Wednesday, January 29, 2020

29th January,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter



Brown Rice Variety Packs Antioxidant Punch
By Jan Suszkiw
January 28, 2020
New specialty uses could be in store for GEDrew, a variety of "giant embryo" brown rice whose bran is packed with antioxidants and vitamin E forms.
STUTTGART, Arkansas, Jan. 28, 2020—GEDrew is a brown rice with an odd kernel trait that sidelined its commercial prospects. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists' re-examination of the trait and its link to increased antioxidant levels could give the rice variety a new commercial lease on life.
GEDrew is the result of a mutagenesis rice breeding program conducted more than a decade ago by rice geneticist Neil Rutger (retired) at the ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas. The variety, a genetic mutant, didn't make the cut, however, and Rutger placed it in storage in the USDA-ARS World Rice Collection, a repository of more than 19,000 accessions and 12 species representing the genus Oryza.
And there GEDrew might have remained today, were it not for the follow-up investigations of ARS chemist Ming-Hsuan Chen and the center's current director, Anna McClung. In 2007, they began re-evaluating the collection's specialty rice accessions for traits that could contribute to improved grain yield or nutritional content. Such collections, popularly known as gene banks, serve as a critical source of diversity in the face of emerging pest and disease threats, environmental change, market demands and other events.
Their investigation of GEDrew focused on a single gene mutation that results in kernels with enlarged, or "giant," embryos. In addition to a higher proportion of bran to whole-kernel weight, the researchers observed, the giant embryo trait also correlated to a three-fold increase in alpha-tocopherol and a 20- and 29-percent increase in total tocotrienols and gamma-oryzanol, respectively.
Tocopherols and tocotrienols are forms of vitamin E with important biological activity in the human body. These may include helping prevent unstable molecules called free radicals from causing cellular damage and other associated harm, Chen said. Gamma-oryzanol, a mixture of antioxidant compounds in the bran's oil fraction, is thought to play role in reducing blood cholesterol levels, among other health-promoting benefits, she added.
Grain yield evaluations showed that GEDrew compared well to Drew and Cocodrie, two commercial varieties the researchers used for comparison in Texas and Arkansas trials. Even though GEDrew produced slightly smaller grains, it was unmatched in terms of its yield of bran, lipids and the three antioxidants. All are high-value ingredients for specialty uses ranging from edible oil for cooking and salad dressings, to breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, beverages and skin-care products, according to McClung.
She credits the rice mutation breeding efforts of Rutger, a 2009 ARS Hall of Fame inductee, with setting the stage for their finding that the giant embryo trait leads to whole grain with increased gamma-oryzanol levels and vitamin E—especially alpha-tocopherol (the only form listed on the nutrition facts of food packaging labels).
At the time, "Rutger was looking for any agronomically useful traits in his mutation breeding program, like earlier flowering, male sterility, elongated internode and apomixis but had the most success with semi-dwarfism," McClung noted. "The giant embryo and a low phytic-acid mutant were examples of mutations that resulted in a change in grain traits."
In the case of GEDrew, additional laboratory and field work revealed value in what initially appeared to be a genetic kernel oddity.
"This is the only study on a giant embryo rice mutant in the United States and one that's a tropical japonica-type rice adapted to the U.S. growing conditions," noted Chen, who co-authored a paper on the finding in the November 2019 issue of Cereal Chemistry together with McClung, Casey Grimm at the ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Christine Bergman (formerly with ARS) at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.
McClung said their research has a two-fold purpose: to broaden the market opportunities for U.S. growers and to enhance the nutritional value of rice, a staple food for more than half the world's population. In its whole-grain (unrefined) form, rice can provide a key source of not only protein, vitamins and minerals, but also insoluble fiber, essential fatty acids and bioactive compounds thought to contribute to dietary health.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.


Senate body approves Geographical Indications Bill after 18 years

Description: https://cache.pakistantoday.com.pk/A-Few-Examples-of-the-Geographical-Indications-Products-in-Turkey.png
–GI law needed to protect commercial heritage of goods produced in country
–India claims GI on 361 products having similarity with Pakistani products
ISLAMABAD: In a major development on Tuesday, a parliamentary committee approved the much-awaited Geographical Indications (GI) Bill, 2019, to protect the commercial heritage of goods produced in the country.
The legislation has remained pending for over 18 years.
According to details, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile approved the GI Bill, which will now be presented before the upper house of parliament for its consent. The bill will then be forwarded to the National Assembly (NA) for deliberations.
The bill’s draft was earlier approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC).
Once the bill is passed, Pakistan will be able to claim and use GI for goods such as Basmati Rice, Sargodha Kinnow, Peshawari Chappal, Hunza apricot and many other products.
Geographical indication is a broad term which includes indications of source and appellations of origin. An indication of source means any expression or sign used to indicate that a product or service originates in a country, region or location where the product originated, e.g. made in Pakistan. It may be noted here that around 121 countries have approved their GI law.
During the committee meeting, which was chaired by Senator Mirza Muhamamd Afridi, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Chairman Pakistan Mujeeb Ahmed Khan informed that India, which approved the GI law back in 1999, is claiming ownership of at least 361 products. Since the majority of the goods being produced in India and Pakistan are the same, the neighbouring country’s exporters claim that the product is of Indian origin and indication causes damage to Pakistan internationally.
“We have studied the GI bill in detail. We expect that after the law’s approval from parliament, the legislation will benefit not only exporters and traders but also the growers of the country,” he added.
Members of the committee also suggested that the IPO and Commerce Ministry add protection of products under the GI law while keeping climate change in mind.
In the absence of GI legislation, international brands continue selling Pakistan-origin goods such as Paul Smith’s Peshawari chappal, Morrocan ajrak and California basmati, depriving the country of getting premium on its GIs in the international market as member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are required to protect GIs under Article 22-24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement.
Description: Ghulam AbbasThe GI bill entails that once a GI is registered, an infringement action can be initiated both by the registrant and authorised users.
The proposed bill also provides for both civil and criminal remedies in cases of infringement. Civil remedies include imposition of fines, forfeiture to the government of all goods and things, means of which the offence had been committed, damages, an account of profit, together with or without any order for delivery of the infringing label and indications for destruction or erasure while criminal remedies include imposition of fine or imprisonment or both.
All suits for infringement shall be filed before the Intellectual Property Tribunal (IPT) whereas appeal against the decision of the registrar shall lie before the high court.

Ghulam Abbas

The writer is a member of the staff at the Islamabad Bureau. He can be reached at abbasskd5@gmail.com

Paul Flynn: Rice and lentil dishes for all seasons

I love all rice dishes and lentils are a great match for almost every main course

Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 06:20

Chicken pilaff

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The best rice dish I ever ate was a welcome dinner in France with the Scouts when I was 14. It was chicken a la crème, generously flecked with tarragon, nestling on buttery rice. I lapped it up like a happy little hound. The other boys were bewildered and disdainful and worried that this was the sort of food they we going to be forced to eat for the rest of the trip. I however, was hopeful that this would be the case. More for me.
That was without doubt a lightbulb moment in my life, although I didn’t know it at the time. It started a curiosity about food that only three years later found me happily ensconced in the kitchen of a local restaurant, with a life of cooking ahead of me.
I pity the blinkered cook and eater. Curiosity and appetite are such happy bedfellows. They make life so much richer.
Rice dishes are numerous and diverse and I love them all. Rice carries spice in a warm comforting embrace. From a saffron-hued paella to a crisp bottomed Iranian tahdig, there is so much variety. A comforting risotto or just a simple rice pudding . . . there are so many rice dishes, all of them wonderful.
I use a rice cooker for this chicken pilaff. Of course I’m not presuming you all have rice cookers, but you can follow the same timings if you cook it in a pot.
The salad is a mushroomy winter version of that Italian staple, panzanella. We have it with steak. The bread carries all the flavours of everything else in the dish. The Italians never throw anything out.
The lentils are a Tannery staple in the winter months. They go with practically every main course but sometimes I like to warm them gently and serve them with soft creamy goat’s cheese, for an earthy nutritious, delight.
A brilliant shortcut for lentils and one I employ when I am feeling lazy at home is to take a tin of lentils and warm them through with a clove of crushed garlic, a little balsamic vinegar and a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper. It is almost instantaneously delicious.

CHICKEN PILAFF

Serves four
Ingredients
1 large knob of butter
3 chicken breasts cut into 2cm chunks
125g smoked bacon lardons
1 large leek, cut in half lengthways , washed and shredded
350g basmati rice
A pinch of cinnamon
700ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
200ml tub of sour cream
1 tbsp spicy mango chutney
Method
Preheat an oven to 170 degrees or equivalent. Put your butter in a largish, oven-proof pot, over a medium heat. When it is foaming, add the chicken and brown it gently for a couple of minutes.


Teresa Kok: Malaysia hopes to do more business with India

27 JAN 2020 / 15:53 H.

Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim Teresa Kok Suh Sim welcomes children to the Chinese New Year celebrations at Scott Garden in Jalan Kelang Lama today. Also present was Decathlon general manager Yee Jia Cheng (L). - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim has expressed hope that there would be more business coming from India and for Malaysian business to go to India.
She was responding to a recent report by Reuters saying the country’s top sugar producer MSM Malaysia, a subsidiary of palm oil plantation firm FGV Holdings Bhd, would step up its purchase of raw sugar from India. Unnamed sources quoted by the report described the move as part of efforts to placate New Delhi amid an ongoing spat over palm oil imports.
“Yes, I’ve read the article. It is one of the subsidiaries of FGV Holdings that wants to buy more sugar from India. I’m glad that the private sector under FGV is willing to do so.
“In my last visit to India, (during a) meeting with their minister of commerce, their main complaint was, since India buys so much palm oil from us, we should also consume more of their products which include sugar, basmati rice and many more,” she told reporters after the Scott Garden Joint Management Committee (JMC) Chinese New Year 2020 Lion Dance Performance event, here today.
Earlier this month, India curbed Malaysian palm oil imports in a move seen as a retaliation to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism of New Delhi’s policy towards Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the 2020 Chinese New Year today was celebrated in the neighbourhood around Scott Garden in Jalan Kelang Lama, with a healthy crowd of families and children gathered to witness an acrobatic lion dance performance by 10 lions at the event organised by one of its main tenants, Decathlon. - Bernama

Programme to increase rice yield
SIALKOT: A five-year programme costing Rs 6.63 billion has been launched under Agriculture Emergency a National Programme for enhancing profitability through increasing rice yield in 15 rice growing districts of Punjab.
Agriculture Department sources told on Sunday that under the programme, special attention would be focused on the promotion of mechanized farming in these districts. Under the programme, efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecological best verities through the promotion of direct seedling of rice drill in these districts. The mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries would replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore and Faisalabad districts where area under rice both Basmati and course verities would be brought under cultivation on 70,000 acres land.

Five-year programme launched to increase rice yield in 15 districts
SIALKOT: A five-year programme costing Rs 6.63 billion has been launched under Agriculture Emergency a National Programme for enhancing profitability through increasing rice yield in 15 rice growing districts of Punjab.Agriculture Department sources told on Sunday that under the programme, special attention would be focused on the promotion of mechanized farming in these districts. Under the programme, efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecological best verities through the promotion of direct seedling of rice drill in these districts. The mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries would replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore and Faisalabad districts where area under rice both Basmati and course verities would be brought under cultivation on 70,000 acres of land in these areas. Under the programme, the government would provide riding type rice transplanter, walk-after typerice transplanter, nursery raising machine, direct seedling drill, rice straw chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack power sprayer. The government would also provide subsidy to the rice growers for purchasing tested paddy seeds and pesticides. The government would also provide subsidy amounting Rs 1,500 per acres to growers for encouraging combined harvesting.

Rice, Economic Development, and Mardi Gras in DC  

WASHINGTON, DC -- The nation's capital takes on a decidedly Cajun flair this time of year when thousands of Pelican State residents flock to the city and join Louisiana expats to spread the Mardi Gras spirit and celebrate all things Louisiana.  

On Friday, the rich culinary heritage of Louisiana and the entrepreneurial spirit were on display at "Bites on the Bayou," the Louisiana Economic Development Luncheon, hosted by Congressman Clay Higgins, sponsored by C100 The Louisiana Business Roundtable, and featuring a panel discussion with a Louisiana rice company, a pecan business, and a rum distiller.  

The lively discussion took place before more than 640 attendees including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards; Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser; Congressmen Steve Scalise, Cedric Richmond, Mike Johnson, Garret Graves, and Higgins; as well as other state and local officials, and tackled several issues including government regulation and the importance of economic development at home.

Robbie Trahan, co-owner of Falcon Rice Mill in Crowley, Louisiana, talked about his decision to return to Louisiana from a career in Texas to help preserve a way of life in his hometown that he saw under threat.

"There used to be 13 rice mills up and down Mill Street in Crowley, and now there's only two of us," he said.  "As an employer in a small town, it's important for me to be able to remain competitive and reinvest in my business, so I look to government to provide opportunities for me to do that and level the playing field when we're up against trading partners who aren't playing by the rules."

Jeff Murphy, master distiller for Bayou Rum in Lacassine, shared his frustration with Prohibition-era regulations and tax policies that hamper the ability for his business to grow and compete.

Jady Regard, chief nut officer for Cane River Pecan Company in New Iberia and the panel's moderator, talked about how the trade war with China affected his business by driving up packaging prices.  "As primarily a corporate gift company, boxes and packaging are very important to us," he said.  "A 30 percent spike in prices as a result of tariffs was just not a cost we felt we could pass on to our customers."

Trahan agreed and said the rice industry was similarly impacted by trade uncertainties.  

"Around the world rice markets are so manipulated," he said.  "We are dealing with countries that are subsidizing their rice production, making it really difficult for us to compete, and even dumping rice in what are traditionally our markets."

The three business leaders spoke positively about government policies and local initiatives that allow them to reinvest in their local communities, and Congressman Higgins summed up the afternoon when he said it was obvious to him that "government needs to be a partner, not a predator."

‘Nigeria on track to commence rice exportation by 2022’

By Joke Falaju, Abuja
29 January 2020   |   4:20 am

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Unsold bags of rice on display after the Yuletide period in Lagos. PHOTO:FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI
Increased production and capacity utilisation by rice millers across the country, may have boosted Nigeria’s quest to commence exportation of Rice by 2022.
The development comes against the backdrop of the land border closure, which gingered many rice milling factories to increase local rice production to meet rising demand for the staple food.
The border closure also attracted new entrants into the rice value chain, and encouraged by backward integration, which enhance their income from the sale of the product.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, during a working visit to Nestle Nigeria PLC’s Office in Lagos, yesterday, noted that the country’s land border closure has resulted in increased outputs by many rice milling plants, which were hitherto operating below capacity.
He said: “Before the closure of our land border, most of these rice milling plants were partially operating, but now, they not only operate in full capacity, but are also expanding. If we maintain the momentum in the next two years, we may export rice to other countries.”
Nigeria had for a long time struggled to meet domestic demand for rice, while also earning some income from the produce through export in line with the government’s economic diversification efforts through agriculture.
But offshore trade in the produce according to report from the World Data Atlas, has been on a nose-dive since 2006, when the country earned its highest income of $838,000, and continued southward until nothing in 2012, before it picked up again in 2013 with $89,000, and rose tremendously by about 408 per cent to $452,000, 2014.
However, the downturn continued again, as income fell by about 16 per cent to $380,000 in 2015, and plummeted by a whopping 93.16 per cent to a mere $26,000 in 2016, with a further crash to just $10,000 in 2017, despite the launch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.
Efforts were thereafter intensified through the ABP and many other intervention policies that raised the hope for future export of Nigerian rice, including the border closure to check the smuggling of rice to neighbouring countries without deriving the requisite accruable incomes.
To underscore his optimism Nanono noted that he was initially worried that there was not enough paddy production, but later discovered that most producers had stocked rice for the next six months, signifying that farmers are prepared for all year round farming.
He explained that it is only in three months from November to January, that rice is not being grown in Nigeria, because “We cultivate rice in a nine-month cycle; probably as we move on the cycle will widen, so we do not have a problem with rice processing.
Nanono disclosed that there has been expansion in the local rice value chain as well as the creation of many jobs due to increase in rice production.
“As at today, we have 11 rice milling plants with the capacity to produce from 180 tonnes to 350 tonnes of rice per day. In a few months, another mill with a capacity to produce 400 tonnes of rice per day is going to be opened, with another upcoming 34 smaller mills; then, we have clusters in different areas,” he informed.
The Minister lauded Nestle Nigeria for its role in assisting local farmers and creating jobs for Nigerians.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nestle Nigeria, Mauricio Alarcon, thanked the
Minister and his delegation for the visit, and called for stronger and robust working relationship with the Ministry.
He also said that there were many opportunities for collaboration in Nigeria, saying: “We source 80% of our products locally. We source 100% of Maize for Golden Morn, locally; soya, millet, sugar, salt and cocoa are also locally-sourced.



Government to establish hybrid rice cluster farms

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Description: https://businessmirror.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/agri01-121319-696x363.jpg
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will spend P90 million for setting up clustered hybrid rice farms as part of government’s efforts to expand areas planted with the variety to hike production.
DA Technical Adviser for Hybrid Rice Program Frisco M. Malabanan said the agency will establish the three pilot hybrid rice farm clusters in Regions 3, 6 and 11 where the government will extend subsidies amounting to P30 million.
The interventions would include free hybrid rice seeds, machines for planting to drying, fertilizer, and other required inputs, according to Malabanan.
Each cluster will consist of 100 hectares and would be managed by farmers’ cooperatives to realize the DA’s vision of turning planters into agripreneurs, he added.
“We want to show that they should not be just producers. They should be transformed into agri-preneurs wherein the income [from that clustered farm] would go to every member of the cooperative,” Malabanan told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
Malabanan said he is proposing to the DA to convert all farms in the country into clusters to achieve economies of scale, and ensure that interventions will enhance efficiency.
“[The DA] chose these regions because these are already top rice producing regions and have areas that are planted with hybrid. Of course, we will start organizing clusters this year, hoping that by 2021, if we are given a higher budget for hybrid rice, we will expand these areas,” he said.
Malabanan disclosed that at present the DA is only able to provide interventions to 320,000 hectares for hybrid rice production.
He added that the DA is targeting to expand areas planted with hybrid rice in the country to 1.5 million hectares by 2024, to prop up the supply of the Filipinos’ staple food.
Citing latest available DA figures, Malabanan said about 577,000 hectares of land in 2018 were planted with hybrid rice.
In an interview in November, Malabanan said the Philippines could stop depending on rice imports if it steps up investments in hybrid rice production.
Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)showed that the Philippines’s rice imports in 2019 rose to an all-time high of 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), making the country the top buyer of imported rice last year.
In its first monthly forecast report, the USDA revealed that the Philippines has “soared to become the top global importer” of rice as its total purchases last year surpassed China’s 2.4 MMT. China has been the world’s top rice importer since 2013.
Malabanan, senior technical consultant at SL Agritech Corp., said the estimated 7 percent to 10 percent shortfall in local palay output could be wiped out if hybrid rice is planted in 1.5 million hectares. This, he said, should be coupled with support, such as fertilizer and irrigation.

Price of Rice to Increase If…

By
 
Description: https://i1.wp.com/www.liberianobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/37695321_2058627954389467_8253669774056226816_n.jpg?resize=696%2C392&ssl=1Some of the rice and assorted item donated in Mont. County.
As gasoline shortage outpaces the money crisis that confronted Liberians over the recent festive season, resulting into skyrocketing transportation fares, sources at the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) have hinted this paper that there is a strong possibility of experiencing high price of rice shortly if President George Weah does not renew Executive Order 93 that suspends tariff on the importation of rice in the country.
Rice is considered a ‘political commodity’ in Liberia. As Liberia’s staple food, rice is imported every year for consumption due to poor agricultural activities despite Liberia’s fertile soil and favorable climatic conditions for Agriculture.
In Executive Order 93, which has elapsed a year and has since expired, President George Weah acknowledged that the government was committed to ensuring that prices of certain basic commodities on the Liberian market are affordable so that the citizens will not undergo undue suffering.
The Executive Order, issued last year, states: “Now, therefore, the Government of Liberia in its desire to continue to bring relief to the public, hereby issues Executive Order N. 93, suspending the import tariff on rice as classified under tariff Nos. 1006.30.00 (in packing of more than 5kg or in bulk); 1006.30.00 (in packing of at least 5kg); and 1006.40.00 (broken rice) under the Revenue Code of Liberia Act 2000 with immediate effect.”
According to LRA insiders, as the Executive Order has expired without renewal, there is a high possibility that the price of rice will increase because in the absence of the Executive Order, LRA has no option but to levy tariff on the importation of rice.
“It is the Executive Order that stops LRA from levying tariff on this sensitive commodity.  If there is no renewal and importers begin importing, it means there will be tariff levied which will consequently affect the price of rice on the market for the ordinary buyers,” an LRA source indicated.
Currently a 25-kg bag of rice is sold on the local market for L$2,600 and sellers are of the view that there may be possible increase in the existing price due to the exchange rate between the Liberian Dollar and the United States Dollar.  The rate currently stands at L$198 to US$1. As of yesterday January 27, the buying rate for the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) was L$193.5072 to $1.00 USD.
Liberia is a heavy importer of rice, and the commodity comes from India, Thailand and China.  Farming is done at a low scale in Liberia, such that what is produced has barely elevated from the subsistence level.

INSECT INVASION

Entomologist lists top invasive insects to watch in Missouri crops

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Corn injury from Japanese beetle feeding. Photo by Keith Glewen, University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
1
From insects, pests and diseases, crop producers face a growing number of challenges. At the Barton County Soils and Crops Conference held earlier this month in Lamar, Missouri, a University of Missouri expert gave his advice on what to watch for in the coming growing season.
“We’re talking about a lot of new invasive insects that are coming to the United States,” said Kevin Rice, MU Extension state entomologist. “Missouri is not immune to that… I’m talking about the ones that are right on our doorstep or that have a high dispersal tendency that are likely to be established here.”
Invasive species are a common problem around the globe, he continued. “They usually have higher populations in introduced range so these are being transported across the globe at an increasing rate,” Rice explained, adding trade and global travel are fueling the problem.
“It used to be 100 years ago, if a bug hitchhiked on a ship, it would have to last weeks and weeks and weeks across the Atlantic without a food source, and it probably wasn’t going to survive,” Rice said. “Now, we’re flying things from Asia and they land here 12 hours later, and if you have a pregnant female that gets loose, that’s all you need for an explosive population.”
When the pest arrives in the introduced range, it is often an “enemy-free space” where its natural enemies do not have an established population, allowing the pest to establish higher populations and cause higher levels of damage, he explained.
Dectes Stem Borer
Though Dectes stem borer is not an invasive species because it’s a native pest, Rice said it is becoming an issue.
“It’s been an increasing problem in some areas of the state in the last few years,” he explained. “The populations have been growing — we’re not really sure why… The problem is these are very sporadic pests, but once you have them, they usually occur in the same area.”
Rice told conference attendees about his research using sunflowers as a trap crop to manage the pest. “The idea for my study is that Dectes stem borer will always prefer sunflowers over soybeans, so we’re going to do the simple trap-cropping method where we do two to four rows of sunflowers around a field and then monitor the damage.”
Japanese Beetle
The Japanese beetle is another issue in Missouri, despite seeing lower populations last year.
“We are sort of on the western front of Japanese beetle expansion,” Rice said.
“This previous year, we had a major reduction in Japanese beetles,” he continued. “That wasn’t due to flooding. That was mostly due to drought the previous year because the larvae feed on roots, and when they dried up in 2018, that lowered the population.
“We do expect them to recover and be at a higher population again this coming year,” the entomologist warned.
The damage from Japanese beetles comes from defoliation. In corn, they feed on the silks but do not cause a problem if the ear is already filled and pollinated. It also feeds on soybeans. Rice recommended spraying at a threshold of 20 to 30 percent defoliation.
Research is currently being done at the University of Missouri investigating an attract-and-kill strategy for Japanese beetles to get away from repeated insecticide sprays to manage the pest, which kills beneficial insects and also may lead to resistance.
“It’s very similar to your ant or your roach motels where you’re bringing in these insects to one area and poisoning them instead of spraying throughout the entire system,” Rice explained. The study uses insecticidal nets impregnated with pyrethroids along the outside border of the field crop.
“They last throughout the entire season so you can put them up and you can basically forget about them,” Rice said, adding they’re also better than bucket traps because they have a higher killing surface area and don’t have to be emptied. The nets use the same pheromone lures as the bucket traps.
“We found that if an adult Japanese beetle lands on that net for 3 seconds, it picks up a toxic dose and dies,” he continued. Preliminary results showed the nets provided equivalent protection to two insecticidal sprays and also resulted in less seed damage, but research is still ongoing.
Soybean Gall Midge
The soybean gall midge was first detected in Nebraska in 2011 and had explosive populations from 2016 to 2019. Symptoms look like a fungal pathogen on soybean and the last few inches of the stalks are black around a field’s edge.
“If you peel the bark back, basically, you can see these orange maggots in there feeding underneath the stems,” Rice said.
All soybean varieties appear to be susceptible, and the pest targets the edges of fields. Later planting, however, may help reduce damage.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any current management options for this pest,” Rice said. Because the larvae feed internally and there are multiple generations per year, there is no good timing for insecticide sprays.
“We do know that the seed treatments are not effective against this because, by the time that the adults are laying eggs in these soybeans, that systemic insecticide is already gone,” Rice said.
Last year, the pest was found Missouri’s Atchison County and could be slowly spreading to other parts of the state.
“It’s related to the Hessian fly so it’s a very weak flyer,” Rice said. “It’s not a strong thing that can disperse, but it’s something to be aware of.”
Researchers have not yet identified where the pest overwinters.
“It’s probably going to be some sort of weed or something,” Rice said. “If you can eliminate those weeds around your specific farmscape, that may help reduce infestations.”
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Another recent invader in Missouri is the brown marmorated stink bug, which differs from native species with a white band on its antennae.
“It is an extreme generalist so it feeds on anything,” Rice said, adding it can feed on hundreds of host plant species and cause a lot of damage.

Brown marmorated stink bug. Photo credit: Michigan State University.
“It has a high dispersal capacity so females can fly up to 80 kilometers in one night,” he continued. The invasive pest is also an edge species so its damage will primarily be on the outer borders of fields but can cause poor seed quality and secondary fungal outbreaks.
“In soybeans, it reduces seed quality but it also has this ‘stay green’ syndrome,” Rice said. This causes an issue at harvest when the edges of fields appear to be failing to senesce.
Because the pest has been studied intensively, scientists have figured out how to control it fairly well, Rice said. At a threshold of 36 bugs per 100 sweeps, he recommended producers do a border spray to take the pest out for the entire season. Because the pest overwinters in wooded areas, he suggested early scouting along the wooded edges of fields.
“It does cause damage if it gets away from you, so scouting and looking for it early and waiting ‘til you get to that threshold is very important,” he emphasized.
Spotted Lanternfly
The spotted lanternfly, a species native to Asia, feeds on grapes as well as corn, soybeans and alfalfa and is said to have came from its native continent with cargo to Pennsylvania.
“The female lays its eggs on any flat surface,” Rice said, adding eggs have been found in the U.S. on railroad cars and semi tractor-trailers.
“The likelihood for this to explode across the entire continent is very, very high,” he warned.
“The good news is… field crop growers are noticing this bug feeding on the crop but they are not reporting any economic damage,” the entomologist continued. However, it can be extremely devastating to vineyards, a potential threat to Missouri’s wine industry.
Rice said the spotted lanternfly does not look like our native insects and recommended collecting it and sending it to MU for a positive identification so they can mount a rapid reaction to the invasive pest.
“In a small population, you can sometimes come in and knock it down before it spreads too far,” he said.

Home / LATEST NEWS / 275 Bags Of Rice, Tramadol, Others Worth N24.1m Intercepted By Seme Customs Command.

275 Bags Of Rice, Tramadol, Others Worth N24.1m Intercepted By Seme Customs Command.

LAGOS – The Seme Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service said it has intercepted 782 packets and 630 cards of tramadol all of 50grms, equivalent to 409,000grms and 9,400ml of Amphytamine syrup with duty paid value (DPV) of N 4.74 million.
The command in a statement on Monday also said it seized 275 50kg bags of rice, 9,225 litres of fuel, 11 jerry cans of vegetable oil (25 litres each), 132 Cartons of frozen poultry products, textile materials and other prohibited items with DPV of N19.4 million.
According to Hussaini Abdullahi, spokesman of the command, the seizures were done within the last three weeks as the new year began.
Abdullahi in the statement said, the seizures were as a result of strategic efforts “to suppress the activities of daredevil smugglers to the barest minimum,” noting that the command had intensified its anti-smuggling activities.
He said, “The anti-smuggling unit of Seme Area Command under the leadership of Chedi Dalha Wada, acting Customs area controller, has in the last three weeks recorded tremendous achievements.
This is coming at the heels of the arrest of 782 packets and 630 cards of tramadol all of 50grms, equivalent to 409, 000grms of tramadol, and also nine, 400ml of Amphytamine syrup with DPV of N 4,740, 132.00 intercepted along elejah – mowo axis of the Command.
“In the same vein, a total DPV of N19,418, 806 was realised during the period under review from the following seizures: 275 bags of rice (50Kg each); 9, 225 litres of Premuim Motor Spirit (PMS); 11 Jerry cans of Vegetable Oil (25 litres each); 132 Cartons of frozen poultry products; 105 Textile materials (six yards each); 12 Sacks of used Clothings; and one sack of used shoes.
Others items are three sacks of used ladies hand bags; 326pcs of cream; 10 sacks of Egusi; one sack of stock fish and 30 cartons of choko drink.
“To this end, The acting Customs area controller, reiterated that the aforementioned seizures is a strong message to smugglers and their accomplices.
He further promised to sustain the current tempo of suppression of smuggling for social and conomic well been of Nigeria.”

East Africa: EAC Seeks to Boost Domestic Rice Production

28 JANUARY 2020

By Deus Ngowi in Arusha
EAST African bigwigs Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are set to benefit from an initiative that seeks to enable domestically produced rice to competitively substitute the current over US dollars 300m worth of rice imports to the regional Common Market.
The three East African Community (EAC) member countries will get funded under a three-year East African Rice Initiative (EARI) with an overall goal to contribute to inclusive transformation of the rice sector.
EARI targets East Africa for sustainable increase in incomes of 220,000 women, men and young people employed in the value chain of locally produced rice in the project that runs through 2022.
It will be implemented by Kilimo Trust (KT) in partnership with the EAC Secretariat, commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
A statement made available to the 'Daily News' from KT, EARI and EAC revealed one of specific objectives is to increase productivity, commercialisation, profitability and resilience for enterprises of smallholder.
Others are to strengthen and expand access and competitiveness in the national and regional markets for locally produced rice as well as strengthen local, national and regional enabling policy and institutional environment for optimal commercialisation of the rice sector.
The trio said the objectives are pursued through delivery of results such as a 50 per cent increase in net incomes for paddy farmers; at least 75 per cent of smallholder farming households using structured markets in input and output and a 50 per cent increase in average yield (MT/ha) of rice.
Also on the cards is a 20 per cent increase in volumes of rice sold by households through structured trade in household commercialisation level; 500,000MT of paddy sold through structured markets valued at 111,500,000$, at least 50 per cent increase in the number of farming households using post-harvest technologies and facilities.
The project is to realise at least 30 per cent increase in adoption rate of target improved productivity technologies or management practices at farmer level, at least three climate smart technologies and/or management practices introduced to paddy farmers.
Major envisaged outcome is that the supported SMEs processors will increase efficiency in local sourcing of paddy from smallholder farmers including quantity, quality and consistency in supply through village-based aggregation supported by contract farming model that will contribute to reducing transaction costs of the millers and increase the profitability of SHFs' enterprises, facilitate sustainability beyond the current funding.
Close
Implementation approach of EARI project is to build strong and sustainable business trading consortia led by processors and millers as anchor partner linked to farmers business organisations, such as cooperatives and input agro-dealers such as suppliers of agricultural production enhancing technologies like seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals and post-harvest handling technologies and business development service providers.
KT is a not-for-profit organisation working in agriculture for development across the EAC. It has increasingly become the go to partner organisation for market-led agricultural value chain development in the region.
It envisions sustained and equitable wealth creation, food and nutrition security for smallholder farmers.



WTO upholds S. Korea's 513 pct rice tariff on imported rice

All Headlines 11:00 January 28, 2020
FONT SIZE
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has approved South Korea's current 513 percent tariff rate on imported rice, Seoul's agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
The WTO has issued a certificate two months after Seoul reached deals with five rice exporters -- the United States, China, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam -- over South Korea's high tariff on imported rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The five countries, which had taken issue with South Korea's high tariff in 2014, have sent letters to the global trade body to inform it that the issue has been resolved.
South Korea has been imposing the high tariff on imported rice since 2015.
Under the measure, South Korea will be able to keep the tariff on imported rice for quantities exceeding the quota of 408,700 tons of annual rice imports.
China accounts for 157,195 tons of the quota, followed by the U.S. with 132,304 tons, Vietnam with 55,112 tons, Thailand with 28,494 tons and Australia with 15,595 tons.
Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits, making it especially important for South Korea to protect the segment.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)

DA: Rice prices drop to 6-year low due to Rice Tarrification law

Published January 28, 2020 6:27pm
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
The retail prices of rice has dropped to its lowest level in six years in light of the impact of the Rice Tarrification law, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tarrification law or RTL,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the DA said the average retail price of regular-milled rice dropped to P36.53 per kilogram in the first week of January 2020, down 12.3% from P41.63/kg in the same week of December 2019.
"It was the lowest average price of regular-milled rice since six years ago, on the third week of January 2014, at P36.46/kg, as per PSA," Dar said.
The average price of well-milled rice, on the other hand, was cheaper by 11% at P37.24/kg in the first week of January 2020, compared to P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.

"Kumpara noong mga nakaraang taon na mahigit P40 kada kilo ang presyo ng bigas, ngayon marami na ang pagpipilian. May NFA at regular na bigas sa P27 hanggang P32 kada kilo, well-milled rice na P35 to P38, at sa mga espesyal na bigas, may P40 kada kilo at higit pa," Dar said.
As consumers enjoy affordable rice, the Agriculture chief assured both consumers and farmers that the DA will all the more pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the RTL.
"We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From hereon, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology and training," Dar said.
"We assure the public and our farmers that we will not rest on initial laurels, but we rather continue to move on and attain our vision of a rice-secure and food-secure nation with prosperous farmers and fishers," he said.
He said that the four RCEF major components are in full swing, which include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training--backed up by an assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The DA's Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds, and distributed P552.6-million worth (893,433 bags) to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation and field validation of farmers' cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3-billion worth of various farm machinery starting first semester of 2020.
For the training and extension component, a total P878 million has been allocated, of which, P284.4M has been disbursed for trainings, communication materials, accreditation programs, and scholarships.
For credit, the Land Bank of the Philippines has disbursed a total of P358.2 million and the Development Bank of the Philippines has released P283.5 million to hundreds of accredited farmers and farmers’ cooperatives nationwide.
"We aim that on the next six years as a result of RCEF, we will effectively reduce the average production cost of palay by P4/kg, from the current P12/kg, increase the average yield by at least two tons per hectare from the current four metric tons per hectare, and double the income of rice farmers," Dar said.
In addition to RCEF, the DA has also rolled out the P2.5- billion SURE Aid program that offers P15,000- loan at zero interest payable in eight years to thousands of farmers nationwide tilling one hectare and below, and the P3-billion Rice Farmer Financial Assistance program that provides unconditional P5,000 cash assistance to farmers with one-half to two hectares of rice land. — RSJ, GMA News

Price of rice down by 12% in first week of January

January 28, 2020 at 08:40 pm by Othel V. CamposThe price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in the first week of January to P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week of December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Agriculture Department noted the price was the lowest in a six-year period since the third week of January 2014 when it declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tariffication law,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by 11 percent at P37.24/kg in the first week of January compared with P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.
Dar assured consumers and farmers that the Department would pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From here on, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology, and training,” he said.
He added the major components of the rice fund were in full swing. They include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training, backed up by assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6 million worth or around 893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation, and field validation of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3 billion worth of various farm machinery starting the first semester of 2020.

8 million tons of wet season rice production reported in 2019
Khmer Times 
January 28, 2020

Some 7.9 million tons of wet season paddy rice were harvested in 2019 while the milled rice export was reported at 620,106 tons, registering a  year-on-year decrease of about 1 percent.
For in depth analysis of Cambodian Business, visit Capital Cambodia
.
Reports the from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries revealed that as of December last year, paddy rice was cultivated on an area of 2.5 million hectares with an average yield of 3.1 tons per hectare.
Cambodia’s milled rice were shipped to 59 countries by 89 rice-exporting companies last year.
China is the Kingdom’s biggest rice market purchasing 248,105 tons, followed by France and Gabon with 81,905 tons and 36,663 tons, respectively.  Though the quota to China is 400,000 tons for 2019, exports fell way below target for the second consecutive year.
The dry season rice production, the report stated, were achieved at 528,136 hectares, equal to 114 percent of the yearly target.
Cambodia produced 7.4 million tonnes of paddy rice in 2018, a 3.5 percent increase. Total production in 2018 was only 88.47 percent of what the government expected, adding that 2.4 million hectares were harvested out of 2.7 million hectares of available agricultural land.
On average, each hectare produced 3.07 tonnes of rice, the report says, noting that in 2006 the average yield was only 2.6 tonnes.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- January 28, 2020
JANUARY 28, 2020 /
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 28, 2020 Nagpur, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported higher in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Company (APMC) auctions here on increased demand from local millers amid tight supply from producing region because of unseasonal rains. Fresh hike on NCDEX in gram, good rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and enquiries from South-based millers also helped to push up prices. About 100 bags of gram and 200 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.

TUAR * Tuar Karnataka reported down in open market here on poor demand from

local traders.

* Rice Chinnor varieties firmed up in open market here on good buying support

from local traders.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,200-5,400, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,300, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 9,900-11,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,300-10,200, Gram – 4,400-4,500, Gram Super best

– 5,500-5,700 * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

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

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

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,600-3,900 3,550-3,830

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

Tuar Auction 4,230-4,730 4,200-4,700

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 2,000-2,170 2,000-2,150

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

Gram Super Best Bold 5,700-6,000 5,700-6,000

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,100-5,400 5,100-5,300

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400

Desi gram Raw 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400

Gram Kabuli 8,500-10,000 8,500-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,000-7,300 7,000-7,300

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 6,300-6,800 6,300-6,800

Tuar Gavarani New 5,000-5,150 5,000-5,150

Tuar Karnataka 5,350-5,450 5,400-5,500

Masoor dal best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200

Masoor dal medium 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 9,800-10,500 9,800-10,500

Moong Mogar Medium 8,500-9,500 8,500-9,500

Moong dal Chilka New 8,150-9,150 8,150-9,050

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,700-9,500 8,500-9,500

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 10,000-11,500 10,000-11,500

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 8,500-9,200 8,500-9,300

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 7,200-7,700 7,200-7,700

Mot (100 INR/KG) 6,200-7,400 6,000-7,400

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,900-5,300 4,900-5,300

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 6,500-6,600 6,500-6,600

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 11,700-12,000 11,700-12,000

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,450 2,350-2,450

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

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,850 2,700-2,850

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600

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

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,200 3,600-4,200

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700

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

Rice BPT medium new(100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,100 2,900-3,100

Rice BPT New (100INR/KG) 2,700-3,300 2,700-3,300

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,300 3,200-3,300

Rice Swarna best new (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000

Rice Swarna medium new (100 INR/KG)2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700

Rice Swarna New (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,700 2,400-2,700

Rice HMT best new (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500

Rice HMT medium new (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,200 4,100-4,200

Rice Shriram best new(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,700 5,200-5,700

Rice Shriram med new (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,100 4,700-5,100

Rice Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,300 4,000-4,300

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,000 8,500-13,000

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

Rice Chinnor best new 100 INR/KG) 5,900-6,300 5,800-6,200

Rice Chinnor medium new(100 INR/KG)5,600-5,800 5,500-5,700

Rice Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,700 4,400-4,600

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. 32.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 17.0 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 32 degree Celsius and 17 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)





Exclusive: India's rice exports fall sharply as sanctions delay payments from Iran

CommoditiesJan 24, 2020 08:41AM ET

Description: https://i-invdn-com.akamaized.net/trkd-images/LYNXMPEG0N1E3_L.jpg
By Mayank Bhardwaj and Neha Dasgupta
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Reluctance among Indian traders to ship premium basmati rice to Iran as U.S. sanctions hobble its ability to pay has contributed to a sharp drop in overall exports from the world's biggest supplier of the grain, trade and government sources said.
Rice shipments from India slipped by more than a quarter to 5.5 million tonnes between April and November 2019 -- the first eight months of the fiscal year -- from 7.5 million tonnes in the year-ago period, the sources said. In terms of value, exports dropped 19% to $3.8 billion from $4.7 billion.
The grain is India's biggest foreign exchange earning farm commodity, with shipments worth $7.75 billion in the 2018/19 fiscal year.
Basmati rice exports to Iran, New Delhi's top buyer of the aromatic grain, dropped to 600,000 tonnes in the eight months from 900,000 tonnes a year earlier, but traders, worried about delayed payments, have not signed any new contracts with Tehran in the past five days, the sources said.
Shipments are not expected to significantly pick up, with buyers in Iran owing a record 20 billion rupees ($281.41 million) to India as U.S.- imposed sanctions make it hard to pay for imported commodities, they added.
"We are in a precarious situation," Nathi Ram Gupta, president of the All India Rice Exporters Association, told Reuters. "We have urged the Indian government to step in to ensure that our dues are cleared by Iran."
Reuters was unable to contact traders in Iran for comment.
Iranian buyers paid some of the money they owed in November, the sources said, encouraging Indian traders to sign new contracts and ultimately pushing dues to an all-time high.
Of the 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice shipped by India in the 2018/19 fiscal year, Iran accounted for 1.4 million tonnes.
"Our exports to Iran will definitely fall this year and that is going to drag down both the country's basmati and non-basmati rice exports. We're worried on two counts of India's falling rice exports and our mounting dues," said Vijay Setia, former president of the All India Rice Exporters Association.
Beside the drop in exports to Iran, non-basmati rice exports to Europe have also fallen, with trade and industry officials citing higher pesticide residues in shipments from India as a factor behind reduced purchases from the European Union.
Higher benchmark prices in Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter, have however prompted some buyers to opt for Indian rice, pushing rates for the Indian variety to their highest in nearly three months despite the fall in exports.
India's 5% broken parboiled variety rose to around $366-$371 per tonne from last week's $364-$368, the highest since Oct. 31.
Domestic prices have also risen on fresh orders from Africa, traders said.

Price of rice down by 12% in first week of January

posted January 28, 2020 at 08:40 pm by Othel V. Campos
·        
·        
·        
·        
The price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in the first week of January to P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week of December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Agriculture Department noted the price was the lowest in a six-year period since the third week of January 2014 when it declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tariffication law,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by 11 percent at P37.24/kg in the first week of January compared with P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.
Dar assured consumers and farmers that the Department would pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From here on, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology, and training,” he said.
He added the major components of the rice fund were in full swing. They include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training, backed up by assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6 million worth or around 893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation, and field validation of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3 billion worth of various farm machinery starting the first semester of 2020.

DA: Rice prices drop to 6-year low due to Rice Tarrification law

January 28, 2020 6:27pm
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
The retail prices of rice has dropped to its lowest level in six years in light of the impact of the Rice Tarrification law, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tarrification law or RTL,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the DA said the average retail price of regular-milled rice dropped to P36.53 per kilogram in the first week of January 2020, down 12.3% from P41.63/kg in the same week of December 2019.
"It was the lowest average price of regular-milled rice since six years ago, on the third week of January 2014, at P36.46/kg, as per PSA," Dar said.
The average price of well-milled rice, on the other hand, was cheaper by 11% at P37.24/kg in the first week of January 2020, compared to P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.

"Kumpara noong mga nakaraang taon na mahigit P40 kada kilo ang presyo ng bigas, ngayon marami na ang pagpipilian. May NFA at regular na bigas sa P27 hanggang P32 kada kilo, well-milled rice na P35 to P38, at sa mga espesyal na bigas, may P40 kada kilo at higit pa," Dar said.
As consumers enjoy affordable rice, the Agriculture chief assured both consumers and farmers that the DA will all the more pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the RTL.
"We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From hereon, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology and training," Dar said.
"We assure the public and our farmers that we will not rest on initial laurels, but we rather continue to move on and attain our vision of a rice-secure and food-secure nation with prosperous farmers and fishers," he said.
He said that the four RCEF major components are in full swing, which include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training--backed up by an assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The DA's Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds, and distributed P552.6-million worth (893,433 bags) to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation and field validation of farmers' cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3-billion worth of various farm machinery starting first semester of 2020.
For the training and extension component, a total P878 million has been allocated, of which, P284.4M has been disbursed for trainings, communication materials, accreditation programs, and scholarships.
For credit, the Land Bank of the Philippines has disbursed a total of P358.2 million and the Development Bank of the Philippines has released P283.5 million to hundreds of accredited farmers and farmers’ cooperatives nationwide.
"We aim that on the next six years as a result of RCEF, we will effectively reduce the average production cost of palay by P4/kg, from the current P12/kg, increase the average yield by at least two tons per hectare from the current four metric tons per hectare, and double the income of rice farmers," Dar said.
In addition to RCEF, the DA has also rolled out the P2.5- billion SURE Aid program that offers P15,000- loan at zero interest payable in eight years to thousands of farmers nationwide tilling one hectare and below, and the P3-billion Rice Farmer Financial Assistance program that provides unconditional P5,000 cash assistance to farmers with one-half to two hectares of rice land. — RSJ, GMA News

Villar group helps farmers in Iloilo increase their rice yield and income

January 28, 2020 at 11:10 pm by Macon Ramos-Araneta
To help farmers increase their yield and income through modern farming techniques, the Villar SIPAG established its first farm school in Iloilo, which is among the Top 5 rice producing provinces in the country. 
Senator Cynthia Villar, director of Villar SIPAG, hopes participants in the trainings being offered for free by the farm school can help improve production in rice farms.
Description: https://manilastandard.net/panel/_files/image/Personalities/Villar_Cynthia/cynthia_villar.jpg
Senator Cynthia Villar
She also, said the participants could pass on the knowledge they could acquire from the trainings to their respective communities, cooperatives and farm schools, among others. 
“That is our goal, why we prioritize trainers like yourselves, so you can pass on your learnings,” Villar said.
The chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture and food welcomed the farmers from Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Negros provinces who were participants to the training program on Production of High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seeds and Farm Mechanization sponsored by Villar SIPAG and the Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training VI.
Farmer-trainers will be trained to operate and maintain farm equipment and machinery  which will help bring down the cost of production. 
They will also learn from the experts in producing high-quality inbred seeds which will increase their yield by 50 percent.
“Inspired by the success of our training initiatives in our farm schools in Las Pinas and in Bulacan, we are now building more farm schools in the Visayas and Mindanao to replicate this feat and to bring these free training programs closer to the communities,” Villar said.
Villar cited the need to “invest in our people through free and extensive training programs,” which is mandated under Republic Act 11203 or the law creating the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. 
The two-week training program is held also in partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE), the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMECH), and the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Price of rice down by 12% in first week of January

 January 28, 2020 at 08:40 pm by Othel V. Campos
The price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in the first week of January to P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week of December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Agriculture Department noted the price was the lowest in a six-year period since the third week of January 2014 when it declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tariffication law,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by 11 percent at P37.24/kg in the first week of January compared with P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.
Dar assured consumers and farmers that the Department would pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From here on, we will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology, and training,” he said.
He added the major components of the rice fund were in full swing. They include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training, backed up by assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6 million worth or around 893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation, and field validation of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3 billion worth of various farm machinery starting the first semester of 2020.

Haryana: Five partners of rice mill booked for fraud worth Rs 3.85 crore

Jaskaran Singh | TNN | Updated: Jan 27, 2020, 19:40 IST
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AMBALA: Ambala police of Haryana, on the complaint of Haryana food and civil supplies and consumer affairs department (FCS) inspector, registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust to the tune of Rs 3.85 crore against five partners and guarantors of a rice mill on Monday, who allegedly did not supply the desired amount of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
This is a second case related to rice millers committing fraud in supplying rice to the central pool. Earlier on January 22, another case was registered against five rice miller partners at Barara police station.
On January 27, Vikas Papneja, inspector, Ambala City, FCS lodged a complaint against Anil Kumar Jain, Dharampal Jain, Mahinder Kumar Jain - all residents of Sector 7 - and guarantors Manju Vats of M/S Sammukh Enterprises, New Grain Market, Naneola, Ambala and Ankur Jain of M/S Gian Chand and Sons, New Grain Market, Ambala at Ambala Sadar police station (PS).
“We have registered a case under sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and further investigation will be conducted after obtaining all the concerned record in this matter,” said station house officer of Ambala Sadar police station sub-inspector Suresh Kumar.

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Record grain output in 2020; horticulture to grow too

Wheat production in the 2019-20 rabi season is estimated to be 6.27% higher than last year’s output, the NCML estimates showed. The output of rice is estimated to go up 5% from last year. Total foodgrain production is expected to increase 6.19% to 152.7 million tonnes. Horticulture output will also be more, according to the government’s first estimate.

ET Bureau|
Last Updated: Jan 28, 2020, 08.50 AM IST|Original: Jan 28, 2020, 08.50 AM IST
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New Delhi: India is poised for a record foodgrain production this year following a surge in the output of wheat and rice, the two major crops of rabi or winter sowing season, according to the first estimates released by the National Collateral Management Services (NCML), a leading post-harvest management company.

Horticulture output will also be more, including tomato, potato and onion, according to the government’s first estimate. The output is estimated to go up to 313.35 million tonnes (mt) in 2019-20 from actual output of 310.74 mt last year.

Wheat production in the 2019-20 rabi season is estimated to be 109 mt, 6.27% higher than last year’s output of 102.1 mt, the NCML estimates showed. The output of rice is estimated to go up 5% from last year to around 15 mt. As a result, total foodgrain production is expected to increase 6.19% to 152.7 million tonnes.

However, the NCML has estimated that production of pulses may dip 2% while the output of oilseeds is likely to decline more than 2.6%.

“Bountiful rains during monsoon season have boosted the prospects of crop production in the ensuing rabi season. This year is likely to see a record foodgrain production, led by the wheat crop along with corn and jowar. Oilseeds and pulses may end up lower than in the previous year,” said Siraj Chaudhry, managing director, NCML.

According to a report released by the company on Monday, excess production of wheat and rice will build on the existing surplus and stimulate additional market distortions. “Record domestic supplies will add to procurement and subsidy load. There is an imperative need to align the production basket to consumption needs so demand generating from growing population and changing lifestyles can be met domestically,” it said.

Meanwhile, overall onion production is estimated to increase 7% to 24.45 mt in 2019-20 crop year, in relief to consumers from high prices seen in the past few months. Production of potato is estimated to go up to 51.94 mt this year.