Friday, August 23, 2019

23rd August,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Prime Minister's Advisor Appreciates Performance Of TCP
Thu 22nd August 2019 | 10:37 PM
Description: Prime Minister's Advisor appreciates performance of TCP
Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Industry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood visited the head office of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) here on Thursday
KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :Adviser to Prime Minister on CommerceIndustry and Production Abdul Razak Dawood visited the head office of Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) here on Thursday.
The Chairman TCP, Dr. Riaz Ahmed Memon briefed the Advisor about the performance of the Corporation during last one year. The Adviser was informed that TCP is self-sustained and profitable organization which has strategic significance.
The Corporation has imported 200,000 M.T of Urea on the directives of ECC in order to stabilize Urea market. Resultantly, prices of Urea have remained stable in the country.
The Adviser was further apprised that TCP has also digitalized Rice Inspection process to facilitate the Rice Exporters. It was also informed that the Corporation has launched "TCP Green Seed Balls Campaign" as Corporate Social Responsibility. Around 800,000 seed balls are prepared for the purpose.
Razak Dawood appreciated the performance of TCP and advised to bring forth new proposals for price stabilization of commodities and facilitation of business community.
He also appreciated TCP's "Green Ball Campaign" being cost effectiveand major contribution towards Prime Minister's goal of 10 billion Trees Tsunami.

 

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/prime-ministers-advisor-appreciates-performa-695609.html

 

Rice bowls of Sindh and Punjab


BR ResearchAugust 23, 2019
The illustrations of district-wise yields in Sindh and Punjab look like a patchwork. Only one district in each region has champion yield, with majority concentrated near the averages. But pay close attention: while the maps may be color-coded the same, the yield scale for Sindh is higher by nearly 1.6 times!


But even intra-province yield-comparisons may be misleading. Above average yield in Sindh for example, appears to be concentrated in northern- and central districts, beginning near the Kashmore and Jacobabad border region, down to Shikarpur.
This contiguous region, together with rest of the Larkana division, in fact, is known as Sindh’s rice belt, and contributes more than two-third of Sindh’s paddy production. Yet, Sindh has precious little paddy production in the southern region, where the champion yield is concentrated in Badin. Even though the district has the highest country-wide yield, it contributes less than 15 to average paddy output.
The stark difference in champion yields and crop concentration in fact indicate two disadvantages to Pakistan’s rice potential. First, Pakistan’s flagship rice variety – basmati – is concentrated in the north-eastern border of Punjab, popularly known as Pakistan’s basmati bowl.
Although the region is home to most of Punjab (and Pakistan’s) export-oriented rice potential, its basmati yield is lower when compared to region such as Lodhran and Toba Tek Singh within the province. Meaning that while the region may historically have been deemed most suitable for premium rice cultivation, growers in other less conducive climatic zones manage equally productive yields if not more.
Second, from a logistics perspective, the Gujranwala rice bowl is located at the farthest distance from seaport, resulting in increased freight cost for export-oriented producers and millers. The Sindh story is not quite dis-similar, where the Irri-6 and Irri-9 are more popular. While the variety may fetch lower premium compared to basmati in international markets, it is not entirely devoid of export-potential.
In fact, Irri-varieties have dominated rice export volume for all of last decade. Yet the rice bowl of Kashmore-Jacobabad-Ghotki is located at the northern-most hinterlands of provincial border, farthest away from Karachi port.
The other more revealing factor is how traditional agro-climatic zones for major crops hardly ever record highest-ever yields. As small-scale growers dominate farming across the length of the country, even in climatic-zones most suitable to a particular grain, average yield inadvertently falls.
Pakistan’s district-wise crop yields actually reveal the strength of its progressive farmers, who manage target yield even outside traditional crop belts.
Source: Punjab Agriculture Directorate; Sindh Development Statistics.
Risk Management Agency Does Their Research on Rice
By Lydia Holmes

JONESBORO & STUTTGART, AR -- This week, staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA) toured Arkansas to talk with rice farmers and see irrigation methods like alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and furrow irrigated (or row) rice firsthand.  RMA is actively working to provide crop insurance coverage for these two irrigation methods to give rice farmers more assurance as they adapt their irrigation systems.

The seven RMA staff members are based out of Kansas City, Missouri; Topeka, Kansas; and Jackson, Mississippi; and were hosted by Jarrod Hardke, University of Arkansas rice extension specialist, and USA Rice staff during their Arkansas rice tour. 

The group saw research plots and field scale research trials on AWD and furrow irrigated rice being conducted by the University of Arkansas in both the Grand Prairie and northeast Arkansas regions.  They also visited with growers using a variety of irrigation methods from conventional flood using contour or straight levees, to multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI), to row rice fields.

"USA Rice has long worked to secure crop insurance policies for both furrow and AWD," said Jamison Cruce, USA Rice government affairs manager.  "We were successful in getting specific language in the 2018 Farm Bill instructing the RMA to consider coverage for these new, innovative irrigation practices, and are hopeful that coverage will be available for crop year 2020."

USA Rice and the rice extension agronomists in states where these practices are common also submitted input throughout the RMA's research and development process. 
"We appreciate the time and effort spent on rice production insurance policies by the RMA staff, particularly their diligence toward the development of crop insurance policies that will provide coverage for innovative and conservation-minded irrigation practices," said Daniel Berglund, Texas rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers Crop Insurance Committee.  "By taking the time to visit and witness rice production and rice research firsthand, we hope these RMA staffers now have a good sense of why we need crop insurance policies that continue to work for our industry as new production practices are developed and proven successful.  I think we're headed in the right direction."
RMA staff takes note of various irrigation practices

USA rice daily
CBN Goes Into Overdrive On Protectionism

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Friday, August 23, 2019   /08:49AM / By FDC / Header Image Credit: Picbear
 
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed his intentions to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop providing foreign exchange for food imports. The directive, which is in line with Buharis trade protectionist stance, is aimed at stimulating agricultural output and reducing the countrys dependence on oil exports.

Impact on the economy and policymakers 
Since 2015, the CBN has been enforcing policies that deny access to foreign currency for several imported products. Currently, there are 43 items, including some foodstuffs such as rice, tomato paste, vegetable oil and recently, milk. Food items are a major import item into Nigeria. In the last 6 years, Nigeria spent approximately $19.24bn on food importation. 
In Q1 2019, food imports was estimated at $1.1bn, 10.7% of total imports. Imported food inflation in Q2 was 15.72%, 2.04% higher than domestic food inflation. Hence, the prohibition of forex access for all food imports could push up commodity prices, stoke inflation and could make the CBNs single-digit inflation target unattainable. 
This will also increase the cost of imported food. Importers of food products would have to source for forex from other windows such as the parallel market. The resultant increase in demand at the parallel market will result in a weaker exchange rate from the current N360/$ level. It will also heighten the pressure on the exchange rate at the parallel market. 
Currently, the exchange rate at the Investors & Exporters Foreign Exchange (IEFX) window (N363.68/$) is more expensive than the parallel window (N360/$). This has widened the spread between IE rate and parallel market rate to 1.02%. 
By implication, we could see a shift to the parallel market, thus, increasing demand pressures. This would be further exacerbated by the forex restriction on food imports. Hence, naira could depreciate to about N370/$ before the end of 2019.


Impact on the consumer 
Food inflation declined to 13.39% in July (7th highest in Africa) and it is expected to sustain this trajectory in Q3. However, the denial of forex for food imports would push up food inflation to about 14.5% and reduce consumers purchasing power. A resulting effect of this is an increase in poverty, 93,823,485 Nigerians (47.7% of the total population) live in extreme poverty, with an aggregate consumption of $410bn and consumption per head of $2,039. 
To put this in context, if food prices spike further due to the possible full foreign-exchange ban on all food imports (raw materials and finished products), the poverty level and economic hardship will rise steeply. Furthermore, given that poverty is the bedrock of the unrest Nigeria faces on numerous fronts, we would see an increase in corruption and kidnapping.

Impact on smuggling 
The agric sector has been growing at an average of 3.53% in the last 5 years. It remains one of the most resilient since the recession in 2016. However, the sector is held back by more than just cheap imports. The sectors performance is still limited by poor quality seedlings, inadequate fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, outdated machinery and farming techniques, high post-harvest losses and instability in the Middle Belt. 
The widening supply gap has led to increased smuggling of food items to and from neighbouring countries. For instance, the reduction in rice imports has been compensated by a corresponding increase in its smuggling from porous borders. Data from the IMF shows that as Nigerias rice imports have been declining, rice imports into Benin Republic have been on the increase. So, if the total foreign-exchange ban on imported food products is actualized, higher food prices or outright shortages would quickly turn Nigeria to a smugglers paradise.

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John Innes discovery could pave the way for disease-resistant rice crops

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22 Aug 2019 --- Researchers at the John Innes Centre have come one step closer to genetically engineering rice that is resistant to a globally devastating fungus. The discovery, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, provides new insights into how rice’s immune receptors recognize and bind to fungal proteins. With a grip on how the grain fights illness, researchers hope to arm a variety of rice with the receptors it needs to resist rice blast disease. The fungus causes losses of up to a third of the global rice harvest – enough to feed 60 million people each year, reports the institute.
“Better immune receptors should benefit the whole crop and increase overall yields for farmers. We hope to engineer rice immune receptors to better detect the presence of the rice blast pathogen through binding pathogen “effector” proteins,” Lead Researcher Mark Banfield tells FoodIngredientsFirst
The challenge
Magnaporthe oryzae, the fungus that leads to rice blast disease, creates lesions on rice plants, which in turn reduces the yield and quality of the grain. “Rice farmers employ various strategies to ward off the fungus, but a sustainable approach is not yet available. Both the cost and environmental concerns have limited the success of fungicides,” reports the John Innes Centre. 
Currently, fungus-resistant rice varieties have been developed, but they are not ideal due to low yields. Their lower production is associated with “linkage drag,” the transfer of bad genes along with good ones. The discovery could give rice breeders the information they need to engineer elite cultivars of rice that perform better in the field.
Description: https://resource.innovadatabase.com/admin/editor/3c4e2181-806f-4b09-830e-9a0cd623a7f7nrice.PNGGenetically-engineered rice holds promise for alleviating world hunger.The experiment
Rice blast fungus sends out many types of proteins, known as effectors, into the cells of the rice plant. However, the class of immune receptors researchers studied, nucleotide-binding–leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs), typically only recognizes one type of pathogenic protein. Unable to cope with more than one rice blast effector, the plant cannot fight the disease properly. 
In collaboration with researchers in Japan, Banfield’s team wanted to find out if NLRs could identify more types of fungal effectors and bind to them. When NRLs bind to a rice blast effector, it causes cell death, saving the rest of the plant from harm. 
“The cells die in a very localized area, so the rest of the plant is able to survive. It’s almost like sacrificing your finger to save the rest of your body,” says Banfield. 
The researchers were surprised to find that NLRs bound to more than one type of fungal effector. NLRs bound to both AVR-Pik and AVR-Pia effectors, which are different but have a similar structure to each other. AVR-Pia did not trigger as much plant-saving cell death as AVR-Pik, but the findings were promising. Demonstrating the dual-capability of rice immune receptors, researchers hope to build a more dynamic immune system. A genetically-edited robust receptor system may be one way of handling rice blast disease. 
Gene-editing could reduce world hunger
The debate continues about the ethical and potential adverse health impacts of genetically modified organisms, with the USDA recently suggesting that gene-editing could be allowed in organic production. Scientists across Europe are also calling for the EU to rethink its “retrograde” gene-editing legislation in a petition signed by 126 research institutes. Meanwhile, the UN has an ambitious goal of eliminating hunger in the world by the year 2030. 
It is estimated that 815 million people are hungry today, and an additional two billion people are expected to be undernourished by 2050. For this, the UN reports that a profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed. 
“Investments in agriculture are crucial to increasing the capacity for agricultural productivity, and sustainable food production systems are necessary to help alleviate the perils of hunger,” urges the UN.
Banfield sees promise in this rice discovery leading to better food security the world over. “It is possible that the findings could inspire others working on different crops, such as wheat, to try a similar approach to engineering better immune receptors,” he concludes. 
By Missy Green 
To contact our editorial team please email us at editorial@cnsmedia.com
Scientists successfully innoculate, grow crops in salt-damaged soil
High-salinity land now unable to sustain plant life could once again be used
Date:
August 22, 2019
Source:
Brigham Young University
Summary:
Researchers may have found a way to reverse falling crop yields caused by increasingly salty farmlands throughout the world. Scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly salty soil.
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FULL STORY

A group of researchers may have found a way to reverse falling crop yields caused by increasingly salty farmlands throughout the world.
Led by Brent Nielsen, professor of microbiology and molecular biology at Brigham Young University, scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly salty soil.
"We take the roots of these salt-tolerant plants (called halophytes), grind them up and grow the bacteria in a petri dish in the lab," Nielsen said. "Doing this, we isolated over 40 different bacteria isolates, some of which can tolerate ocean-level salt content."
The team then applied the bacteria isolates to alfalfa seeds through a solution and tested the alfalfa's ability to grow in high-saline conditions. They saw significant growth of the alfalfa both in their lab and in greenhouse experiments carried out by collaborators at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Virginia.
The study identifies two specific bacteria isolates -- Halomonas and Bacillus -- that worked to stimulate plant growth in the presence of 1 percent sodium chloride (salt), a level that significantly inhibits growth of uninoculated plants. This discovery is significant since soils throughout areas of China, Australia and the Middle East have grown increasingly salty, as well as major farmland in the southwest United States.
"As an area of land is repeatedly used for farming, the salinity rises; the irrigation water has salt in it and when it evaporates or is taken up by the plants, the salt is left behind," said student Caitlyn McNary, one of six BYU undergraduate co-authors on the paper. "With what we've found, lands that are now unable to sustain plant life due to high salinity could once again be used for crops."
In addition to the work on alfalfa, America's No. 4 crop, the research team has already started to conduct lab and greenhouse experiments on rice, green beans and lettuce. The next step is to carry out field trials on the inoculated crops.
The lab work for the research, recently published online in Frontiers in Microbiology, was carried out primarily by six BYU undergraduate students: McNary and fellow first author Jennifer Kearl, Emily Colton, Steven Smith, Jason West and Michelle Hamson. BYU Plant and Wildlife professor Zachary Aanderud, and Scott Lowman and Chuansheng Mei of the Plant Endophyte Research Center also served as a study co-authors.
"We've long wondered if increasingly salty land was just a losing battle or if there was something we could do about it," Nielsen said. "Now we have shown there is something we can do about it."

Story Source:
Materials provided by Brigham Young UniversityNote: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:
1.     Jennifer Kearl, Caitlyn McNary, J. Scott Lowman, Chuansheng Mei, Zachary T. Aanderud, Steven T. Smith, Jason West, Emily Colton, Michelle Hamson, Brent L. Nielsen. Salt-Tolerant Halophyte Rhizosphere Bacteria Stimulate Growth of Alfalfa in Salty SoilFrontiers in Microbiology, 2019; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01849

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Brigham Young University. "Scientists successfully innoculate, grow crops in salt-damaged soil: High-salinity land now unable to sustain plant life could once again be used." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 August 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190822124834.htm>.

Rupee slide pushes India rice rates to 7-week low, Vietnamese exports dip

By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
ReutersAugust 22, 2019
Description: Rupee slide pushes India rice rates to 7-week low, Vietnamese exports dip
A worker uses his feet to spread rice for drying at a rice mill on the outskirts of Kolkata
By Karthika Suresh Namboothiri
BENGALURU (Reuters) - A depreciating rupee pushed export prices of rice from India to their lowest in seven weeks on Thursday despite healthy demand from African countries, while lower purchases from Philippines weighed on rates for the Vietnamese grain.
Top exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $372-$375 per tonne this week, down from $374-$377 a week ago.
"A falling rupee has been allowing us to lower export prices. Demand has also been improving," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian rupee on Thursday fell to its lowest in over eight months, raising exporters' margins.
Farmers have planted rice on 30.14 million hectares as of Aug. 16, against 33.84 million hectares at the same time last year, government data showed.
India's rice exports in April-June dived 28.2% from a year ago to 2.35 million tonnes. In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken rice eased to $335-$340 a tonne from $335-$345 last week on weak demand. 
Buyers from Philippines have reduced their purchases from Vietnam while awaiting a possible curb on rice imports to support local farmers, a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
Preliminary data showed only 23,000 tonnes of rice is scheduled to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports during September 1-10, bound for West Africa. 
Meanwhile, Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices were quoted at $415-$430 a tonne on Thursday, slightly higher than $415-$425 last week.
Concern over shrinking supply due to the worst drought in a decade, has pushed up Thai prices and prompted the government to introduce new subsidies to help farmers during the main harvest seasons for the remainder of this year.
"The new subsidies will drive the export prices up in the medium term because the market will now gain confidence that domestic price will not go down since the prices are now guaranteed by the government," a Bangkok-based trader said.
Overseas demand for Thai rice is expected to remain unchanged with prices affected by fluctuations in the exchange rate between the US dollar and baht, Asia's best performing currency so far this year.

Food group exports grew by 11.45% in first month of FY 2019-20: SBP

 


ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (APP):Food group exports from the country during first month of financial year 2019-20 grew by 11.45% as compared the corresponding period of last year.
During the month of July, 2019, the food commodities worth US$408.404 million exported as against US$366.427 million of same month of last year, according the latest data issued by the State Bank of Pakistan.
During the period under review, rice exports grew by US$9.56% as rice worth US$181.565 million exported as compared the exports of US$165.709 million of same month of last year.
During first month of fiscal year 2019-20, basmati rice worth US$74.990 million exported as against US$48.319 million of same month last year which was up by US$55.20%.

An Anti-Pakistan agenda
·       Behind abrogating Article 370 is a hunger for water
By: Muhammad Sohail Ahmed
In 1944, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah while addressing the students of Muslim Aligarh University, said that Pakistan came into existence the moment the first Hindu embraced Islam, as Muslim nationhood lies in the ‘Kalima’ (there is no God but One) and not on the basis of region or ethnicity. In 1954 India had illegally annexed Kashmir to its territory, but to hoodwink the world community, it introduced Article 370 in its Constitution, thereby claiming that it had given autonomy to the Kashmiris. This clause acknowledges special status in terms of autonomy to the locals to formulate laws of the state. In the subsequent years, the Indian leadership continued to vow that the right of self-determination in the light of UN Security Council resolution will be given to the Muslims of Kashmir, (as done by the other federating units of the subcontinent). Despite religious difference, the Indian establishment wanted water of the rivers for irrigating Rajasthan desert. Indira Gandhi Canal, a 678-km water canal was therefore built in 1958-1963. The canal runs from North East of Ravi to the south-west along the Pakistan India border. This diversion of water not only dried up the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers and created a drought-like situation in southern Punjab. The Indus Basin Waters Treaty was also for this purpose.
Pakistan must exercise all options including, diplomatic, political, financial, legal and military to safeguard its interest
India obtained loans from world financial institutions to supposedly turn its desert to green pastures. The loan obtained from world financial institutions was to be paid from the income of ‘desert converted to green pastures harvest’. The expertise of making a canal in desert is quite challenging as in Sudan from river Nile. particularly, the problem of seepage of water in the desert terrain continues to pose challenge as India has recently obtained loan of $250 million from ADB and $400 million from Russia to improve the water management and water transportation through the Indira canal.
Over the last 65 years the water continues to be wasted and the objective of Indian constitutional amendment is to drain water from Jhelum and Chenab, which is a clear violation of the IWT. Pakistan has always upheld the UN resolutions on Kashmir, as article 257 of its Constitution states, “when the people of state of Jammu and Kashmir decide to accede to Pakistan, the relationship between Pakistan and that state shall be determined by the wishes of that state”. Although it does not include the states of Hyderabad Deccan, Junagarh, Manawadar, which had opted to join Pakistan and the Indian army forcefully occupied them. Provision of the demand of these states needs to be made part of Pakistan’s constitution.
Similarly, Gurdaspur, being a Muslim majority region was wrongly annexed to India, and this needs to be rectified. With the unending appetite for resources such as water, dams, rivers, electricity and green pastures, fuelled with the Indian hegemonic designs, efforts to build maximum dams will increase day by day. One of the interesting aspects is that India is obtaining loans from international monetary agencies like the World Bank and the IMF, for diverting the water of these rivers. The external debt of India stands at a staggering amount of $521.3 billion, as on 31 December 2018 and increases at 2.6 percent per annum.
Expensive loans on cost-prohibitive terms, implemented illegally while annoying neighbouring countries and creating disenchantment among the masses, is a unique feature of the Indian establishment and those politicians who do not possess financial, legal or professional credentials. Whether India can survive or not without Kashmir is clear. The last 72 years analysis suggests that India can survive only without Kashmir. However, Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah called Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan, hence Kashmir remains the unfinished agenda of independence of Pakistan. Diverting all the rivers flowing through Indian-occupied Kashmir may deprive Pakistan of the mandatory water reservoirs. It will not only cause environmental degradation but will turn into a calamity depriving the Pakistani people of grain, rice and all crops.
What if Pakistan decides to launch strikes against illegally constructed dams to get water supply restored? What if a nation devoid of food launches weapons of appropriate destructive power, closes Banehal Tunnel to disconnect India from Kashmir for good? What if the people of Kashmiris drive out the Indian security forces like the masses did from the Bastille during the French Revolution?
What if an environment-friendly government of Pakistan scraps the IWT to restore imbalance? How will the Indian govt return the billions of dollars it has borrowed with the Indira canal drained out for want of water?
It is also necessary to examine article 103 of the UN Charter which states, “in the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the UN under the present charter and their obligations under any other international agreement their obligations under the present Charter shall prevail”. If Indian govt thinks that with revoking Article 370, it can enter into a bilateral agreement for any project in Indian Occupied Kashmir, it is mistaken due to Article 103 of the UN Charter. It can, therefore, be concluded that the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A are aimed to destroy Pakistan and kill its population.
Pakistan must exercise all options including, diplomatic, political, financial, legal and military to safeguard its interest. The government of Pakistan should announce support for establishing a government of Kashmir in exile. The following points merit consideration for presenting a case by Pakistan:(a) Sanctions on India for violation of the UN charter by revoking Article 370 and declaring a disputed territory as its own. (b) All international tenders in Indian occupied Kashmir should be challenged in the ICJ in the light of art 370/35 of Indian constitution read in conjunction with art 103 of UN Charter. (c) Demand return of Junagarh, Manawadar and Hyderabad to Pakistan.
The writer is a retired commodore of the Pakistan Navy.

Cambodia says EU rice tariffs hurting farmers
AUGUST 22, 2019
PHNOM PENH, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Cambodia said on Thursday European Union tariffs on its rice had hurt half a million farmers with a sharp decline of exports to the bloc, as it reviews the Southeast Asian nation’s duty-free trading access over human rights concerns.
The EU in January imposed tariffs for three years on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar, aiming to protect EU producers such as Italy following a surge in imports from the two Asian countries.

For the first six months after duties were imposed on Cambodian rice, exports to the EU fell by half compared with the same period last year, to 93,000 tonnes, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
“This has been acutely felt by most of the 500,000 families who eke out a living farming jasmine and fragrant long grain rice, in spite of the fact that these varieties are geographically specific and do not compete directly with products grown in the EU,” the CRF said in statement.
The EU in February also started an 18-month process that could lead to the suspension of Cambodia’s special Everything But Arms (EBA) access, which allows for duty free access for all exports to the EU, except arms, over it human rights record.

That process is separate from the rice tariffs.

The block takes more than a third of Cambodia’s exports, including garments, footwear and bicycles.
In April, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said China, his closet ally, would help Cambodia if the EU withdrew the EBA. China had also agreed to import 400,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice, according to a posting on Hun Sen’s Facebook page. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul Editing by Robert Birsel) https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4N25I2XG

Paddy Varieties With Good Aroma, Taste Must Be Discovered: Minister

Description: Paddy varieties with good aroma, taste must be discovered: Minister


Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial has said that paddy varieties having great aroma and taste must be discovered with an aim to export them

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2019 ) :Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial has said that paddy varieties having great aroma and taste must be discovered with an aim to export them.
He said this during a meeting of Rice Working Group at Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku on Wednesday, said a press release issued here. Jahangir Tareen also attended the meeting as a chief guest.
The meeting was told that paddy had been cultivated in Punjab on 380,000 acres of land and till now 25 paddy varieties had been discovered and these also included varieties which were resistant against various diseases.
This year Basmati variety was being cultivated on 40 per cent of land, Sela rice on 37 per cent of land thick rice on 7 per cent and Hybrid rice on 02 per cent of land.
It was further told 4 million ton of paddy yield is expected.
Jahangir Tareen said the present government was paying special attention for increasing the paddy export and in this regard a national project to increase paddy yield was being started by Federal government with a hefty amount of above Rs 4 billion.
He said under this project special attention would be paid on latest research on paddy besides discovering varieties giving maximum yield.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 23, 2019
AUGUST 23, 2019
* * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-August 23, 2019 Nagpur, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) on poor buying support local millers. Sharp fall on NCDEX in gram, easy condition in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also affected prices in limited deals. About 700 bags of gram and 150 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM
* Desi gram raw moved down in open market here in absence of buyers.

TUAR
* Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka quoted weak in open market here on lack of demand

from local traders.

* Mot prices reported higher in open market here on increased festival season demand

from local traders.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-5,800, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,000-8,100, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 7,200-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,000-8,900, Gram – 4,200-4,300, Gram Super best

– 5,800-6,200 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,800-4,255 3,900-4,330

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 5,100-5,680 5,100-5,740

Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500

Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,120 2,000-2,110

Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000

Gram Super Best Bold 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600

Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,550-4,650

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,600-8,700 8,600-8,700

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 8,100-8,300 8,100-8,300

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,800-8,000 7,800-8,000

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,200-7,600 7,200-7,600

Tuar Gavarani New 6,000-6,100 6,100-6,200

Tuar Karnataka 6,400-6,600 6,450-6,650

Masoor dal best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700

Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000

Moong Mogar Medium 7,200-7,800 7,200-7,800

Moong dal Chilka New 6,500-7,700 6,600-7,800

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,800-9,400 8,800-9,400

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,200 5,500-6,200

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,700 4,300-4,700

Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,600 5,500-6,500

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600

Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800

Rice Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400

Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,200-5,600

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 33.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 23.7 degree Celsius Rainfall : 9.3 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with moderate rains. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 32 degree Celsius and 24 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)

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Thailand: Sticky rice price almost doubling last year´s due to limited supply

Last update: 22/08/2019
BANGKOK, Aug 22 -- The price of sticky rice in Thailand has almost doubled from last year’s and could go up further over scared supply, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Insiders said this time in 2018, sticky rice was sold for 20 to 30 baht (US$0.64 to US$0.97) per kg, adding that the figure is 40 - 50 baht (US$1.29 to US$1.62) per kg.

Recently, customs officers in the eastern province of Sa Kaew seized a total of 30 tonnes of glutinous rice seeds smuggled into the country from Cambodia.

Drought in Thailand has pushed up prices of sticky rice seeds and other crops, while Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have recorded much lower prices.

Jammu and Kashmir is bilateral issue between India and Pakistan: Zambia

PM Modi on Tuesday announced that India will train Zambian forces. "To increase the capacity of Zambian Armed Forces, Indian military and airforce training team will be stationed in Zambia," said PM Modi

Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. He is the first African country to react to the current tensions between India and Pakistan. The President is on a three-day India visit and Tuesday was the main day of engagement.

M Modi on Tuesday announced that India will train Zambian forces. "To increase the capacity of Zambian Armed Forces, Indian military and airforce training team will be stationed in Zambia," said PM Modi. India will also provide 100 solar irrigation pumps, 1,000 tons of rice and 100 tons of milk powder to the southern African country.
Lauding India's role in his country's development Lungu said, "India is an important and strategic partner in Zambia's enhanced quest for socio-economic development." He was given the guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan and paid homage to Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat.
At the visitor's book at Raj Ghat, he said, "All said and done, only acknowledging the truth about past, present and future, can set us mankind free."
President Ram Nath Kovind had paid a visit to the southern African country in April 2018. The bilateral trade between India and Zambia stands at USD 830 million with India importing copper from the country. Zambia is the second-largest producer of copper in Africa with USD 5 billion investment. India is one of the leading investors in the country.

Federal funding broadens global education opportunities for Canadian students

 

New $148-million pilot program will give up to 11,000 university and college students across Canada a chance to gain international experiences and skills.

Description: U of A master’s student Monica Shandal and PhD candidate Fahed Elian talk about their international experiences during the announcement today of nearly $148 million in federal funding for post-secondary education abroad. (Photo: Michael Brown)

U of A master’s student Monica Shandal and PhD candidate Fahed Elian talk about their international experiences during the announcement today of nearly $148 million in federal funding for post-secondary education abroad. (Photo: Michael Brown)
By MICHAEL BROWN
Monica Shandal said she always wanted to use her abilities to make a difference and help people but wasn’t sure what they were or how to apply them.
Then, the University of Alberta master’s student in agricultural and resource economics travelled to India as part of a study abroad program to explore challenges of the rice seed production system.
“I was exposed to problems that I never thought could be in the realm of what I was good at and what I was capable of doing,” said Shandal. “Seeing and working with these people with the International Rice Research Institute sparked something ... some sort of passion I guess I had inside me that I never really found while just being here.” 
She said she used her newfound passion to guide her master's thesis looking at ways to empower women in rural communities in India as a way to develop those communities.
“This is an independent project that was only made feasible through the connections that I made going abroad and the experiences that I gained with my internship that University of Alberta International provided me,” she said.
It is Shandal’s story and thousands others similar to it that are fuelling a new federal government global mobility program looking to give more Canadian students a chance to study abroad.
The Outbound Student Mobility Pilot, announced today at the U of A as part of the Government of Canada’s new $147.9-million International Education Strategy, will provide funding for up to 11,000 university undergraduate and college students to gain in-demand international skills and experience during their studies.
Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr, who was on hand for the announcement, said only 11 per cent of Canadian university students take part in international study over the course of their degree, compared with international peers such as France, Germany, Australia and the United States, where students go abroad at rates of 33 per cent, 29 per cent, 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
“We're not where we should be. It's not where we want to be and it's not where we will be,” said Carr. “(Other countries) don't have these higher percentages by accident—it's intentional. They have made a commitment to address gaps in their workforce, to increase their competitiveness and to strengthen diplomatic relations in the long run with key countries. And we have to do the same.”
Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada, said the five-year pilot program, which will be jointly administered by Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, is an important step toward achieving Canada’s trade diversification goals and strengthening international networks. 
“Study abroad changes lives. The new Outbound Student Mobility Pilot is significant news for young Canadians and for Canada,” said Davidson. “Canada’s universities look forward to working with our partners in government and the higher education sector to enable more students, from all backgrounds, to participate in global mobility experiences.” 
Employment and Social Development Canada will design the Outbound Student Mobility Pilot in consultation with Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada and other stakeholders.
The pilot will launch in 2020. Funding for bursaries will be based on applications.

Vikings Asia sells P682-M ANI shares

AUGUST 23, 2019
VIKINGS ASIA SELLS P682-M ANI SHARES
LISTED agricultural trading firm AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI) on Thursday said Vikings Asia Agri Ventures BV, formerly Solveigh Philippines Agri Investments BV, sold a total of P682.1 million ANI shares.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange, ANI said the transaction was pursued through a block sale of 50 million common shares for P682.1 million or P13.642 per share.
Incorporated in 1997, ANI began as an importer, trader and fabricator of post-harvest agricultural machinery that improves the productivity and income of Filipino farmers. It was the first to bring into the Philippine market the Mega-Sun brand of grain dryers and established itself as a supplier and manufacturer of conveyor systems and other rice mill equipment.
Currently, ANI supplies home-grown fruits such as mango, banana and pineapple to customers in Hong Kong, Mainland China, the Middle East, and to different European countries

Heavy rains across South Bengal turns as a blessing to farmers

The officials said that till August 6, only 33.69 per cent of plantation was completed.

By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau|
Aug 22, 2019, 02.51 PM IST
0Comments
Reuters
West Bengal produces on an average 105 million tonne of rice per annum, 70% of which is produced during the kharif season.
The recent heavy rains across south Bengal have come as a blessing to the farmers as they have been able to complete 90% of the paddy plantation target, according to officials of the state agriculture department.

The officials said that till August 6, only 33.69 per cent of plantation was completed.

The target for seed bed preparation for paddy is across 4,29,400 hectares, of which preparation over 4,22,322 hectares has been completed. But till August 6, plantation of paddy could be done only across 14,46,388 hectares, which is only 34 per cent of the target.

West Bengal produces on an average 105 million tonne of rice per annum, 70% of which is produced during the kharif season. This production comes from 5.8 million hectare of land with the districts of Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia, Birbhum and parts of Howrah giving the highest productivity with more than 32% of the state’s total rice production covering around 27% of the acerage.

Before the rains lashed south Bengal, 98.36 per cent of the targeted paddy seed bed preparation was completed, but only about 50 per cent of the target for planting paddy was met. The heavy rains will change the situation rapidly, said officials

Basmati rice exporters to visit Saudia Arabia seek relaxation on quality norms

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority has effective September 1 sought test reports on minimum residue levels along with Certificate of Conformity from Indian exporters.

By Madhvi Sally, ET Bureau|
Aug 22, 2019, 11.36 AM IST

BCCL
Description: rice-BCClSaudi Arabia accounts for 20% share of India's annual basmati rice exports of 4-4.5 million tonnes
NEW DELHI: India’s basmati-rice exporters and government officials are set to visit Saudi Arabia to lobby for permission to export rice without any new restrictions, beyond the target date of September 1.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has effective September 1 sought test reports on minimum residue levels (MRL) along with Certificate of Conformity from Indian exporters. It has also asked them to source rice from good agriculture practices (GAP) certified farms approved by SFDA. Apart from this, it has asked for DNA test to prove the authenticity of basmati rice.

To address these concerns Indian rice exporters are expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week in a government cum trade delegation along with Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) officials to discuss the issue with SFDA.

Saudi Arabia accounts for 20% share of India's annual basmati rice exports of 4-4.5 million tonnes

“The trade has slowed down since Saudi Arabia announced certain requirements for compliance by Indian exporters in July this year. The trade is apprehensive about making further shipments in view of unclear situation. They will now wait for the outcome of the trade talks before shipping new consignments,” said Vijay Setia, president of The All India Rice Exporters Association.

Exporters said that they was no clarity on whether the SFDA proposes to apply the new regulation on export consignments which will be shipped from September onwards or even those which will be arriving in Saudi Arabia on September 1.

“There is also confusion about which pesticides are to be tested. Details of these are also required,” said an exporter who added that 70,000-90,000 tonne of rice was being exported in a month to Saudi Arabia.

Indian rice exports have been hurt by various non-tariff barriers, mainly over MRLs in the past few years. Indian companies have been working with farmers to reduce the use of pesticides.