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·Cereal imports forecast at high
level for 2017/18 marketing year
·Prices for main staples mixed in
September and higher than a year earlier
Uncertain prospects for 2017
cereal production
Cereal output for 2017 is uncertain. An abnormal distribution of
precipitation levels characterized the 2017 spring season, concluded in August,
which accounts for 60 percent of the cereal output. This is the fourth
consecutive spring season since 2013, where rainfall levels deviate from their
long-term average. The 2017 spring season had both excess rains as well as
significant dry periods. Maize production for the 2017 spring season is
anticipated at 15 percent below its level from the same season a year earlier.
Sorghum output during the spring season is estimated at 18 percent below its
2016 level for the season. In September, Hurricane Irma, a category five event,
caused excess precipitation in the Nord, Nord-Ouest, Nord-Est departments.
According to official assessments, the area affected by excess precipitation
for autumn season maize and rice, which is harvested from late November, ranges
between 30 and 40 percent of the area sown. FAO is supporting the Government’s
efforts in providing inputs, particularly seed and fertilizers, for replanting
crops in the most affected areas.
FAO anticipates that 2017 maize and sorghum output may decline
by 13 and 17 percent, respectively, compared to 2016. By contrast, 2017 rice
output is expected to increase by about 10 percent as the spring crop is
estimated at above last year’s level and the autumn crop, impacted by Hurricane
Irma, represents less than 10 percent of the annual output. If output is close
to 2016’s levels for the remaining seasons, the aggregate 2017 cereal output is
anticipated to reach 430 000 tonnes, about 4 percent below the 2016 levels, but
still above the average of the last five years that were significantly affected
by the El NiƱo phenomena.
Cereal imports forecast at high
levels for 2017/18 marketing year
Cereal import requirements for the 2017/18 marketing year
(July/June), which include both commercial imports and food aid, are
anticipated at 705 000 tonnes, slightly below their record levels in the
previous marketing year, but still well above average. This forecast mainly
reflects the moderate declines in maize and wheat imports. Imports of rice,
which represent some two-thirds of domestic utilization, are also anticipated
to remain high during the marketing year.
for main staples mixed in
September and higher than a year earlier
Despite the impact of Hurricane Irma, prices of maize meal in
September remained relatively stable, with the notable exception of the
capital, Port-au-Prince, where they increased sharply. Prices of imported rice
followed a similar trend, relatively stable in most markets and sharply
increasing in the capital. By contrast, prices of beans followed mixed trends,
with those of red beans increasing due to a reduced spring harvest and strong
demand for seeds. In general, prices for all staples remained above their
year-earlier levels reflecting the reduced 2017 spring production and some
uncertainties for crops to be harvested during the rest of the year.
·Abundant but poorly-distributed
rainfall adversely impact cereal crop production
·Cereal imports forecast to
increase to offset reduction in total cereal production
·Increased cashew revenue offsets
impact higher international rice prices
Poorly-distributed rainfall to
adversely impact rice production
Harvesting of millet, sorghum and maize was completed in
October, while that of rice, the major crop produced in the country, is
underway and will be completed by the end of January 2018. Late arrival of
rains in May and June delayed plantings, while abundant but poorly-distributed
rainfall in July and August affected crop development in the main producing
zones of the country’s marshy areas.
Flooding in the shallows of freshwater rice and in mangroves
impacted a number of agriculturally important regions, including Bafata, Gabu
and Oio. The presence of local grasshoppers, nymphula moths and Fall Armyworms
has also been reported throughout the country, but millet, sorghum and other
cereal grain production is expected to be similar to, and above, last year’s
levels. The aggregate 2017 production is estimated at 210 000 tonnes, about 7
percent lower than last year’s bumper level and 5 percent below the five-year
average.
Import requirements to increase to offset slight decrease in
production Imports account for over 45 percent of the national cereal
requirements in the country, with rice accounting for close to 82 percent of
these import requirements, followed by wheat, which accounts for about 15
percent. In response to growing domestic demand and a slight decline in total
production compared to the previous year, import requirements for 2017 are
expected to increase by 8 percent compared to 2016, reaching 134 000 tonnes.
Increased cashew revenue offset impact of higher international
rice prices The country is the second largest exporter of raw cashew nuts,
which accounts for more than 90 percent of its export revenue.
For most poor rural households, cashew nuts are an important
source of income and are often bartered for imported rice supplied by cashew
traders. Cashew farmers often sell excess rice bartered from cashew nuts on the
local markets, earning the income necessary to purchase other goods. In 2017,
the Government set the farmgate price of cashew nuts at XOF 1 000 (USD 1.77)
per kg, a substantial increase compared to XOF 350 in the previous year. As of
early November, 165 000 tonnes of cashew nuts, out of the 175 000 forecasted,
were already exported.
Ghana: South Korea
invests $9 million in rice farming in Central Region
Wednesday, 08 November 2017 - 16:14
(Ecofin Agency) - South Korea has
provided Ghana $9 million to boost rice farming in the Central Region.
This was announced by Ghana’s minister of agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto
(picture).The official explained the choice of the region by its potentials
for the large scale production of the cereal, not only for local consumption
but for export as well. Let’s recall that 70% of
Ghana’s demand for rice is satisfied with imports. Actually, between 2007 and
2015, rice imports in the country soared from $152 million to $1.2
billion. In Ghana, rice farming is practiced
mainly on a semi-intensive basis by small farmers in swamps.
Nagpur,
Nov 9 (Reuters) – Gram prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing
Committee
(APMC) on poor demand from local millers amid high moisture content arrival.
Releaseof stock from stockists and weak trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices
also affected sentiment,according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw reported down in open market
here in absence of buyers amid good
supply from producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market
here but demand was poor.
* Rice Shriram varieties recovered in open
market here on good buying support from
local traders and weak arrival from
producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,000-4,100, Tuar dal
(clean) – 5,900-6,100, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,900-8,400, Moong Mogar (clean)
7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,800-4,900, Gram Super best
– 7,300-7,500
* 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
FOLLOWING a stunning 12-week
rally in global wheat values that started in April growers are asking if the
higher values will hold or a return to low prices is on the cards.
From the end of April until
mid-July, old-season wheat and feed barley have both soared almost $80 a tonne.
Both crops had been in the
doldrums — last harvest Australian Premium White delivered to Geelong was
$210-$226 a tonne while feed barley was $158-$165. That saw many growers sell
their high-value crops, such as canola and legumes, and store wheat and feed
barley in the hope prices would lift.
Prices rallied after a lift in
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures, which spiked after news the high protein
spring wheat crop in North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana is
suffering. Reports from the US say only 34 per cent of that country’s spring wheat
crop is rated good to excellent.
The Minneapolis Grain Exchange,
which trades in hard red spring wheat, went into overdrive and early last month
hit its highest level since 2013. CBOT near wheat futures jumped 15 per cent,
or $36 a tonne, in the first week of July to hit US555c a bushell, but has
since cooled to about 500c/bu or $234/tonne.
The upswing in CBOT futures
pushed up old-season wheat values, along with news that parts of the Australian
cropping belt are very dry. From lows in early April, old-crop Australian
Standard White delivered to Geelong jumped almost $77 a tonne, or 38 per cent,
to $278, while APW, which was worth $211 at the end of April, has soared to
$280. Feed barley is up 44 per cent from about $160 in April to be about
$230-$240.
Analysts say the new-season rally
looks dubious and is based on the poor condition of the hard red spring wheat
crop, which is a relatively small part of the US crop and minuscule in the
global context.
Pearsons Group grain trader
Reagan Stroud says the new crop prices will be dictated by coming seasonal
conditions. He is surprised by the strength of the CBOT rally. “In the grand
scheme of things the spring wheat crop shouldn’t dictate the world price,” he
says.
Chicago analyst David Hightower
warns the CBOT rally is an overreaction unless corn and soybeans, which have
both been trading at low levels, find some support. “The rally in CBOT wheat is
clearly overdone and the highs are probably in,” he says.
He says the huge global stockpile
of wheat from last year’s record production is likely to limit the upside in
wheat values. “This is not the year to roll the dice hoping for significantly
higher prices because the risk of sharp declines from current levels is pretty
high.”
Profarmer chief analyst Hannah Janson
says the global wheat stocks-to-use ratio is usually a good indicator of how
reactive the global market will be to any production news. “It’s about looking
at what you have got in stock versus how much you need to feed the world, and
know what percentage you have as a buffer,” she says.
Currently that buffer is about
35.5 per cent, which is a long way from the 26 per cent in 2012 when there was
a global price shock, or the 20.8 per cent levels in 2007 following Russian and
Australian droughts.
Janson says old and new crop
physical prices in Australia are dependent on three aspects — CBOT values
(which makes up about 70 per cent of the price), the foreign exchange rate and
basis (the difference between the physical and futures price).
She says the basis, which was up
because of the dry start to the season in critical production areas such as
Western Australia, and the CBOT values are driving the current rally.
“The (current) rally is
reflective of new crop production potential, and if that concern turns out to
be unfounded we will see prices ease domestically and offshore,” she says.
He suspects more grain has been
sold domestically than the trade has estimated.
“There’s a lot of wheat which
gets chewed up without us knowing about it, but the trade still needs it, as
the export (trade) is still on,” he says.“I think the numbers will stay firm as
we go.”
ASIA
RICE-THAI PRICES SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT POLICIES; INDIAN RATES EASE
11/9/2017
By Koustav Samanta
BENGALURU, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Rice prices in Thailand were
little changed this week amid government initiatives aimed at
boosting the domestic market, while rates for the staple grain
in India fell due to sluggish demand and fresh supplies.
Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice <RI-THBKN5-P1>
was quoted at $375-$387 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok,
compared with $382-$386 a tonne last week.
The country's Ministry of Commerce has introduced policies
including payments of 1,500 baht, or about $45 per tonne, to
farmers to encourage them to store rice in warehouses to avoid
oversupply.
Some rice traders welcomed the move, while others were
sceptical about its success.
"In the past, there wasn't enough space in these
warehouses," said one Bangkok-based rice trader.
Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture has been trying to
promote Thai rice by joining forces with Alibaba Group Holding
Ltd in China to sell the grain via the e-commerce
giant's online platform.
But, despite all the efforts, demand remains relatively low,
traders said.
"I think the government's efforts are good because it opens
up new markets for Thai rice. However, the quantity will
probably not be much because these are mainly new buyers," said
another Bangkok-based rice trader.
Top exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices
<RI-INBKN5-P1> eased by $3 to $397-$400 per tonne on sluggish
demand and as supplies from a new season crop started in
southern India.
"African buyers are on the sidelines," said an exporter
based in Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. India
mainly exports non-basmati rice to African countries.
Bangladesh, which has become a major importer this year
after floods hit its crops, has signed a deal with India's PEC
to import 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $455 a tonne,
including cost, insurance and freight (CIF) liner out basis,
officials at the state grains buyer said.
Despite deals with several rice exporting countries
including Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, Bangladesh is still
battling to build its reserves. Rice at government warehouses
stood at 411,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1
million tonnes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts Bangladesh's
rain-fed rice output at 13.1 million tonnes, about 350,000
tonnes less than last year's yield.
The rain-fed Aman variety of rice, which grows typically
during the July-September monsoon season and is currently being
harvested, accounts for about 40 percent of the country's total
production.
Meanwhile, the rice market in Vietnam remained quiet amid
high price levels, traders said, quoting an unchanged $405 per
tonne for 5-percent broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1>, FOB Saigon.
"We barely see any demand. And, we are also running out of
stocks at the end of the season," a trader in Ho Chi Minh City
said.
Floods caused by Typhoon Damrey swamped over 9,300 hectares
(22,980 acres) of rice in the central provinces, Vietnam's
disaster prevention agency said.
However, Damrey, the country's deadliest storm this year,
did not hit the major rice bowl in the Mekong Delta.
(Reporting by Suphanida Thakral in Bangkok, Rajendra Jadhav in
Mumbai, Mi Nguyen in Hanoi and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Additional
reporting by Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark
Potter)
Government tries to reduce ending stocks as human rice consumption
declines.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Rice ending
stocks in South Korea continue to fall as the government has begun allowing the
use of rice for consumption in animal feed, according to a Nov. 6 Global
Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the Foreign Agricultural
Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The report said rice ending stocks
in South Korea are projected to decrease to 1.7 million tonnes and 1.2 million
tonnes in marketing years 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.
To reduce high ending stocks, the
South Korean government released rice to be used as feed for the first time in
2015-16, making 101,000 tonnes of brown rice available for feed use. In
2016-17, 480,000 tonnes of brown rice was released for feed use and the
government recently published a plan to release 750,000 tonnes in 2017-18.
The move to designate more rice for
feed use comes as rice for human consumption continues to decline in South
Korea. The report noted that annual per capita table rice consumption reached
its peak at 136.4 kg in 1970 and has gradually declined to 61.4 kg in 2015-16,
according to preliminary government statistics.
“Per capita table rice consumption
continues declining as eating habits change due to rising incomes and the
growing popularity of Western foods,” the report said.
Statistics Korea (KOSTAT) recently
released its 2017 rice production estimate of 3.96 million tonnes, which is
down 5.8% from the previous year due to smaller production area and lower
yield.
“Rice area has continued to
decrease annually – with decreases ranging from 5,000 hectares to 38,000
hectares every year since 2001,” the report said.
PHNOM PENH, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported 142,768
tons of milled rice to China in the first 10 months of 2017, a 59-percent rise
over the same period last year, according to the latest report on Thursday.
The report released by the Secretariat of One Window Service for
Rice Export showed that China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by
France and Poland.
Export to China accounted for 29 percent of the country's total
rice export, the report said, noting that the total export was 492,115 tons
during the January-October period this year, up 17 percent over the same period
last year.
The Southeast Asian nation is expected to export 200,000 tons
and 300,000 tons to China in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Cambodia produces more than 9 million tons of paddy rice a year.
With this amount, it has over 3 million tons of milled rice for annual export.
LONDON, ENGLAND -- Following two
successful promotions last year, ASDA, the UK's second largest retailer, has
added U.S. long grain rice to its permanent inventory.Displays in 45 key ASDA
stores in October and November of this year featured new 5-kg red bags of
Peacock brand U.S. rice leading to a sales increase of 42 percent.
"We are delighted that following the
success of the previous promotions, ASDA has decided to list Peacock
permanently," said Hartwig Schmidt, USA Rice regional director.
"This breakthrough shows that persistence has paid off for U.S. rice and
will be rewarded with increased awareness and sales."
ASDA Stores Limited is a subsidiary of the
American retail corporate giant Walmart, and is the second-largest supermarket
chain in Britain by market share.
WASDE Report Released
WASHINGTON, DC -- Total 2017/18 U.S. rice supplies are
increased marginally this month to 248.9 million cwt as higher projected
imports (primarily Thai fragrant rice) offset slightly lower production.
In the November Crop Production report, NASS reduced the 2017/18 U.S. crop size
by 200,000 cwt to 178.4 million on lower forecast yield. This is 20
percent less than last year and would be the lowest U.S. rice production since
1996/97. Projected U.S. rice exports are reduced by 2 million cwt to 104
million, down 1 million each for both long- and medium- and short- grain rice
to 74 and 30 million cwt, respectively. Exports for both classes are
projected lower than last year due to reduced exportable supplies, greater
competition, and higher U.S. prices. Projected 2017/18 ending stocks are
increased 2.1 million cwt to 29.9 million, still the lowest all rice ending
stocks since 2007/08. The projected 2017/18 season-average farm price for
all rice is reduced 20 cents at both ends of the range to $12.50 to $13.50 per
cwt based on monthly NASS prices reported to date and price expectations for
the rest of the marketing year. The midpoint of $13.00 per cwt is $2.60 above
the previous year.
Global 2017/18 rice supplies are decreased to 619.3 million tons, primarily on
a smaller crop projected for India. World 2017/18 consumption is down
fractionally to 480.4 million tons. Global 2017/18 trade is raised to
44.9 million tons on higher exports by Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and China more
than offsetting reductions for India, Pakistan, and the United States.
Trade is still below the 2016/17 record of 45.3 million tons. World
ending stocks are lowered this month to 138.9 million tons for 2017/18, still
higher than last year and at the highest level since 2000/01.
Go here to read the full report.
Brazilian rice to be on offer in Jeddah fair
08/11/2017 - 07:00hs
Companies Arrozeira Pelotas, Camil Alimentos, Josapar and Nelson
Wendt will appear at the stand of Brazilian Rice at Foodex Saudi, an important
food products trade show in Saudi Arabia.
SĆ£o Paulo – Four Brazilian rice producers will take part in the
Foodex Saudi, a food products trade show in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. From Sunday
(12) to Wednesday (15), companies Arrozeira Pelotas, Camil Alimentos, Josapar
and Nelson Wendt will exhibit their products to the Saudis and other importers
of the region at the stand of Brazilian Rice, a sector project carried on by a
partnership between the Brazilian Rice Industry Association (ABIARROZ) and the
Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).
It will be the first Brazilian participation in the fair, which will gather
this year 520 brands from 214 exhibitors from 32 countries. According to the
event’s organization, imports of food and beverages by Saudi Arabia should
climb from the current USD 21 billion to USD 34 billion in 2020.
The executive came to Foodex Saudi last year in a survey mission to plan this
year’s actions. According to him, the Saudis consume a lot of Indian rice, but
there’s room for Brazilian parboiled rice. “It’s a market that imports a lot of
rice. Besides India, the United States are a large supplier and it’s in this
spot that we can compete,” he says.
Saudi Arabia is one of the target markets of the Brazilian Rice project – and
it will remain this way, since it kept its status in the renewal of the
partnership this year. From January to October of last year, the Brazilian rice
sector exported 5,000 tons of rice to the Saudis, a volume that climbed to
7,000 tons in the same period this year. Counting on the results of the fair,
the expectation is to reach 10,000 tons exported in 2018’s first ten months,
according to the executive.
SANGLA
HILL- The workers of Anjuman-e-Kashtkaran Punjab (AKP) staged a protestin
front of ocal press club for acceptance of their demands.The protesting workers
were led by AKP General
Secretary Ch Hassan Javaid Chattha. They were holding placards and banners
inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. They chanted slogans against
the authorities concerned for neglecting the woes being faced by the farmer
community.
Addressing the participants, Ch Hassan Javaid Chattha said that rice export
contributed about $2 billion per annum to the national exchequer. Due to
discriminatory treatment with paddy growers and exporters, he said, Indian and
Thai exporters are capturing the international market of rice despite the fact
Pakistan produces the finest quality of rice. He urged the government to fix
the support price of Irri rice at Rs1,900 per 40kg and of Basmati rice at
Rs4,000 per 40kg.
The support price of cottonseed (Phutti)
should be fixed at Rs6,000 per 40kg, he added. “If support price of cottonseed
is not increased, growers would obviously shift to other crops for yielding
better dividends of their blood and toil,” he noted. Mr Chattha highlighted the
importance of textile sector, saying it comprises 60 percent of country’s
exports and 50 percent contribution to the national exchequer.
He vowed to continue protest until
acceptance of farmers’ demands. He also warned to stage country-wide
protests if demands of farmers are not met. He also criticised hike in POL
prices. Other AKP office-bearers were also present on the
occasion.
360 bags of rice allegedly belonging to Dangote Group intercepted by
Customs.
The Controller of Nigeria Customs
Service in Sokoto/Kebbi/Zamfara Area Command, Mr Nasiru Ahmad, said it had
seized two trucks with 365 bags of foreign rice.Represented by the command’s
Spokesman, Mr Magaji Mailafiya, Ahmad disclosed on Thursday that the
confiscations were made last week Thursday and Friday along Illela-Sokoto road.
According to Ahmad the intercepted
trucks are owned by Dangote Group, while the duty paid value of the 50kg bags
of rice was N8.7m.
He said the imported rice were
among the items banned from entering the nation through land borders.
He also added that that the action
breached the Federal Government’s fiscal policy on rice importation.
He said that the prohibited rice
were siezed as a result of the vigilance of his men on border patrol.“The
contraband has a Duty Paid Value of N8, 748,320 and the two suspected importers
along with the contraband items were arrested.“They are in our custody and will
soon be prosecuted accordingly,” Ahmad said.
He called on Nigerians to assist
the government’s efforts on rice cultivation and other agriculture development
initiatives by setting up processing industries geared toward viable economic
development in the country.He enjoined individuals, traditional and community
leaders as well as groups to assist government to achieve “smuggle-free”
society.Ahmad said smuggling is “cripplers of nation economy which deterred
employments, revenue and nation’s security progress”.
Researchers report findings on the effects of fat on stem cells
November 9, 2017
by Rob Cahill
From left, Ilya
Levental, Joseph Lorent, Allison Skinkle and Kandice Levental at the Laboratory
of Membrane Biology at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School. Skinkle, a Rice
senior, began working in the lab as a freshman. Credit: Maricruz Kwon/UTHealth
You really are what you
eat—especially when it comes to fats, according to a study this week in the
journal Science Advances that was co-authored by Rice
University undergraduate Allison Skinkle and colleagues at the Laboratory of
Membrane Biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's
McGovern Medical School.The study examined how the type of fat a person
consumes may determine whether stem cells are converted into bone cells
or fat cells. It's the third peer-reviewed journal
article Skinkle has co-authored since joining the lab as a freshman and working
there for two additional years as part of Rice's Sustaining Excellence in
Research (SER) Scholars Program.
"The lab is kind of broad, but
overall we like to study the way that properties of membranes affect physiology
or cell function," Skinkle said. "It's multidisciplinary. We have
physicists, chemists and engineers—a little bit of everything."
The lab is jointly run by Kandice
Levental and Ilya Levental, the paper's lead and senior authors, respectively,
who are assistant professors in the Department of Integrative Biology and
Pharmacology at the McGovern School.
In this new study, the team
examined what happens when dietary fats are applied to mesenchymal stem cells,
a common type of adult stem cell produced in bone marrow that can grow into
many types of connective tissue, including fat, skin, bone and cartilage. The
researchers found that dietary fats could remodel cell membranes and affect how
stem cells transform into mature tissue cells.
"The fats that we consume,
such as cholesterol, unsaturated fats and fish oil,
become robustly incorporated into the membrane of our cells and dramatically
change the composition and function of those membranes," said Ilya
Levental, a Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
Scholar.
The team measured the lipid content
of mesenchymal stem cells as the cells transformed into bone
cells or fat cells. They found that bone cell membranes had
unique lipids that were particularly high in a type of dietary fat called
omega-3 polyunsaturated fat. This fat is also called DHA and is the most
abundant component of fish oil, a common dietary supplement. Most importantly,
they found that adding such fish oil fats to mesenchymal stem cells pushed them to transform
into osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) as opposed to adipocytes (fat-storing
cells).
"This fundamental research
helps explain why fish oil benefits people with osteoporosis, a bone-weakening
disorder affecting an estimated 200 million women worldwide," Levental
said. "More broadly, it may provide insight into the many connections
between dietary fats and a variety of clinical outcomes,
including healthy aging and heart disease."
Skinkle, who worked on the study
with the Leventals and four postdoctoral research associates, helped quantify
the changes to each type of cell used in the study.
"I would take images and
quantify things like matrix deposition or lipid droplet formation in order to
quantify how osteogenic or how adipogenic the cells were,"
she said.
Skinkle plans to earn a Ph.D. after
graduating in late 2018, and she credits her time in the Levental lab with her
decision to pursue a doctorate and with her choices about what to study in
graduate school.
"It's definitely shaped my
interests," she said. "I also worked in an immunology lab last summer
in Germany. Thanks to my research experiences, I've realized I'm interested in
broad principles of biological organization. I think my time in the lab as an
undergraduate has given me an understanding of the questions that I'm interested
in, and now moving forward, I just have to find a lab and a discipline that
will allow me to answer those questions."
More information: Kandice R. Levental et al. Ļ-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
direct differentiation of the membrane phenotype in mesenchymal stem cells to
potentiate osteogenesis, Science Advances (2017). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao1193
By combining cross sections of a macrophage cell from the x-,
y-, and z-axes, researchers could examine how nanoshell-drug complexes (red)
distributed inside cells after a 24-hour period of incubation. A dye was used
to distinguish the cell nucleus (blue). (Image by O. Neumann/Rice University)
Researchers at Rice and Northwestern universities
engineered a way of encapsulating toxic chemo agents inside of gold nanoshells
that deliver and deposit their contents only inside neoplastic cells. Reported
on in the latest Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
the study involved getting docetaxel and lapatinib chemo drugs inside of
gold nanoshells which can be opened up with a near-infrared laser.
To hold the chemo agents securely to the gold shell, strands of
DNA are used to connect the docetaxel while albumin protein kept the lapatinib
stuck. The near-infrared laser beam, which can penetrate tissue up to a few
inches, breaks the bonds holding the chemo drugs and expands the shell to let
them out.
So far this has been achieved in laboratory cultures of breast
cancer cells, but the principle should be applicable to attacking actual
tumors. Of course further animal and other studies will have to prove that
out. In the future the researchers hope to use macrophages, white
blood cells able to get inside of tumors, as the carrier vesicles, and they
have already shown in the latest study that macrophages can carry chemo drugs
and release them only when activated by the laser.
By Express News Service |
Published: 10th November 2017 02:31 AM |
Last Updated: 10th November 2017 08:47 AM
JAGATSINGHPUR:THE
district administration will rope in millers from neighbouring districts to
lift paddy from the farmers during the upcoming kharif procurement season. This
was decided during district paddy procurement meeting chaired by Collector
Yamini Sarangi on Wednesday.
Sources
said the district requires minimum 40 rice millers to lift around 10 lakh
quintals of paddy, but it has only two to three millers. Though last year, the
administration had engaged 21 millers of nearby districts in the kharif paddy
procurement season, it was not sufficient. As a result, many farmers failed to
sell their produce and later they resorted to distress sale. In order to avoid
a similar situation this year, the administration has taken several preventive
measures.
It was
decided to open 100 paddy purchase centres under 96 Primary Agriculture
Cooperative Societies (PACS) in the district. So far, 29,859 farmers have
registered their names online to sell their produce. The State Government has
fixed the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy at `1,550 for fair average
quality (FAQ) and `1,590 for Grade-A.
The
Collector has been empowered to register the names of millers to participate in
the paddy procurement and the administration will rope in millers from other
districts to complete the task on time. The procurement centres will remain
open from December 20 and the administration has already launched an awareness
campaign for farmers to register their names, she added.
Registrar
of Cooperative Society Kulamani Padhi said online registration of farmers will
continue till December 31. A committee comprising Revenue Inspector (RI),
Village Level Workers (VLWs), Executive Officer of panchayat and farmers has
been formed at block-level to expedite the work. Similarly, a squad, led by the
Sub-Collector, has been tasked to check irregularities in lifting paddy, he
added.Among others, Cuttack Central Cooperative Bank secretary Jayant Kumar
Swain and other senior officials were present.
FEC
okays N5.6bn for the control of erosion in 6 states.A total of N5, 567, 314, 541.76 has
been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the third quarter soil
erosion control accelerated intervention projects for six states.According to
FEC headed by President Muhammad, the states include Kano, Sokoto, Ondo, Osun,
Enugu and Bayelsa.The information was made known by the Special Adviser to the
President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, at the post-FEC
briefing , along with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief
Audu Ogbeh and Minister of State (Aviation), Heidi Sirika.
According to Sirika, the FEC has
approved bilateral air services agreement with Canada in furtherance of its
efforts to improve relations between both countries, including trade and
commerce.“It would be a standard agreement to facilitate the movement of people
and business transactions,” he said.Also speaking, Ogbe, noted that FEC
approved the development of foundation seeds for maize, by the Institute of
Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
He said the research was at the
cost of N165 million for 30 tons of foundation seeds multiplied by 265 tons of
improved seeds, which is to be given to seeds companies to multiply.
The minister said one of the
problems facing maize production in the country was lack of the right quality.According
to him, this is responsible for the yields per hectare being among the lowest
in the world
Ogbe said the council also
discussed the disturbing trend of smuggling, which is impacting negatively on
the country.“We have to deal with that because while we are making a great deal
of progress in our production of grains, smugglers are trying to compromise the
successes we have achieved.
“I can give you some figures.
Between September 2015 and now, rice importation through the ports dropped from
644,131 tons to 20,000 tons in September, which means that by the end of this
year, to the early part of next year, we can literally say we are close to
total self-sufficiency in rice.
“On the other hand, in Republic of Benin, rice
importation has increased to 1.33 million tons because they don’t eat parboiled
rice; they eat white rice. So, every grain of rice landing there is heading for
Nigeria through smuggling and some of it also come in through Niger Republic.
“These are issues to deal with
because we want local rice production to meet our needs and we are creating
jobs.
“There are at least 12.2 million
farmers in the country and they are enjoying life the way they haven’t before.
So these are the issues we raised today,” he said.
Ogbe added that the government
would beef up its onslaught on smugglers, as the country was currently losing
over N5 billion to the nefarious activities.
He said smugglers were responsible
for the delay in setting up of rice mills.“They (millers) spend money to mill
the rice and the smugglers dump them at N12,500. The smugglers can dump at
N12,500 because they are subsidised from Thailand. They are determined to see
that we don’t succeed. We can’t do that because we can’t subsidise to that
level.We say if everything goes well without the smugglers, our people should
be able to sell at N13, 500 per bag,” he stated.
Many of the ancient
primate finger and toe bones are no bigger than a grain of rice. Many of the
primate species they belonged to were about the size of a mouse. Photo Northern
Illinois University
Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Scientists have detailed the discovery of some 500 ancient
primate toe and finger bones. The tiny fossils were recovered from China and
described this week in the Journal of Human
Evolution."The fossils are extraordinarily small, but in terms
of quantity this is the largest single assemblage of fossil primate finger and
toe specimens ever recorded," Dan Gebo, a researcher at Northern Illinois
University, said in a news release.Many
of the bones are barely larger than a grain of rice, but they have offered
scientists a glimpse into the lives of the earliest primates. The bones
represent a variety of primate families and at least 25 different early primate
species, including the first known anthropoid, Eosimias. Three of the fossils
represent newer, more advanced anthropoid species.
The earliest primates -- hailing
from the mid-Eocene period, around 45 million years ago -- ranged in size from
10 to 1,000 grams. They occupied the tree canopies of ancient jungles, eating
fruits and insects. All of the fossils reveal an ability to grasp with both
hands and feet, a prerequisite for life among the tree tops.
"The new study provides
further evidence that early anthropoids were minuscule creatures, the size of a
mouse or smaller," Gebo said. "It also adds to the evidence pointing
toward Asia as the initial continent for primate evolution. While apes and
fossil humans do come from Africa, their ancestors came from Asia."
The bones were recovered from a
quarry near Shanghuang, a village in the south of Jiangsu Province, which is
positioned along the central portion of China's east coast. The limestone in
the quarry dates back to the Triassic, some 220 million years ago, when the
first dinosaurs emerged. But erosion left fissures in the rock, which captured
layers of fossil-rich sediment dated to the Eocene, when mammals begin to
flourish in the absence of the dinosaurs.
"Because of commercial
exploitation of the quarry site, the fossil-bearing fissure-fillings at
Shanghuang are now exhausted," said Christopher Beard, a paleontologist at
the University of Kansas. "So, the fossils that we currently have are all
that will ever be found from this site."
But researchers continue to sift
through the remarkable paleontological record that was recovered from the
quarry over the last few decades.
The diversity of primate species
found at Shanghuang is unusual, and researchers hope their ongoing analysis can
help scientists better understand the evolution of primate anatomy, including
the unique fingers shared by all modern anthropoids, or higher primates.
"These are the earliest
known examples of those narrow fingers and toes that are key to anthropoid
evolution," Gebo said. "We can see evolution occurring at this site,
from the broader finger or toe tips to more narrow."
While Pakistan benefits from high utilisation rates of textiles,
exporters have not utilised GSP+ preferences for products falling under HS
chapters 10 and 90 – says the recent mid-term evaluation report of GSP,
conducted by the European Commission. In other words, Pakistan overlooks rice
and surgical exports to EU.
It is old news that Pakistan’s export base is non-diversified.
While GSP+ allows duty free exports for a range of goods, Pakistan tends to
view it as a mean of boosting the textiles sector. Rice and medical instruments
are two commodities for which Pakistan is not leveraging preferential access to
the EU.
The rice sector in particular has a lot of potential. In 2016,
EU’s rice imports were $2.5 billion of which Pakistan’s share was a $161
million. While Pakistan concentrates on China and Afghanistan as its biggest
rice markets, it fails to increase its share in the EU market, especially since
the stringent polices placed by EU on the presence of hazardous pesticides in
Basmati rice could reduce India’s share in the global market. Since Pakistan’s
farmers do not use the banned pesticides in their crops, there is an
opportunity to move in and take up India’s share.
The bulk of Pakistan’s exports have low value addition, leaning
towards resource-based goods rather than value added products. The surgical and
medical instruments industry in an exception. A report by TDAP indicates that
though the average export price of surgical items made in Sialkot is $1.5-$2.5
as compared to the average Chinese export price of $0.35, these instruments
still find a market due to their superior quality.
From lack of government support to issues in increasing scale of
operations, both products suffer from similar problems that prevent their
increase in exports. One such issue is lack of branding. The buyers of
Pakistan’s surgical instruments are international distributors and wholesalers.
Despite a history of more than six decades, there are still no brand names.
The absence of being recognised as a brand deprives the industry
of directly participating in tender business to cater to the end users.
Similarly, Pakistani rice as a consumer-level retail product has
a very low international presence. Exporting rice in bulk without the presence
of a brand name means large deals can get cancelled over small price
differences. Without proper processing or packaging, Pakistan’s rice exports
cannot net a premium price.
The EU market could be better milked if Pakistan’s export base
was diversified. Investing in developing rice and surgical goods sector by
improving their visibility through branding is one way through which Pakistan
can increase its market share in EU in sectors other than textile.
Rice basmati, wheat weaken on sufficient stocks
position
PTI | Nov 8, 2017, 14:27 IST
New Delhi, Nov 8 () Weak conditions prevailed at the wholesale
grains market today as prices of rice basmati and wheat drifted lower by up to
Rs 100 per quintal due to reduced offtake against sufficient stocks position.Barley
also slipped on muted demand from consuming industries.
Traders said easing demand from retailers and rice mills against
adequate stocks position mainly led to decline in rice basmati prices.
Adequate stocks position on higher supplies from producing belts
against low demand from flour mills, kept pressure on wheat prices, they said.In
the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety fell by Rs 100
each to Rs 7,800-7,900 and Rs 6,300-6,400 per quintal, respectively.
Wheat dara (for mills) also eased further by 15 to Rs
1,820-1,825 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and shed Rs 5 to Rs
1,825-1,830 per 90 kg.
Other bold grain, barley too declined by Rs 20 to Rs 1,520-1,530
per quintal.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Indian PM to go to Philippines to attend ASEAN,
East Asia summits
Source:
Xinhua| 2017-11-10 13:57:59|Editor: Liu
NEW DELHI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
embark on a three-day visit to the Philippines Sunday
to attend the India-ASEAN and
East Asia summits next week.
"This visit will be Prime Minister Modi's first official
visit to the Philippines and his fourth time participation in the annual ASEAN
and East Asia summits," Indian External Affairs Ministry Secretary (East)
Preeti Saran told the media Thursday evening.
During his stay in capital Manila, the Indian prime minister
will hold bilateral talks with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who is
also the current chair of the ASEAN. Modi will also meet some of the other
world leaders on the sidelines of the summits.
Modi's schedule in Manila also includes a meeting with members
of the Indian community at a reception to be hosted by the Indian ambassador to
the Philippines. He will also undertake a tour of the International Rice
Research Institute in Manila.
If you think about it, all computer interfaces
have been designed for communication with the computer, not with humans,
Amazon's chief technology officer Werner Vogels said at Web Summit.
Amazon chief technology officer Werner Vogels believes voice will
entirely change the digital systems we rely on
These unnatural and inhuman interfaces and they are
discriminatory, Vogels told the conference in Lisbon today."Let's take the
International Rice Research Institute in Manila as an example. They know
everything about rice and they work with farmers in the region to improve crop
yields. They have built a digital webpage with all this crucial information but
no one was using it because the farmers don't own computers. So, they put a
voice interface over it so farmers could call in and describe their patch of
land. It has helped greatly improve crop yields," Vogels said.
People who have bought Amazon Echo devices love them, their
reviews say so, he continued. "They use them for every mundane task
possible because it's effortless."
One customer who has dementia wrote that Alexa had given him his
memory back. That he could ask it for the date 20 times a day and it would give
him the correct answer 20 times, without getting angry.
But Amazon doesn't want the world to confine itself to its Echo
devices. "The device itself isn't that smart. All of that lives in the
cloud. Alexa is a voice service based on a platform that does all the
work," Vogels said.
Brands and developers could even forego Amazon's skills kit and
use Amazon Polly, its life-like speech service."Polly converts text to
life-like speech. It can be fully managed, it has 47 voices and speaks 24
languages. Duolingo, the language learning app is based on Polly," he
said.
Polly allows control over the tone,
volume, context and different pronunciations, Vogels demonstrated.
"It can be used to build voice chatbots, not just Alexa."
Amazon is investing in developing all this because it believes
that the future lies in a human interface to our digital systems.
"I truly believe a voice interface to digital systems will
completely revolutionise the way we build these systems and it will open these
systems to everyone in the world and not just digital natives," Vogels
concluded.
Papua New Guinea to train farmers on sustainable rice production
Published
By Genalyn Kabiling
DA NANG, Vietnam — The Philippines will soon deploy a team from
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to Papua New Guinea to train their
farmers on stable and sustainable rice production.
President Duterte has offered to
help Papua New Guinea to develop its rice sector after asking Papua New Guinea
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to keep the “status quo” on tuna imports to the
Philippines.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greets Papua New Guinea Prime
Minister Peter O’Neill prior to their bilateral meeting at the Premier Village
in Da Nang, Vietnam on November 9, 2017.
(ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Rice and tuna trade relations were among the topics discussed by
the two leaders on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.“We were talking of trade relations. It’s a
huge land Papua New Guinea and they need to work up on their lands. They’re
importing rice. But it’s a big country and I think the soil is compatible with
rice and they are asking our expertise,” Duterte told Manila-based reporters in
an interview on Thursday night here.
“We have been a rice-producing country for so long and we have
the IRRI, the IRRI who can help them. And I’m sending a promise to send a team
from the Department of Agriculture to help them out,” he added.
The IRRI is considered the world’s premier research organization
on rice science, developing advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and
withstand pests, diseases and other climate change effects.
The President also raised the country’s concern about its tuna
imports from Papua New Guinea during his meeting with O’Neill.
Papua New Guinea, home to around 18 percent of the world’s tuna
stock, reportedly wants to require 100 percent of tuna caught within its waters
to be processed locally. This was part of its government plans to become a
major downstream player in the global tuna market.
Duterte said he asked Papua New Guinea to continue to allow the
country to import tuna despite its plans to focus on developing the processing
side of its fisheries industry.
“We were also talking about the import of tuna, which is
plentiful in that area but it appears because of the many countries dipping
their fingers there in fishing, including Australia. They have reached a point
of just allocating everybody a share,” he said.
“But I asked the Prime Minister if he could consider maintaining
the status quo and the number of tons that we are importing in the Philippines
which is mainly dropped at General Santos City, I think,” he added.At present,
around 40 percent of the Philippines’ tuna catch comes from Papua New Guinea.Presidential
spokesman Harry Roque said Papua New Guinea promised it will be “very fair” in
the tuna trade, adding it was only requiring its canning facility to process
the tuna sourced from its seas.“Hindi naman nila pinagbabawal na yung sobra
mapadala sa Pilipinas, sa iba pang parts ng daigdig (They are not disallowing
the tuna trade to the Philippines, other parts of the world),” he said.
Stubble
burning blamed for Delhi pollution: Why farmers carry out the exercise
The paddy straw is of no use to
the farmer unlike the wheat straw, which is used as animal fodder. The paddy
straw has high silica content that animals can’t digest.
Farmers find it
easy to dispose of paddy stubble by burning it.(HT Representative)
The plain farming chore of burning
after-harvest paddy stalks as farmers prepared their fields in Punjab and
Haryana for the wheat crop never headlined so much as in the past month.
The swirling smoke from the fire is blamed for
the thick haze that has shrouded New Delhi, where the conditions were
exacerbated by fog, dust, vehicle exhaust fumes and no high wind to blow the
toxic air away.
The air quality in Chandigarh too has become
“very poor” with the air quality index (AQI) hovering in the 301-400 range,
against the acceptable limit of 100.
Farmers switching to mechanical harvesters,
introduced in the early 1980s, could be the genesis of the problem. The machine
cuts, threshes and cleans rice from ripe paddy in a matter of hours, saving
days of menial labour.
Over the years, more farmers bought these
machines and those who didn’t have one could get a harvester on rent for a
nominal Rs 1,300, or hereabouts, for an acre.
The
downside is that harvesters skim from the top and leave 80% of the paddy plant
— six to eight inches long — on the field. Except for the Basmati variety, the
straw is useless.Unlike wheat stalks that are used as animal fodder, the paddy
straw has high silica content that animals can’t digest. And Basmati with its
low silica content is grown only in 450,000 acres.Since farmers need to sow
wheat within a fortnight of harvesting paddy, they burn the straw, or paraali,
to save time, labour and money.
About 3 million acres are cultivated for paddy
in Punjab and 20 million tonnes of stubble are generated every year, said
Jasbir Singh Bains, the state’s director of agriculture.The spike in stubble
burning is blamed on the PUSA variety of rice, which is harvested late.Authorities
took drastic measures to check the smoke from the country’s food bowl such as
fining farmers — up to Rs 5,000 — who were found setting fields afire. Punjab
government data show 2,338 farmers were fined so far and Rs 65.92 lakh
collected in fines.
According to the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre,
instances of paddy stubble burning were less this year compared to the past.Manjeet
Singh Makkar, who heads the farm machinery and power engineering department at
Punjab Agricultural University, suggested three solutions.His first suggestion
is the straw chopper-cum-spreader. This machine chops the stubble and mixes it
in the soil either with the help of water or a rotavator, a tool that has a
steel shaft and blades and can be fitted to a tractor.
The second suggestion is a straw management
system and a “happy seeder”. The first can be fitted to a combine harvester. It
cuts the straw into small pieces and scatters it evenly. Next, a “happy seeder”
mounted on a tractor can be used to sow wheat and put the cut straw over the
area as mulch, which improves soil fertility. The two machines cost Rs 1.25
lakh each.
The third solution is a baler, which bales the
straw. These can be used in power plants or cardboard factories.
Punjab agriculture director Bains said the
state sought a central grant of Rs 900 crore for a crop residue management
project this May. The state proposes to offer farmers 40% subsidy on balers,
rakes, rotavators and “happy seeders”. The Centre released 48.5 crore.These
machines require an investment of more than Rs 2 lakh, but small and medium
farmers don’t have the money. Most are reeling from debts. The cheapest
machine, a cutter-shredder, costs Rs 45,000 or more. Use of farm labour is the
most expensive at Rs 6,000 an acre.
“Given a choice between a box of matchsticks
and machinery worth Rs 2 lakh, what will you choose?” asked Billa Singh, a
farmer in Phagwara.But Navtej Singh Bains, the director of research at Punjab
Agricultural University, believes new machinery is the only way out.“If every
village procures one or two happy seeders, the problem will be solved. Farmers
are now renting these machines for Rs 1,300 an acre. The cost is bound to fall if
more farmers buy the seeders,” he said.
Bhubaneswar: A high-level central
team led by Union minister of state for agriculture and farmer welfare Gajendra
Singh will visit Odisha from November 12 to assess crop loss caused due to pest
attacks.
The team will also visit Bargarh
district where incidents of crop loss due to pest attack has beeen maximum.
The announcement was made after
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Union agriculture minister
Radha Mohan Singh in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed prevailing situation
in the state.
Agriculture minister Sin-gh
accused the Odisha government of ignoring the advisory issued by the Central
Rice Research Institute, Cuttack."The advisory was issued on October 5 and
6 to the state government. Had the state government promptly taken action, the
situation could have been averted," said Singh. Pradhan also accused the
Naveen Patnaik government of failing to check distribution of fake pesticides.
"The state government had
ignored it (inputs about sale of fake pesticides) too. On the basis of media
reports, a central team had reviewed the situation with state government
officials. It has come to light that fake pesticides were used. Pesticides were
also not used at several places," Pradhan said. He also alleged that under
the National Food Security Scheme, the Centre had disbursed Rs 53.78 crore to
the state for distribution of seeds and pesticides.
"But the state government
has been able to spent only Rs 1.98 crore," said Pradhan, adding that only
package announced by the state government would not mitigate the problem of
farmers. He was referring to Odisha' government Rs 124-crore agricultural
package for pest-hit areas.A six-member BJP team led by its MP Om Prakash Yadav
will reach the state on Friday to analyse the crop-loss situation in Odisha.
The team will visit the affected areas and submit a report to party president
Amit Shah on the issue.
According to official reco- rd, a
whopping 1.78 lakh hectare of paddy farm in nine districts in western Odisha
have been damaged by pest attack. Six farmers have committed suicide because of
crop failure, records say.
"The people involved in
selling fake pesticides would be arrested. They should also be made to march on
the streets before being jailed," said state panchayati raj minister
Pradeep Maharathy.
Cambodia’s premium fragrant rice
was voted one of the best in the world in the latest global competition, coming
in the top three.
Thailand’s Horm Malis rice came out on top, taking home the
title of World’s Best Rice.
The 9th edition of the World Rice
Conference took place in Macau yesterday, with seven counties – Cambodia,
Thailand, Vietnam, the US, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar – entering 21
different rice varieties.
Cambodia entered three brands – two premium fragrant rice
varieties and one fragrant rice – selected during a national competition held
last week.
Moul Sarith, the
secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), congratulated
Cambodian rice farmers for the great results, but lamented that the kingdom did
not take home the accolade.
“It was a close call for the
judges, but ultimately the Thai variety, which is very similar to our own
variety, won,” Mr Sareth said.
He believed the positive results
will help boost sales of the Cambodian commodity.
A Cambodian variety called Phka
Rumduol, but often also called phka malis or Cambodia jasmine rice by millers
and traders, won the competition from 2012 to 2014, but lost its crown in 2015
to a rice variety from California.
Last year, another Thai brand
from Chiang Mai took home the coveted prize at the eighth edition of the event.
Chan Sokheng, the chairman of
rice export company Signature of Asia, said that after Cambodian rice was
crowned the world’s best in 2012 his sales rose dramatically.
Phou Puy, the president of Green
Rice Miller in Battambang province, said participating in the international
contest alone will enhance the reputation of the Cambodian grain.
“Whether we win or lose, we can
expect more orders from international buyers, as the competition will serve as
a window to showcase our products,” he said.
Eleven
Pakistani companies to participate in Jeddah food exhibition
Islamabad
Trade Development Authority of
Pakistan (TDAP) has selected 11 well established companies to participate in
Foodex Saudi 2017 exhibition that will be held in Jeddah in coming week.
According to a message received here, these companies will offer their range of
quality products for Saudi market to the Saudi audience.
The names of Pakistani exhibitors with their products are M/s English Biscuits
Manufacturers (Pvt) Ltd. (Biscuits, Cakes), M/s United King Foods Pvt. Ltd.
(Confectionary Items, Sweets, snacks, etc), M/s Vania Food Industry (Candies,
chocolate, Chew gum, jelly), M/s Nosh Food Industries (Spices, Recipes, pastes,
pickles, ketchup), M/s Perfect Food Industry (Garlic paste, onion chili,
Turmeric, mix spices), M/s Shezan International (Juices Drinks, pickles, jams,
squashes), M/s Pure Food Company Pvt. Ltd. (Juices), M/s Mehran Bottlers Pvt.
Ltd. (Soft Drinks, Fruit Juices), M/s Reem Rice Mills Pvt. Ltd. (Rice),M/s
Millat Trading Company (Rice) and M/s Mohammad Hashim TajirSurma (Honey, Rose
water, Ispaghol, joshanda).Exhibitors are mainly in the field of Bakery &
Confectionary Items, Ready-to-Eat Products & Frozen Food, Recipe Spices and
Pastes, Rice, Softdrinks and Juices, honey and herbal products.
By facilitating the participation of these companies in the prestigious
exhibition ‘Foodex Saudi 2017’at Jeddah, the Government of Pakistan has not
only sent exporters, but Ambassadors of our land and our people to offer the
best food products for Saudi Arabian people.
The exhibition will prove as a platform to forge the business relations between
Pakistani exporters and Saudi buyers and their partnerships will go a long way
in benefiting the businessmen and communities of both the brotherly countries.
These marketing effort will also serve to reinforce the already monumental
relations of brotherly and spiritual love that both countries hold for each other.
Pakistan is blessed with vast fertile lands enriched soil with nutrition &
minerals and plenty of sweet water. 100% Halal sourcing is the strength of
Pakistan. Starting from fresh produces to processed food products, all segments
of the food industry are fully developed having state of the art processing and
packaging facilities, meeting all international standards.—APP
Downtown Dallas' cocktail den,
Midnight Rambler, is bringing back some old favorites from menus past and
throwing in a soon-to-be fall favorite or two. One of its new tipples is the
Hot Buttered Soul, a fall-forward cocktail named for a Southern soul album by
Isaac Hayes.
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The "soulful Texas fall fix" by the bar's creator,
Chad Solomon, is an interesting take on an old fashioned with a fat-washed brown
butter bourbon. While the process of fat-washing liquor is a little unsavory
(pun completely intended), it gives the cocktail a complexity and rich, deep
flavor. (The orgeat is equally as complicated — it's made in house by
roasting pecans and blending with brown basmati rice and cassia bark to get a
nut/rice milk before it's filtered, clarified in a centrifuge and sweetened.)
f beans followed mixed trends, with those of red beans
increasing due to a reduced spring harvest and strong demand for seeds. In
general, prices for all staples remained above their year-earlier levels
reflecting the reduced 2017 spring production and some uncertainties for crops
to be harvested during the rest of the year.
IRRI team to be deployed to Papua New Guinea to train farmers on
sustainable rice production
November 10, 2017, 11:22 AM
By Genalyn Kabiling
DA NANG, Vietnam — The Philippines will soon deploy a team from International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to Papua New Guinea to train their farmers on
stable and sustainable rice production.
President Duterte has offered to
help Papua New Guinea to develop its rice sector after asking Papua New Guinea
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to keep the “status quo” on tuna imports to the
Philippines.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greets Papua New Guinea Prime
Minister Peter O’Neill prior to their bilateral meeting at the Premier Village
in Da Nang, Vietnam on November 9, 2017.
(ALBERT ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Rice and tuna trade relations were
among the topics discussed by the two leaders on the sidelines of the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.“We were talking
of trade relations. It’s a huge land Papua New Guinea and they need to work up
on their lands. They’re importing rice. But it’s a big country and I think the
soil is compatible with rice and they are asking our expertise,” Duterte told
Manila-based reporters in an interview on Thursday night here.
“We have been a rice-producing
country for so long and we have the IRRI, the IRRI who can help them. And I’m
sending a promise to send a team from the Department of Agriculture to help
them out,” he added.
The IRRI is considered the world’s
premier research organization on rice science, developing advanced rice
varieties that yield more grain and withstand pests, diseases and other climate
change effects.
The President also raised the
country’s concern about its tuna imports from Papua New Guinea during his
meeting with O’Neill.
Papua New Guinea, home to around 18
percent of the world’s tuna stock, reportedly wants to require 100 percent of
tuna caught within its waters to be processed locally. This was part of its
government plans to become a major downstream player in the global tuna market.
Duterte said he asked Papua New
Guinea to continue to allow the country to import tuna despite its plans to
focus on developing the processing side of its fisheries industry.
“We were also talking about the
import of tuna, which is plentiful in that area but it appears because of the
many countries dipping their fingers there in fishing, including Australia.
They have reached a point of just allocating everybody a share,” he said.
“But I asked the Prime Minister if
he could consider maintaining the status quo and the number of tons that we are
importing in the Philippines which is mainly dropped at General Santos City, I
think,” he added.
At present, around 40 percent of the
Philippines’ tuna catch comes from Papua New Guinea.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque
said Papua New Guinea promised it will be “very fair” in the tuna trade, adding
it was only requiring its canning facility to process the tuna sourced from its
seas.
“Hindi naman nila pinagbabawal na
yung sobra mapadala sa Pilipinas, sa iba pang parts ng daigdig (They are not
disallowing the tuna trade to the Philippines, other parts of the world),” he
said.
Customs
intercepts 365 bags of smuggled rice in 2 trucks in Sokoto
By
. | Publish Date: Nov 9 2017 10:50AM
Mr
Nasiru Ahmad, the Controller of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Sokoto/Kebbi/Zamfara
Area Command, said the command had intercepted two trucks with 365 bags of
foreign rice.
Ahmad,
represented by the command’s Spokesman, Mr Magaji Mailafiya, told the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the seizures were made last week
Thursday and Friday along Illela-Sokoto road.
Ahmad
said the seized trucks belonged to Dangote Group, while the duty paid value of
the 50kg bags of rice was N8.7 million.
He
said the foreign rice were among the items prohibited from entering the country
through land boarders, adding that the action contravened Federal
Government’s fiscal policy on rice importation
He
said that the contraband rice were arrested as a result of the vigilance of his
men on border patrol.
“The
contraband has a Duty Paid Value of N8, 748,320 and the two suspected importers
along with the contraband items were arrested.
“They
are in our custody and will soon be prosecuted accordingly,” Ahmad said.
He
urged Nigerians to complement government’s efforts on rice cultivation and other
agriculture development programmes by establishing processing industries
geared toward viable economic development in the country.
He
enjoined individuals, traditional and community leaders as well as groups to
assist government to achieve “smuggle-free” society.
Ahmad
described smuggling as “cripplers of nation economy which deterred employments,
revenue and nation’s security progress”. (NAN)
Ration shops accused of forcing consumers to
buy grocery items
TNN | Nov 10, 2017, 00:11 IST
Madurai: Consumers in the city are forced to buy certain grocery
items that they don't need, to be eligible for their monthly share of ration
supplied through the public distribution system (PDS) in the district.
The worrying complaint against the fair price shop employees was raised by the
city residents after they were allegedly compelled to buy some articles to
avail of the essential commodities sold through PDS.
With around 1,300 ration shops selling essential commodities at an affordable
price in Madurai, the PDS is supposed to benefit more than 8.78 lakh people
living in the district. However, consumers dependent on the system have now
complained they would be denied their due share of ration unless they paid more
for articles they did not really want.Arun Kumar Malayalam, a resident at
Gomathypuram, said that his family mostly depended on free rice provided
through PDS. But when he approached the ration shop for his share, he was asked
to buy articles like soap or semolina to get his share rice and sugar.
"The ration shopkeeper asks us to pay for something like soap or rava that
we do not need if we have to get the 1.5 kg of sugar along with the free
rice,'' he said.
M R Balakumar, from South Perumal Maistry Street, said that his family was
eligible for free rice and had a wheat card that entitled him to 1.5 kilograms
of PDS sugar. Sadly, when his mother went to buy sugar from the ration shop,
she was told to buy a packet of sunflower oil of a particular brand costing Rs
90 to avail of their ration. "This is atrocious. She had to pay Rs 90 for
the oil and buy the rice and wheat,'' he said.
The consumers complained that none of the ration shops distributed commodities
to the beneficiary without asking them to buy a commodity they did not need.Echoing
the sentiment, S Pandiayammal, of CMR Road, said that she too had a free rice
card but were forced to buy a packet of tea to get the 1.5 kg of rice.
"Sugar sells at a price of Rs 50 in the retail market, so this is still
cheap,'' she said.
Notwithstanding the illegal trend, T Thangaraj of Anupanadi said
that they bought unwanted articles for about Rs 150 a month because the prices
of the essential commodities such as rice and sugar would go beyond Rs 800 for
a family.
When contacted, district civil supplies officer Balasubramanian
promised that he would look into the consumer complaints.
While Pakistan benefits from high
utilisation rates of textiles, exporters have not utilised GSP+ preferences for
products falling under HS chapters 10 and 90 – says the recent mid-term
evaluation report of GSP, conducted by the European Commission. In other words,
Pakistan overlooks rice and surgical exports to EU.
It is old news that Pakistan’s
export base is non-diversified. While GSP+ allows duty free exports for a range
of goods, Pakistan tends to view it as a mean of boosting the textiles sector.
Rice and medical instruments are two commodities for which Pakistan is not
leveraging preferential access to the EU.
The rice sector in particular has
a lot of potential. In 2016, EU’s rice imports were $2.5 billion of which
Pakistan’s share was a $161 million. While Pakistan concentrates on China and
Afghanistan as its biggest rice markets, it fails to increase its share in the
EU market, especially since the stringent polices placed by EU on the presence
of hazardous pesticides in Basmati rice could reduce India’s share in the
global market. Since Pakistan’s farmers do not use the banned pesticides in
their crops, there is an opportunity to move in and take up India’s share.
The bulk of Pakistan’s exports
have low value addition, leaning towards resource-based goods rather than value
added products. The surgical and medical instruments industry in an exception.
A report by TDAP indicates that though the average export price of surgical
items made in Sialkot is $1.5-$2.5 as compared to the average Chinese export
price of $0.35, these instruments still find a market due to their superior
quality.
From lack of government support
to issues in increasing scale of operations, both products suffer from similar
problems that prevent their increase in exports. One such issue is lack of
branding. The buyers of Pakistan’s surgical instruments are international
distributors and wholesalers. Despite a history of more than six decades, there
are still no brand names.
The absence of being recognised
as a brand deprives the industry of directly participating in tender business
to cater to the end users.
Similarly, Pakistani rice as a
consumer-level retail product has a very low international presence. Exporting
rice in bulk without the presence of a brand name means large deals can get
cancelled over small price differences. Without proper processing or packaging,
Pakistan’s rice exports cannot net a premium price.
The EU market could be better
milked if Pakistan’s export base was diversified. Investing in developing rice
and surgical goods sector by improving their visibility through branding is one
way through which Pakistan can increase its market share in EU in sectors other
than textile.
Cambodia’s premium fragrant rice was voted one of the best in the
world in the latest global competition, coming in the top three.
Thailand’s Horm Malis rice came out on top, taking home the title
of World’s Best Rice.
The 9th edition of the World Rice Conference took place in Macau
yesterday, with seven counties – Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, the US, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and Myanmar – entering 21 different rice varieties.
Cambodia entered three brands – two premium fragrant rice
varieties and one fragrant rice – selected during a national competition held
last week.
Moul Sarith, the secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation
(CRF), congratulated Cambodian rice farmers for the great results, but lamented
that the kingdom did not take home the accolade.
“It was a close call for the judges, but ultimately the Thai
variety, which is very similar to our own variety, won,” Mr Sareth said.
He believed the positive results will help boost sales of the
Cambodian commodity.
A Cambodian variety called Phka Rumduol, but often also called
phka malis or Cambodia jasmine rice by millers and traders, won the competition
from 2012 to 2014, but lost its crown in 2015 to a rice variety from
California.
Last year, another Thai brand from Chiang Mai took home the
coveted prize at the eighth edition of the event.
Chan Sokheng, the chairman of rice export company Signature of
Asia, said that after Cambodian rice was crowned the world’s best in 2012 his
sales rose dramatically.
Phou Puy, the president of Green Rice Miller in Battambang
province, said participating in the international contest alone will enhance
the reputation of the Cambodian grain.
“Whether we win or lose, we can expect more orders from
international buyers, as the competition will serve as a window to showcase our
products,” he said.
Cambodia beaten by Thailand in heated annual rice contest
For the third year in a row Cambodia has failed to take the top
spot in the World’s Best Rice contest, instead earning second place after
Thailand.
Seven major rice-producing countries entered into the contest this
week in Macau, China, where 21 samples of rice were presented for judging,
according to Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation. While
Cambodia’s Phka Rumdoul variety of fragrant rice impressed the judges, it was
Thailand’s own Hom Mali rice that took the first place prize.
“We came in second after Thailand, but our rice was recognised and
widely supported for its good quality during the contest. Many buyers from
China and Vietnam are interested in buying our rice,” Lak said. “Thailand had a
very strong presentation linking the late King [Bhumibol Adulyadej] to the
history of its rice, which was very attractive to the audience and made it
difficult for Cambodia to win.” The rice is judged according to five criteria,
both before and after cooking, including appearance, texture, moisture, aroma
and length of grain. Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol rice was once a consistent winner
of the competition, coming in first place for three consecutive years between
2012 and 2014, but it lost its crown to the United States’ Calrose rice in 2015
and lost again to Thailand’s Hom Mali last year. Despite this year’s loss,
Deputy Director of Capital Food Chray Son noted that the Cambodian rice market
should still benefit from having participated in the competition.
“We always gain experience from this competition, and we learn to
prepare for the next,” he said yesterday, adding that Cambodia needs to further
strengthen the quality of its rice seeds, improve irrigation and enhance its
harvesting and milling techniques. “Standing in second place does not hurt our
market, and it is not a bad thing. It is better than not winning an award,” he
said. “We gain a lot of benefits from promoting our rice, and more or less this
will help with the growth of our exports.” The World’s Best Rice Competition
may be a useful tool for promoting the quality of Cambodian rice, but the best
way for the Kingdom’s industry to attract buyers and enhance its reputation is
to focus on efforts from its private sector, according to Hean Vanhan, an
undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture. “Even though we place
at the top of this competition every year, rice exports are not increasing
much, and rumours of fake or low-quality rice have tarnished the reputation of
Cambodia’s rice sector internationally,” he said. “We are also noticing rice
exporters have a limited capacity to attract buyers.”
Not possible to practice traditional farming in India anymore;
here is why
For most consumers, ‘organic’ is probably a
code for ‘safe’ or ‘residue-free’, not necessarily produce grown without
chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
For
most consumers, ‘organic’ is probably a code for ‘safe’ or ‘residue-free’, not
necessarily produce grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. (Image:
IE) For most consumers, ‘organic’ is probably a code for ‘safe’ or
‘residue-free’, not necessarily produce grown without chemical fertilisers and
pesticides. But marketers use the tag to tap into a seam of fear in some urban
parents who are so anxious about health that they are willing to pay for
advertising that spells ‘well-being’.
A brand of ‘organic’ jaggery, for example, on the
shelves of Reliance Fresh stores claims to be free of genetically modified
organisms (GMO), when GM sugarcane is not even undergoing field trials in the
country. Only one variety of cane that has been genetically-engineered for
drought tolerance is being tested in India and that too in glasshouses at the
Sugarcane Breeding Institute of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Even if it passes the tests, it will be years
before it jumps the regulatory hoops; perhaps, never at all.
“Organic is the result of activism,” says Parag Sinha
of NAPL Advisors, a consultant to food parks and dairies. It is a nice tag, he
says, but it is difficult for produce to earn that label unless grown in
isolated areas like Sikkim or Arunachal Pradesh. Sinha was in the business of
growing residue-free chilli for export to the European Union (EU) at Khargone
in Madhya Pradesh. He says he signed up farmers on contract for 250 acres the
first year and 1,250 acres in the second. Farmers were paid the market price
prevailing on the day of purchase, if their produce had residues below the
maximum levels permitted by the EU.
Chilli is prone to pest attacks and needs repeated
sprays. A small team advised farmers about the chemicals to use and when to use
them. In the third year, Sinha contracted 5,000 acres, but ran out of working
capital and defaulted on purchases. But prices were high that year, so farmers
did not suffer losses. In 2016, Sinha suspended the business after a viral
attack as farmers cannot revert to the crop for three years. Sinha found that
70% of the produce, on average, was residue-free. Some farmers cheated. Some
others followed the prescribed practices, but their plots were so small they
could not escape contamination from neighbouring fields.
“Residue-fee farming is not difficult,” Sinha says, “It
is not even costlier.” But for people like Rangu Rao, chemical pesticides are
anathema. He considers them environmentally unsustainable; bugs develop
resistance to them over time. They also kill beneficial microbes in the soil.
And they have to be bought for cash, which is financially oppressive for
smallholder farmers who have little marketable surplus. Ideally, Rao would want
smallholder farmers to grow all they wanted. But they can’t. They have to buy
clothes, for instance.
So, they need cash. He would like them not to use
chemical fertilisers. For him, they are like steroids. He believes farmyard
manure (FYM) can do the trick. But tribal farmers do not own plots large enough
to keep cattle. It is also not possible to scour the landscape for enough
quantities of the dung of free-range cattle to supply crops the nutrients they
need. Huge quantities of manure would be needed to replace chemical fertilisers.
The Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research near Delhi says FYM is rich in
micro-nutrients and organic carbon, but it has just 0.5% nitrogen, up to 0.4%
phosphorus, and 0.3% potassium. In comparison, urea has 46% nitrogen, single
superphosphate is 16% phosphorous and muriate of potash 60% potassium.
Rao is one of a group of idealists from Jawaharlal
Nehru University and Delhi University who, three decades ago, decided to work
among tribals in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district. Rao is CEO of Safe Harvest, a
company whose chairman is Mihir Shah, former member of the erstwhile Planning
Commission. About two dozen kitchen staples including pulses, rice, spices,
millets and wheat flour grown without pesticides are sold under that brand.
Safe Harvest buys produce from farmer producer companies and non-governmental
organisations who work with farmers. They use neem, garlic and weed extracts to
repel or kill pests. Rao thinks there is a toss-up between high yields and
sustainability. He prefers the latter. High-yield agriculture, for him, is
risky because it is high in inputs, which have to be purchased. Smallholder
farmers can be self-contained if they do traditional, non-chemical agriculture.
The Green
Revolution, he believes, has helped certain regions and a certain class of
farmers. It has been propped up with subsidies. Remove the subsidies, and
traditional agriculture will come out superior. Sadly, it isn’t possible to
practice truly traditional farming because the country’s agricultural system is
geared for high-input agriculture, whether in its emphasis of hybrids or advice
at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (agricultural science centres). Safe Harvest has a
list of farmers who have undertaken to follow Non-Pesticide Management (NPM).
They have to promise to abide by the entire protocol.
There is a system of regular audits. A diary is maintained for each farmer. Are
customers willing to spend more for organic? Big Basket, an online grocer, says
it wants to be entirely organic as that is where fussy customers seem to be
heading. But when it charged a premium, sales dropped, so it settled for a
mark-up of about 10% over conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that
account for the bulk of its sales. In January 2016, the prime minister declared
Sikkim as a fully organic state, the only one in India.
But a report in The Indian Express in October says its
farmers have come to grief as they are being undercut by non-organic produce
from West Bengal. A farm in Sikkim that yielded 40 quintals of tomatoes with
chemical fertilisers is now giving 18-20 kg. The producer wanted at least `60 a
kg, but with non-organic tomatoes selling for less, he has very few buyers at
that price. As a relatively isolated state, Sikkim has natural advantages for
organic farming. But it will not be sustainable unless farmers profit from it.
This has lessons
for the agriculture ministry at the Centre which is pushing organic farming
because it conjures up images of tradition and a pristine past. For the left
parties, chemical equals corporate, which is a red rag. It is time to take the
dogma out of agriculture and see it for what it is: a business and a
livelihood. Chemical need not mean contaminated if protocols of use are
observed.
Thailand’s fragrant Hom Mali rice voted world’s best
The World Rice Conference has declared Thailand's fragrant Hom
Mali variety the world's best rice, maintaining Thailand's number one position.
It's official: Thai rice is the
world's best
Phusadee Arunmas The World Rice Conference has declared Thailand's fragrant Hom Mali variety the world's best rice, maintaining Thailand's number one
position after several years of lower rice qualitydue
to a previous rice-pledging
scheme. Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, said that the conference in Macau on Wednesday declared
the Hom Mali 105 varietythe world's
best rice in 2017, while the second and third rankings went to Cambodian and
Vietnam.
He said
the referees were chefs from hotels in Macau, and the criteria were the taste and shape of the
rice grain. It was the
second consecutive year that
Thailand's fragrant rice won
the championship. It had lost
the title to Myanmar in 2011,
Cambodia in 2012-2013 and the US in 2015. Winning the title again this year would boost Thai rice revenues, Mr Chookiat said, as it would
increase both globaldemand and prices. He added the
price of Thai Hom Mali rice was already much higher than that of Cambodian and
Vietnamese varieties, with Thai Hom Mali quoted at US$850 a tonne, compared to
Cambodia's at $750 and Vietnam's at $550. Over the past four years, the
price of Cambodian rice approached the Thai price, Mr Chookiat said, as
Cambodian rice was judged the world's best rice in 2012 and 2013.
This year's contest involved 21 rice varieties from
rice-producing countries. Thailand nominated three varieties.
"Thailand lost the championship for
four years because the quality of
Thai rice dropped due to the
rushed rice cultivation that
resulted from a previous pledging scheme that accepted every grain. We're champions again because we're
emphasising rice quality once
more," Mr Chookiat said. He encouraged the government to promote organic rice cultivation, which he said would bring back
the naturally fragrant Hom
Mali rice of the past, when paddy fieldswere
not contaminated with
chemicals.
A rice grower from Roi Et
province displays his fragrant Hom Mali rice at a market near Government House.
Thailand's Hom Mali rice was declared the world's best rice on Wednesday. (File
photo)
The World
Rice Conference has declared Thailand's fragrant Hom Mali variety the world's
best rice, maintaining Thailand's number one position after several years of
lower rice quality due to a previous rice-pledging scheme.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, said that the conference in Macau on Wednesday declared
the Hom Mali 105 variety the world's best rice in 2017, while the second and
third rankings went to Cambodian and Vietnam.
He said the referees were chefs from hotels in Macau, and the
criteria were the taste and shape of the rice grain.
It was the second consecutive year that Thailand's fragrant rice
won the championship. It had lost the title to Myanmar in 2011, Cambodia in
2012-2013 and the US in 2015.
Winning the title again this year would boost Thai rice revenues, Mr Chookiat
said, as it would increase both global demand and prices.
He added the price of Thai Hom Mali rice was already much higher
than of Cambodian and Vietnamese varieties, with Thai Hom Mali quoted at US$850
a tonne, compared to Cambodia's at $750 and Vietnam's at $550.
Over the past four years, the price of Cambodian rice approached
the Thai price, Mr Chookiat said, as Cambodian rice was judged
the world's best rice in 2012 and 2013.
This year's contest involved 21 rice varieties from rice-producing
countries. Thailand nominated three varieties.
"Thailand lost the championship for four years because the
quality of Thai rice dropped due to the rushed rice cultivation that resulted
from a previous pledging scheme that accepted every grain. We're champions
again because we're emphasising rice quality once more," Mr Chookiat
said.
He encouraged the government to promote organic rice
cultivation, which he said would bring back the naturally fragrant Hom Mali
rice of the past, when paddy fields were not contaminated with chemicals.
The World Rice Conference has declared Thailand's fragrant Hom
Mali variety the
world's best rice, maintaining Thailand's
number one position after several years of lower rice qualitydue
to a previous rice-pledging
scheme.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president
of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said that the conference in Macau on
Wednesday declared the Hom Mali 105 varietythe
world's best rice in 2017, while the second and third rankings went
to Cambodian and Vietnam.
He said the referees were chefs from
hotels in Macau, and the criteria were
the taste and shape of the rice grain.
It was the second consecutive year
that Thailand's fragrant rice
won the championship.
It had lost the title to
Myanmar in 2011, Cambodia in 2012-2013 and the US in 2015.
Winning the title again
this year would boost Thai
rice revenues,
Mr Chookiat said, as it would increase both globaldemand and
prices.
He added the price of Thai Hom Mali rice was already much higher than that of
Cambodian and Vietnamese varieties, with Thai Hom Mali quoted at US$850 a
tonne, compared to Cambodia's at $750 and Vietnam's at $550.
Over the past four years, the price of Cambodian rice approached the Thai
price, Mr Chookiat said, as Cambodian rice was judged the world's best rice in
2012 and 2013.
This year's contest involved 21
rice varieties from rice-producing countries. Thailand nominated three
varieties.
"Thailand lost the championship for
four years because the quality of
Thai rice dropped due
to the rushed rice cultivation that
resulted from a previous pledging scheme that accepted every grain.
We're champions again because we're emphasising rice quality once
more," Mr Chookiat said.
He encouraged the government to promote organic
rice cultivation,
which he said would bring back the naturally fragrant Hom
Mali rice of the past, when paddy fieldswere
not contaminated with
chemicals.
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
(Ecofin Agency) - South Korea has
provided Ghana $9 million to boost rice farming in the Central Region.
This was announced by Ghana’s minister of agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto
(picture). The official explained the choice of the region by its potentials
for the large scale production of the cereal, not only for local consumption
but for export as well. Let’s recall that 70% of
Ghana’s demand for rice is satisfied with imports. Actually, between 2007 and
2015, rice imports in the country soared from $152 million to $1.2
billion. In Ghana, rice farming is practiced
mainly on a semi-intensive basis by small farmers in swamps. 
FOLLOWING a stunning 12-week
rally in global wheat values that started in April growers are asking if the
higher values will hold or a return to low prices is on the cards.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Total 2017/18 U.S. rice supplies are
increased marginally this month to 248.9 million cwt as higher projected
imports (primarily Thai fragrant rice) offset slightly lower production.
In the November Crop Production report, NASS reduced the 2017/18 U.S. crop size
by 200,000 cwt to 178.4 million on lower forecast yield. This is 20
percent less than last year and would be the lowest U.S. rice production since
1996/97. Projected U.S. rice exports are reduced by 2 million cwt to 104
million, down 1 million each for both long- and medium- and short- grain rice
to 74 and 30 million cwt, respectively. Exports for both classes are
projected lower than last year due to reduced exportable supplies, greater
competition, and higher U.S. prices. Projected 2017/18 ending stocks are
increased 2.1 million cwt to 29.9 million, still the lowest all rice ending
stocks since 2007/08. The projected 2017/18 season-average farm price for
all rice is reduced 20 cents at both ends of the range to $12.50 to $13.50 per
cwt based on monthly NASS prices reported to date and price expectations for
the rest of the marketing year. The midpoint of $13.00 per cwt is $2.60 above
the previous year.
November 9, 2017
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Bhubaneswar: A high-level central
team led by Union minister of state for agriculture and farmer welfare Gajendra
Singh will visit Odisha from November 12 to assess crop loss caused due to pest
attacks.
For
most consumers, ‘organic’ is probably a code for ‘safe’ or ‘residue-free’, not
necessarily produce grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides. (Image:
IE) For most consumers, ‘organic’ is probably a code for ‘safe’ or
‘residue-free’, not necessarily produce grown without chemical fertilisers and
pesticides. But marketers use the tag to tap into a seam of fear in some urban
parents who are so anxious about health that they are willing to pay for
advertising that spells ‘well-being’. 
The World Rice Conference has declared Thailand's fragrant Hom
Mali variety the world's best rice, maintaining Thailand's number one position.
A rice grower from Roi Et province
displays his fragrant Hom Mali rice at a market near Government House.
Thailand's Hom Mali rice was declared the world's best rice on Wednesday. (File
photo) The World... Please credit and share this article with others
using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1356968/its-official-thai-rice-is-the-worlds-best.
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