government agreeing to sell rice at $465 per ton.
Thailand had initially asked for $516 per ton under a government to government deal.
The Prime Minister’s Office had directed the Food Ministry to import 1.15 million tons of rice under G2G agreement and also through international and domestic tenders within the next month.
Last week, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved another proposal of the ministry to purchase 100,000 tons of rice from India at Tk377.65 crore, with each ton costing $455 (Tk37, 487).
The rice will be imported under a G2G agreeent.
As of October 18, Bangladesh had a reserve of 499,000 tons of food grains, including 396,000 tons of rice
http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2017/10/26/bangladesh-import-150000-tons-parboiled-rice-thailand/







Van Dyke started harvest last week on a short-grain variety, which has a shorter growing season than the state’s predominant, medium-grain Calrose variety and is typically one of the first to come off in the Sacramento Valley.
Colusa County farmer Brian Barrett said he expects some medium-grain fields will begin cutting sometime next week, with harvest ramping up in October, on par with typical harvest dates.
“I think (the crop) has caught up a little bit, but I think it’ll still be about a week behind where we were last year,” he said.
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His family managed to plant all their ground except for about 100 acres, which were covered by prevented-planting insurance. The option of the indemnity, Barrett said, allowed farmers to focus on the fields they were able to plant.
“It was like, let’s do it right and get the best crop we could,” he said.
With half his acreage in the Yolo Bypass, which remained flooded late in the season, Yolo County farmer Mike Hall said he left some 4,800 acres unplanted. He completed harvest on about 2,000 acres of wild rice—another short-season crop—more than two weeks ago, but he said some of his later-maturing, medium-grain varieties won’t be harvested until mid-October.
“When you start to get into October, you run the risk of late October wind and rain that could knock (the plant) down,” he said. “We’ve encountered that before, where the yield was cut more than 50 percent when those fields just got wet and knocked down.”
Because many fields were planted during a two-week window, Barrett said if farmers try to harvest it all in a similar timeframe, it could “make things hard” for dryers as they face a possible logjam.
Yuba County farmer Charley Mathews Jr., who expects to start harvest sometime this week, said when there’s late planting, farmers typically scramble on the back end, with multiple varieties coming off at the same time.
“It’s going to be a rush, but it always is,” he said. “We all harvest a lot faster than we used to.”
Now that the weather has started to cool down, he said, it has slowed progress of the crop.
Consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures this summer may cause some yield losses, Barrett said.
During the heading stage of the rice plant, temperatures exceeding 104 degrees could dry out the pollen, thwarting fertilization, which leads to blanking, or empty kernels, said Luis Espino, a University of California Cooperative Extension farm adviser.
“And this year, I’ve seen some of that,” he said. “I don’t know how widespread it is. It’s going to depend on when the panicles were coming out and the temperature at that time. I’ve seen some fields where you can see can blanking, and I believe it’s because of the high temperature.”
Blanking more often happens when temperatures below 55 degrees damage the pollen when it is first formed, making it unviable, Espino said. But this year, temperatures never dropped that low during that stage of the plant’s development, raising hopes that there would be less blanking and higher yields, he said. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/20171025/rice-harvest-races-to-finish-before-autumn-rains
Aside from possible heat-related issues, Espino described the overall growing season as “good,” noting that he didn’t see any blast in fields and received few reports of it this year. However, there were more reports of stem rot, a common fungal disease caused by a pathogen in the soil that he said may be becoming more prevalent.
The pathogen overwinters in rice straw, and farmers used to manage the disease by burning the straw after harvest. Because burning has been greatly reduced for many years, Espino said he thinks the pathogen has accumulated in some fields, leading to an increase in stem-rot problems. Fungicides, he noted, have not been very effective.
Small infestations of weedy rice, or red rice, also are showing up in more California fields, Espino said. As of the end of 2016, it had been confirmed in more than 10,000 acres, according to UCCE.
Because the weed is considered one of the most damaging for rice and can affect yield and quality significantly, Espino said farm advisors have been “trying to spread the word and get growers to be on the lookout for it.”
“We want to make sure that if a grower finds something that looks suspicious, they let us know,” he said.



16 foods that will help you sleep better through the night

Description: http://static.thisisinsider.com/image/59776b70b4ec01cd168b4817-750.jpg


18h

 
Description: kid eating cerealCarbohydrates like cereal could help you sleep better.Providence Doucet/Unsplash
  • Chemicals in the body such as melatonin and tryptophan can impact your sleep.
  • Dairy, carbohydrates, and high glycemic foods can help your sleep.

Many foods contain naturally occurring substances that bring on sleep; here are some of the best choices to help you settle down for a quality rest.
View As: One Page Slides

Walnuts

Description: WalnutsWalnuts contain some melatonin, which can help you sleep faster. Thomson Reuters
Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid that helps make serotonin and melatonin, the "body clock" hormone that sets your sleep-wake cycles. Additionally, University of Texas researchers found that walnuts contain their own source of melatonin, which may help you fall asleep faster — unlike these eight worst eating habits for your sleep.

Almonds

Description: AlmondsAlmonds are rich in magnesium. robinmcnicoll/flickr
Almonds are rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for quality sleep (and for building bones). A study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that when the body's magnesium levels are too low, it makes it harder to stay asleep. Don't miss these other 10 natural tricks for sleeping better without drugs.

Cheese and crackers

Description: Cheese and crackersDairy products like cheese can help make you sleepy. MSPhotographic / Shutterstock
Old wives' tales suggest that warm milk can make you sleepy, but the truth is any dairy product can help. Calcium (found in cheese, yogurt, milk, and these surprising sources) helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. Additionally, calcium helps regulate muscle movements. Learn the nine signs you aren't getting enough calcium.

Lettuce

Description: LettuceLettuce contains lactucarium. liz west/Flickr
A salad with dinner could speed up your bedtime since lettuce contains lactucarium, which has sedative properties and affects the brain similarly to opium. You can also try this brew from the book Stealth Health: Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add two sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed. Check out these other 13 best tips from sleep doctors.

Pretzels

Description: PretzelsHigh glycemic index foods like pretzels can help you go to sleep. Wikimedia/Jonathan M
Foods like pretzels and corn chips have a high glycemic index. After eating them you'll have a natural spike in your blood sugar and insulin levels, shortening the time it takes you to fall asleep. Normally, you want steady levels to avoid mood swings and insulin resistance. (In those cases, reach for one of these 10 delicious low-glycemic snacks.) But if you are looking to get rest, the blood sugar and insulin increase helps tryptophan enter your brain to bring on sleep. Learn the other best way to improve your sleep quality.

Tuna

Description: TunaFish are high in vitamin B6. Amarita/Shutterstock
Fish such as tuna, halibut, and salmon are high in vitamin B6, which your body needs to make melatonin and serotonin. (Find out how to tell if you're low in important vitamins.) Other foods high in B6 include raw garlic and pistachio nuts. Don't miss these 22 sleeping mistakes that are messing with your rest.

Rice

Description: RiceA study found that jasmine rice could help you fall asleep faster than other types.JacquesPALUT/iStock
White rice has a high glycemic index, so eating it will significantly slash the time it takes you to fall asleep, according to an Australian study. In particular, jasmine rice brings on shut-eye faster; research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate a meal that included jasmine rice fell asleep faster than when they ate other rice types. Check out these other 11 weird tricks that help you sleep better

Cherry juice

Description: Cherry juiceTart cherries naturally boost levels of melatonin. Wikimedia Commons
A glass of cherry juice could make you fall asleep faster, according to researchers from the Universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester. Cherries, particularly tart cherries, naturally boost levels of melatonin. (Here are seven things you should know before taking melatonin pills to sleep.) In the study, subjects who drank cherry juice experienced some improvement in their insomnia symptoms compared to those who drank a placebo beverage.

Cereal

Description: CerealThe combination of carbohydrates and calcium could help you sleep better.Providence Doucet/Unsplash
A bowl of your favorite flakes before bed could help you get better sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The snack combines two components for getting some Zzzs: carbohydrates (from the cereal) and calcium (from the milk). Here are eight more little daytime tweaks to help you sleep better tonight.

Chamomile tea

Description: Chamomile teaTea relaxes the nerves and acts as a mild sedative. Shutterstock
Steeping a cup of stress-busting chamomile tea will help you sleep. According to researchers, drinking the tea is associated with an increase of glycine, a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles and acts as a mild sedative. Here are nine more drinks that help you sleep—and 4 that keep you awake.

Passionfruit tea

Description: Passionfruit teaPassionfruit contains a chemical that can act on your nervous system. Drew Coffman/Unsplash
An Australian study found that drinking a cup of passionfruit tea one hour before bed helped people sleep more soundly. Researchers believe that Harman alkaloids — chemicals found in high levels in the flower — act on your nervous system to make you tired. Don't miss these other 11 home remedies for insomnia.

Honey

Description: HoneyA spoonful of honey in your tea could help you sleep soundly. Pexels
The natural sugar found in honey slightly raises insulin and allows tryptophan to enter the brain more easily, according to nutritionist Lindsey Duncan on DrOz.com. A spoonful before bed or mixed with chamomile tea could give you a more restful sleep. Just make sure to stop these 12 innocent habits that ruin your sleep quality.

Kale

Description: KaleKale and leafy greens have calcium. stacey_newman / iStock

Green leafy vegetables like kale are loaded with calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. Spinach and mustard greens are other good options. Check out these other nine reasons to start eating more spinach. 

Shrimp and lobster

Description: Shrimp and lobsterLobster and other crustaceans have tryptophan. flickr/Benson Kua
Another good source of tryptophan, crustaceans like shrimp (which is one of 13 superfoods every woman should eat) or lobster may bring on an easier sleep. These 10 facts about seafood will change how you think about your meal.

Hummus

Description: HummusHummus with crackers could be what you need to fall asleep. Flickr/Hungry Dudes
Chickpeas are also a good source of tryptophan, so a light lunch of hummus and whole-grain crackers (to help the tryptophan reach the brain), could be a good way to head into an afternoon nap. Don't miss these other 11 tricks for a more restful nap.

Elk

Description: ElkGame meat has almost double the tryptophan of a turkey breast. iStock
This game meat has nearly twice more tryptophan than turkey breast, meaning you're much more likely to nod off after eating it, especially with a side of carbohydrates to help the tryptophan reach the brain. Here are 18 other food combinations that are healthier when eaten together.


16 foods that will help you sleep better through the night

Description: http://static.thisisinsider.com/image/59776b70b4ec01cd168b4817-750.jpg


18h

 
Description: kid eating cerealCarbohydrates like cereal could help you sleep better.Providence Doucet/Unsplash
  • Chemicals in the body such as melatonin and tryptophan can impact your sleep.
  • Dairy, carbohydrates, and high glycemic foods can help your sleep.

Many foods contain naturally occurring substances that bring on sleep; here are some of the best choices to help you settle down for a quality rest.
View As: One Page Slides

Walnuts

Description: WalnutsWalnuts contain some melatonin, which can help you sleep faster. Thomson Reuters
Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid that helps make serotonin and melatonin, the "body clock" hormone that sets your sleep-wake cycles. Additionally, University of Texas researchers found that walnuts contain their own source of melatonin, which may help you fall asleep faster — unlike these eight worst eating habits for your sleep.

Almonds

Description: AlmondsAlmonds are rich in magnesium. robinmcnicoll/flickr
Almonds are rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for quality sleep (and for building bones). A study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that when the body's magnesium levels are too low, it makes it harder to stay asleep. Don't miss these other 10 natural tricks for sleeping better without drugs.

Cheese and crackers

Description: Cheese and crackersDairy products like cheese can help make you sleepy. MSPhotographic / Shutterstock
Old wives' tales suggest that warm milk can make you sleepy, but the truth is any dairy product can help. Calcium (found in cheese, yogurt, milk, and these surprising sources) helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. Additionally, calcium helps regulate muscle movements. Learn the nine signs you aren't getting enough calcium.

Lettuce

Description: LettuceLettuce contains lactucarium. liz west/Flickr
A salad with dinner could speed up your bedtime since lettuce contains lactucarium, which has sedative properties and affects the brain similarly to opium. You can also try this brew from the book Stealth Health: Simmer three to four large lettuce leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add two sprigs of mint, and sip just before you go to bed. Check out these other 13 best tips from sleep doctors.

Pretzels

Description: PretzelsHigh glycemic index foods like pretzels can help you go to sleep. Wikimedia/Jonathan M
Foods like pretzels and corn chips have a high glycemic index. After eating them you'll have a natural spike in your blood sugar and insulin levels, shortening the time it takes you to fall asleep. Normally, you want steady levels to avoid mood swings and insulin resistance. (In those cases, reach for one of these 10 delicious low-glycemic snacks.) But if you are looking to get rest, the blood sugar and insulin increase helps tryptophan enter your brain to bring on sleep. Learn the other best way to improve your sleep quality.

Tuna

Description: TunaFish are high in vitamin B6. Amarita/Shutterstock
Fish such as tuna, halibut, and salmon are high in vitamin B6, which your body needs to make melatonin and serotonin. (Find out how to tell if you're low in important vitamins.) Other foods high in B6 include raw garlic and pistachio nuts. Don't miss these 22 sleeping mistakes that are messing with your rest.

Rice

Description: RiceA study found that jasmine rice could help you fall asleep faster than other types.JacquesPALUT/iStock
White rice has a high glycemic index, so eating it will significantly slash the time it takes you to fall asleep, according to an Australian study. In particular, jasmine rice brings on shut-eye faster; research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate a meal that included jasmine rice fell asleep faster than when they ate other rice types. Check out these other 11 weird tricks that help you sleep better

Cherry juice

Description: Cherry juiceTart cherries naturally boost levels of melatonin. Wikimedia Commons
A glass of cherry juice could make you fall asleep faster, according to researchers from the Universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester. Cherries, particularly tart cherries, naturally boost levels of melatonin. (Here are seven things you should know before taking melatonin pills to sleep.) In the study, subjects who drank cherry juice experienced some improvement in their insomnia symptoms compared to those who drank a placebo beverage.

Cereal

Description: CerealThe combination of carbohydrates and calcium could help you sleep better.Providence Doucet/Unsplash
A bowl of your favorite flakes before bed could help you get better sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The snack combines two components for getting some Zzzs: carbohydrates (from the cereal) and calcium (from the milk). Here are eight more little daytime tweaks to help you sleep better tonight.

Chamomile tea

Description: Chamomile teaTea relaxes the nerves and acts as a mild sedative. Shutterstock
Steeping a cup of stress-busting chamomile tea will help you sleep. According to researchers, drinking the tea is associated with an increase of glycine, a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles and acts as a mild sedative. Here are nine more drinks that help you sleep—and 4 that keep you awake.

Passionfruit tea

Description: Passionfruit teaPassionfruit contains a chemical that can act on your nervous system. Drew Coffman/Unsplash
An Australian study found that drinking a cup of passionfruit tea one hour before bed helped people sleep more soundly. Researchers believe that Harman alkaloids — chemicals found in high levels in the flower — act on your nervous system to make you tired. Don't miss these other 11 home remedies for insomnia.

Honey

Description: HoneyA spoonful of honey in your tea could help you sleep soundly. Pexels
The natural sugar found in honey slightly raises insulin and allows tryptophan to enter the brain more easily, according to nutritionist Lindsey Duncan on DrOz.com. A spoonful before bed or mixed with chamomile tea could give you a more restful sleep. Just make sure to stop these 12 innocent habits that ruin your sleep quality.

Kale

Description: KaleKale and leafy greens have calcium. stacey_newman / iStock
Green leafy vegetables like kale are loaded with calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. Spinach and mustard greens are other good options. Check out these other nine reasons to start eating more spinach.

Shrimp and lobster

Description: Shrimp and lobsterLobster and other crustaceans have tryptophan. flickr/Benson Kua
Another good source of tryptophan, crustaceans like shrimp (which is one of 13 superfoods every woman should eat) or lobster may bring on an easier sleep. These 10 facts about seafood will change how you think about your meal.

Hummus

Description: HummusHummus with crackers could be what you need to fall asleep. Flickr/Hungry Dudes
Chickpeas are also a good source of tryptophan, so a light lunch of hummus and whole-grain crackers (to help the tryptophan reach the brain), could be a good way to head into an afternoon nap. Don't miss these other 11 tricks for a more restful nap.

Elk

Description: ElkGame meat has almost double the tryptophan of a turkey breast. iStock
This game meat has nearly twice more tryptophan than turkey breast, meaning you're much more likely to nod off after eating it, especially with a side of carbohydrates to help the tryptophan reach the brain. Here are 18 other food combinations that are healthier when eaten together.

New type of taste behind our love for pasta: study

October 27, 2017 | UPDATED 13:50 IST
Melbourne, Oct 27 (PTI) Scientists have identified a potential seventh taste - carbohydrate - which may be behind our craving for starchy foods such as bread, pasta and rice.
Researchers from Deakin University in Australia have shown that taste sensitivity to carbohydrates increases intakes of energy and carbohydrates, and leads to a larger waist measurement.
Carbohydrates had long been assumed invisible to taste, said Russell Keast, Professor at Deakin University.
"It is typically sugar, with its hedonically pleasing sweet taste, that is the most sought after carbohydrate," said Keast, who led the research published in the Journal of Nutrition.
"But our research has shown that there is a perceivable taste quality elicited by other carbohydrates independent of sweet taste," he said.
The research looked at two carbohydrates, maltodextrin and oligofructose, both found in common foods like bread, pasta and rice.
Initial testing by Julia Low, an academic at Deakin, showed that these carbohydrates could be sensed in the mouth.
Researchers then undertook a study to examine whether sensitivity to the carbohydrates was linked to peoples consumption of starchy foods.
The study looked at 34 adults and found significant correlations between how sensitive someone was to these carbohydrates, their dietary intake of carbohydrates, the amount of energy they ate, and their waist measurement.
"Those who were most sensitive to the carbohydrate taste ate more of these foods and had a larger waist," Low said.
"We specifically looked at waist measurements as they are a good measure of the risk of dietary related diseases," said Low.
Keast said this line of novel tastes research was important because the increasing problem of dietary-related chronic illnesses, such as obesity, required a greater understanding of the drivers of the food we consume.
"Increased energy intake, in particular greater intakes of energy-dense foods, is thought to be one of the major contributors to the global rise of overweight and obesity, and carbohydrates represent a major source of energy in our diet," he said.
Keasts team previously named fat as the "sixth taste". The fat taste studies explored the tongues ability to detect fat as a distinct taste similar to peoples ability to sense sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami - the five traditional or classic tastes.
"Interestingly, what we found in the fat taste studies was that the people who were more sensitive to fat consumed less fatty foods, but it is the other way around for carbohydrates," Keast said.
"What that could mean is that individuals who are more sensitive to the taste of carbohydrate also have some form of subconscious accelerator that increases carbohydrate or starchy food consumption. But we need to do much more research to identify the reason why," said Keast. PTI SAR SAR

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:uOD9RpnqLL4J:indiatoday.intoday.in/story/new-type-of-taste-behind-our-love-for-pasta-study/1/1076525.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

Vietnam uses remote sensing to monitor rice production
The use of satellite earth observation date to monitor rice production in the Red River and Mekong Deltas was discussed at a workshop in Hanoi on October 25.


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Signals collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can help calculate rice productivity in Vietnam 


The workshop on remote sensing application in agricultural production in Vietnam was jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Swiss Embassy. 
Nguyen Quang Dung, Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP), said the project on remote sensing application in rice production in 10 provinces of the Red River and Mekong Deltas has been launched since 2012.
The two-phase project conducted studies using finance from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and other international partners, he said. 
Dung said rice production in Vietnam has been monitored from the Sentinel satellite of the European Space Agency, with the algorithm and model developed by Sarmap Company of Switzerland and the International Rice Research Institute. 
Signals collected from the satellite every six or 12 days can help calculate rice productivity in Vietnam. 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Ha, from the NIAPP, said losses caused by natural disasters can be evaluated by remote sensing technology, thus assisting insurance activities to ease risks facing farmers.-VNA   



Where rice fields go, geese follow, experts report

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Researchers say there's more geese wintering in Arkansas than ever before. Experts are using transmitters to understand migration patterns and winter distribution. Special to The Commercial/Jarrod Hardke.
  
MONTICELLO – The western edge of the Mississippi Delta, which contributes so richly to Arkansas agriculture, is well known as a prime area for hunters, with both wet marshes and flooded rice fields after the fall. But it hasn’t always necessarily been so.
Until about the early 1990′s, the migration patterns of Arctic geese — migrating over North America through the fall and into the winter — were dominated not by the Delta, but by the rich, rice-dominated farmland of East Texas and Louisiana. But as drought took hold in the South and water rights issues left growers in those areas with little choice but to move into other, less water-intensive crops, mid-continent migration patterns gradually gravitated toward eastern Arkansas.
Which raises more than a few questions.
Satellite telemetry technology
Douglass Osborne, associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, has been leading a research team studying not only how the shift occurred, but what some of the potential adverse implications may be, as well.
“Right now, we’re in the relatively early stages of using satellite telemetry technology to learn about the distribution of the geese on the landscape.” Osborne said. “Aerial surveys are conducted during the winter, and anecdotally, we know that there’s more geese wintering in Arkansas than ever before. We’re using transmitters to understand migration patterns and winter distribution.”
Osborne and his team have about 40 years’ worth of data to work with, much of it from band and encounter data, supplied from hunters on occasions when banded birds were harvested during a hunt.
“Analyzing that data, we see that the initial shift in distribution, from Texas-Louisiana into Arkansas, occurred in the 90′s. In the early 2000′s, we see a really dramatic shift into the Arkansas Delta,” he said. At the same time so many Texas and Louisiana growers were shifting from rice to cotton, Arkansas rice growers realized that by reflooding their fields after harvest, they could in turn make a profit leasing the land to bird hunters for the season.
Trading coastal layovers for the Delta
Osborne said the data reflect three distinct time periods over the past four decades, including a historical wintering distribution of migrating arctic geese, a transient distribution in the mid- to late-90′s, as the birds “began to dabble in Arkansas,” and the current distribution, in which the birds have essentially traded their coastal layovers for the Delta.
“Historically, these birds were migrating from the arctic tundra in the summer, through the mid-continent and toward the Gulf of Mexico, hanging out in freshwater coastal marshes, feeding on plant material in the marsh, digging up the root tubers, then bouncing out of the marsh into the surrounding agriculture,” Osborne said. “But the conversion of agriculture toward cotton in the mid-1990′s in that part of the world took water off the landscape — water that was necessary for these birds in winter.
While the increasing artic goose population may be a boon to both landowners and hunters, Osborne said there are other, long-term factors to consider.
MORE VIDEO:
The latest on Monday's solar eclipse.
“It’s worth asking: What is the role of these geese in the agricultural system itself,” Osborne said. “What’s their role in nutrient distribution, and seed dispersal of different weeds? Are these geese environmental pests, or do they help agriculture?
“There’s also potential impacts for other waterfowl, that historically always wintered here,” he said. “There’s upwards of 3 million white-fronted geese in the population, and 10-20 million snow geese in the population — so now that a large portion of the distribution of birds has shifted into Arkansas, what does that mean for the amount of food on the landscape, which other birds always wintered here rely on?”
Osborne said that because hunting is such a strong engine in the Arkansas economy, it behooves the state and its residents to consider such implications, including effects on the populations and reproduction of other birds competing for scarce resources.
Osborne said his research, which began about three years ago, could easily take a career’s worth of time.
“You attempt to answer one question, and it leads to about four more questions,” he said.
More research needed?
While his research to this point has been supported through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Ducks Unlimited, the Canadian Wildlife Services and Environment Canada, Osborne said his team is hoping to attract underwriters for continuing research.
“Overall, the waterfowl community thinks there’s too many geese on the landscape — but what does ‘too many geese’ mean, and what impacts are they having on agricultural production in the southern portion of the range?” Osborne said. “This whole topic is a relatively unexplored area right now. There’s lots to learn about what impacts these geese may have here in the South.”
To learn about waterfowl in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without discrimination.
— Ryan McGeeney is with the U of A System Division of Agriculture.
http://www.pbcommercial.com/news/20171026/where-rice-fields-go-geese-follow-experts-report


DINNER PARTY INTEL: Chad’s passport paper problem

26 OCTOBER 2017 - 11:37
Topics to impress this week.
1. Office supply glitch
Description: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O1pfQ2HDfC8qSllLMY8F67cuXidUWxqzaP4CBWWurJC6MNmEOAeyC8NDchuNuEvYarsdnvVmsy-oD-DcI0kDIXoXqJrI8YHQSA=s1125
US officials say a paperwork shortage that prevented Chad from providing the US with a sample passport was one reason the country was included in the Trump administration’s latest travel ban targeting majority Muslim nations. Its inclusion came as a surprise because Chad is regarded as an ally of the US.
All countries were given 50 days to take steps including providing a sample of a recent passport. Chad ran out of passport paper and simply couldn’t comply.
2. Solar power future
The cost of solar energy will fall by another 60% over the next decade, the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency says. The drop in the cost coupled with improvements in efficiency have already pushed capacity from virtually zero at the start of the century to 300GW by the end of 2016. The agency expects at least 80GW of new capacity to be added globally each year over the next five to six years. China is set to be the world’s biggest and fastest growing solar market.
3. Saltwater rice research
Description: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ThEcEOjIpZjsbdYnudo-GbgFJswKmfA6FPd5JNVO4am0rWRkqSbVVu0DBwt21USNFapr6aD-vDjhtYqvwvf7vnH6g8pdRw=s1125
Scientists in China have managed to improve the yields on a strain of saltwater-tolerant rice, after more than four decades of research. Though it is eight times as expensive as normal rice, the initial yield was sold thanks to its unique flavour.
Over 200 types of rice were planted at the Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research & Development Center in Qingdao. Seawater from the Yellow Sea was pumped, diluted and channelled into the rice paddies. Yields beat forecasts, leading the project researchers to say the rice is ready for commercialisation.
https://www.businesslive.co.za/fm/fm-fox/dinner-party-intel/2017-10-26-dinner-party-intel-chads-passport-paper-problem/


Smart Rice Cooker Market Growing Trends and Demands Analysis 2017 to 2022
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 October 26, 2017 
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Global Smart Rice Cooker Market Research Report 2017 to 2022 presents an in-depth assessment of the Smart Rice Cooker including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, regulatory landscape, deployment models, operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for Smart Rice Cooker investments from 2017 till 2022.
This study answers several questions for stakeholders, primarily which market segments they should focus upon during the next five years to prioritize their efforts and investments. These Stakeholders include: Midea, Joyoung, Panasonic, PHILIPS, SUPOR, ZO JIRUSHI, TIGER, Povos, Toshiba, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Philips, LG, Xiaomi, Aroma, Hamilton Beach, Panasonic.
Primary sources are mainly industry experts from core and related industries, and suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, service providers, and organizations related to all segments of the industry’s supply chain. The bottom-up approach was used to estimate the global market size of Smart Rice Cooker based on end-use industry and region, in terms of value. With the data triangulation procedure and validation of data through primary interviews, the exact values of the overall parent market, and individual market sizes were determined and confirmed in this study.
Global Smart Rice Cooker (K Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type
Market Segment by Type
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Electric Rice Cookers
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
Gas Rice Cookers
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
others
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
Total
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
Global Smart Rice Cooker (K Units) by Application (2016-2022)
Market Segment
 by Application
2012
2016
2022
Market Share (%)2022
CGAR (%)
(2016-2022)
Houshold
xx
xx
xx
xx%
xx%
Commercial
xx
xx
xx
xx%
xx%
others
xx
xx
xx
xx%
xx%
Total
xx
xx
xx
100%
xx%
The research provides answers to the following key questions:
·         What will be the market size and the growth rate in 2022?
·         What are the key factors driving the global Smart Rice Cooker market?
·         Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the global Smart Rice Cooker market?
·         What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global Smart Rice Cooker market?
·         What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
·         What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Smart Rice Cooker market?
·         What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global Smart Rice Cooker market?
This independent 119 page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competition. With over 170 tables and figures examining the Smart Rice Cooker market, the report gives you a visual, one-stop breakdown of the leading products, submarkets and market leader’s market revenue forecasts as well as analysis to 2022.
Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Storage Area Network Switch in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, India.
The report provides a basic overview of the Smart Rice Cooker industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.
Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What’s more, the Smart Rice Cooker industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.
The research includes historic data from 2012 to 2016 and forecasts until 2022 which makes the reports an invaluable resource for industry executives, marketing, sales and product managers, consultants, analysts, and other people looking for key industry data in readily accessible documents with clearly presented tables and graphs. The report will make detailed analysis mainly on above questions and in-depth research on the development environment, market size, development trend, operation situation and future development trend of  Smart Rice Cooker on the basis of stating current situation of the industry in 2017 so as to make comprehensive organization and judgment on the competition situation and development trend of  Smart Rice Cooker Sales Silica Gel Sales  Market and assist manufacturers and investment organization to better grasp the development course of  Smart Rice Cooker Sales Silica Gel Sales  Market.
The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key vendors.
There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Smart Rice Cooker market.
Chapter 1- To describe Smart Rice Cooker Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;
Chapter 2- To analyze the top manufacturers of Smart Rice Cooker, with sales, revenue, and price of Smart Rice Cooker, in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 3- To display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 4- To show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Smart Rice Cooker, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;
Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9- To analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;
Chapter 10, 11- To show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;
Chapter 12- Smart Rice Cooker Sales Silica Gel Sales market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;
Chapter 13, 14, 15- To describe Smart Rice Cooker Sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.
Reasons for Buying this Report
·         This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics
·         It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth
·         It provides a technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rate
·         It provides a seven-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow
·         It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future
·         It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors
·         It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments
·         It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segments
About Us: –
MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research reports to industries, organizations or even individuals with an aim of helping them in their decision making process. These reports include in-depth market research studies i.e. market share analysis, industry analysis, information on products, countries, market size, trends, business research details and much more. MarketInsightsReports provides global and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.
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Father of Korean farm machinery passes away
Posted : 2017-10-26 16:18
Updated : 2017-10-26 18:07
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By Yoon Ja-young


Description:
Kim Sang-soo
Kim Sang-soo, Chairman and CEO of the country's leading agricultural machinery manufacturer Daedong Industrial, died Tuesday. He was 84.

Kim led the mechanization of the country's agriculture, which previously relied on hard physical work and cows.

He was born in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1933, the eldest son of Kim Sam-man who founded Daedong Industrial in 1947. After graduating from the prestigious Jinju High School, the junior Kim studied manufacturing management at Nihon University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan.

He joined his father's company in 1959 and was in charge of product development and manufacturing. He also trained in Germany for three years and in Japan for a year to learn new technologies. He became CEO in 1975 and had been chairman since 1984.

Based on his expertise and know-how in agriculture technology, he set up the foundation for the modernization of the country's rural community. He developed cultivators, tractors, combine harvesters and rice-planting machines for the first time here.

He set up a factory in Daegu in 1984 with annual capacity of 25,000 tractors, 5,000 rice-planting machines and 5,000 combine harvesters. He also expanded the company sales network to around 150 dealers.

Daedong grew to be the country's top farm machinery company with over 30 percent of the market.

Kim also focused on opening markets overseas. Daedong started exporting to the United States in 1985 and set up a U.S. subsidiary in 1993. It also set up subsidiaries in China in 2007 and Europe in 2010.

The chairman continued his efforts to develop technology and nurture human resources. Daedong set up a technology research and training center in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, in 1997.

Since Kim became CEO, the company's annual sales have risen to 580 billion won from 200 billion won. Exports increased explosively to 200 billion won in 60 countries from 100 million won.

The government acknowledged Kim's achievement with an order of industrial merit.

Though he transferred managerial control to his son in 2011, Kim participated in management until recently to nurture the 70-year-old company toward a successful centennial.


Vietnam, Russia determined to raise trade to $10 bln by 2020
Vietnam and Russia are determined to raise their two-way trade to 10 billion USD by 2020 to create a turning point in bilateral trade relations.

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Vietnam, Russia determined to raise trade to 10 bln USD by 2020


According to statistics from the European – American Markets Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Vietnam-Russia trade has recorded strong growth, especially in the context of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) taking effect last year.
In the first seven months of this year, trade turnover between Vietnam and Russia reached nearly 2 billion USD, up 27 percent year-on-year. Vietnam mainly exports mobile phones, garment and textiles, coffee, rice, machinery and grain products to Russia.
According to economists, Russia is a traditional market for Vietnamese goods. Although trade value has increased yearly, Russia’s demand for made-in-Vietnam commodities remains huge.
Bui Huy Son, head of the Trade Promotion Agency under the MoIT, said that trade fairs and exhibitions are an effective channel to connect the two countries’ businesses, associations and organisations.
Therefore, to boost domestic production and exports, businesses should seek to approach trade promotion agencies in Russia through trade fairs and exhibitions, Son suggested.
Sharing experience in exporting products to Russia, Sergey Gusev from the EXPOCENTRE, said that his company has a subsidiary in charge of providing transportation services and customs services assistance.
Russia is considering the transport of goods by train from Southeast Asia to Russia. If approved, this will help save time and costs for businesses, he stated.
Viacheslav Kharinov, Chief Representative of the Russian Trade Office in Vietnam, stated that Vietnam is the first country signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EAEU, helping boost Russia-Vietnam trade.
Since the beginning of 2017, rapid increases have been seen in exports of cereals, coal, steel and chemicals from Russia to Vietnam and exports of mobile phone components, electronic products, clothing, footwear and agricultural products from Vietnam to Russia, he added.
To make use of the FTA, Nguyen Khanh Ngoc, deputy head of the European – American Markets Department, suggested Vietnamese businesses search for market information to understand EAEU member states’ demands and improve the quality of the their products to make full use of the agreement’s advantages before the EAEU signs similar deals with other countries.
According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong, the FTA between Vietnam and the EAEU became effective in October 2016, opening a huge opportunity for the two sides’ businesses. Vietnamese businesses can access a 183-million-people market with combined GDP of nearly 2.2 trillion USD.
Vuong also asked enterprises to increase product quality and diversify products to raise their competitiveness.-VNA
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/189085/vietnam--russia-determined-to-raise-trade-to--10-bln-by-2020.html


Eating poorly cooked rice as dangerous as smoking: study

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25 2017
     
Description: Fertility researchers have found that rice that
Fertility researchers have found that rice that is not properly cooked contains arsenic metals which interferes with reproductive systems and causes cancer. PHOTO| FILE| NMG 

In Summary

·         Fertility researchers have found that rice that is not properly cooked contains arsenic metals which interferes with reproductive systems and causes cancer
·         Arsenic metal lowers progesterone levels but increases oestrogen, impairs ovulation and lowers thyroid function which are all causes for fibroids and infertility.
·         He advised that people should avoid the normal ratio of one to two, whereby one glass of rice goes with two glasses of water, the method is very dangerous since all the water soak in.
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In Cairo, Egypt
Rice may be a common delicacy on our tables. But new findings show eating poorly cooked rice may cause fibroids and cancer.
Fertility researchers have found that rice that is not properly cooked contains arsenic metals which interferes with reproductive systems and causes cancer.
Prof Oladapo Ashiru, President of Africa Fertility Society said despite rice being one of the world’s most important grains, eaten by the majority of the world’s population, few know how to prepare it.
“I am worried at the rate at which this commodity is being prepared. Most people are not even aware that they are endangering their lives so long as they are full, that is it,” he said
He said the high consumption of improperly cooked rice in Africa has led to high incidences of fibroids.
‘CAUSES FOR FIBROIDS AND INFERTILITY’
Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting organised by Merck Foundation, and dubbed Merck Africa Asia Luminary meeting in Cairo, Egypt, the experts argued rice picks up these arsenic metals which are naturally found in the soil and in groundwater often used to irrigate the grain in the dry season.
This makes the metal in the soil more readily available, making easier to be absorbed by humans when they eat the grain.
“Arsenic metal lowers progesterone levels but increases oestrogen, impairs ovulation and lowers thyroid function which are all causes for fibroids and infertility,” he said.
Fibroids are non-cancerous tumours that appear in the tissues around the uterus, it also grows from the muscle layers of the womb.
Fibroid affects 25 per cent of females especially those in the reproductive age.
The growths vary from the size of a bean to being as large as a melon.
‘ONLY THING I CAN EQUATE TO IS SMOKING’
Prof Andy Meharg of Queen’s University Belfast who has been studying arsenic for years said the problem looked big though it has an easy solution, ways of cooking rice will reduce arsenic content in our food.
“The only thing I can really equate arsenic consumption to is smoking. If you take one or two cigarettes per day, your risks are going to be a lot less than if you’re smoking 30 or 40 cigarettes a day. It’s dose-dependent the more you eat, the higher your risk is.” he said.
Prof Meharg said the technique of reducing the content was to soak rice overnight before cooking it in a 5:1 water-to-rice ratio.
This cuts the level by over 80 per cent.
He advised that people should avoid the normal ratio of one to two, whereby one glass of rice goes with two glasses of water, the method is very dangerous since all the water soak in.
“I know the soaking method is boring but for your health, it is necessary since the one to two ratios is very dangerous,” he said
According to data from the National Irrigation Board, the consumption of rice is increasing at about 12 per cent since 2008 while maize stands at one per cent and wheat at three per cent respectively.
Kenya produces less than 200,000 metric tonnes of rice against a demand of over 540,000 to 600,000 metric tonnes per year. The deficit of 75 per cent is imported from neighbouring countries, and mostly from Pakistan, who grows it using the same irrigation method.
According to Prof Ashiru, boiling and pouring out the water and boiling again also reduces arsenic content by huge percentage.
“Alternatively without having to boil, the water ratio to rice ratio should be increased to five to one,” he said.
Research carried out by Professor Jörg Feldmann of the University of Aberdeen has explored the amount and type of arsenic that can be found in rice and rice products and reasons for its occurrence.
According to the study mentioned by speakers states that arsenic found in rice can be subcategorised further one of these categories is inorganic arsenic which is a class I carcinogen which means it can cause cancer.
The research has been identified as fundamental by food standards agencies in the USA, the UK, and the European Union.
http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/health/eating-poorly-cooked-rice-as-dangerous-as-smoking/1954202-4155266-e6gem8/index.html

ustoms arrest 3, seize 1,440 bags of rice, 14 vehicles, others worth N55m

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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Command have arrested three people in connection with smuggling of some prohibited items into the country.
It also disclosed that it has seized one thousand, four hundred and forty bags of rice (1,440) with duty paid value of nineteen million, three hundred and eighty thousand, one hundred and sixty kobo (N19,380,160.00).
The command also declared that fourteen vehicles, 30 bales and jumbo sacks of second-hand clothing materials and used tyres with duty paid value of N25,703,875.00, N4,062,500.00 and N6,513,710.00 respectively were seized within the command’s territory.
Newly posted Customs Area Controller (CAC), Mr. Elisha David Chikan while briefing journalists on Wednesday disclosed that the duty paid value of all the seized items was N55,660,245.00.
He, however, declared that three people who were still under investigation were arrested in connection with the seized items.
Chikan also noted that most of the seizures were effected along Oyo/Ibadan Road while the Tokunbo vehicles were arrested within Saki axis at Aleniboro village in ATISBO Local Government area of Oyo State.
He said that all the seizures were within three weeks.
He said “Consequently, the eagle-eyed operatives of the command succeeded within the period under review in botching the illicit attempts of smugglers to ferry into the country assotrted contrabands including foreign rice, bales of second hand clothings, used tyres as well as Tokunbo vehincles through the borders of this area command.
“Specifically, we have been able to succesfully effect the following seiures durung the period under review.
“Nissan Almera carrying 20 bags of (50kg) foreign rice, DAF 45 truck with 800 pieces of used tyres, Mazda bus with 50 bags of (50kg) foreign rice, Mazda Bus with 30 bales and Jumbo sacks of second-hand clothings, Volvo Tipper with 100 bags of (50kg) foreign rice, Mercedes Benz Truck 911 with 200 bags of foreign rice, Truck with 420 bags of forreign rice, Maszda Bus with 50 bags of foreign rice and HowoTrailer Truck with 600 bags of foreign rice.”
Others are “Mazda Premacy -Tokunbo Car, Toyota Camry -Tokunbo Car, Volkswagen Golf -Tokunbo Car, Nissan Serena -Tokunbo Car and Mitsubishi Lancer -Tokunbo Car”.
http://dailypost.ng/2017/10/25/customs-arrest-3-seize-1440-bags-rice-14-vehicles-others-worth-n55m/



Rice Noodle Market Global Potential Growth, Share, Demand and Analysis of Key Players- Research Forecasts to 2022

 Rice Noodle Market research report provides Emerging Market trends, Raw Materials Analysis, Manufacturing Process, regional outlook and comprehensive analysis on different market segments.
The  Rice Noodle Market provides detailed analysis of Market Overview, Market Drivers, Opportunities, Potential Application. Top Key Players of  Rice Noodle Market covered as: JFC International,American Roland Food Corp.,Eskal,Nan Shing Hsinchu,Cali Food,Nature soy,Mandarin Noodle Manufacturing,Ying Yong Food Products . 
Rice Noodle industry drives A strong trend of R&D investments in food industries. Other growth drivers include the need to curtail costs, growth and increased use of shifting commodity prices, strength of private label brands and increased competition from players in  Rice Noodle market.
The  Rice Noodle market research report gives an overview of  Rice Noodle industries on by analysing various key segments of this market based on the product types, application, end-to-end industries and its scenario.
Rice Noodle Market split by Product TypeType I,Type II,Type III and Market split by ApplicationsApplication 1,Application 2,Application 3 .
The regional distribution of  Rice Noodle industries is across the globe are considered for this market analysis, the result of which is utilized to estimate the performance of the International market over the period from 2017 to forecasted year.
The  Rice Noodle market research report shed light on Foremost Regions: United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.
Rice Noodle Market in World, presents critical information and factual data about  Rice Noodle Industry, with an overall statistical study of this market based on market drivers, market limitations, and its future prospects. The widespread trends and opportunities are also taken into consideration in  Rice Noodle Market study.
The product range of the  Rice Noodle industry is examined based on their production chain, pricing of products and the profit generated by them. Various regional markets are analysed in  Rice Noodle market research report and the production volume and efficacy for  Rice Noodle market across the world is also discussed
http://www.satprnews.com/2017/10/25/rice-noodle-market-global-potential-growth-share-demand-and-analysis-of-key-players-research-forecasts-to-2022/

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Tiff with stranger led to double murder

MOHALI:A tiff with a stranger ledto the double murder of senior journalist KJ Singh (65) and his mother Gurcharan Kaur (92) here.

·         Killer was at KJ’s house for hour & 20 minutes

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o    Description: Echoes from the Valley

Echoes from the Valley

Art for him is problem-solving 24 by 7, certainly an arduous task and a challenge in itself.

·         Strength of character

·         Ed Sheeran keeps his date with India

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Posted at: Oct 27, 2017, 1:17 AM; last updated: Oct 27, 2017, 1:17 AM (IST)

Slow lifting: Moga farmers sell paddy directly to millers

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40% paddy yet to be lifted

·         As much as 40 per cent of the total paddy which has arrived in the grain markets of the district is yet to be lifted by the procurement agencies. A total of 5,35,954 MT of paddy has arrived in the district till Tuesday evening, out of which, 3,24,524 MT has been lifted while 1,88,40 MT is still waiting to be lifted and transported to rice mills.
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Description: Slow lifting: Moga farmers sell paddy directly to millers
By selling paddy to millers, farmers at the Moga grain market are avoiding paying market fee and development fund. Tribune Photo
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service
Moga, October 26
More than 56 lakh bags of paddy have been waiting to be lifted by the procurement agencies in more than 180 grain markets in the district for the past many days causing inconvenience to the commission agents and farmers.
Due to the delayed lifting of foodgrains, hundreds of farmers are reportedly selling their produce directly to rice millers, thus evading 3 per cent market fee and 3 per cent Rural Development Fund benefiting the rice millers on private purchase.
District Mandi Officer (DMO) Jasvir Singh has denied the reports of evasion of government taxes. “We raided a few rice mills in the past couple of days and found no evasion of taxes,” he said.
He said some discrepancies were found in a rice mill at Fatehgarh Panchtoor and the market committee stopped its operations for four days. A warning was also issued to the owners of a couple of other mills.
Meanwhile, a visit to a few rice mills in the adjoining areas of Moga city confirmed that direct purchase of paddy from farmers was going on unabated. A farmer of Dhalleke village said he had sold his paddy to a rice mill to avoid hassles of drying the grains due to high humidity content and waiting in the queue for purchase.
Farmers also allege that the rice millers were packing gunny bags with extra grains ranging from 1 kg to 1.5 kg per bag (3 kg to 4.5 kg per quintal) on the excuse of shrinkage.
Rice millers claim that the weight of bags containing grains of high humidity content reduces after the purchase due to shrinkage
www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/slow-lifting-moga-farmers-sell-paddy-directly-to-millers/

State sets 53L ton target for kharif

By Express News Service  |   Published: 27th October 2017 02:06 AM  |  
Last Updated: 27th October 2017 07:31 AM  |   A+A A-   |  
BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Thursday said paddy procurement for current kharif marketing season will start from November 1 from Kalahandi district.“Paddy procurement operation will start from Kalahandi district from November 1 followed by Bargarh district from November 7. Other districts will be covered under the decentralised procurement system as and when paddy starts arriving at the mandis (market yards),” Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi told reporters.The Government has set a tentative target to procure 36 lakh ton of rice (around 53 lakh ton in terms of  paddy) during the 2017-18 kharif marketing season covering both kharif and rabi crops. However, there is no bar for procurement of any higher quantum if more paddy comes to mandi from registered farmers with approval of the Government, he said.
The Chief Secretary said, kharif paddy will be procured from farmers who are registered in the online portal of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Department and the operation will continue till April 2018. Paddy will be procured as per the minimum support price (MSP) declared by the Central Government.   Padhi reviewed the preparation for paddy procurement at a high-level meeting attended by Agriculture Production Commissioner GK Dhal and Secretaries of Agriculture, FS&CW, Cooperation and Panchayati Raj departments.
The State Government has planned to procure 44 lakh tonnes of paddy during kharif and 9 lakh tonnes during rabi season. Rabi paddy would be procured from May to June 2018.
 Sources in the FS&CW department said around 10 lakh farmers have already been registered under the Government’s e-registration system out of which 73,537 are share croppers. The P-PAS (Paddy Procurement Automation System), an e-governance process for online payment to registered farmers will be extended to 309 out of 314 blocks of the State.
Apart from Food Corporation of India (FCI), three State Government agencies will participate in the decentralised procurement. However, the bulk procurement (around 95 per cent) will be done by Odisha State Civil Supply Corporation (OSCSC). The Corporation will procure paddy through 2,576 primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS).The two other State agencies are Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed) and Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation (TDCC).
About 1436 rice millers will participate in procurement operation and milling of paddy. Rice millers who have defaulted in supply of rice to the Government last year will not be allowed to participate.
J:www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2017/oct/27/state-sets-53l-ton-target-for-kharif-1684274.html

Millers double non basmati purchase in Punjab

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, ET Bureau|
Oct 25, 2017, 04.08 PM IST
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Around 32 million tonnes of non basmati was exported during April-August in 2017-18.

With an eye on global market, millers are privately purchasing non-basmati with renewed vigour this season in Punjab that contributes almost half of rice for public distribution system. Eying prospects of higher margins in export of non-basmati, private millers in Punjab this season have purchased more than double compared to corresponding period in the last kharif marketing season.

This year millers have already bought around 2 lakh tonnes of paddy compared to 1.5 lakh tonnes in the entire procurement season in the last year. The procurement is midway in Punjab that contributed 165 lakh tonnes of paddy in 2016-17.

The private buying is set to further rise in the state as the millers are expecting rise in demand of non basmati from the export destinations. "The private purchase has already surpassed figure of the last year and it is expected to multiply this year," HS Grewal, additional director, Punjab Food and Civil Supplies, told ET.

Export of Indian non basmati is growing more than basmati variety and the country exported 68 million tonnes of non-basmati in 2016-17. Around 32 million tonnes of non basmati was exported during April-August in 2017-18.

"The spike in price of basmati paddy has turned millers and exporters to non-basmati who are expecting better margins," Ashok Sethi, director of Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association told ET.

The millers in Punjab are expecting spike in demand from Bangladesh and African countries. In the recent years, the export of non-basmati rice has posted higher growth than basmati rice. Hike in price of basmati paddy has also turned the millers to non basmati.

This time basmati paddy procurement price in Punjab is ruling higher by 30-50 per cent than the last year. This year the scope of lower output of basmati due to less acreage and firm international prices have buttressed the price rise.

Despite higher private purchase of non-basmati, the Food Corporation of India is assured of meeting its target of procurement in Punjab. "The paddy procurement figures at present are almost comparable to corresponding period in the last year," DGM, North, Food Corporation of India VS Kumar told ET.

The Punjab Government agencies and private millers have procured total 8395354 tonnes of Paddy in Punjab till today evening which included 677578 tonnes procured on 23rd October.

Disclosing this here today, an official Spokesman of Punjab Government said that out of total procurement of 8395354 tonnes of paddy in all the procurement centers of Punjab, the Government agencies procured 8197315 tonnes of paddy (97.6%) till date whereas 198039 tonnes (2.4%) of paddy has been procured by millers.

He said that PUNGRAIN had procured 2636216 tonnes (31.4%), MARKFED procured 1889879 tonnes (22.5%). PUNSUP procured 1750608 tonnes (20.9%), PSWC procured 887876 tonnes (10.6%) and PAFC was able to procure 833038 tonnes (9.9%) of paddy. The Central Government agency FCI had been able to procure 199698 tonnes (2.4%).

In Punjab, bulk of non basmati, almost 98-99 per cent is purchased by government agencies through Minimum Support Price scheme. Last year around 165 lakh tonnes of paddy was procured by the agencies in the state.
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