Monday, June 22, 2020

22nd June,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Batman and Robin in Rice Farming

Tong and Sammy’s father-and-son-partnership enabled them to overcome both farm and life challenges.

Like Batman and Robin, who are partners in fighting crimes, Tong and Sammy are dynamic duo in combatting the overwhelming struggles in their chosen way of life.

“Farming may be hard, but this is our way. Together with my son, we can improve the life we chose,” Tong Buday is hopeful as he and his son adopt new farming practices after Tong’s 20 years of farming.

For Tong, a Maguindanaon, born and raised in Kabacan, Cotabato, farming was used to be an endless, almost tiring journey of insecurities with agricultural inputs requiring capital. To survive financial limitations, Tong operated a sari-sari store and tended small herd of goats.

“I can’t give up. I strive for a better life for my family,” Tong said.

His eldest son, Sammy, has witnessed his sacrifices to provide for their daily needs and education thru farming.

“My father is my superhero who solved problems with strength and willpower. These problems had transformed him to be stronger and bolder,” Sammy, one of Tong’s seven children said.

According to Sammy, his father’s turning points included not succeeding in business ventures, prioritizing who among them would be sent to school, and allowing one of his sisters to work overseas so they can make ends meet.

“Throughout hardships, he kept the faith in farming. I was inspired,” Sammy said.

In the field, Sammy prepares food for his 47-year-old father and their favorite coffee. He helps him prepare the field for planting, establish crop, do weeding, and apply fertilizers. By being his father’s constant farm companion, he realized the importance of farming and its significance to the lives of every farmer.

He decided to return to school to take up a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in soil science. Sammy graduated from the University of Southern Mindanao in 2017.

Tong said, “My hardships and sacrifices paid off with Sammy’s success. I’m prouder seeing him not only enjoying and loving agriculture, but also applying the knowledge he got from the course.”

Through Sammy, their family became more interested in participating and being involved in agriculture programs. Gradually, they adopted modern technologies that helped them increase their yield and reduce production cost.

They now use a combine harvester, which lessens labor expenses from reaping, threshing, and winnowing. Also from their previous farm practices, the duo used to yield 40-50 sacks (at 50kg per sack) in their 1-ha farm. Now, they are harvesting 60-70 sacks per hectare.

With their gains from modern rice farming technology, Sammy became more interested in continuing their family’s trade.

“In farming, you learn a lot. It’s a promising profession. It teaches you to be hardworking and patient,” Sammy, who still joins his father in the farm while preparing for his board exam, said.

Unlike Batman and Robin who are caped heroes, Tong and Sammy are heroes on shirts with the power to save their family from hunger and to feed millions of Filipinos. They do not need stone, potion, and influence to acquire the power. Hardwork and patience made them the everyday hero.
Philrice News

Extension program enhances farmers’ knowledge in 57 provinces

The PalayCheck System booklet, one of the reading materials being distributed by RCEF-RSEP for farm technicians, discusses principal areas of crop management such as seed quality, land preparation, crop establishment, and the respective management of nutrients, water, pests, harvest, and postharvest.

About 400,000 farmers in 57 provinces across the country had received assistance from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) through reading materials on modern rice farming.

Circulated during seed distribution of RCEF-Seed Program, the Gabay sa Makabagong Palayan published by Philippine Rice Research Institute of the Department of Agriculture (DA-PhilRice), contains recommendations from seed germination until harvesting.

“This leaflet has become our guide. It tackles all the information that farmers need to know. It’s a great help for farmers, especially for those who are new to rice farming,” Rogel Comesario, an RCEF beneficiary from Manaoag, Pangasinan, said.

Comesario, who harvested 7t/ha in the dry season, shared that the information he obtained from the leaflet helped him achieve 1-ton increase in his yield. The Gabay sa Makabagong Pagpapalayan leaflet includes step-by-step procedure on sowing the certified inbred rice seeds,  seedbed preparation, land preparation, fertilizer application, and harvesting.

Aside from the leaflet, RCEF-RESP also distributed English and Filipino copies of PalayCheck System booklet to technical workers and agriculture technicians under the training program. PalayCheck System is a dynamic rice crop management that presents the key technology and management practices as key checks.

Videos on PalayCheck System, RCEF programs, and four ways on how farmers can compete amidst the influx of imported rice were also played during technical briefings and seed distribution. The videos are also available on PhilRice TV https://www.youtube.com/user/philricetv/videos.

The distribution of information, education, and communication (IEC) materials is only one of the strategies implemented by RCEF-RESP. Training scholarships for the farmers will also be implemented to teach them skills on modern rice production and mechanization.

RCEF -Seed Program and RESP are components of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law, which allots P10-billion fund every year for the rice farmers. Sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Villar, RCEF is a six-year government initiative to help the farmers compete in the international rice market.

PhilRice, the government’s lead agency on rice research and development, leads the RCEF-Seed Program and assists in RESP. With eight stations across the country, its programs and projects are in line with the DA’s “Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita” battlecry. For more information about the Institute’s program, queries can be sent through PhilRice Text Center (0917 111 7423) or email prri.mail@philrice.gov.ph

Phil rice News

PhilRice reminds farmers: Choose high-quality seeds



Philippine Rice Research Institute of the Department of Agriculture (DA- PhilRice) urges farmers to use high-quality seeds of recommended rice varieties to ensure good yield this wet season when field pests and diseases are usually prevalent.

Dr. Oliver Manangkil, head of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division, said that crops from high-quality seeds grow, mature, and ripen uniformly; resulting in a 10% or more yield increase.

He also said that high-quality rice seeds have at least 85% germination rate and fewer weed seeds. High-quality seeds, he said, are relatively pure, full and uniform in size, and  free from visible seed-borne diseases.

“Seeds play a huge role in achieving good harvest and income, as they are basically the foundation of any crop. Using high-quality seeds is one of the most fundamental strategies for farmers to be competitive,” Manangkil emphasized.

To ensure seed quality, Manangkil encouraged farmers to buy seeds from accredited seed growers, with an attached valid tag from the Bureau of Plant Industry- National Seed Quality Control Services.

If there are no accredited seed growers in the area, the plant breeder said farmers can also opt to source seeds from fellow farmers whose fields have uniform crop growth. Farmers can also produce their own high-quality seeds by following proper procedures in rouging and removing off-types.

Manangkil also advised farmers to choose varieties that are well-adapted in the locality for these are resistant to pests and diseases such as NSIC Rc 222, 216, and 160, which are included in the country’s top three recommended varieties by the Department of Agriculture.

NSIC Rc 222, which matures in 106-114 days and yields 5.7-6.1t/ha, has intermediate resistance against blast, bacterial leaf blight (BLB), and tungro. It is also moderately resistant against brown planthoppers (BPH) and green leafhoppers (GLH).

With a maximum yield of 9.3-9.7t/ha and maturity days of 104-112 days, NSIC Rc 216 has intermediate reaction to BLB and moderate resistance against BPH and GLH. However, it is susceptible to blast and tungro.

Maturing in 107-122 days, and yielding 8.2t/ha maximum, NSIC Rc 160 has intermediate reaction to blast, BLB, and GLH and moderately resistant against white stem borer. Manangkil noted that it is susceptible to tungro.

PhilRice is the government’s lead agency on rice research for development mandated to help ensure a rice-secure Philippines. With eight stations across the country, its programs and projects are in line with the DA’s “Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita” battlecry. For more information about the Institute’s program, queries can be sent through PhilRice Text Center (0917 111 7423) or email (prri.mail@philrice.gov.ph).
Philrice news

Rice crop management helps double farmer’s yield


Adopters of PalayCheck, a dynamic rice crop management system, are gaining significant yield increase by following the nine farm recommendations of the Philippine Rice Research Institute of the Department of Agriculture (DA-PhilRice).

Julita Velete, a farmer from Leganes, Iloilo, said her yield increased to 230cav/ha during the last cropping season from 80-100cav/ha.

“I used to be contented with yield not more than 100cav/ha. When I tried the KeyChecks in the PalayCheck system, my yield more than doubled!,” Velete exclaimed.

Velete, who learned about the PalayCheck system in a training at PhilRice Negros in 2012, said that the system became her guide in every stage of rice farming. The KeyChecks she had been practicing include using high-quality seeds of a recommended variety, well-leveling of field, practicing synchronous planting after a rest period, and ensuring sufficient number of healthy seedlings.

She also ensures that there are sufficient nutrients from tillering to early panicle initiation and flowering stage, sees to it that her rice plants are not stressed by drought and excessive water, and regularly checks on pests to avoid significant yield loss.

She also harvests at the right time when most of the grains are golden yellow; and she dries, cleans, and stores grains properly.

“There are times when I have difficulty following the recommendations but this system also changed my attitude. I learned the value of monitoring, analyzing, and improving my practices. I’m now more systematic,” she shared.

The woman-farmer further said that she observes, measures, and records crop growth performances; compares and interprets results to identify problem areas; and takes action to correct management problems next season.

“With PalayCheck, farming becomes a more stable livelihood; making it possible for me to send my three children to school. I encourage my fellow farmers to try the PalayCheck system and experience the benefits for themselves,” Velete said.
PhilRice is the government’s lead agency on rice research for development mandated to help ensure a rice-secure Philippines. With eight stations across the country, its programs and projects are in line with the DA’s “Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita” battlecry. For more information about the Institute’s program, queries can be sent thru PhilRice Text Center (0917 111 7423) or email (prri.mail@philrice.gov.ph).


Ayub era — the first economic stability phase of Pakistan



Positive criticism is better than advice. The current wave of criticism on government is most severe because, for the first time, a third party had emerged out of the two-party system and formed the government in the country. We take advantage to evaluate different eras from our past, about the economy and prosperity of people based on reports/data from the past. It will merely be a comparison of how and when common people lived happily, no malice. The dilemma in our country is that approximately 40 per cent of the voters come out to cast their votes and the rest of the 60 per cent remain unconcerned as per past general election reports. Resultantly, parties with a meagre/simple majority with 21 per cent votes out of the 40 per cent can form a government and it has happened many times. How neutral voters can be brought into the election to take it to at least 60 per cent of it, is a solution, which will result in the real government and real opposition. Strong and positive opposition is the key to the future of a prosperous country. As mentioned above, unannounced opposition becomes about 79 per cent against the elected party with 21 per cent votes. And member parliament tries to oblige through jobs, funds, and business to them to bind them to remain in government. That is why winning parties never discuss and compare their success on the issues of income, GDP, price hikes, development works in their tenures and new symbol of success is a slogan, which they claim with pride that they had completed a five-year term in the history of the country. When you fix a target to complete term, only you cannot penetrate masses and then it becomes numbers game only.
Credit goes to all rulers without any discrimination who made the economy of country glow and flow on the direction of masses; benefitting jobs and flourishing business, development etc. Simultaneously, people do not go after policies of government and prices may be because of literacy rate and stronghold of feudalism in rural areas and in cities, parties’ positions are different from rural areas that are influenced by feudalism for more than one hundred fifty years.
Ayub Khan started cleaning up the politics to inculcate policies for social and economic disciplines
Government of Pakistan remained in the lurch as two main founders who died very soon; Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaqat Ali Khan. There were perpetual changes at the top seat of the country at these unexpected incidents from 1947 to 1958; showing a lack of top leadership. That kind of fragility paved way for a martial laws and it came in existence through Iskandar Mirza who appointed General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. During this era, there was nobody to determine a policy/guideline to run the state affairs, all were guests on continuously changing chairs. Soon after Ayub Khan reined in the power, he sent Iskander Mirza in exile. Ayub Khan started cleaning up the politics to inculcate policies for social and economic disciplines. He established strong relationships with administration and policymakers, he took people with the agrarian and industrial background which remained fruitful for the country and ultimately for the nation-building. He involved people from masses to conduct local affairs; members were elected which later chose Ayub Khan as President of Pakistan. A positive development was made by the incumbent to extend meaningful dialogue/friendship with China when India was backed by the US in a skirmish with Pakistan.
Ayub Khan launched 10-year development schemes in various organisations in all major cities of East and West Pakistan. Pakistan progressed in agriculture and strengthened the local industry and people were satisfied with their future seemingly running smoothly. East Pakistan had jute and rice whereas West Pakistan had cotton and wheat. Major electorate/mandate of ruling party administered the largest unit of the country, West Pakistan strictly through a man of nerves, Nawab of Kalabagh. There were no hooligans, mafias, pressure groups to hinder performance and were dealt with the force of Law. More than three hundred government officers were sent home from services on the corruption charges. People enjoyed the rule of law with a workable environment for development plans and growth rate was satisfactory. A strong head of state, Ayub Khan, won a war against India in 1965 under his regime too. Despite the burden of war with India, he managed US Dollars between Pak Rs 4.77 to 8.68 a dollar in the economy in his tenure.
Let us see some landmark projects in his name like the construction of Minar-e-Pakistan; shifting of Capital from Karachi to Islamabad; using his power for Land Reforms, Agriculture University, Faisalabad; Punjab University New Campus, Lahore, Agriculture University, Faisalabad, the start of travel, through Electric train between Lahore to Khanewal on an experimental basis to replace diesel price hikes in future, bought the Gwader land from Masqat, Heavy Mechanical Complex, Taxila; Tank manufacturing; Railway Engine manufacturing at Risalpur and Islamabad; Warsak Dam, Mangla and Tarbela Dams; tea processing plants, Paper Mill Karna Fuly, and providing thousands of boat engines to fishermen in East Pakistan.
The repair of Badshahi Masjid; restoration work of Shalamar Garden; construction of Fourth Minar (new construction) and restoration of Chauburji Lahore.
He also completed bridges over rivers of Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum and one in Attock District. He completed pillar-less steel bridge (Hanging Bridge) over the Indus River, connecting Sukkur to Rohri in Sindh, with a larger span of 790 feet without support. Our new generation may be surprised to read a list of works done in a regime in the past by a ruler named Ayub Khan, never brought in discussions at media/press for the public, who have become habitual of seeing, discussing and travelling Metro Bus services available in different cities. I do not criticise Metro here, I do travel in Metro sometimes but these projects are limited to some areas benefitting lenders. One can compare projects done by Ayub Khan. I do not know for how much loans were involved in those projects but loans are for once, and return of loans with a subsidy is an idea brought in politics in about three decades back, unlike past projects. Can anybody from any group or party in the country blame him any in-equality in trade, business, agriculture, name any branch of business that had adverse remarks with any city or district in his tenure? Yes, he had only a bad patch of his Foreign Minister who created turmoil against him forming his new party and parted ways with him. It ended with his resignation at that time. He ruled East and West Pakistan in the presence of leaders like Maulana Maududi, Bhashani, Mufti Mahmood, Sheikh Mujeeb, Abdul Sattar Niazi, Tameezud Din, and a lot more big names in the politics of Pakistan.
In short, after reading the list of projects done by Ayub Khan, it is quite clear that he did very well but unfortunately fell victim of his own close aide, his FM who managed all through agitation. His development policies, projects and landmarks must be available in old reports and archives.
The writer is a Lahore-based senior journalist and Incharge of Readers Column, Daily Times, Lahore
https://dailytimes.com.pk/630063/ayub-era-the-first-economic-stability-phase-of-pakistan/

Rice and rise of Bangladesh

Since independence population increased two-and-half fold but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers with the strong support of a pro-agriculture government
M. Abdul Momin
Bangladesh is proud to have many success stories over the years, especially in achieving self-reliance in production of food, livestock and fishery in the country. Here is one such success story. Legends speak that once upon a time households in Bangladesh were abundant in rice, fish and cattle. However, being a small deltaic country of land scarcity, the rise of population, depletion of cultivable land, repeated natural calamities and series of famines led to decline in rice production. Bangladesh became a land of chronic food deficit. In 1971 with our independence, we inherited a food deficit country. Achieving self-reliance in rice production is in a sense synonymous with the rise of Bangladesh. As the staple food of our people, rice is synonymous with food security for Bangladesh.
Historically, we was never been food sufficient. We were always been in chronic food shortage. Millions of people had died in famine and several millions had suffered from hunger and malnutrition. Even after independence the situation did not improve that much. Realizing this critical scenario Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman urged the agricultural graduates and scientists in 1973 at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) to produce more rice to meet the requirement of country’s ever-increasing population because he was unable to procure rice anywhere from the world despite putting all sorts of his efforts. So, his one of the priority policies was to make Bangladesh self-reliant in food production. Inspired by his directives, the rice scientists of Bangladesh with their relentless efforts innovate various (HYV) High Yielding Varieties of Rice.
In the mid-seventies the “miracle rice” IR8 and revolutionary year-round rice variety BR3 has brought first breakthrough in our national food production. After Bangabandhu’s unfortunate assassination, the revolution was stopped for a long-time. In 1996 Bangabandhu’s worthy daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came up in power with a landslide victory in national parliamentary elections and took all necessary steps to boost up production and make the country self-sufficient. And for the first time we achieved self-sufficiency in food especially in rice. The prime minister was awarded the prestigious Ceres Medal by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for this tremendous achievement.
Since independence population increased two-and-half fold but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers with the strong support of pro-agriculture government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Again in 2013, she made the country not only self-reliant in food but also enabled us as food surplus country. Bangladesh started exporting rice. Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is a one of key contributors behind this tremendous achievement.
In 2015, BRRI has formulated Rice Vision for 2050 and beyond; estimating projected rice requirement for 2030, 2041 and 2050. The projected requirements are 36.5, 42.0 and 44.8 million tons respectively, to meet the demand of 180, 203 and 215 million people. To achieve these milestones, our production target would be 40, 44 and 48 million tons respectively, having a surplus of about 3.0 MT per year. Using our high yielding new varieties and new technologies we got the momentum and already exceeded the production target. For example, during the last ten years (2009-19), rice production has increased @ 0.6 MT year-1 and this year it will be even more than expecting rate.
According to recent statistics of USDA, Bangladesh has had the highest average rice yield in South Asia and at per world standard. During 2019-20 production years, Bangladesh is going to clinch third place beating Indonesia in global rice production with an increased output of 38.54 million tons enabling surplus of 4.0 MT meeting requirements for 167.0 million people including 1.2 million ROHINGYA refugees. Bangladesh has emerged as a global model for combating hunger and obtained great success in becoming a country of food surplus from chronic food shortages. At the time of its independence in 1971, it was beyond anyone’s imagination that a tiny piece of land in the South Asian region called Bangladesh will perform so tremendously that it will exceed several domestic as well international agencies’ targets on economic performance.
Initially, BRRI’s main target was to produce more rice in less land and feeding the ever increasing population of the country. But with the increase of per capita income and socio-economic condition demand and taste of the people have been changed. Now, they prefer slender and nutritious rice.  Moreover, Bangladesh will have to fulfil the goals of SDG by 2030 and one of the important goals of SDG is doubling the productivity along with nutritious and safe food. So, BRRI has given special emphasis on producing nutrient enriched and export quality premium rice varieties. With yield and yield contributing attributes scientists are giving more importance to nutrient attributes in on-going and future rice research and development plan.
BRRI has so far developed and released 102 modern varieties (95 Inbreed and 7 Hybrid) of them 24 are stress tolerant of which 10 are saline tolerant, 3 submergence, 3 drought, 4 cold, 2 tidal submergence, 1 semi-deep water and 1 dual tolerant (Sal+Sub). In addition, 13 premium quality, 5 Zn-enriched and 3 Low GI (Glycemic Index) rice for diabetic patients have been developed. It is reported that, more than 80% of total rice area of the country has been covered by BRRI released variety and its contribution to national rice production is about 91%.
We know, rice is a major crop in Bangladesh which provides >70% calories and >65% protein. Therefore, rice is not just only a food or commodity for Bangladeshis but it is one of the daily necessities for the people. We used to say, rice is life in Bangladesh. If we failed to produce sufficient rice, millions of people would have been food refugees and crores of people might have died. Moreover, we have to spend most of our domestic income for importing food and feed. But instead of struggling for food and poverty reduction, Bangladesh is now showing courage to take and implement costly projects from its national incomes. Among other key development indicators, this has been visualized by world famous media “South China Morning Post” in a piece titled, “The Big Story: The Rise and Rise of Bangladesh.” But behind the entire success indicator the biggest secret was our persistent food security.  So behind the big story we want to say “Rice is Rise in Bangladesh”.

The writer is Senior Liaison Officer, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur-1701. Email: smmomin80@gmail.com

Rice and rise of Bangladesh
Since independence population increased two-and-half fold but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers with the strong support of a pro-agriculture government
M. Abdul Momin
Rice and rise of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is proud to have many success stories over the years, especially in achieving self-reliance in production of food, livestock and fishery in the country. Here is one such success story. Legends speak that once upon a time households in Bangladesh were abundant in rice, fish and cattle. However, being a small deltaic country of land scarcity, the rise of population, depletion of cultivable land, repeated natural calamities and series of famines led to decline in rice production. Bangladesh became a land of chronic food deficit. In 1971 with our independence, we inherited a food deficit country. Achieving self-reliance in rice production is in a sense synonymous with the rise of Bangladesh. As the staple food of our people, rice is synonymous with food security for Bangladesh.

Historically, we was never been food sufficient. We were always been in chronic food shortage. Millions of people had died in famine and several millions had suffered from hunger and malnutrition. Even after independence the situation did not improve that much. Realizing this critical scenario Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman urged the agricultural graduates and scientists in 1973 at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) to produce more rice to meet the requirement of country’s ever-increasing population because he was unable to procure rice anywhere from the world despite putting all sorts of his efforts. So, his one of the priority policies was to make Bangladesh self-reliant in food production. Inspired by his directives, the rice scientists of Bangladesh with their relentless efforts innovate various (HYV) High Yielding Varieties of Rice.
In the mid-seventies the “miracle rice” IR8 and revolutionary year-round rice variety BR3 has brought first breakthrough in our national food production. After Bangabandhu’s unfortunate assassination, the revolution was stopped for a long-time. In 1996 Bangabandhu’s worthy daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came up in power with a landslide victory in national parliamentary elections and took all necessary steps to boost up production and make the country self-sufficient. And for the first time we achieved self-sufficiency in food especially in rice. The prime minister was awarded the prestigious Ceres Medal by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for this tremendous achievement.

Since independence population increased two-and-half fold but rice production has increased more than three-and-half fold which reflects the success story of rice scientists, extension agents and farmers with the strong support of pro-agriculture government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Again in 2013, she made the country not only self-reliant in food but also enabled us as food surplus country. Bangladesh started exporting rice. Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) is a one of key contributors behind this tremendous achievement.

In 2015, BRRI has formulated Rice Vision for 2050 and beyond; estimating projected rice requirement for 2030, 2041 and 2050. The projected requirements are 36.5, 42.0 and 44.8 million tons respectively, to meet the demand of 180, 203 and 215 million people. To achieve these milestones, our production target would be 40, 44 and 48 million tons respectively, having a surplus of about 3.0 MT per year. Using our high yielding new varieties and new technologies we got the momentum and already exceeded the production target. For example, during the last ten years (2009-19), rice production has increased @ 0.6 MT year-1 and this year it will be even more than expecting rate.

According to recent statistics of USDA, Bangladesh has had the highest average rice yield in South Asia and at per world standard. During 2019-20 production years, Bangladesh is going to clinch third place beating Indonesia in global rice production with an increased output of 38.54 million tons enabling surplus of 4.0 MT meeting requirements for 167.0 million people including 1.2 million ROHINGYA refugees. Bangladesh has emerged as a global model for combating hunger and obtained great success in becoming a country of food surplus from chronic food shortages. At the time of its independence in 1971, it was beyond anyone’s imagination that a tiny piece of land in the South Asian region called Bangladesh will perform so tremendously that it will exceed several domestic as well international agencies’ targets on economic performance.

Initially, BRRI’s main target was to produce more rice in less land and feeding the ever increasing population of the country. But with the increase of per capita income and socio-economic condition demand and taste of the people have been changed. Now, they prefer slender and nutritious rice.  Moreover, Bangladesh will have to fulfil the goals of SDG by 2030 and one of the important goals of SDG is doubling the productivity along with nutritious and safe food. So, BRRI has given special emphasis on producing nutrient enriched and export quality premium rice varieties. With yield and yield contributing attributes scientists are giving more importance to nutrient attributes in on-going and future rice research and development plan.

BRRI has so far developed and released 102 modern varieties (95 Inbreed and 7 Hybrid) of them 24 are stress tolerant of which 10 are saline tolerant, 3 submergence, 3 drought, 4 cold, 2 tidal submergence, 1 semi-deep water and 1 dual tolerant (Sal+Sub). In addition, 13 premium quality, 5 Zn-enriched and 3 Low GI (Glycemic Index) rice for diabetic patients have been developed. It is reported that, more than 80% of total rice area of the country has been covered by BRRI released variety and its contribution to national rice production is about 91%.

We know, rice is a major crop in Bangladesh which provides >70% calories and >65% protein. Therefore, rice is not just only a food or commodity for Bangladeshis but it is one of the daily necessities for the people. We used to say, rice is life in Bangladesh. If we failed to produce sufficient rice, millions of people would have been food refugees and crores of people might have died. Moreover, we have to spend most of our domestic income for importing food and feed. But instead of struggling for food and poverty reduction, Bangladesh is now showing courage to take and implement costly projects from its national incomes. Among other key development indicators, this has been visualized by world famous media “South China Morning Post” in a piece titled, “The Big Story: The Rise and Rise of Bangladesh.” But behind the entire success indicator the biggest secret was our persistent food security.  So behind the big story we want to say “Rice is Rise in Bangladesh”.


The writer is Senior Liaison Officer, Bangladesh Rice Research InstituteBRRI), Gazipur-1701. Email: smmomin80@gmail.com


Malaysia’s imported rice supply not affected by Covid-19 outbreak, says Kiandee
Sunday, 21 Jun 2020 07:05 PM MYT
Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said Malaysia's imported rice supply has not been affected despite the global Covid-19 pandemic ― Picture by Hari Anggara
ALOR SETAR, June 21 — The country’s imported rice supply has not been affected despite the global Covid-19 pandemic, said Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.
He said there have been no concerns so far from the nation’s sole rice importer, Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) on the matter, and gave his assurance that imported rice supply and domestic production are capable of meeting local needs.
“We have no issues on blockages, even though it was reported that some countries have not been allowing exports, but we have no problem importing rice for our usage.
“We are still producing rice, about 70 per cent, and import the other 30 per cent for our needs. There have been no issues reported by our sole importer to bring in rice from exporting countries,” he told reporters after visiting the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) here today.He was asked whether Malaysia was facing any problems in importing rice from other countries following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elaborating on the impact of the movement control order (MCO) on domestic rice production, Kiandee said paddy planting and harvesting activities are being carried out smoothly as the industry was categorised as essential and was allowed to operate by the government.
“I can say that there is no impact as we have been producing rice. During the MCO, it was harvesting season in Selangor and the process went smoothly without any interruptions.
“And currently, it is planting season in Kedah. So, overall, the MCO brings no impact to our rice production,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kiandee said the government has allocated RM11.2 million under the Economic Stimulus Package (PRE 1) and another RM5.4 million under the Prihatin Economic Stimulus Package (PRE Prihatin) to Mada to assist the agency post-Covid-19.
He said the allocation under PRE 1 was focused on increasing farmers’ income and upgrading irrigation infrastructure.
“While under PRE Prihatin, an allocation of RM200,000 was distributed to each District Farmers’ Organisation to develop short-term agrofood projects, benefitting 1,810 Mada farmers,” he said. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/06/21/malaysias-imported-rice-supply-not-affected-by-covid-19-outbreak-says-kiand/1877569
Research funding for ‘superfood’ black rice production in Northern NSW plant labs
Associate Professor Tobias Kretzschmar with a black rice diversity panel growing in the polytunnel facility at NSW DPI Wollongbar.
Across the globe it’s labelled a superfood and now trials of black rice grown in the Australian subtropics is the focus of a $600,000 ARC-funded research project at Southern Cross University.

Black rice unhulled (foreground) and hulled.
Southern Cross Plant Science Associate Professor Tobias Kretzschmar is leading the six-person research team to determine drivers of nutritional quality in black rice – a food which shares the same naturally occurring ‘superfood’ compounds as blackberry and acai.
This new critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the growing environments of subtropical and northern Australian to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice.
“The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally,” Professor Kretzschmar said.
“While high UV levels in Australia are often viewed as a negative climactic factor, this radiation may actually have an advantage in boosting the accumulation of healthy compounds in optimised black rice, making Australia – and specifically the NSW Northern Rivers – well placed to produce the highest quality black rice.”
Black rice gets its dark colour from a range of naturally occurring compounds called ‘anthocyanins’ which are known to be beneficial agents in reducing inflammation, and has major antioxidant properties. Importantly they have the potential to reduce the GI (glycaemic index) of rice.
Associate Professor Kretzschmar has worked with rice for more than 10 years, including at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, where the International Rice Genebank (IRG) houses more than 100,000 types of rice, before joining Southern Cross University two years ago.
This black rice project involved identifying 300 black rice lines from that collection, which originate from 19 countries across Asia and Africa.
“We had screened the vast IRRI genebank for purple and black rice accessions and these were imported into Australia in January last year. They then had to pass strict biosecurity measures, where they were grown for one full generation, from seed to seed, and tested for possible contamination under quarantine. So far 256 lines have been released,” Associate Professor Kretzschmar said.
For the first time these black rice lines will be grown in Australia, with the backing of the Australian Research Council Linkage program.
“When combined with local germplasm we will have more than 300 lines to be trialled. The most important part of the project is characterising this unique genetic resource, to resolve how the interaction between crop genetics and the growing environment drives the concentration and composition of nutraceutical compounds in black rice,” said Associate Professor Kretzschmar.
“This project will pave the way for the development of a profitable crop alternative for farmers in the subtropics and northern Australia. In the long term this has the potential to improve farm income and increase the financial sustainability of farming businesses, while also creating supply chains in processing and packaging in regional and remote areas.”
Australia’s southern Riverina region already produces high quality rice. However, the pigmented rice is a niche crop with growth potential in domestic and international markets.
“The project will also provide critical genetic and nutritional information for future breeding of high- value ‘healthy’ rice to help meet the national targets of improving the health of Australians,” said Associate Professor Kretzschmar.
Southern Cross Plant Science is based at the University’s Lismore campus in the NSW Northern Rivers region.
Professor Bronwyn Barkla, Director of Southern Cross Plant Science, said this project will benefit from the centre’s strong expertise in the area of plant chemistry and will be supported by the University’s recent investment in high-end analytical equipment.
Australian Research Council Linkage LP190100468 – $604,841
Project summary
New critical knowledge will enable future breeding of quality black rice cultivars that can exploit the high UV Australian growing environment to enable domestic production of high-value, healthy black rice. The demand for functional foods with health benefits, including black rice, is increasing both domestically and internationally. The concentration of key functional compounds in black rice may be increased by growing optimised cultivars under high-UV radiation, making Australia well placed to produce the highest quality black rice. Utilising a unique genetic resource this project will resolve how the interaction between crop genetics and the growing environment drives the concentration of functional compounds in black rice.

Rural Lalmonirhat: Traditional miniature silo still in demand
12:00 AM, June 22, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:21 AM, June 22, 2020

A craftsman in Kamalabari village of Lalmonirhat’s Aditmari upazila uses hand tools and slivers of bamboo to make duli, (below), a miniature rice silo that the farmers use to store the grain for consumption by family members till the next harvest. Photo: S Dilip Roy
Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
Slowly and steadily traditional agricultural practices as well as tools and accessories used by farmers are being replaced by modern machinery and gadgets. But duli, a traditional rice storage bin or a miniature silo, made of bamboo, is still being used by farmers in rural Lalmonirhat.
Depending on the amount of rice harvested in a season, each rice farmer usually sets up one or two duli in their homestead to store rice for the consumption of family members all through the year.
The rice harvest season is when demand for duli is at its peak and it is the time when craftsmen remain the busiest, trying to keep up with orders made by duli traders.
Many rice farmers also visit the local craftsmen at their houses to place custom order or pick up a readymade duli of their choice.  
Photo: S Dilip Roy
Duli craftsman Shafiqul Islam, from Kamalabari village in Aditmari upazila, said they had been busy making duli before the harvesting of rice started this season.
It takes about two to three days to make a duli. But the demand is so great this time around that the artisans have been working from dusk till dawn since then and many of them are even working nights to ensure on-time delivery of their products to their buyers.
Many buyers even make advance payments to the craftsmen and the profit from the sale of each duli is around Tk 600 to 700, he also said. 
Nur Hossain, another duli maker from the same village, said there are over 60 duli artisans in Lalmonirhat.
Compared to previous years, the profit margin on each duli has come down in recent time as the price of its main component, bamboo, has gone up. Nonetheless, this year seems to be promising so far, with almost double the sales than that in the year before, he added.
Rice farmer Mahesh Chandra Barman, from Hajiganj village, said duli is popular among local rice farmers for storing rice in their houses.
Duli is available in three regular sizes -- small, medium and large. The small one holds about 10 to 12 maunds of rice, the medium 20 to 22 maunds and the large one holds as much as 25 to 30 maunds.
If made with inferior quality and thin bamboo slivers, a duli lasts around three to four years. But a duli made with high quality thick bamboo slivers can last up to seven or eight years, he explained. 
Rice farmers have been blessed this year with a good harvest and the increased production of the crop has given rise to the need for more duli in each farmer's house, said an all smiles elderly farmer, Ranjit Chandra Barman, from Megharam village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

‘Locusts bigger threat to Pakistan than Covid-19’

 ‘Locusts bigger threat to Pakistan than Covid-19’

Published: June 21, 2020
PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
LAHORE: The rapidly increasing locust attacks have made agriculture sector stakeholders highly perturbed as they feel federal and provincial governments are still not active enough to tackle the insect.
They lament that these governments have not allocated sufficient funds in federal and provincial budgets announced recently.
Many term locust swarms – which have so far destroyed crops in 54 districts of the country – a much more serious threat than the Covid-19 pandemic since the former may cause commotion in terms of food security.
“Covid-19 can be avoided by maintaining social distance and following SOPs, but there is no escape from the financial crisis and hunger caused by locust attacks,” remarked Shahzad Ali Malik, Chief Executive Officer of Guard Agriculture Research and Services Private Limited.
“Locust is a bigger threat than Covid-19 for Pakistan and it should be taken more seriously.”
Pakistan is suffering the second locust attack in a year and so far the insect has destroyed crops over millions of acres. According to farmers, wheat, pulses, oilseed, fodder, vegetable and mango crops have been damaged by the locust. The third locust attack is expected in southern Punjab during the upcoming monsoon season.
According to the government departments concerned, they along with Provincial Disaster Management Authorities are tackling the issue on war footings and funds have been earmarked in the FY21 budget for complete elimination of locusts and supporting agriculture sector.
As per budget numbers, the federal government has allocated Rs10 billion for agriculture, the Punjab government has earmarked Rs31.73 billion and Sindh has set aside Rs14.8 billion.
However, for the agriculture sector stakeholders, these numbers are not impressive. They argue the funds are insufficient which will not help resolve the structural issues and promote research for value addition in exportable commodities. These will not support the country in purchasing modern equipment for the agriculture sector, which contributes around 20% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs more than 50% of the workforce.
Talking about the equipment needed, Malik said, “We need to acquire a large fleet of aircraft on lease from other countries or the army as a stopgap arrangement. However, in the long run, we need to equip the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) with modern technology so that it can be able to undertake aerial sprays.”
The DPP had more than 20 aerial-spray aircraft in the early 1980s but now it is left with only one. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar said two major crops – cotton and rice – would be affected badly and the latter would be in flowering stage by July in Sindh and southern Punjab, when the next locust attack was feared to hit the country.
“These two crops are a source of foreign exchange and paddy alone contributes almost $2.2 billion annually to the national exchequer,” he told The Express Tribune.
Asghar, who also serves as vice president of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, said cotton production was likely to remain around nine million bales against the target of 15 million bales this season.
“Locusts are an urgent issue, nonetheless, there are some other issues as well, which need to be addressed to increase the paddy crop size. There is a need to promote seeds produced by the private sector as the Punjab Seed Council is not promoting its seed varieties,” he said.
Asghar added that India had almost eight seed varieties of Basmati rice and Pakistan was relying on only two seed varieties.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2020.
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Exports soar by 8.48 per cent in 11 months


APP

June 21, 2020
ISLAMABAD   
   Exports from the country, in rupee term, increased by 8.48 per cent during the first eleven months of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last fiscal year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.
The exports from the country during July– May (2019-2020) were recorded at Rs3,106,723  million as against Rs2,863,885 million during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 8.48 per cent, according to provisional data released by PBS.
However, on year-on-year basis, the exports from the country decreased by 26.78 per cent in May 2020 when compared to the exports of May 2019. The exports in May 2020 were recorded at Rs223,536 million as against the exports of Rs305,303 million during May, 2019. On month-on-month basis the exports increased by 42.01 per cent in May 2020 when compared to the exports of Rs157,412 million in March, 2020.

The main commodities of exports during May, 2020 were knitwear (Rs28,962 million), bed wear (Rs 23,380 million), readymade garments (Rs21,708 million), rice others (Rs20,079 million), cotton cloth (Rs15,731 million), Basmati rice (Rs13,128 million), cotton Yarn (Rs8,324 million), towels (Rs6,668 million), readymade up articles (excl. towels & bed wear) (Rs5,537 million) and fish & fish preparation (Rs4,554 million).
On the other hand, imports during July–May, 2019 - 2020 totalled Rs6,421,012 million as against Rs6,767,523 million during the corresponding period of last year showing a decrease of 5.12 per cent.
Imports into Pakistan during May, 2020 amounted to Rs458,272 million as against Rs526,880 million (provisional) in April, 2020 and Rs730,962 million during May 2019 showing a decrease of 13.02 per cent over April, 2020 and of 37.31 per cent over May 2019.
The main commodities of imports during May, 2020 were Electrical machinery and apparatus (Rs31,412 million), iron and steel (Rs23,205 million), palm oil (Rs21,591 million), petroleum products (Rs20,813 million), power generating machinery (Rs20,339 million), iron and steel scrap (Rs19,435 million) plastic materials (Rs18,991 million), mobile phones (Rs17,778 million), natural gas, liquefied (Rs17,285 million) and raw cotton (Rs16,535 million).

Indonesia challenged to achieve its mandated food security: economist

Monday, 22nd June 2020
Rizal E Halim, an economist of the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Economics and Business (ANTARA/Special)
Depok, W Java (ANTARA) - Indonesia has had the 2012 Food Law that mandates the country to possess a roadmap to achieve an overall food security; however, it remains challenged by various food-related issues, including repeated price hike and shortage of stocks, an economist said.

"Food remains a chronic problem in certain time due to the fact that our national food management is not yet good," said Rizal E Halim, an economist of the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Economics and Business, here Sunday.

The food-related issues should be resolved by achieving the mandated food security goal, and improving the integration of food management because the food problems are not just handled by the ministry of agriculture but also by other ministries and agencies.

Halim argued that Indonesia's food management still faces such challenges as the national food supplies that remain dominated by imported products; unresolved rent seeking activities; and lack of uses of food technology and innovation.

The Indonesian Government is indeed aware of the importance of improving the nation's food security amid this ongoing global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and beyond.

On April 21, 2020, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had asked officials to ensure that their assessment of Indonesia's rice stocks was accurate.

The President's directive came on the back of a warning issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, which had predicted the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger a global food crisis.

"Make sure that our rice stocks are sufficient. Please, calculate them accurately. Also, make a precise prediction of our rice production as we are entering the dry season. How long will our national rice reserves last?" he told a video conference recently.

President Jokowi requested the authorities to calculate the national rice stocks by referring to valid and reliable empirical data.

He also reiterated FAO's warning that the current coronavirus pandemic could trigger a food shortage across the world.

Indonesia needs to be cautious because all countries, including rice producers, would prioritize their domestic needs, he said, adding that the imposition of a lockdown could affect the staple food supply chain.

In connection with the impact of COVID-19 on global food security, the Food and Agriculture Organization had earlier warned of a looming food crisis.

However, this worst-case scenario could be avoided if "measures are taken fast to protect the most vulnerable, keep global food supply chains alive, and mitigate the pandemic's impacts across the food system", according to the FAO.

The FAO, on its official website, expressed the opinion that "border closures, quarantines, and market, supply chain, and trade disruptions could restrict people's access to sufficient/diverse and nutritious sources of food".



Human Activity On Rivers Outpaces, Compounds Effects Of Climate Change

The livelihoods of millions of people living along the world’s biggest river systems are under threat by a range of stressors caused by the daily economic, societal and political activity of humans – in addition to the long-term effects of climate change, researchers report.
A new paper by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign geology and geography professor Jim Best and University of Southampton professor Stephen Darby takes a big-picture approach to review the health and resiliency of the world’s large river systems, their deltas and their vulnerability to extreme events.
The article is published in the journal One Earth.
Rivers respond to changes in the environment through self-adjusting processes of erosion and sedimentation, the researchers said. When not stressed by extreme events like flooding or drought, these responses typically allow rivers to absorb change. However, data from many new studies now suggest that the world’s great waterways are becoming more vulnerable as the effects of human activity and climate change combine and compound.
Riverbank erosion on the Padma River, Bangladesh.
Photo courtesy Jim Best
“Climate change is of huge importance in terms of changing flood or drought frequency and intensity,” Best said. “However, there is a range of other stressors affecting big rivers such as damming, sediment mining, pollution, water diversions, groundwater extraction and the introduction of nonnative species – all of which affect rivers on a timescale that has much more immediate consequences.”
For example, the team reviewed past research on the drivers of flooding in the Mekong River Delta in Southeast Asia, which supports about 18 million people and a vast rice agricultural area. These studies suggest that delta subsidence – or sinking – because of groundwater extraction beneath the delta is now more of a problem, as the region receives far less sediment because of sediment trapping behind upstream dams and large-scale mining of sand from the bed of the delta’s channels.“The scale of the effects of sediment starvation and subsidence in driving increased flood risk is currently far greater than sea-level rise generated by global climate change,” Best said. “But when all of these pressures are combined, there is now a real risk that we could cross a major tipping point in the next 10-20 years.”
Politics also play a significant role in the health and resiliency of the world’s major river systems, the paper reports. For example, the current COVID-19 pandemic is influencing regulatory enforcement of pollution monitoring in the United States, enabling polluters to avoid penalties if they argue violations are a result of the pandemic.
“We have seen evidence of the effect of these types of political and societal shocks on river systems in the past, too,” Best said. “The stresses from the Gulf War led to increased river pollution in the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin, a situation that was also compounded by upstream damming in Turkey.”
The researchers stress an urgent need for governance at the local level across to the international level to confront these issues effectively.
“There are some things we as scientists can do on the monitoring end of this issue, but it will demand collaboration and trust between nations for it to make a difference,” Best said. “We can’t take our eye off the ball – we’ve just got to devote more attention to these more frequent, shorter-timescale stressors. It’s far from being just about climate change.”
Best also is affiliated with mechanical science and engineering and the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory at U. of I.
Flooding along the Mekong River in the town of Kratie, Cambodia.
Photo courtesy Jim Best

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Punjab basmati sees revival in export market as orders grow

ECSTATIC: Traders are getting bookings mainly for the 1,121 and 1,718 varieties even before the sowing of the crop has begun

Updated: Jun 20, 2020 23:08 IST
By Gurpreet Singh Nibber , Hindustan Times, Chandigarh
Exporters of Punjab’s premium aromatic basmati rice are ecstatic as they have started getting orders from international buyers again even as they suffered a setback in 2018 when hundreds of consignments were returned by the European Union (EU) and countries in the Middle East due to traces of fungicide in the grain.
The advance orders are mainly for the 1,121 and 1,718 varieties of the aromatic rice.
The turnaround is being attributed to the fact that the state’s basmati growers have been able to control the use of fungicides and pesticides in the crop. Besides, amid the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, the rice distributors in the destination countries are keen on piling up stocks, it is learnt.
This time, basmati traders have started bookings even before the sowing of the crop. July 31 is the deadline to transplant basmati saplings. The exporters are targeting a sale over 36,000 crore after the harvest that will begin in October-November, an increase of 10-12% over the previous year.
“Of the 40 lakh tonnes India exports every year, nearly 20 lakh tonne is exported from Punjab. The state’s border belt comprising Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts are main producers of the rice. Though Sangrur, Moga and Fazilka districts also grow the rice, the quality of rice cultivated there is not that fine,” said Ashok Sethi, director of the Basmati Exports Association.
“This year, the exports from the state are expected to touch 23-24 lakh tonnes,” he added.
“The basmati growers in Punjab are expected to make good profits this kharif season as prices of the produce are expected to touch 3,500 per quintal,” said state secretary (agriculture) Kahan Singh Pannu.
Harpreet Singh, a farmer from Sarwali village in Batala, said, “If the exporters are claiming to be flush with orders, they should disclose what rate they will offer if our produce is as per the benchmark. The price of basmati per quintal has not gone beyond 3,000 for many years, with a minor fluctuation of 200-300.”
THE 2018 EU CURBS
In 2018, when the European Union (EU) slapped new import restrictions on the issue of fungicide traces, at least 100 containers were sent back by Norway, Sweden, England and Finland, leading to huge losses to the local basmati exporters.
The hardest hit from the decision were farmers in Punjab and Haryana, who have been using the fungicide for decades to protect their produce from the ‘rice blast disease’. The EU order in June 2018 had said the level of tricyclazole must be cut from 1.0 mg per kg to 0.01 mg.
“We had assured the basmati importers that the fungicide traces will be reduced. Now, it has come down to permissible limits,” said Pannu.
“We are motivating the farmers to expand the area under basmati cultivation and use minimum fungicide,” Sethi added.
Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Syria, Kuwait, the European Union, and the North American countries are major basmati importers.
Until 2018, Iran was a major importer of basmati as it would order 14 lakh tonnes of the rice every year.
But last year, India became party to the trade sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, leading to halt on the basmati exports to the country. Even as Iran has no direct trade with India, it is expected to buy basmati from Dubai-based traders who import the aromatic rice from Punjab and elsewhere in the country. Weather Today

Telangana govt to woo rice millers with land and other sops

Roushan Ali | TNN | Updated: Jun 21, 2020, 13:33 IST

TimesPoints

Picture used for representational purpose only
HYDERABAD: The state government is offering land to set up new rice mills as paddy production crossed one crore metric tonnes and anticipates it will increase further in years to come.
New rice mills are required as the existing 2,200-odd rice mills would not be sufficient to mill the increasing production of paddy in the state. Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has asked district collectors, in coordination with Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, to identify suitable land.
The Telangana Rice Millers’ Association has said land should be near agricultural fields so that transportation cost could be saved. At least five acres would be required to set up a small rice mill. “The rice mills are land and water-intensive as such the land should have ground water availability in abundance or water supply from Mission Bhagiratha or other sources,” a rice miller said.
The 2,200 rice mills have a capacity to mill nearly one crore metric tonnes of rice per year. The paddy production in yasangi-2020 (rabi-2020) alone had crossed 1.05 metric tonnes and another 55 to 60 lakh metric tonnes of paddy coudl be expected from ‘vanakalam’ (kharif) season.
“The chief minister has decided to not only encourage setting up of new rice mills, but also support rice millers in enhancing the capacity of existing mills. A comprehensive policy, which includes land offer and other incentives to those coming forward to establish new rice mills and also enhance the existing ones’capacity, is being prepared. The policy will come out with guidelines and facilities for marketing of paddy as well as rice,” an official said.
Interestingly, before the formation of Telangana the existing mills could not get paddy commensurate to their capacity. “Now, the production of paddy has increased and the government is also supplying round-the-clock power supply. There is water availability too from various irrigation projects,” the official added.

Few takers for free travel, higher wages as COVID-19 fears persist

Amid shortage of workforce with many labourers migrating to their native places during the nationwide lockdown following COVID-19 outbreak, several industries are finding it tough to get back on track in Punjab and Haryana.
With easing of lockdwon restrictions, several industry owners are making efforts to bring back the labour force by facilitating their travel, offering hike in wages along with free accommodation and food. Yet many migrant labourers are unwilling to come back as COVID-19 fear looms large.
“We are facing an acute shortage of labour. Most of our labourers were from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and most of them have returned to their native places. In one rice mill, on average we need 50 labourers for efficient work. Close to 800 mills across Haryana are operating currently, but almost all are finding it difficult to manage,” said Jagdish Rai, vice-president of All India Rice Millers and Dealers
“Most of the workers are not willing to come on account of COVID-19 fear. We are offering them higher wages, free accommodation and food... ,” he said.
Jitender Malik, chief patron of Carpet Manufacturers Association in Haryana, said until migrant labourers come back in full strength it will be difficult to revive work.
In neighbouring Punjab, the small, medium and large industries — in manufacturing rice, textiles and woollen and synthetic fabrics — are suffering due to shortage of labour. Industry players are urging them return by offering better pay scales and other incentives besides compensating for rail and bus fares. Rice Millers’ Association director Ashok Sethi has asked the State government to arrange transport to bring labourers back on priority.

Rice price spike: Retailers blame millers for rigging

Published:  June 20, 2020 21:49:07 | Updated:  June 21, 2020 17:10:10

Rice prices rose by Tk 2 to Tk 4 per kg at retail level amid the COVID-19 epidemic despite a bumper harvest of Boro. Almost everybody says millers are to blame.
Mill owners, however, cite a spike in paddy prices as the reason for price spirals at the retail level.
The price of Nazirshail and Minicate rice rose by as much as Tk 4 over the course of a week to Tk 54 and Tk 68 per kg on Friday, according to data from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. The price of medium-grain Paijam rose by as much as Tk 3 to Tk 45 per kg.
According to retailers in Dhaka, rice millers have increased the prices of a 50-kg sack of rice by at least Tk 200 in the past month.
Mill owners say rice prices have risen because the price of rice paddy rose in the Boro season after the government fixed the price for purchases.
But there are doubts over their claim. The practice of setting prices by the government for purchase is nothing new. It happens every year. And the price set this year for Boro is the same as last year.
Three days ago, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder warned rice millers that they were not providing Boro rice at the contract prices, which indicates that the owners are manipulating prices.
The minister is aware of the industry’s workings due to his family’s background in the rice business.
The government planned to purchase a total of 1 million tonnes of rice in the Boro season at Tk 26 per kg. The price is the same as last year, but the amount purchased by the state has risen by 200,000 tonnes. The bumper crop of Boro should have resulted in an increased supply in the market, meaning there is no clear reason for the price hike.
The price of rice remained steady for about 10 days after the harvest, said Mohiuddin Harun, a rice retailer at Mirpur’s Shah Ali Market.
“The price of rice paddy increased this year, but the rising price will help farmers and the agricultural sector,” said Shahidul Islam Patwari, vice president of Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association.
The price of rice rose in accordance with the rising price of paddy, Shahidul said.
bdnews24.com also spoke to Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association.
“The government set the price of paddy at Tk 1,040 per maund. If we take that into account the price of rice is rather low, or at the correct level,” he said.
But neither of them was able to give clear indications of how much the price of paddy increased.
It is clear from the words of Mohammad Sulaiman, a farmer in Kushtia, that rice mill owners are purchasing rice at far below the contract prices.
Sulaiman said he had harvested Boro rice on 20 bighas of land this year. He sold paddy to the mills at Tk 850 to Tk 900 per paund.

Several industries finding it tough to get back on track in Punjab and Haryana

CHANDIGARH:, JUNE 20, 2020 20:38 IST
UPDATED: JUNE 20, 2020 20:46 IST

Migrant labourers, despite incentives, unwilling to come back as the pandemic fear looms.

Amid shortage of work force, mainly because labourers had migrated to their native places, several industries are finding it tough to get back on track in Punjab and Haryana.
With the easing of the lockdown restrictions, several industry owners are making efforts to bring back the labour force by facilitating their travel, offering hike in wages along with free accommodation and food, yet many migrant labourers are unwilling to come back as the pandemic fear looms.
“We are facing acute shortage of labour. Most of the labourers associated with us are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. On an average we need 50 labourers for efficient work in one rice mill (sheller). Close to 800 mills across Haryana are operating currently, but almost all are finding it difficult to manage day to day working. The work that should be completed in one week is taking nearly a month. Besides, the local labour rates have spiked by around 10%,” Jagdish Rai, vice-president, All India Rice Millers and Dealers Association, told The Hindu.
“We are in touch with migrant labourers but most of them are not willing to come back.”
Jitender Malik, chief patron at the Carpet Manufacturers Association in Haryana, said till the migrant labourers come back in full strength it would be difficult to revive the work. “We are dependent on the workers who are experts in operating pit-looms and most of them are from West Bengal. Many of us are facilitating their travel through buses.”
R.K. Gupta, president of the Haryana-based Footwear Park Association, said poor demand for products had also hit the industry. “It has dropped to around 30%-40% of the usual demand for footwear at this time of the year. The purchasing power has gone down and people are spending only on essential commodities. Unless demand is revived, businesses will not pick-up,” he said.
In Punjab the small, medium and large industries primarily in textiles, woollen and synthetic fabrics are also facing the problem. Industry players are urging them to return by offering better pay scales and other incentives besides compensating for rail and bus fares.
Director of the Rice Millers Association Ashok Sethi has asked the State government to arrange transport to bring labourers back on priority so that industrial units could be run efficiently.
“The government must immediately devise a plan so that factories get adequate labour strength to make up for the time lost due to the lockdown and resultant disruption in the production. At present, many industries are running at about 35% to 40% of their capacities,” he said.

Boro procurement from farmers far from target

Economists emphasise purchasing system overhaul

      


The government is lagging far behind in procuring boro paddy from farmers with a tiny percentage of the target fulfilled because of, agricultural economists have said, the cumbersome procurement process.
Nearly two months into the procurement drive, the government has so far bought, directly from farmers, only 31,983 tonnes of boro paddy, about 4 per cent of the targeted 8 lakh tonnes by August 31.
The government blamed the slow procurement on hoarding by rice millers which agricultural economists said could have been avoided had the food procurement process been overhauled in time.
Amid a growing apprehension about a potential food crisis as the coronavirus pandemic is worsening, the government now struggles to keep from depleting its rice stock, which stands at 8.63 lakh tonnes, 3.60 lakh tonnes less compared to the same period last year. 
‘Rice millers should be aware that the law will take its course if they do not stop hoarding,’ food secretary Nazmanara Khanum told New Age while discussing the slow procurement progress.
The government has plans to buy another 11.50 lakh tonnes of rice from the millers by August 31. But so far it has bought only 1.50 lakh tonnes.
The rice millers are not happy with the rice price they are offered, Tk 36 per kg, and the government’s decision to double the direct paddy procurement from growers.
The government fixed the paddy price at Tk 26 per kg, higher than what the millers are paying the farmers, Tk 23.75 per kg.
‘We knew all along that the government would fail to meet its ambitious procurement target this year,’ said Abdur Rashid, president, Bangladesh auto, major and husking rice mills association.
He said that the government did not need to take the trouble of buying directly from farmers, adding that the rice millers could supply the government with as much rice as needed if the price was increased by Tk 10 a kg.
But agricultural economists have always advised the government against buying rice from the millers to avoid many middlemen pocketing benefits that should have gone to farmers.
‘But the government never heeded the call, never put together a system to efficiently buy from farmers,’ said economist Md Asaduzzaman.
‘The government has never been even close to meeting its paddy procurement target from farmers,’ he noted.
The rice millers have a strong network of middlemen visiting farmers at their doorstep and buying paddy with cash.
They do not care much if paddies are not properly dried and always spare farmers the trouble of bringing their produce to markets for sale.
On the other hand, farmers find the government procurement mechanism painfully inconvenient, requiring them to bring paddy to purchase centres, usually at the upazila level, and go through a humidity test among many other bureaucratic formalities.
Aminur Rahman, a farmer of Aditmari, Lalmonirhat, travelled 14 kilometres every day for four days in a row carrying 2 tonnes of paddy to the upazila headquarters but failed to sell it.
He tried every way possible, from participating in a ‘lottery system’ to bribing middlemen and a local food official, to sell his rice to the government but in vain.
Last week Amin filed a complaint with the district food controller that a local food official had taken Tk 3,000 from him promising to buy his paddy.
Lalmonirhat district food controller Ali Haider confirmed that one of his officials was under investigation with regard to Amin’s complaint.
Rangpur regional food controller Abdus Salam said that they had recently filed police cases against two food officials for taking bribes from growers with the promise to buy paddy from them.
Ansar Ali, a farmer of Kaunia, Rangpur, has made several attempts at selling his rice to the government since the Aman season but food officials always found his paddy highly humid.
‘I never succeeded in selling my paddy to the government. They always found my paddy substandard and sent me back home,’ said Ansar.
Those who finally manage to pass through all these obstacles get paid in cheques and need to have bank accounts to cash them.
Farmers also often complain about humiliation while seeking bank services.
‘There are many bureaucratic bottlenecks needed to be removed to make the government procurement mechanism functional,’ said agricultural economist Jahangir Alam.
The government, experts said, can still get the rice millers to directly buy paddy from farmers as the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis is pushing many to the state where government aid is required for survival.
The government has already lost nearly two months, the most crucial time for rice procurement for it is difficult to carry rice during the monsoon, which has already set in, they reminded.
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Demand surge pushes Basmati rate up by nearly 20%, exporters reap rich dividends

Due to good demand from the import countries even Basmati varieties with depressed rates since the beginning of this year, have also seen an increase of 20 to 25 per cent in the past few weeks.

Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba | Jalandhar | Published: June 20, 2020 10:53:27 pm
The plantation of Basmati is about to start in both Punjab and Haryana states. (Representational)
Basmati exporters in the country have started reaping a rich dividends with the rate of the crop going up by 15 to 20 per cent recently. Good demand for Basmati from the Middle East has also led to the rates surging suddenly.
“The rate of the crop has increased post lockdown as a single container which was being exported at the rate of Rs 10 to 11 lakh during the lockdown period, now it is being exported art the rate of Rs. 12-13 lakh,” said Arvinder Pal Singh, president of PRMEA (Punjab Rice Millers Exporters Association), adding that several new orders are also coming, but due to shortage of labour the exporters are even struggling to meet old orders first.
If the export to Iran, which is the major importer of Indian Basmati, was less this year, it has been compensated by Iraq and Saudi Arabia, said, exporters.
“Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, several Basmati importing countries have been placing more orders so as to keep some food buffer in their respective countries due to which the rates are going up,” said Vijay Setia, former president of the All India Rice Exporters Association, one of the leading exporter himself.
A container carries around 20 tonnes (20,000 kg) of Basmati rice as these containers are sent to destination countries from India in the ships.
The labour is required to empty the containers, which brings imported items and take export materials and loading the export material in it. Also, the labour is required for unloading the export material from the trucks which carry material to the ports from various states.
But due to returning of a large number of labourers to their respective home states the Basmati export also facing the heat of labour shortage, said Nathi Ram Gupta, president of All India Rice Exporters Association.
“Earlier there was not much shortage of the labourers at the port during the lockdown period even, but when the ‘Special Shramik trains” were launched in the month of May to send the labourers back to their respective home states, the labour strength came down to half,” said Ashok Sethi, Director, PRMEA.
Due to good demand from the import countries even Basmati varieties with depressed rates since the beginning of this year, have also seen an increase of 20 to 25 per cent in the past few weeks.
Setia said: “India has been exporting 44 lakh tonnes of Basmati annually and on an average 3.75 lakh tonnes of rice is exported from here. Due to shortage of labour at the ports, the export has also been taking place at a bit slower pace because labour strength has gone down but now they are coming back and nearly 70 to 75 per cent labour is available now.”
He added: “Rates have gone up and even 1401 variety which was quite depressed this year has seen 20 per cent increase in rates.”
India has been exporting Basmati to 80-90 countries including EU, USA, Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.
Punjab and Haryana states are the major Basmati growers and exporters and both the states have been a share of around 80 per cent of the total export of Basmati crop from India. Punjab alone grows over 20 lakh tonnes of Basmati every year out of which major portion is exported.
Meanwhile, the farmers had sold the Basmati varieties at the rate of Rs 2,500 to 3,300 per quintal last year and going by this year’s export rate the area under the crop would certainly increase. The plantation of Basmati is about to start in both Punjab and Haryana states. Punjab has fixed a target of bringing around 7-Lakh hectares under Basmati crop this year against 6.29 Lakh hectares last year.

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