GOOD BYE TO QRC FOREVER
The Union of
Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) appreciated the bold and positive steps
taken by the Ministry of Commerce (MINCOM) through the Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to disband the Quality Review Committee (QRC) and
serving one months final notice to the staff with golden handshake. The notice
period expires on 6th August 2015 and it will be an end to the faulty system
created by vested interest several years ago. Rice exporters will be free to
export their rice without PSI by QRC.
President
UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the committee had become futile and also a hurdle
in the export of branded rice. The rice exporters needed a free hand to export
rice under their own brands with basmati and other superior varieties of rice
which is non basmati.Besides it was against the concept of pre-shipment
inspection (PSI) which is always by a third party. The QRC was abused by its
former managers who used it as a tool to subdue their competitors and MINCOM
realized this fact and shifted the premises of QRC to an independent location
and also took the management under their control to make it independent,
transparent and impartial. Nevertheless the system was challenged and caused
embarrassment to the law makers. PSI is the prerogative of the buyer and it is
always the buyer who nominates the PSI company.
If the buyer trust his shipper he will not
insist on PSI but usually in bulk shipments it is considered safe for the buyer
to nominate an inspection company of repute.Pakistani rice exporters have
regular buyers and the exporters visit their buyers frequently. UNISAME however
advised the SME rice exporters to take great care and improve their quality and
packing and create their own brand image with good in house quality control
system. Pakistani rice is considered tasty and even our 1121 which is non
basmati has an aroma and for this reason Pakistani 1121 rice is sold at a premium
as compared to Indian 1121 rice.
Of course our
basmati rice is the best in the world and elongates on cooking and is tasty and
has a special flavour with aroma. Every effort must be made to maintain its
distinguished position.He called upon the Pakistani PSI companies to facilitate
the SME rice exporters by offering them concessional rates for PSI and also for
evaluation of samples and production guidance.He also called upon the Small and
Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to upgrade the rice industry
and improving the supply chain.UNISAME is thankful to Hamid Malhi the managing
director of Basmati Rice Growers Association of Pakistan for advocating the
case for GI registration in the international forum.Thaver called upon the
leading rice millers, processors and exporters to accommodate the QRC staff by
offering them employment.
He said
UNISAME has no complaints against the staff members except that they were
influenced by the former managers, it was only against the system of PSI which
was a mockery of PSI which UNISAME always pointed out to the authorities and
various forums.Even the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)
never enrolled it as a PSI because it did not meet their requirements.
A PSI company
has to be a joint stock company and must be qualified and eligible to conduct
PSI and equipped with a laboratory and having an insurance cover to pay claims
due to errors or mistakes in assessment or evaluation.He felt really sorry for
the employees of QRC and said it would have been better if MINCOM would have
transferred them to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) rather than
leaving them in a lurch after 15 years of service.Thaver thanked the print and
electronic media, the committee and patrons of UNISAME who stood behind him in
the cause of disbandment of QRC and facilitating the rice exporters.
Indigenous ‘rice chips’ to
revolutionize rice breeding
Indian scientists have developed
a high-density microarray chip that could speed up development of new varieties
of rice
Among its many applications, the chip can be used to
quickly identify rice types, how they can affect yield and how disease-resistant
they are. Photo: Bloomberg
New Delhi: Scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
have developed a high-density microarray chip with more than 50,000 DNA markers
that could speed up the development of new varieties of rice by at least five
years.Among its many applications, the chip can be used to quickly identify
rice types, how they can affect yield and how disease-resistant they are.These
single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips can scan all DNA from a rice variety
and analyse the genetic variation in that particular variety, speeding up the
breeding process. SNP is the most abundant form of DNA sequence variation
present in plant genomes and has revolutionized plant breeding recently.
With
the ICAR rice chip, researchers can carry out evolutionary and genetic
diversity studies of cultivated and wild rice seeds and tissues. Indian
scientists designed their own DNA chip as the only other such chip, developed
at the Cornell University in the US, was not available for research in India.
While the Cornell chip has 44,000 SNP markers, the ICAR chip has 50,051 SNPs
from 18,980 genes spanning all the 12 rice chromosomes.
In a paper published in Nature Scientific Reports on 26 June, scientists have written about the efficiency of the
chip in analysing background recovery in “submergence tolerant” versions of
popular rice varieties developed through marker-assisted breeding. The chip has
also proved useful for quality control and regulating the rice seed business by
monitoring the spread of new rice varieties and checking the purity and variety
of rice seeds.
A major application of this chip will be in
marker-assisted back cross-breeding, explains T.R. Sharma, co-author of the
study and project director at the National Research Centre on Plant
Biotechnology. With marker-assisted back cross-breeding, scientists can
identify the plant variety with the highest recurrent parent genome more
efficiently and thus increase the yield, he said. “Usually, individual plants
have to be planted for each variety and then genes of each variety are
observed. With the gene chip, this process will take six to seven years instead
of 12-15 years,” explained Sharma.
The chip was developed over five to six years at a cost
of Rs.50-60 lakh. “The ICAR rice chip will help identify new
useful genes from our vast genetic resources of wild rice and traditional rice
varieties to face the twin challenges of growing population and climate
change,” said a press release from ICAR.However, scientists say that for the
chip to be used extensively, basic infrastructure has to be developed across
the country.
“World over, many companies and universities are
patenting similar SNP chips and we have to pay heavily to use them. So if ICAR
has developed a chip for our traditional varieties of rice, then that will be a
huge help to researchers,” said S. Robin, head of the department of rice at the
Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.“For
widespread and extensive use of this resource, it is important to develop basic
infrastructure in multiple labs as there are so many researchers in this
field,” he added.
Taste, cost prompt return
of folk rice
PTI
Kolkata, | 08 July,
2015
Having lost the race to high- yielding varieties after the green
revolution, a number of indigenous varieties of rice are now making a comeback
due to their aroma, taste, low input cost and resilience to climate change."More
and more consumers are asking for the folk varieties these days as the taste is
better. Farmers are also showing lot of interest in these varieties, which they
had once forgotten," M C Dhara, joint director of agriculture, rice
research station, Chinsurah, told PTI.The yield per hectare was lower in
traditional varieties, but it was offset by the lower cost of production and
the higher price it fetches in the market.
Experts say hundreds of farmers in rice growing areas of
Burdwan, South and North 24 Parganas, Midnapore, Nadia, Howrah etc have now
left the modern high-yielding varieties, which were popularised during the
1960s and 70s.Among the folk varieties, premium variety of aromatic rice
Gobindobhog is the most popular and is now grown over 30,000 hectares in
Burdwan district, the rice bowl of West Bengal."The cost of production is
lesser than the modern varieties as it requires less fertiliser and
pesticide," said Anupam Paul, Assistant Director of Agriculture.At the
Agriculture Training Centre in Nadia district's Fulia, he has around 300 such
folk varieties of rice in his collection, out of which 51 were aromatic.They
have been trying to popularise indigenous varieties since the last few years
before the seeds get lost forever.
When it comes to fragrant rice, farmers prefer to go the organic
way because any use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides dilutes the natural
aroma of the folk product, Paul said.Besides Gobindobhog, other old varieties
of scented rice like Radhatilak, Kalonunia, Kalojeera, Tulsimukun etc are also
gaining popularity slowly.Many of the folk varieties are getting attention as
they are more resilient to the vagaries of nature.Farmers, particularly in the
islands of Sundarbans spread across North and South 24 Parganas, are favouring
flood tolerant varieties like Bhasamanik and Bhadoi as they have been hit hard
by rising water levels due to global warming.Nonabokra variety has also been a
hit due to its ability to tolerate salinity.
In the laterite zones of Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia, drought
resistant ones like Bhutmuri and Kalash variants are gaining a foothold among
the farming community.West Bengal Biodiversity Board's chairman Dr Ashok Sanyal
said the biodiversity management committees at the block level are encouraging
seed banks to store folk seeds, which were getting lost."We are trying to
conserve such seeds in regions where they are depleting in numbers. We have now
two seed banks in Ramnagar and West Midnapore," he said.In West Bengal
alone, over 5,500 varieties were recorded to have existed until the seventies."Crop
diversity allows a farmer to grow food in a variety of environments
characterised by different soil and qualities, temperature and rainfall
regimens, topographies, and exposure to diverse pests and pathogens," says
eminent rice conservationist Debal Deb, in a research report.Some varieties of
rice are also known to be high in iron content, which could benefit anaemic
women and children
Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/bengal/taste-cost-prompt-return-of-folk-rice/74370.html#Zh2mluXSLeOzUz8Q.99
Analysts predict increased
rice price on CBN import restriction
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s exclusion of rice
importers from accessing foreign exchange from Nigerian markets could stoke
up rice prices in the country, according to analysts.CBN defended its
action, saying the denial of foreign exchange access was to encourage local
production, create jobs and cut down the undue pressure on the country’s almost
depleted foreign reserves.But industry watchers have said that the move by the
apex bank will lead to price increase of rice in the short- run since import
substitution will take time. But they add that the policy will also accelerate
local production of the commodity and improve the lives of local farmers in the
long run.
“Local production has seen significant increase in
the past few years although it has been insufficient in meeting the huge
demand,” Ibrahim Buwanhot, Head, Business Development, Novus Agro, said in an
email response to questions.“These difficulties might result in slight increase
in the cost of importing rice. I expect that consumers will have to bear the
brunt, this will likely lead to increase in prices,” he said.Buwanhot stated
that increase in price of imported rice could inevitably result in an increase
for locally produced long grain rice, where local producers see significant
increase in profits and are encouraged to produce more,” he said.
Statistics from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development shows that Africa’s biggest economy consumes about five
million metric tonnes of rice annually.Nigeria importers imported 1.1 million
metric tonnes of rice valued at N73.5 billion in H2 2014, according to data
from the Nigerian Customs Service. A Lagos based rice importer, who spoke
to BusinessDay on the ground of anonymity, said: “By diverting demand away
from interbank, the parallel market is expected to increase as this
will lead to increase in demand of dollars in this market. Thus spread between
open market and interbank is expected to increase.”“As imports substitution
will take time, cost of rice is expected to increase leading to higher
inflation,” the rice importer adds. Analysts expect rice importers to
experience some difficulties in adjusting to the restrictions from forex.
It may also stoke inflation if importers are forced
to pay more for dollars.The CBN’s External Sector Development Report for
Q4 2014 shows that total sectoral utilisation of foreign exchange increased by
28 per cent year-on-year to $17.5 billion. However, food products and
agriculture’s proportion of the total declined from 17 per cent to 15 per cent.The
naira trades at N230 per dollar in the black market as at the time of writing,
showing 16 per cent above the official rate of N197 per dollar.Nigeria’s
rice import is expected to drop by 3.3 per cent to 2.9 million tonnes this
year, according to a report released in April by the Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO).
Experts pinpoint gene for better rice
Fu said rice breeders have found it challenging to
simultaneously improve grain yield and quality.
Paris - Scientists said they had pinpointed variants of a gene to
improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for billions of people.
Working in two separate groups,
researchers from China discovered that mutations in a specific gene resulted in
longer, more slender grains with less chalkiness, and better harvests.Breeders
can now combine versions of the gene with others known to affect quality to
breed better and more productive strains, they said.“Rice is the key source of
dietary calories for over half the world's population and a substantial
improvement of yield potential will be required to feed a growing human
population,” Fu Xiangdong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a co-author of
one of the studies, told AFP.Fu said rice breeders have found it challenging to
simultaneously improve grain yield and quality.There is a genetic tradeoff in
plant breeding, meaning that it is hard to make gains in both areas at the same
time.
Fu and a team crossed two rice
varieties -- one a widely-grown but mediocre hybrid variety and the other a
better but less prolific type, to locate the genetic variant responsible for
the difference in quality.They then used this to develop experimental
high-yield, better rice strains.A separate team used similar methods to
pinpoint variants of the same gene, called LOC_Os07g41200.The two papers were
published in the journal Nature Genetics
http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/news/experts-pinpoint-gene-for-better-rice-1.1881949#.VZ0K6flViko
131 quintals of PDS rice seized; three held
July 08,2015, 03.31 AM IST
| | THE HANS INDIA
Hyderabad: Three
persons were arrested and about 131 quintals of rice meant for Public
Distribution System (PDS) was seized from three illegal godowns during
surprise raids conducted at Chandanagar, Lingampally and Yacharam under
Cyderabad limits by Special Operations Team (SOT) sleuths on Tuesday.The
accused persons identified as Vijay Singh, 42, and Evidar Sadhasiv, 26, of
Chandanagar were arrested and 110 bags each containing 50 kg of rice and two
mini goods vehicle were seized from their rented godown. Similarly, Ram Singh,
40, was arrested from Lingampally and 280 bags each containing 25 kg or rice
was seized from his possession.
In another raid, the sleuths arrested Kandhe Kumar, 30, from Yacharam and 12 bags each containing 50 kg of rice was seized. Acting on a tip-off, a special team under the supervision of Additional DCP, SOT, E Ramachandra Reddy, raided the godowns and found the PDS rice illegally stocked.
“Efforts are afoot to nab Jagan,
who is absconding,” Reddy said. After preliminary enquiry, it was found that
the accused used to purchase PDS rice for cheaper rates and would sell to rice
millers of other districts and wholesale brokers for higher rates with an
intention to make easy money. Cases were filed against them under Essential
Commodities Act.
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-07-08/131-quintals-of-PDS-rice-seized-three-held-162053
News shared by APEDA India
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Brown Rice Video
Takes Top Spot in MyPlate Video Contest
He'd like to thank his agent
ARLINGTON, VA
-- The "Check Out MyPlate Video Contest," co-sponsored by USA Rice
and other MyPlate National Strategic Partners, garnered more than one hundred
entries from kids around the country in several categories. Nine videos were recognized for awards, and
seven-year-old Hamilton Brewer of Winona, Minnesota took first place in the
"2 - 10 Age Category" for his video featuring him preparing a brown
rice dish he calls "Healthy Stir-Fry."
Hamilton's video starts in the kitchen. "Today I'm going to make a healthy stir
fry with vegetables, brown rice, my favorite steak, soy sauce, sesame oil,
ginger and garlic," he says. When
he's finished cooking, Hamilton sits at the table with his younger sister to
enjoy the meal and then he's off to play outside. "Because I eat healthy, I have a lot of
energy to play my favorite sport - soccer!"
"My mom told me it is very hard to get
some little kids to eat healthy, and I did it," said Hamilton, referring
to his sister enjoying the healthy dish he prepared. "I think I will cook it again," he
promises. Top Chef Hamilton plans to spend some of his $1,000 prize money on a
gift for his younger sister as a thank you for being in his video and also
treat himself to a new soccer ball. The
remaining money will go into a savings account for either college or culinary
school.
"The goal of the contest was to get kids
thinking about eating healthy using MyPlate, and get moving with their favorite
physical activity," said Katie Maher, manager of domestic promotion. "But it did more than that -- this
contest empowered young people to take action to lead a healthy lifestyle and
encourage their peers to do the same. We
were so impressed with the clear understanding of MyPlate and the hard work and
creativity that went into each video."
Maher added that
participation in MyPlate promotions like this gives USA Rice a larger platform
to demonstrate the role of U.S.-grown rice in healthy diets for children and
that having such high level of support from MyPlate and Let's Move! is
invaluable for rice. You can see
Hamilton's full video, and other winners on the MyPlate Video webpage.
Contact: Deborah Willenborg
(703) 236-1444
CCC Announces Prevailing
World Market Prices
|
WASHINGTON, DC --The Department of Agriculture's Commodity
Credit Corporationtoday announced the following prevailing world market
prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and
location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency
payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which will become effective
today at 7:00 a.m.,
Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:
The next program announcement is scheduled for July 15, 2015. |
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CME Group/Closing
Rough Rice Futures
|
GI dispute : Patiala growers join legal tussle at IPAB
The association says the GI should be allowed based on the
geographical area where basmati grows naturally
BS Reporter | Chennai
July 8, 2015 Last Updated at 22:31 IST
The ongoing legal battle between
growers and traders of basmati rice in Madhya Pradesh against the government
authority and some other farmer associations in and out of the country on its Geographical Indication (GI) has seen a new party, the Basmati Growers
Association- Patiala, from Punjab, joining the fight.The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) allowed this association to implead itself on Wednesday, adding no further impleading petition would be entertained on the matter. They are contesting the MP growers' claim.When the matter came up for hearing in the IPAB on Wednesday, P V Yogeswaran, counsel appearing for the association, informed the Board that it has filed a petition to implead in the case to submit its arguments against allowing the Geographical indication to Madhya Pradesh and said that he will not repeat the contentions of the other parties.
The IPAB bench consisting of Chairman Justice K N Basha and Technical Member (Trade Marks)Sanjeev Kumar Chaswal admitted the miscellaneous petition allowing the
association to implead in the matter, considering the undertaking. The matter
has been posted on a later date for final hearing.Sanjay Gandhi, the counsel
appearing for New Darpan Social Welfare Society, which argues in favour of a GI
tag for basmati produced from Madhya Pradesh, opposed allowing the impleading
of the new party at this stage, stating that it would affect national interest.
The Patiala-based association, in its application to be impleaded, said that
the test for protection and right under the Act should not be for areas where
basmati rice is cultivatable, but for areas where the rice has been
traditionally cultivated, considering its geographical origin and it is
traditionally cultivated in the area specified within the boundary of
Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) in east, Firozepur (Punjab) in west, Chamba (Himachal
Pradesh) in north and Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh) in South.
The cultivation of basmati rice within the area specified have
special quality from the peculiar characteristics of soil and climate, and it
is not possible to produce the same quality in any other geographical area, it
argues.Last year, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (Apeda) has approached the IPAB against the order of
Geographical Indications (GI) Registry, asking them to amend its application
for GI registration of basmati rice to include the uncovered area, including
certain area in Madhya Pradesh.Apeda has
earlier application for registration of basmati as GI in class 30 under the
Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999,
without including area in MP.The appeal was against the order of assistant
registrar of the GI Registry, issued on December 31, 2013, which allowed the
opposition by various parties, including the department of farmer welfare and
agriculture the development of MP, Madhya Kshetra Basmati Growers Association
Samiti based in Raisen district among others against the application of Apeda.
The dispute emerged as Apeda filed an application with the GI
Registry to register the name basmati for rice covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and a part of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and
Kashmir, while not covering MP.The rice growers and producers claimed the rice
produced in MP, particularly Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Sheopur, Datia, Shirpur,
Guna, Vidisha, Raiben, Sehore, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur and Narsinghpur, has the
required characteristics of rice variety mentioned in the application of Apeda.The
Basmati Growers Association from Pakistan, formed to protect Basmati's GI in
Pakistan, also challenged the APEDA's move in the IPAB claiming that "
'Basmati' is a name for a slender, aromatic and long grain variety of rice
grown in the specific geographical area at the foothills of the Himalayas in
Pakistan."
Business
Standard
S.Korea buys 44,104 T rice for Oct-Dec
Wed Jul 8, 2015 6:02am GMT
July
8 (Reuters) - South Korea's Agro-Fisheries & Food
bought a total of 44,104 tonnes of non-glutinous brown rice for
arrival between October and December via tenders that closed on
July 2, according to the agency's website (www.at.or.kr).
Details of the purchase are as follows:
TONNES TYPE SUPPLIER ORIGIN PRICE/T
18,000 Medium Daewoo Int'l Corp China $849.00
5,000 Medium Seomok Trading Inc U.S. $840.67
5,352 Medium DNB Co U.S. $843.80
9,000 Medium Daewoo Int'l Corp U.S. $833.96
6,752 Long Hyolim Int'l Co Ltd Thailand $438.34
* Notes: Shipments will arrive at South Korean ports
including Incheon, Busan and Donghae.
(Reporting by Hooyeon Kim; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N0ZO2IJ20150708
MSU, Farm Bureau to host 2015 rice meeting/field day
Jul 7, 2015
Rice growers and consultants will be able to cross two meetings
off their lists on one day: July 30.Mississippi State University and the
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will sponsor a summer meeting and field day
at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Miss.
The Farm Bureau summer rice grower meeting will begin with lunch
at noon in the Capps Center, followed by a program at 1 p.m.The Rice Field Day
will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a field tour of research plots.Guest speakers for
the meeting include Betsy Ward and Ben Mosley of the USA Rice Federation.Field
day topics include emerging herbicide technologies, rice disease identification
and management, insect management and the benefits of rice seed treatments,
utilization and benefit of Side Inlet Max in Mississippi production systems,
and a breeding program update and potential releases on the horizon.
For more information on the Rice Field Day, contact Bobby Golden
at 662-769-0274 orbgolden@drec.msstate.edu.
For more on the Farm Bureau meeting, contact Justin Ferguson at
601-720-4238 orjferguson@msfb.org.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/msu-farm-bureau-host-2015-rice-meetingfield-day
How to get the most from rice fungicides
Jul 8, 2015 | Delta
Farm Press
Fungicides work best in well-managed fields and in less
susceptible varieties.
Integrated disease management is the best approach to keep major
rice diseases under control, i.e., varietal resistance, best cultural practices
and chemical products.Varietal resistance is the best and most user friendly
disease control measure. However, host resistance is not always available to
all diseases.Cultural management strategies are beneficial to reduce some rice
diseases. However, at times yield potential may be compromised.Routine
fungicide application may be practiced, but it increases the likelihood of
fungicide resistance and is rarely economically feasible. Besides, the
available fungicides do not fully suppress/control the most prevalent diseases
of rice.Therefore, the integrated approach is inevitable. Fungicides work best
in well-managed fields and in less susceptible varieties.
Tips to benefit the most from fungicide applications
• Fungicides applied at recommended timing and rate work best
and maximize their benefit.
• Well-managed fields benefit better from fungicide application.
• Fungicides mixed in adequate volume of water provide better
coverage, particularly to fungicides applied on foliage.
• If tank-mixing is required, check for the compatibility of the
chemistries.
• To target more than one disease that require protective
products, combination fungicides (Triazole + Strobi) work better (for instance,
kernel smut, false smut and neck blast).
• To reduce resistance to fungicides, rotate chemistries with
different modes of action.
• To cut expenses and also reduce resistance to fungicides,
avoid automatic application. Apply fungicides when and where needed (scouting,
previous knowledge of field history and variety resistance help to make the
right decisions).
• To reduce fungicide cost, products with different modes of
action can be tank-mixed by adjusting rates as required.
• To get maximum performance from fungicides, higher rates are
usually preferred.
• Scouting for sheath blight in particular can help determine
fungicide rate, timing and necessity.
Research by Dr. Rick Cartwright includes: Stratego at 16 oz
provided 14-17 days control, whereas the 19 oz for 21-24 days. Quadris at 6.4
oz provided 10-14 days control while 9 oz for about 21 days. But the full rate
12.5 oz provided 28 days of control. Moreover, his research indicated
Azoxystrobin (Quadris) to be somewhat more effective on sheath blight than
Trifloxystrobin (GEM)–but the difference was just slight.
• To suppress minor leaf and sheath diseases, fungicide
application may not be warranted. Broad spectrum fungicides such as
strobilurins, if applied for major diseases such as sheath blight and blast,
should provide control for minor diseases.
More information at the University of Arkansas' Management of Rice Disease.
PhilRice develops method to
detect infections in rice before symptoms appear
July 09, 2015
QUEZON CITY, July 9—The Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday
that with the support of its Biotechnology Program, the Philippine Rice
Research Institute is developing a fast, efficient and accurate method to
detect viruses in rice.This method aims to enable farmers know if their crops
are in danger of damage or loss even before any virus symptoms appear.Initiated
in August 2012, the project is expected to be completed within the year or
early next year. The method is known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification
(LAMP) and its procedure is known to be user friendly and relatively faster
that previous biotechnological methods employed to detect rice viruses.
Conventionally, assessment of rice virus disease incidence is done
by visually inspecting the plants for symptoms, which happen when the disease
is already prevalent. Conventional assessment is not very reliable because
symptoms are, in some cases, due to other factors such as nutrient or water
deficiency.
Preliminary LAMP results have been very promising with the outcomes
showing that rice viruses can be detected a day after inoculation (DAI),
strongly contrasting the three DAIs required for virus symptoms to appear.
Many stakeholders are already waiting for the final results of the
study which could mean reduced misdiagnosis of rice diseases and timely
delivery of pest management systems for farmers that would eventually translate
to the reduction of costs from misuse and expenditure of pesticides. (DA)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/3001436345349/philrice-develops-method-to-detect-infections-in-rice-before-symptoms-appear#sthash.bJtTLgCl.dpuf
FAO Ups Global Rice Trade To 42 Million Tonnes
By Minggu Simon Lhasa
BANGKOK, July 8 (Bernama) -- The forecast of global rice trade in calendar year 2015 was raised to 42 million tonnes, nearly 700 000 tonnes above April projections, according to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).However, the project was still some 800 000 tonnes short of the volume traded in 2014.A predicted contraction in exports will affect mainly India and Vietnam, according to its second 2015 Rice Market Monitor Report (RMM).Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia-Pacific, said due to increasing domestic needs and lower production in 2014, it was likely that India's export market will tighten while stiff competition may see Vietnam's official shipments slide as well.
"As a result, and notwithstanding the relatively
poor production results, it is likely that Thailand will regain its Number One
export position in 2015, even though its exports remain steady at around 10.9
million tonnes year-on-year," he said.While the global paddy production in
2015 is forecast to recover slightly from 2014, a year also marked by 'climatic
setbacks', Asia's three major rice exporting countries, Thailand, India and
Vietnam, are already stressed by a lack of precipitation.—BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=1151199
Phu Yen rice crop faces
drought risk
A
sad-looking farmer in Phu Yen Province squats over his parched rice crop. —
Photo laodong.com.vn
PHU YEN (VNS) — Phu Yen
Provinces agricultural department said thousands of hectares of the
summer-autumn rice crop would face a water shortage if theres no rain in the
coming days.The department in the central coastal province said fighting
drought would be one of its key tasks till the end of August.Rice seeds have
been sown and rice seedlings transplanted on 24,200ha for the summer-autumn
crop in the province. Of these, the Dong Cam Agricultural Irrigation Co., Ltd,
an irrigation company that provides water to paddy fields, manages 17,650ha.Director
of Dong Cam Tran Tien Anh said at present 970ha of the rice fields located
downstream from the irrigation canals managed by the company were thirsting for
water.He said the water levels in the rivers and reservoirs the company
exploited for feeding irrigation canals had dropped by 0.15m to 8m. In addition to eight pumping engines, each of
which is working at a capacity of 1,000cu.m per hour, the company has installed
11 more pumps that can pump 500cu.m to 1,000cu.m per hour each.The company is
working with local authorities to dig wells to get more irrigation water.
However,
Tien Anh said these were only short-term measures."If there is no rain in
the upstream areas, the area of drought-hit rice crops will increase," he
said.The provincial authority has set aside VND23 billion (US$1.6 billion) to
help the rice fields fight drought.They have also ordered the lower authorities
to guide farmers on thrifty watering" methods, which means watering a rice
field while leaving the adjacent one dry or alternating the watering.As the
receding water table makes way for the encroaching sea water, the provincial
authority has instructed pumping stations to closely follow the tide schedule
and to regularly check the level of salt in the groundwater they pump to
irrigate rice crops. — VNS
Heavy rain
expected to boost rice growing
Wed, 8 July 2015
As Thailand braces for a drop in rice production owing to
rainfall shortage because of the El Niño effect, officials say that Cambodia is
less likely to be affected by the weather pattern as they expect rainfall to
cover the Kingdom this week, encouraging the planting of rice.Chan Yutha,
spokesperson of the Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology, said a dry
spell owing to effects of El Niño wouldn’t have the same impact on the start of
Cambodia’s rice planting this year, with rainfall, once it begins this week,
expected to extend until September.“The rainfall is expected to be even better
than last year.
This year, the dry spell which usually happens in July is also
expected to not happen and heavy rain will start to fall throughout Cambodia
from this week till September,” he said.Whereas, the Thai government has asked
farmers to postpone the planting of rice until August and is expecting
production from the main season – the crop planted during the rains – to fall
by 2 per cent, according to the Bangkok Post.El Niño is caused by
warmer-than-average temperatures in the Pacific Ocean causing changes in
weather patterns and can lead to flooding, affect fishing populations and, in
the case of the Mekong region, droughts.
According to a Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology
notice in early April, average rainfall was expected to begin from April to
June, but a revised estimate in May, pushed back the date for heavy rains to
July.According to Ngin Chhay, director of the Rice Department at the Ministry
of Agriculture, 30 per cent of Cambodia’s more than 2 million hectare
cultivation has already planted the rice crop.“The ministry is pushing to
increase rice cultivation area this year, and with enough rainfalls, we hope to
receive better amount of rice output from last year,” he added.The two per cent
shortfall in Thai rice output was unlikely to have an impact on global rice
prices, given the Thai government’s stockpiling of rice over the last year,
said Kann Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Co.“Thailand still has a
stock of around 16 million tonnes of rice, of which they plan to release 10
million tonnes this year and another 6 million next year,” he said.“I expect a
stable price this year and even if it will increase, it will not increase
much,” he added.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/heavy-rain-expected-boost-rice-growing
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open-July 08
Nagpur, July 8 Gram and tuar prices showed weak tendency in Nagpur Agriculture
Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid
release of stock from stockists. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh gram prices, increased overseas
tuar arrival and release of stock from stockists also pushed down prices, according to sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw reported down in open market here poor demand from local traders amid
good supply from producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders
amid ample stock in ready segment.
* Udid varieties zoomed up again in open market on good demand from local traders amid
weak supply from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 6,900-7,100, Tuar dal - 9,700-9,900, Udid at 9,500-9,900,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,000-11,400, Moong - 7,000-8,000, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,800-10,100, Gram - 3,900-4,100, Gram Super best bold - 5,500-5,700
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading
activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,600-4,300 3,600-4,400
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 6,200-7,230 6,200-7,320
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.
Gram Mill Quality 5,150-5,350 5,150-5,350
Desi gram Raw 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400
Gram Filter new 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900
Gram Kabuli 5,600-7,100 5,600-7,100
Gram Pink 6,500-6,700 6,500-6,700
Tuar Fataka Best 10,000-10,200 10,000-10,200
Tuar Fataka Medium 9,700-9,900 9,700-9,900
Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,400-9,700 9,500-9,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod 8,800-9,300 8,800-9,500
Tuar Gavarani New 7,150-7,300 7,200-7,350
Tuar Karnataka 7,800-7,900 7,800-7,900
Tuar Black 10,900-11,200 10,900-11,200
Masoor dal best 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200
Masoor dal medium 7,500-7,900 7,500-7,900
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 10,000-10,400 10,000-10,400
Moong Mogar Medium best 9,400-9,800 9,400-9,800
Moong dal Chilka 8,700-9,350 8,700-9,350
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,600-9,900 9,600-9,900
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,300-11,800 11,200-11,700
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,500-10,900 10,400-10,800
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 9,100-9,600 9,000-9,500
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,800 4,400-4,800
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,350 3,100-3,350
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 3,100-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,700-4,500 3,700-4,500
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,150-2,400 2,150-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,050 1,800-2,050
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,850 2,500-2,850
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,750-2,900 2,750-2,900
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,050-3,300 3,050-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,750 1,600-1,750
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 3,100-3,600
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,100 4,500-5,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,500 5,100-5,500
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 35.2 degree Celsius (95.5 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
24.5 degree Celsius (76.1 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely towards evening or night. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 36 and 25 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N0ZO3KG20150708
Thailand and Malaysia agree
on $30 bn trade goal by 2018
Erich Parpart
The Nation July 8, 2015 1:00 am
Thailand and Malaysia agreed at their Joint Trade Committee meeting
in Bangkok at the end of last month to work together to boost two-way trade to
US$30 billion (Bt1 trillion) by 2018.To expand trade between the two countries,
measures would be taken to lower trade barriers via the easing of some
regulations and to facilitate cross-border trade. A Joint Thai-Malaysia Border
Trade Committee has been set up to implement the policy.A trade festival will
be hosted by the two countries each year. Malaysia was asked to buy more Thai
rice and allow for the grain to be shipped to Malaysia via road, not just by
water transport.
Thai rice imports
"Malaysia has acknowledged our request to increase imports of
Thai rice and they promised that they will provide us with an answer
soon," Weerachon Sukhondha-patipak, a deputy government spokesman, said
after the Cabinet meeting yesterday. Malaysia clarified the criteria that are
lacking and are required for Thailand to meet to export more products to
Malaysia while the Thai government revealed the industries that will be
concentrated in the special economic zone that will be set up at Sadao in the
border province of Songkhla.The promoted businesses are value-added rubber
products, furniture, automobile parts, apparel, processed seafood, Halal food
and industrial estates.
Malaysia is Thailand's fourth-largest trading partner globally and
the largest in Asean. Border trade accounts for 60 per cent of the total
between the two countries.The Cabinet also approved the amendments to
cross-border regulations, so Thailand will begin to allow Cambodian workers
with a border pass to stay for up to 30 days within a province instead of a
district at the border.Laotians with a border |pass will also be allowed to
|work in the Thailand via the "back and forth" model. The time they
can stay here will be extended from three days and two nights to seven to 15
days, he added.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thailand-and-Malaysia-agree-on-$30-bn-trade-goal-b-30263975.html
Basmati exports could rise by 10%: APEDA
TOMOJIT BASU
Based on steady demand, increase in rice acreage and expectations
of normal rainfall
NEW
DELHI, JUNE 8:
After initial concerns arising out of reduced Kharif sowing,
rice acreage increased by about one per cent, as per data released by the
Agriculture Ministry last week.While it’s still early in the season, it is
expected that last year’s output of 102.5 million tonnes (mt) will be matched
if rainfall continues to steady, particularly across eastern India. The Central
Rice Research Institute expected transplantation of rice saplings to pick up
over the first half of JulyBasmati rice exports, as a result, are likely to
register an increase of about 10 per cent over the 3.7 mt recorded during the
previous fiscal, according to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority (APEDA).
“For the 2015-16 fiscal, we are projecting exports of at least 4
mt. It’s the expected growth of the product for which there is steady demand.
So, one can expect around 10 per cent growth,” said AK Gupta, Director, Basmati
Export Development Foundation, APEDA.As of April, there was a shortfall in
exports primarily because of Iran scaling back its imports due to surplus
domestic availability, a situation that Gupta said “has stabilised now”. The
country had imported 0.9 mt in 2014-15, as compared to 1.44 mt in the earlier
fiscal.Saudi Arabia became the top basmati export destination last fiscal,
importing 966,931 tonnes, worth $1,188 million.
“There was a shortfall of about 10,000 tonnes as of April, but we
expect this to pick up in the next round of data that will be published by the
Centre this month. Some of the Iran shortfall was compensated by Saudi Arabia,”
said Rajen Sundaresan, Executive Director, All India Rice Exporters
Association.
Non-basmati
A combination of external factors should also help non-basmati 5 per cent parboiled and 100 per cent broken parboiled varieties achieve higher sales abroad. Thailand’s situation due to its earlier ‘paddy pledging scheme’ has resulted in a massive glut of almost 18 mt, of which, six mt is unfit for consumption.“The quality of Thai rice is suspect, which will benefit India since there’s good quality white rice, parboiled rice and 100 per cent brokens. There are numerous varieties that keep us competitive. We are flexible in pricing, so exports should remain steady unless the rupee strengthens or there’s Government intervention,” said Tejinder Narang, a grains trade analyst.Also, with China’s demand rising by almost one mt each year, Indian exporters can expect to cover the African and West Asian markets since Thailand and Vietnam service the 130-140 mt market.
A combination of external factors should also help non-basmati 5 per cent parboiled and 100 per cent broken parboiled varieties achieve higher sales abroad. Thailand’s situation due to its earlier ‘paddy pledging scheme’ has resulted in a massive glut of almost 18 mt, of which, six mt is unfit for consumption.“The quality of Thai rice is suspect, which will benefit India since there’s good quality white rice, parboiled rice and 100 per cent brokens. There are numerous varieties that keep us competitive. We are flexible in pricing, so exports should remain steady unless the rupee strengthens or there’s Government intervention,” said Tejinder Narang, a grains trade analyst.Also, with China’s demand rising by almost one mt each year, Indian exporters can expect to cover the African and West Asian markets since Thailand and Vietnam service the 130-140 mt market.
(This article was published on July 8, 2015)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/basmati-exports-could-rise-by-10-apeda/article7400003.ece
UN sees smaller rice harvest as El Nino parches crops
8
Jul 2015 at 16:33
WRITER: BLOOMBERG
NEWS
ai farmers walk across a
dried-out field in Bang Pla Ma district, Suphanburi province on July 2.
Thailand's vital rice belt is being battered by one of the worst droughts in
living memory, forcing impoverished farmers deeper into debt and heaping fresh
pain on an already weak economy. (AFP photo)
The
global rice harvest will increase less than previously estimated because of a
strengthening El Nino, reducing stockpiles for a second year, the United
Nations said.Milled output will reach 499.3 million tonnes this year, compared
with 499.9 million tonnes forecast in April, the UN's Food & Agriculture
Organization said Wednesday. That would be higher than a revised 494.7 million
tonnes in 2014.Reserves carried into 2016 will drop to 169.4 million tonnes,
1.6 million tonnes less than estimated, as consumption for food, feed and
industrial use will increase to 507.2 million tonnes.Slower output growth and
smaller inventories may support Thailand's export price, an Asian benchmark,
which declined to a seven-year low in June. Prices fell as the top shipper
started to auction record inventories, accumulated under the previous
government's rice-pledging scheme.El Nino may parch crops in top suppliers
including Thailand, India and Vietnam, the Rome-based FAO said in its quarterly
report.
"The revision mainly takes account of
adverse weather conditions in several countries, in the form of belated arrival
and insufficient rainfall, often associated to the prevalence of an El
Nino," the FAO said. The weather pattern may persist into next year, the
agency said.The price of Thai 5% broken white rice dropped to US$373 a tonne in
June, the lowest level since December 2007. Futures in Chicago sank in May to
$9.25 per 100 pounds, the lowest level since 2006.
Thai harvest
While Thailand may harvest 34.7 million tonnes
this year, about 2 million tonnes below the 2009-2013 average, shipments are
forecast to remain around 10.9 million tonnes, unchanged from last year, the
FAO said. Sales from state stockpiles, which are estimated at 10.6 million
tonnes, will help Thailand maintain the lead over other exporters.The forecast
for shipments from India was raised by 700,000 tonnes to 10 million tonnes and
exports from Vietnam may reach 6.3 million tonnes, according to the report.
Global rice trade is estimated at 42 million
tonnes, about 700,000 tonnes above the April forecast, the FAO said. That would
still be 2% short of a record in 2014, it said.Inventories in 2016 will drop by
7.8 million tonnes, marking the second consecutive year of drawdowns after nine
years of uninterrupted accumulation, the FAO said. The stocks-to-use ratio is
forecast to drop to 32.8% in 2015-2016 from 34.9% the previous year, it said.
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