15th november,2017 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Daily Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter November 15, 2017 Volume 9 | Issuu XI

Quality of carbohydrates is vital to good health The Global Partnership Working Around the Clock to Save Wild Relatives of Major Crops PM reviews rice research at IRRI — ASEAN Summit India, Philippines sign four agreements to strengthen bilateral ties Traditional Japanese broth aids gastric emptying: First-of-its-kind trial PM Modi visit to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines Paddy Procurement Begins In Sambalpur Food Science's Mukhopadhyay, Siebenmorgen Win Second Cereal Chemists Award in Four Years Narendra Modi in Philippines: PM visits International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, meets Indian scientists Fresh NGT order allows units meeting emission norms Basmati rice makes Greek Style Rice Pilaf special LONDON: Spectacular Pakistani stalls at the annual fair of Commonwealth Countries League (CCL) in London have turned out to be a great attraction for the visitors TDAP participates in Foodex Saudi Exhibition at Jeddah Amid bumper paddy yield, Punjab, Haryana procure 235 lakh tonnes Bangladesh scraps rice deal with Cambodia Rice Webinar: Thursday, November 16 Japan's Foodservice Industry Creates High Demand for U.S. Medium Grain NRRI advises farmers against torching their pest affected crops How to Feed the Planet and Its Additional 1.5 Billion Persons 30 Years from Now Rice farmers need support India, Philippines ink deals on defence, agriculture Accolade for Odia agro scientist Food Science's Mukhopadhyay, Siebenmorgen Win Second Cereal Chemists Award in Four Years Visiting Rice Research Institute In Philippines, PM Modi Donates 2 Indian Seed Varieties To Gene Bank Bangladesh scraps rice deal with Cambodia Scraps Rice Deal With Cambodia Over Shipment Delay India's LT Foods buys facility in Texas for rice product processing A heart-saving medical device the size of a grain of rice was just backed by a $60 million investment led by two Australian VC firms Rice production in South Korea hits 37-year low in 2017 S. Korea’s Rice Production Drops to Lowest Level in Nearly 40 yrs China partnership to strengthen rice sector Achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2018

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

1

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rice News Detail‌

Quality of carbohydrates is vital to good health 14/11/2017 The consumption of quality whole grains is associated with lower mortality rates and lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and possibly colorectal cancer, according to a statement released today by the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC), a global committee of leading nutrition scientists.

The committee, whose only UK academic is Dr Marie-Ann Ha of Anglia Ruskin University, today released the Consensus Statement on Whole Grains as the culmination of its third meeting, which took place in Rome in late September.

Whole grains, such as those found in wholemeal bread, pasta and brown rice, are important sources of dietary fibre, nutrients and phytochemicals in the diet. The scientists stressed the importance to consume about two servings per day (16g dry weight per serving) of whole grains, as this quantity is associated with health benefits. The statement adds that whole grain foods with a low glycaemic index, such as pasta, should be encouraged.

Furthermore, the scientists stressed the need to communicate information on whole grains to the public and health professionals, including increasing awareness about health benefits, information on whole grain content of foods, promotion in the media, efforts by the food industry and food services to make whole grains enjoyable and affordable, and to support a regulatory environment that promotes simple but evidence-based labelling and on-pack promotion.

Dr Ha, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Grains are the major source of carbohydrates globally, but the quality of these grains is vital to ensure a healthy diet. “The ICQC decided to focus on this subject for our third meeting, and we believe this Consensus Statement is important to promote healthy eating and lower the risk of obesity and disease.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

2

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “We need to determine the difference between intact whole grains, like brown rice, and milled whole grains, such as those found in wholemeal bread and pasta. Both have a positive effect on

health, but the question of how exactly these respective benefits are seen requires more research.�

About ICQC The International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC) is a non-profit, worldwide organization of scientists with expertise in carbohydrate nutrition research, whose mission is to support, summarize and disseminating the science around dietary carbohydrate and health with a focus on quality and to harmonize the work of scientists from academia, industry and government. Our activities focus primarily on carbohydrate nutrition and health promotion. https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/quality-of-carbohydrates-is-vital-to-good-health/?

The Global Partnership Working Around the Clock to Save Wild Relatives of Major Crops courtesy of The Crop Trust.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

3

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter In the early 1970s, a wild species of grass saved its cousin, rice, from the devastating grassy stunt virus. Today, a global partnership managed by The Crop Trust and the Millennium Seedbank at Kew is scaling up a ten-year effort to catalog, conserve, and prepare the genetics of other wild cousins of major crops, known as crop wild relatives(CWRs), in light of increasing stresses to agriculture including climate change and population growth.

The total damage from the rice virus amounted to more than US$2.5 billion in 2017 dollars and at least 116,000 hectares (287,000 acres) of destroyed rice fields before it was stopped, according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Scientists at IRRI reacted to the outbreak by screening nearly 7,000 varieties of modern rice and rice CWRs for resistance to the virus. They found only one that was resistant: a sample of Oryza nivara, a rice CWR that is native to Uttar Pradesh, India. By 1988, IRRI reported that more than 30 million hectares (74 million acres) in 30 countries were planted with varieties of virus-resistant rice bred to contain genes from Oryza nivara.

In contrast, scientists in the 1840s did not yet know that potato CWRs contain genes for resistance to the disease that triggered the Irish Potato Famine, and so could not respond in time to save the 1 million Irish who died from starvation and related causes.

Estimates of the economic value of crop wild relatives vary widely, but the business services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers put the total potential value of the future use of wild genepools of 32 major global crops at up to US$196 billion. Meanwhile, more than one-fifth of plant species worldwide are threatened with extinction due to increasing pressure from wars, pollution, urbanization, climate change, the intensification of agriculture, and invasive species, according to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “It’s now clear that scientists around the world are in a race against time to collect and conserve many of the most important plant species for future food security,” says Dr. Nora CastañedaÁlvarez, a scientist at The Crop Trust.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

4

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Crop Trust, the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew, and their partners are confronting this problem on a global level by identifying gaps in the world’s collections of CWRs,supporting the collecting efforts of 24 national programs to fill those gaps, and working with more than 40 institutions to develop pre-breeding materials that will help adapt crops to a changing climate.

Castañeda-Álvarez was part of an international team that published a study in 2016showing that 95 percent of CWRs are insufficiently represented in the world’s genebanks.Genebanks are collections of samples of crops and CWRs around the world designed to make genetic resources available cheaply and effectively for the long term. Crops for which CWRs are in “urgent need of collection and conservation” include banana, sweet potato, carrot, pineapple, and spinach.

Even collections for CWRs of some vital staples like rice, wheat, potato, and maize show “significant gaps.” The team found that 29 percent of the CWRs for 81 of the world’s most important crops are completely missing from the world’s genebanks.

Because CWR genetic material has value to agricultural systems around the world, the members of the CWR partnership ensure the availability of the collected and developed materials under the terms of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to ensure international access. Breeders and farmers around the world can obtain and work with materials stewarded in any of the 144 countries that are party to the Treaty as long as they agree to make varieties they develop freely available or, if they develop a commercial product, pay a percentage of profits into a benefit-sharing fund.

Luis Salazar, The Crop Trust’s Communications Manager, explains, “We live in an interdependent world. We all eat the same basic staple crops, and thus it’s everybody’s responsibility to also make sure we safeguard the crop diversity that is the basis of our food security.”

In order to make the resilience traits that CWRs may display available for breeders to work with, the CWR partnership has initiated pre-breeding projects focused on 19 high-priority crops. The

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

5

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter pre-breeding process aims to isolate desired genetic traits and introduce them into breeding lines that are more readily crossable with modern varieties.

Lentils were chosen for pre-breeding because they fix their own nitrogen and are the main source of protein in many diets that are low in meat but face an “extreme” genetic bottleneck and are suffering from droughts and fungus in production centers like Turkey and Canada. Carrots are a vitamin-rich, storable, high-value crop that is seeing significant yield gaps in high-stress growing conditions, such as saline soils in Bangladesh and more regular heat waves in Pakistan. Sweet potato plants grow fast, need little input and labor, produce more energy per land area than any other food crop, and have served as a vital famine relief crop in countries from Mozambique to Japan.

As climate change and other pressures continue to increase in severity, the value of the CWR project’s work will only become more urgent, according to Marie Haga, the Executive Director of The Crop Trust. She recently told Food Tank, “The astonishing range of species and varieties cultivated by farmers past and present is one of the world’s most valuable natural resources. It represents the raw materials that plant breeders and farmers need for tomorrow’s climateresilient crops. When we lose this diversity, we lose our options for the future.”

For example, the sub-group of banana varieties that makes up 99 percent of banana exports derives from one variety grown by one man in the 1950s that proved resistant to a fungus that nearly wiped out the global banana market. Today, multiple new fungal pathogens are spreading through banana plantations around the world with even greater speed because of the efficiency of international transportation and increasingly variable precipitation patterns caused by climate change. The banana is the world’s most popular fruit, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In the quest to save it, The Crop Trust and its partners are turning to banana CWRS for answers.

6

https://foodtank.com/news/2017/11/crop-trust-wild-relatives/

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter PM reviews rice research at IRRI — ASEAN Summit Elias Hubbard November 14, 2017

Indian scientists at IRRI brief PM Modi on benefits of special rice varieties which provide substantial benefits to Indian farmers.

Bhubaneswar: Odisha-born scientist Dr. Kshirod Jena today explained benefits of salt-tolerant rice varieties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Manila in Philippines during the latter's visit to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

The Prime Minister reviewed a photo exhibit showcasing flood tolerant rice varieties; drought tolerant rice varieties; salinity tolerant rice varieties; and IRRI's work with women farming cooperatives.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

7

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter IRRI describes itself as "the world's premier research organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science".

A "rice field laboratory" named after Prime Minister Modi was also inaugurated by him at the institute.

IRRI will also work with the Indian Center for Agriculture Research to have local farmers test the innovation.

India is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, the Prime Minister's constituency, to develop high-yielding rice varieties. The IRRI, which is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in the 1960s and now, it boasts of having offices in 17 countries.

"Dr. Arvind Kumar informed benefits of drought-tolerant rice varieties which stabilize the productivity of rice on over 12 million hectares of drought-prone areas in India and improve the livelihoods of poor rural communities", External Affairs Ministry said in a tweet.

IRRI has an office in India, and 16 other countries in Asia and Africa.

On Twitter, Modi said he met with Indian scientists and researchers who work at IRRI. Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to Manila to attend the ASEAN India summit and East Asia Summit on November 14.

The Philippine laboratory will conduct the research, and the data will be forwarded to the Indian office for testing. http://clicklancashire.com/2017/11/14/pm-reviews-rice-research-at-irri-asean-summit.html

India, Philippines sign four agreements to strengthen bilateral ties Nov 14, 2017 15:43 IST RUPALI PRUTHI

8

India, Philippines

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter India and the Philippines on 13 November 2017 signed four agreements to enhance cooperation in various fields including defence and foreign services. The agreements were signed following the PM Narendra Modi bilateral meeting with the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte.

These four agreements cover areas of defence, agriculture, small and medium enterprises and tieup between think-tanks of both the countries.The agreements were signed during PM Modi three-day visit to Manila, the Philippines to attend the 15th India-Association of Sou

Traditional Japanese broth aids gastric emptying: First-of-its-kind trial

By Gary Scattergood 15-Nov-2017 - Last updated on 15-Nov-2017 at 02:27 GMT Ingestion of the broth may improve gastric motility.

Three amino acids – the key components in traditional Japanese broth (dashi) – promote gastric emptying in healthy adults and could therefore be beneficial to people with functional dyspepsia.

Dashi is prepared by boiling dried foods such as kelp and bonito for a very short time, and contains amino acids that confer a savoury, umami taste to meals The concentrations of three free amino acids (histidine, glutamate, aspartate) were 10- to 12-fold higher compared with 15 other free amino found in three broths assessed by researchers at Kyoto University.

Based on the component analysis of the three actual broths served in traditional restaurants, a chemically synthesized broth was prepared to investigate their effect on glucose metabolism and digestion.

Seven healthy individuals were enrolled in a four-period crossover study. Participants drank or ate hot water, synthesized broth, hot water with rice, and synthesized broth with rice.

Writing in the journal Nutrition, they stated: “Ingesting synthesized broth with rice resulted in a rapid rise in plasma glucose in an early postprandial phase compared with that by ingesting water with rice.

“Ingesting synthesized broth with rice resulted in a significantly higher gastric emptying coefficient than that after rice with water.”

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

9

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Future studies They added that the findings were especially relevant for people suffering with functional dyspepsia, symptoms of which include early satiation and pain or burning in the epigastrium.

“A clinically interesting finding of the present study is that the common broth in the Japanese diet may be a dietary option for patients with functional dyspepsia to alleviate delayed gastric emptying and promote digestion,” added the researchers.

“Further studies to demonstrate the beneficial effect of broth in patients with functional dyspepsia are required.”

The researchers added that, unlike the Mediterranean diet, there are few studies that have assessed the health benefits of the Japanese diet.

“The present study sheds light on the function of clear broth, which may have some healthy effects,” they added.

“Our findings suggest that ingestion of the broth of dried kelp and dried bonito may improve gastric motility.”

Source: Nutrition https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2017.08.007

“Effects of three major amino acids found in Japanese broth on glucose metabolism and gastric emptying” theast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit.

This is the second visit by Indian PM to the Philippines in 36 years after the visit of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981. Earlier in 2007, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Philippines for the ASEAN summit.

PM Modi visit to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines During his visit to the Philippines, PM Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos and interacted with several Indian scientists working there.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

10

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The scientists at IRRI briefed the PM on flood-tolerant rice varieties which can withstand 14-18 days of submergence and provide 1-3 tonnes more yield per hectare in flood-affected areas.

Following this meeting with the scientists, a ‘Rice Field Laboratory’ named after PM Modi was also inaugurated by him at the institute. The laboratory is named as 'Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory'.

PM Modi also contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines with an aim to mitigate global poverty and hunger by improving the cultivation of the key grain.

Paddy Procurement Begins In Sambalpur On Nov 15, 2017 171

KalingaTV News Network

Sambalpur: Paddy procurement for the current kharif marketing season (KMS) began in the district from today. Paddy would be procured through 77 market yards and paddy purchase centres spread across nine blocks in the district, informed a senior official.

As many as 34,285 farmers of the district have registered for selling their paddy this year. The State Government has set a tentative target to procure 2,55,882 tonnes of paddy during the current season.

A total of 51 millers would participate in the kharif paddy procurement process and the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy is `1,550 per quintal for common paddy and `1,590 per quintal for Grade ‘A’ paddy.

Ironically, a special squad, led by District Civil Supply officer, found over 22,000 gunny bags of paddy during raids in five rice mills in Burla and Ainthapali area in the district yesterday. http://kalingatv.com/latestnews/jaga-begins-playing-balia-in-special-ward/

Food Science's Mukhopadhyay, Siebenmorgen Win Second Cereal Chemists Award in Four Years Nov. 14, 2017

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

11

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Photo by Fred Miller Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay, a Bumpers College doctoral student, and Distinguished Professor of food science Terry Siebenmorgen have conducted research that could be used to improve the process of drying rice.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay, a University of Arkansas doctoral student in food science, was named winner of the student paper competition at the American Association of Cereal Chemists International annual meeting in San Diego, California, in October.Mukhopadhyay won the 2017 Engineering and Processing Best Student Paper Award for her entry, "Experimental Simulation of Cross-Flow Rice Drying: Effect of Tempering Approaches on Milling Yields."Terry Siebenmorgen, Distinguished Professor in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's Department of Food Science and with the U of A System Division of Agriculture, is Mukhopadhyay's major adviser and co-author of the research.

Mukhopadhyay's research focuses on experimental simulation of cross-flow dryers, the most common rice dryers in the U.S. rice industry. For the 2017 paper, she and Siebenmorgen simulated a cross-flow drying column with the goal of understanding the effect of post-drying tempering approaches on rice milling yields and the extent of fissure occurrence when rice from different dryer cross-sections are tempered differently. They found the tempering approach immediately after drying significantly affects head rice yields (HRYs) of rice located at different dryer cross-sections during drying. This effect was more prominent on rice located near the

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

12

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter heated-air plenum during drying. These results can be used to design better cross-flow rice dryers and improve the drying process.

Mukhopadhyay, from Kolkata, India, earned her bachelor's degree in food technology from West Bengal University of Technology in India in 2009 and her master's degree in food and agricultural engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 2012. She joined U of A's rice processing program as a graduate assistant working with Siebenmorgen in 2012.

Mukhopadhyay, who has served as a teaching assistant in food engineering, and Siebenmorgen have won the AACCI Engineering and Processing Best Student Paper Award twice in four years.

They won in 2014 for the entry "Impact of Rapid Moisture Adsorption on Rice Milling Yields."

AAACI is a global, nonprofit association of more than 2,000 scientists and food industry professionals focused on advancing the understanding and knowledge of cereal grain science and its product development applications through research, leadership, education, technical service and advocacy.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities.

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring. https://news.uark.edu/articles/40250/food-science-s-mukhopadhyay-siebenmorgen-win-secondcereal-chemists-award-in-four-years

Narendra Modi in Philippines: PM visits International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, meets Indian scientists World PTINov, 13 2017 12:04:43 IST

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

13

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Los Banos, Philippines: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited the global rice research centre in the Philippines and got a briefing from scientists at the world-famous institute which is working towards developing better quality of rice seeds to address issues relating to food scarcity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed by Philippin

e president Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday. AP A large number of Indian scientists are working in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 kms from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

A number of scientists at the IRRI briefed the prime minister on flood-tolerant rice varieties which they said can withstand 14-18 days of submergence and can provide 1-3 tonnes more yield per hectare in flood affected areas.

The Indian government is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, the prime minister’s constituency, to develop high-yielding rice varieties.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

14

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The IRRI, which has offices in 17 countries, is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in 1960s.

"The Varanasi Centre would help increase farmers' income by enhancing and supporting rice productivity, reducing cost of production, value addition, diversification and enhancement of farmers' skills," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

Spokesperson in the external affairs ministry Raveesh Kumar said the IRRI has successfully collaborated with Indian Council for Agricultural Research to introduce drought-tolerant, floodtolerant and salt-tolerant varieties of rice in India.

He said the IRRI and its partners have provided assistance to 2,00,000 women farmers in Odisha which included providing capacity building programmes, and improved agriculture technology.

The IRRI centre in Varanasi will help in utilising the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties.

Modi arrived in the Philippines on Sunday on a three-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and the East Asia summits. http://www.firstpost.com/world/narendra-modi-in-philippines-pm-visits-international-rice-researchinstitute-in-los-banos-meets-indian-scientists-4206877.html

Fresh NGT order allows units meeting emission norms Nov 15, 2017, 12:29 AM; last updated: Nov 15, 2017, 1:28 AM (IST) Nov 15, 2017, 12:29 AM; last updated: Nov 15, 2017, 1:28 AM (IST)

Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 14

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

15

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

In a tizzy after the NGT banned industrial activity in the NCR, the Industries Department, Haryana, today heaved a sigh of relief after the former allowed industrial units to operate provided these meet the norms and the emissions are within the prescribed limit.

In an order dated November 9, the NGT had imposed a ban on industrial activities that release emissions after which the Industries Department received representations seeking a clarification.

Sources said the CII in a representation to the department had termed the blanket ban as “abrupt and unwarranted� but mentioned that it supported initiatives to curb emissions. Stating that the ban should not apply to industry where emissions were within the permissible limits, the representation urged the Industries Department to intervene and ask the Haryana State Pollution Control Board to seek a clarification from the NGT while maintaining the status quo.

Various representations received by the department also wanted the board to clarify in its public notices that industrial units complying with the specified emission norms were out of the purview of the NGT order and could, therefore, continue with their activities. Also, industrial units using natural gas or other similar environment-friendly fuels could operate as per their approvals.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

16

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Industries Department, in view of the NGT order and representations from industry, had initiated the exercise of implementation while seeking a clarification on the order . “Today’s order implies that there is no ban on operation of industrial units if these are conforming to the norms,” a senior government functionary said.

Relief to 200 Karnal units Karnal : The fresh NGT order has brought cheer for around 200 industries like rice mills, sugar mills and solvent extractors edible oil plants. After the fresh order, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) asked such industrial units to resume operations that had been lying shut since Friday.in regard to carrying on their manufacturing activities. Rice millers, solvent extractors’ edible oil units and farmers hailed the decision and assured the HSPCB to abide by the prescribed emission norms . Vijay Setia, president, All-India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), said: “ We have started our mills to meet the deadline to supply rice to the state government and meet our export obligations”. “We have conveyed the fresh NGT decision to the industrial units and asked them to resume operations,” said Virender Kumar, SDO, HSPCB. TNS http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/fresh-ngt-order-allows-units-meeting-emissionnorms/497583.html

Basmati rice makes Greek Style Rice Pilaf special 

By SARA MOULTON Associated Press  Nov 13, 2017 Updated Nov 13, 2017

Sara Moulton

This photo shows a Greek-style rice pilaf served with chicken in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

Sara Moulton

This Nov. 3, 2017 photo shows a Greek-style rice pilaf served with chicken in New York. This dish is from a recipe

by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

17 Sara Moulton

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

This photo shows a Greek-style rice pilaf served with chicken in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

With the exception of ooey-gooey potato concoctions, side dishes rarely get any respect. Most of us devote our love and attention to the protein in the center of the plate and then throw together some kind of vegetable and/or starch as an afterthought. Here, however, is a pilaf fully capable of stealing the limelight from the usual star of the show.

It's basmati rice that makes Greek Style Rice Pilaf so special. An especially aromatic grain used for centuries in India and Pakistan, basmati doesn't usually show up in a Greek-styled pilaf. But I prefer its naturally nutty taste to the blandness of the usual varieties of long-grain rice. (There's a reason that basmati means fragrant in Hindi.) The seasonings, of course, are also key: sauteed spinach spiked with red pepper flakes, feta cheese, olives and dill.

To make sure the cooked grains ended up separate and fluffy — and to wash away excess starch — I started by rinsing the rice. This requires covering the rice in several inches of cold water,

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

18

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter stirring it in a circular motion several times, dumping off the water and starting again with fresh water. Repeat this process as often as it takes for the water to become almost clear.

Cooking rice also requires some care. It needs to be tightly sealed and cooked at a bare simmer to achieve the right texture. Place a wet paper towel under the lid to ensure that no liquid can escape. Waiting 10 minutes after it's cooked before fluffing it up allows all the moisture to be absorbed.

If you're no fan of feta, just swap in ricotta salata, a kind of aged ricotta. You're also welcome to lose the dill in favor of oregano, basil or mint. And if you don't like olives, just leave them out.

Finally, if you'd prefer a vegetarian version of this dish, reach for vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Born as a side dish, Greek Style Rice Pilaf easily converts to main-dish status. Just top it off with a little sauteed shrimp or chicken and call it a meal.

Greek Style Rice Pilaf Start to finish: 1 hour (30 minutes active) Servings: 6 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed until the water runs clear and drained 1 teaspoon minced garlic

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

19

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 8 ounces baby spinach 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 ounces finely crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup) 1 ounce chopped Mediterranean olives (heaping 1/4 cup) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill In a medium saucepan cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it is golden, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and garlic; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low, adjusting the temperature to make sure that the broth maintains a bare simmer, cover the top of the pot with a wet paper towel and a tight-fitting lid and cook, without stirring, for 17 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

While the rice is simmering, cook the spinach. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil over high heat, add half the spinach and cook, stirring until it is wilted, add half the pepper flakes, stir and transfer the spinach to a bowl. Repeat the procedure with the remaining oil, spinach and pepper flakes and set aside.

When the rice is done and has rested for 10 minutes, add the feta, olives and dill and, using a fork, fluff the rice to separate the grains. Serve right away.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

20

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter ——— Nutrition information per serving: 259 calories; 110 calories from fat; 12 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 8 mg cholesterol; 211 mg sodium; 30 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 6 g protein. https://pilotonline.com/life/flavor/basmati-rice-makes-greek-style-rice-pilaf-special/article_b1a038b63d10-5822-989f-fc92dee70e70.html

LONDON: Spectacular Pakistani stalls at the annual fair of Commonwealth Countries League (CCL) in London have turned out to be a great attraction for the visitors

21

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter According to a message received here, the stalls showcased Pakistan’s cultural richness and diversity through traditional handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs and exotic cuisine.

Pakistani cuisine, especially, the rice dish ‘Biryani’, with its exquisite taste, aroma and presentation, was a culinary delight for the food lovers.

Wife of Pakistan's High Commissioner, Mrs Sadaf Abbas, along with the ladies of the High Commission introduced the visitors to the beautiful handicrafts made by the Pakistani women.

22

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Speaking on the occasion, the wife of high commissioner said: “The CCL fair is an annual feature on our list of events. The proceeds of the Pakistani stalls are donated to the Commonwealth Girls Education Fund (CGEF). The Fund equips the disadvantaged girls with education to bring about positive change in the society.”

High Commissioner Syed Ibne Abbas visited the Pakistani stalls and appreciated the efforts of the ladies of the High Commission for actively promoting Pakistan’s culture and traditional products through participation in international fairs.

23

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

On this occasion, he said: "We have excellent relations with the Commonwealth, and participation in such events would further cement these relations.�

24

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The fair was held at Kensington Town Hall, London on November 11. The occasion provided the visitors with a great experience of cultures of the Commonwealth countries. http://thenews.com.pk/latest/244205-Rich-Pakistani-culture-showcased-at-Commonwealth-fair

TDAP participates in Foodex Saudi Exhibition at Jeddah November 14, 2017

JEDDAH - The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in collaboration with Commercial Section Consulate General of Pakistan participated in Foodex SaudiExhibition Jeddah , being held from November 12-15, 2017 at Jeddah Center for Events & Forums.

The Exhibition was inaugurated by Prince Abdullah bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, Head of Tourism & Entertainment Committee at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

25

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Consul General of Pakistan Consulate Shehryar Akbar Khan told that that promoting bilateral trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is one of the foremost responsibility, among others, of Pakistan Consulate. He said that 11 Pakistani companies are participating in the exhibition . The participating companies/ exhibitors are among the top exporters from Pakistan dealing in rice, beverages, spices, bakery and confectionaries.

He said that while Saudi Arabia is the region’s largest food producer with 74.1 percent of total products in the GCC, it imports more than $25 billion worth of food and beverage products each year to meet its rising consumption demands. He added that with growing demand at an annual rate of 18.5 percent due to expanding domestic market on account of growing population and increasing annual pilgrimage, SaudiArabia’s food and drink imports are likely to reach around $ 70 billion per annum in next four to five years. Reliance on imports is also likely to increase as the Saudigovernment has decided to reduce wheat production to conserve water, he told.

These developments, Shehryar Akbar Khan said, offer huge opportunity to Pakistani companies to further penetrate into Saudi market and increase their market share. Given the fact that Pakistan is an agricultural country, and more than 50 percent of its exports are agro and textile based it has enormous potential to increase its exports by tapping halal food market of Saudi Arabia, which currently imports more that 80 percent of its total food and beverages requirement.

Commercial Counselor Shehzad Ahmad Khan said that Pakistan Consulate is extending full cooperation to Pakistani businessmen match-making for their products in Saudi Arabia and to tap enormous opportunities emerging out of Saudi Vision 2030 to promote bilateral and investment. http://nation.com.pk/14-Nov-2017/tdap-participates-in-foodex-saudi-exhibition-at-jeddah

Amid bumper paddy yield, Punjab, Haryana procure 235 lakh tonnes

26

IANS | Chandigarh Last Updated at November 14, 2017 22:13 IST

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Agrarian states Punjab and Haryana have procured over 235 lakh tonnes of paddy so far, Food and Supplies Department officials said here on Tuesday.

Punjab has procured over 169 lakh tonnes and Haryana over 66 lakh tonnes, heading towards record paddy procurement this season.

Government agencies have procured 98.5 per cent of the paddy arriving in the grain markets in Punjab and nearly 95 per cent in Haryana. The remaining paddy has been procured by rice millers and private traders.

Punjab is expecting a record procurement of over 182 lakh tonnes of paddy this year compared with over 168 lakh tonnes last year.

Paddy arrival in Haryana is much higher than the over 60 lakh tonnes that arrived in the state's grain markets corresponding period last year.

The procurement, which began in both states on October 1, will continue till November end.

The Reserve Bank of India has sanctioned over Rs 33,800 crore for paddy procurement in Punjab in this kharif season.

--IANS js/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/amid-bumper-paddy-yield-punjab-haryana-procure-235-lakhtonnes

Bangladesh scraps rice deal with Cambodia A woman cleans rice for sale at a shop in Phnom Penh on Aug 2, 2017. (Reuters photo)

27

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

DHAKA: Bangladesh has cancelled its first-ever deal with Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white rice over a delay in shipments, officials at the state grains buyer said on Tuesday.

The deal was signed in August at $453.00 a tonne as the Bangladesh government raced to shore up depleted stocks and combat record domestic prices of the staple grain after floods hit its crop.

"We had to terminate the deal as they failed to supply the rice on time," Badrul Hasan, the head of Bangladesh's state grain buyer, told Reuters. Despite deals with several rice-exporting countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, Bangladesh is battling to build its reserves, with rice imports set to hit their highest levels in a decade. "We don't think this will have an impact on our efforts to build stocks," he said, adding the state grains buyer was in talks with an Indian agency. "Tomorrow we are holding talks with India's National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED).

We hope we will succeed in finalising a deal with them." Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the grain this year and helped pushed Asian rice prices to multi-year highs in June. Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh's 160

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

28

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter million people and high prices pose a problem for the government, which faces a national election next year. Bangladesh has also issued a series of tenders as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million tonnes of rice in the year to June. Rice at government warehouses stood at 411,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1 million tonnes. In August, Bangladesh cut a duty on rice imports for the second time in two months. The lower import duty has prompted purchases by private dealers, with most of the deals being struck with neighbouring India.

Bangladesh produces around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to feed its population. It often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts. https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1360391/bangladesh-scraps-rice-deal-with-cambodia

Rice Webinar: Thursday, November 16

Tune in Thursday, November 16, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, for a new rice webinar hosted by Dr. Bobby Coats, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas. Jeremy D. Edwards, a USDA research plant molecular geneticist at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, provides an overview of new gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 and their potential impact on the future of rice and plant breeding. Current and prospective applications, and technical and consumer acceptance challenges will be discussed.

Go here to register for the webinar.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

29

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter USA Rice Daily

Japan's Foodservice Industry Creates High Demand for U.S. Medium Grain

By Yumi Kojima

TOKYO, JAPAN -- Demand for U.S. medium grain rice by the foodservice industry in Japan is on the upswing as the first Simultaneous Buy-Sell (SBS) tender in 2017 was fully subscribed with U.S. rice gaining a 77 percent share of the 25,000 MT purchased. And on Friday, November 10, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced a second tender for 25,000 MT of rice to be held on November 29.

"A shortage of reasonably priced domestic rice, favored by the Japanese foodservice industry, is driving the demand," said Jim Guinn, director of USA Rice Asia Promotion Programs. "Fortunately, buyers here have a good awareness of the quality and versatility of Calrose rice because USA Rice has been promoting U.S. medium grain rice in Japan since 2007."

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

30

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Just last week, USA Rice hosted a foodservice seminar here where Guinn provided an overview of production and exports of U.S. rice, and talked about U.S. industry initiatives to provide a quality and safe product for the domestic and international markets while maintaining water quality, protecting the environment, and providing habitat for 230 species of wildlife.

More than 70 attendees attended the seminar that featured technical information on the quality and versatility of U.S. rice, and a side-by-side sampling of two dishes made from Calrose and locally produced rice.

NRRI advises farmers against torching their pest affected crops Binita Jaiswal| TNN | Updated: Nov 14, 2017, 15:05 IST Representative Image CUTTACK: National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) has warned the farmers against torching their pest-affected standing paddy crop as it will aggravate the problem further.

Scientists at NRRI have claimed that notorious brown planthopper (BPH) pest disperses easily

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

31

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter and spreads to newer areas when farmer sets his standing crop on fire.

"The BPH is a very complex pest and when it faces adverse condition it develops wings to deal with it. If the pest affected damaged crop is left as it is then the BPH may die due to scarcity of food. But as farmers are burning their crops, the BPH are attaining winged form quickly and flying away to newer areas," said a senior scientist of NRRI. "If the practice continues then the pest will spread to newer areas and affect others fields," added the scientist.

Recommended By Colombia Even the director of NRRI, Himanshu Pathak, has advised farmers to refrain from burning their crops. "Due to torching of the crops, the quality and fertility of the soil is affected and it will automatically have an impact on productivity. Besides, it creates lot of pollution," said Pathak.

Meanwhile, NRRI after thoroughly examining the pest affected areas have submitted a detail report to the state government and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on it. A team of NRRI scientists had visited pest affected paddy fields in Bargarh and other affected areas

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

32

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter and have submitted a report citing the reasons behind the problem. The team has also made some recommendations to protect the crop from such pest attack in future. However, the director refused to divulge anything on their findings.

Scientists of the institution have said that immediate measures should be taken to create awareness among farmers about the right usage of pesticide and proper technique of spraying the pesticides on crops.

Notably, farmers in Bargarh, Ganjam, and few other districts in the state have set their crops on fire on acres of paddy fields following pest attacks.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/cuttack/nrri-advises-farmers-against-torching-their-pestaffected-crops/articleshow/61632027.cms

How to Feed the Planet and Its Additional 1.5 Billion Persons 30 Years from Now Paper Reviewed Mariani, L. 2017. Carbon plants nutrition and global food security. The European Physical Journal Plus 132: 69.

One of the greatest issues of our time is that of global food security -- more specifically, will the agricultural sector be able to successfully rise to the challenge of producing enough food to feed an increasing world population that is projected to reach 9 billion people just three decades from now? This critical question has been asked by numerous scientists and policy makers; and it has gathered more attention in recent years in light of predictions that rising temperatures may negatively impact future crop yields.

The latest researcher to weigh-in on the subject is Mariani (2017), who utilized a physiologicalprocess-based crop simulation model to estimate the change in food production under five

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

33

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

different temperature and CO2 scenarios for four crops (wheat, maize, rice and soybean) that account for two-thirds of total global human caloric consumption. The scenarios included Today, Pre-Industrial, Glacial, Future_560 and Future_800, which correspond to respective atmospheric CO2 concentrations of 400, 280, 180, 560 and 800 ppm, and temperatures that were -1 (PreIndustrial), -6 (Glacial), +2 (Future_560) and +4 °C (Future_800) different from the Today scenario. And what did the author's model reveal?

As illustrated in the figure below, Mariani notes that a "return to a glacial period would reduce by 51% the global productivity for thermal (low temperatures) and nutritional (low levels of CO2) reasons," whereas a return to pre-industrial conditions would reduce global production of the four keystone crops by 18 percent. Looking to the future, however, Mariani notes that increases in both CO2 and temperature would improve production, increasing the combined production of wheat, maize, rice and soybean by 15 and 24 percent above today's values.

Commenting on his findings and looking to the past, Mariani writes that "the return of temperature and CO2 to glacial or pre-industrial values would give rise to serious disadvantages

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

34

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter for food security and should be as far as possible avoided, as also highlighted by the results of Cage and Coleman (2001) and Araus et al. (2003)" (emphasis added). And with an eye to the future, Mariani says that "the agricultural sector is able to successfully meet the challenge of global change and guarantee food security to levels higher than the current ones for a world population that in 2050 will exceed 9 billion people," to which we would add -- only if governments avoid implementing CO2 emission reduction schemes, which schemes are appearing more and more to be akin to genocide.

Figure 1. Percent change in the combined production of wheat, maize, rice and soybean under five different temperature and CO2 scenarios (as described in the text above). Source: Mariani (2017).

References Araus, J.L., Slafer, G.A., Buxó, R. and Romagosa, R. 2003. Productivity in prehistoric agriculture: physiological models for the quantification of cereal yields as an alternative to traditional approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science 30: 681-693.

Sage, R.F. and Coleman, J.R. 2001. Effects of low atmospheric CO 2 on plants: more than a thing of the past. Trends in Plant Science 6: 18-24.

http://www.co2science.org/articles/V20/nov/a8.php

Rice farmers need support  EDITORIALBANGKOK POST EDITORIAL COLUMN



13 Nov 2017 at 04:20



NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS

A large variety of alternative rice is already available, each with its own health and ecological advantages over traditional 'ordinary' and hom mali varieties. (Photos provided) The Rice Exporters Association went to Macau last week and brought home a championship for Thailand. Judges at the Rice Trader World Rice Conference 2017 awarded the title of World's Best Rice to a sample of Thai Hom Mali, often called jasmine rice for its fragrance. At the risk of sounding like sour grapes, the award had mixed blessings. It was arguably a missed opportunity.

Thai Hom Mali is well known by both gourmets and those who eat rice all around the world. It has been well marketed, to the point where a million tonnes is sold and consumed outside the country a year. This superior product has been at or near the top of global favour for at least four decades. It is probably the No.1 factor in boosting Thailand as the top rice seller in the world.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

35

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

As we are thrilled with the championship, Honorary President Chookiat Ophaswongse and his group should also look at boosting the presence of other varieties of rice in international markets.

In just the past few years, entrepreneurs, agricultural experts and visionary farmers have created an exciting and dynamic set of choices for the Thai public. Dozens of new varieties and mixes of rice are being grown under cleaner, environmentally friendly conditions.

The Rice Exporters Association should explore a chance to tell the Macau conference and the world about that. Virtually every market and mall in Thailand has packets of the new rice varieties. Rice is no longer that boring old white food staple. It comes in natural colours -- green, black, red, brown, purple. Varieties are mixed together, producing rice that actually blends with meals, and even a separate dish. For example, the recent Masterchef Thailand TVseries' final challenge was for the chefs to produce a dish using only eight new varieties of locally grown rice.

In short, Thai farmers have broken the stereotype of rice -- including fragrant, tasty jasmine -- as the most boring part of the meal. They have done this using mostly organic farming methods.

Most of the new rice varieties are produced by methods that have drastically cut or eliminated excessive use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. It's one of the greatest agricultural

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

36

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter developments in recent Thai history, and it is being tragically ignored in important circles that matter.

Growing and selling rice is tough work, and it's fitting that farmers are called the backbone of the nation. Successive governments and exporters have both promoted and exploited rice growers.

Thai rice in all its popular forms is sold locally and worldwide -- ordinary "broken" varieties, glutinous and fragrant hom mali. Americans alone consume more than 2.5 million kilogrammes of jasmine rice every day. And of course Thailand is the biggest rice exporter in the world, despite great competition from India, Vietnam and, ironically, the United States.

Government and rice exporters have built this market. But right now, both groups are missing the chance to give the strongest backing possible to the new breed of farmers and developers. Rice entrepreneurs selling new varieties have added massive value to the product. This is supposedly what this and previous governments wanted. Yet now that it actually has happened and is ready to go before the world, rice promoters like Mr Chookiat's group should do the farmers and, in fact, the country a service.

Congratulations for winning the title yet again. But it is time to move with the times. The new breed of rice farmers deserves more support. Rice is a mass product, and requires mass marketing. Thailand sells a million tonnes a year of jasmine rice. The new brands, with their modern look and, yes, fragrance, deserve better support

India, Philippines ink deals on defence, agriculture Four agreements were signed between the two countries, which covered areas of defence, agriculture, small and medium enterprises and tie-up between think-tanks.

Written by Shubhajit Roy | Manila | Updated: November 14, 2017 6:19 am

37

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Philippines, on Monday. PTI

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday expressed his desire to enhance “defence cooperation” with India, as he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two sides signed a defence cooperation agreement. He was accompanied by five Cabinet-rank ministers from the Philippines side.

He is also committed to improving the public health system and wants Indian infrastructure companies to pitch in his flagship “build, build and build programme”, Ministry of External Affairs’ Secretary (East) Preeti Saran said on Monday.

Four agreements were signed between the two countries, which covered areas of defence, agriculture, small and medium enterprises and tie-up between think-tanks. She said that the idea is to have private and public enterprises to cooperate in the defence sector, including on the offshore patrolling vessels.

“President Duterte and PM Modi had an excellent meeting,” Saran said, adding that “Duterte said he would like to have very good relations with India”.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

38

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Modi arrived in Manila on Sunday on a three-day visit to the Philippines, during which he will attend the 15th India-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit tomorrow.

This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to this Southeast Asian nation in 36 years after the visit of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981, though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Philippines in 2007 for the ASEAN summit.

Earlier in the day, Modi contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines which he said is working towards mitigating global poverty and hunger by improving the cultivation of the key grain.

He also visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality around 65 km from Manila — the capital of the Philippines — and interacted with several Indian scientists working there.

A number of scientists at IRRI briefed the PM on flood-tolerant rice varieties which, they said, can withstand 14-18 days of submergence and provide 1-3 tonnes more yield per hectare in flood-affected areas.

Modi said the flood-resistant rice varieties that can withstand 14-18 days of submergence would help farmers and enhance their income. “Salinity tolerant rice varieties will help farmers where the soil is saline, for example Kutch. I also saw a drought tolerant rice variety that can help farmers in times of droughts,” Modi tweeted. Modi said he was also shown drones that could be used in the agriculture sector and help farmers.

A ‘rice field laboratory’ named after PM Modi was also inaugurated by him at the institute. He unveiled a plaque marking the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory. “A contribution from India to IRRI… presented two Indian rice seed varieties to the IRRI gene bank,” the PM tweeted. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-philippines-ink-deals-on-defence-agriculture-pm-modiduterte-asean-summit-4936341/

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

39

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Accolade for Odia agro scientist

By Hemant Kumar Rout | Express News Service | Published: 14th November 2017 02:57 AM | Last Updated: 14th November 2017 07:31 AM |

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with Kshirod Jena in Philippines | Express BHUBANESWAR : A new salinity tolerant paddy variety developed by an Odia agricultural scientist at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Los Banos in Philippines on Monday. The Prime Minister is in the island country for the ASEAN summit. The paddy variety that can survive in saline soil under 260 mM concentration of salt at seedling stage and 180 mM concentration of salt at reproductive stage has been developed by Principal Scientist of IRRI Kshirod Jena. Jena used a brackish water wild rice Oryza coarctata (a halophyte) that is found in Odisha and West Bengal coast.

Jena, a plant breeder, has come up with the salt tolerant variety by transferring novel salt tolerance genes from the wild rice for the first time in the world. The breeding lines of the rice has been tested in sea water irrigated rice fields at Ilo Ilo in Philippines. The plants are highly fertile under salt stress and the yield is normal.“I have used innovative strategies and transferred genes into rice. It can survive at two per cent NaCl and produce good yield under salt stress. The variety has been field tested in Philippines and it will be tested in Indian conditions next year,� Jena said in an e-mail conversation.

Since about 20 per cent of rice area (about seven million hectares) is affected by salinity that covers coastal saline area as well as inland saline areas, the researchers believe the salt

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

40

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter tolerant variety can increase rice production six fold from 0.6 tonne per hectare to more than four tonne per hectare.

“Normal rice, which is a glycophyte, can survive only at 40 mM concentration of sodium chloride. I have used novel genomics tools and chromosome engineering to develop the rice variety. I transferred salt tolerance genes from this species into cultivated rice which is a first of-its-kind research work,” Jena claimed.

Other salt tolerant rice varieties developed by IRRI are from traditional salt tolerant varieties Pokkali and Nona Bokra - whose salt tolerance level is moderate. These varieties can survive at 100 mM concentration of salt. But the salt tolerant varieties would give better yield.A native of Nikirai village in Kendrapara district, Jena has done MSc from Utkal University with specialisation in Cytogenetics. “It was a great opportunity for me to explain the benefits of salt tolerant rice and our ongoing researches to the Prime Minister,” he added.

After his visit to IRRI, Modi tweeted: “Salinity tolerant rice varieties will help farmers where the soil is saline, for example Kutch. I also saw a drought tolerant rice variety that can help farmers in times of droughts.”

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2017/nov/14/accolade-for-odia-agro-scientist-1700589.html

Visiting Rice Research Institute In Philippines, PM Modi Donates 2 Indian Seed Varieties To Gene Bank PM Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 kms from Manila -- the capital of Philippines -- and interacted with a large number of Indian scientists working there.

All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: November 14, 2017 03:28 IST PM Modi inspects flood-tolerant varieties of rice at Philippines' International Rice Research Institute LOS BANOS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines which he said is working towards mitigating global poverty and hunger by improving the cultivation of the key grain.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

41

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

The Prime Minister on Monday visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 kms from Manila -- the capital of Philippines -- and interacted with a large number of Indian scientists working there.

A number of scientists at the IRRI briefed PM Modi on flood-tolerant rice varieties which they said can withstand 14-18 days of submergence and can provide 1-3 tonnes more yield per hectare in flood affected areas.

PM Modi said the flood resistant rice varieties would help farmers and enhance their income.

"Salinity tolerant rice varieties will help farmers where the soil is saline, for example Kutch. I also saw a drought tolerant rice variety that can help farmers in times of droughts," PM Modi tweeted.

He said he was also shown drones that could be used in the agriculture sector and help farmers.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

42

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

A 'rice field laboratory' named after Prime Minister Modi was also inaugurated by him at the institute.

He unveiled a plaque marking the inauguration of the Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory.

PM Modi interacted with a large number of Indian scientists at IRRI in Philippines "A contribution from India to IRRI...presented two Indian rice seed varieties to the IRRI gene bank," the Prime Minister tweeted.

PM Modi also undertook a symbolic groundbreaking for a new plot for submergence tolerant rice varieties.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

43

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter He said he saw a detailed exhibition on rice varieties and the impressive work done by IRRI with women farming cooperatives.

"My visit to IRRI was a great learning experience. Saw the exceptional work IRRI is doing towards mitigating poverty and hunger by improving rice cultivation. Their work benefits many farmers and consumers, particularly in Asia and Africa," he said.

PM Modi said India is also involved in helping IRRI in strategic planning, helping decide key goals and working to overcome hunger as well as poverty.The Indian Government is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, the Prime Minister's constituency, to develop highyielding rice varieties.The IRRI, which has offices in 17 countries, is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in 1960s."The Varanasi Centre would help increase farmers' income by enhancing and supporting rice productivity, reducing cost of production, value addition, diversification and enhancement of farmers' skills," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

44

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Spokesperson in the external affairs ministry Raveesh Kumar said the IRRI has successfully collaborated with Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to introduce droughttolerant, flood-tolerant and salt-tolerant varieties of rice in India.

PM Modi said India is involved in helping IRRI in working to overcome hunger as well as poverty.

"Interacted with Indian scientists, students, researchers working at IRRI. India's ICAR and IRRI have been cooperating for four decades. India is also involved in helping IRRI in strategic planning, helping decide key goals and working to overcome hunger as well as poverty," PM Modi said.

Mr Kumar said the IRRI and its partners have provided assistance to 2,00,000 women farmers in Odisha which included providing capacity building programmes, and improved agriculture technology.

The IRRI centre in Varanasi will help in utilising the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties.

PM Modi arrived in Philippines on Sunday on a three-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and the East Asia summits.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/visiting-rice-research-institute-in-philippines-pm-modidonates-2-indian-seed-varieties-to-gene-bank-1775037

Bangladesh scraps rice deal with Cambodia 

14 Nov 2017 at 20:18 4,842 WRITER: REUTERS

A woman cleans rice for sale at a shop in Phnom Penh on Aug 2, 2017. (Reuters photo) DHAKA: Bangladesh has cancelled its first-ever deal with Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white rice over a delay in shipments, officials at the state grains buyer said on Tuesday.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

45

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

The deal was signed in August at $453.00 a tonne as the Bangladesh government raced to shore up depleted stocks and combat record domestic prices of the staple grain after floods hit its crop.

"We had to terminate the deal as they failed to supply the rice on time," Badrul Hasan, the head of Bangladesh's state grain buyer, told Reuters.

Despite deals with several rice-exporting countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, Bangladesh is battling to build its reserves, with rice imports set to hit their highest levels in a decade.

"We don't think this will have an impact on our efforts to build stocks," he said, adding the state grains buyer was in talks with an Indian agency.

"Tomorrow we are holding talks with India's National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED). We hope we will succeed in finalising a deal with them."

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

46

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the grain this year and helped pushed Asian rice prices to multi-year highs in June.

Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh's 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government, which faces a national election next year.

Bangladesh has also issued a series of tenders as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million tonnes of rice in the year to June.

Rice at government warehouses stood at 411,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1 million tonnes.

In August, Bangladesh cut a duty on rice imports for the second time in two months. The lower import duty has prompted purchases by private dealers, with most of the deals being struck with neighbouring India.

Bangladesh produces around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to feed its population. It often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1360391/bangladesh-scraps-rice-deal-with-cambodia

Scraps Rice Deal With Cambodia Over Shipment Delay Dhaka. Bangladesh has cancelled its first-ever deal with Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white rice over a delay in shipments, officials at the state grains buyer said on Tuesday (14/11).

The deal was signed in August at $453.00 a tonne as the Bangladesh government raced to shore up depleted stocks and combat record domestic prices of the staple grain after floods hit its crop.

"We had to terminate the deal as they failed to supply the rice on time," Badrul Hasan, the head of Bangladesh's state grain buyer, told Reuters.

Despite deals with several rice exporting countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, Bangladesh is still battling to build its reserves, with rice imports are set to hit their highest levels in a decade.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

47

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

"We don't think this will have an impact on our efforts to build stocks," he said, adding the state grains buyer was in talks with an Indian agency.

"Tomorrow we are holding talks with India's National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED). We hope we will succeed to finalize a deal with them."

Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the grain this year and helped pushed Asian rice prices to multi-year highs in June.

Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh's 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government, which faces a national election next year.Bangladesh has also issued a series of tenders as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million tonnes of rice in the year to June.

Rice at government warehouses stood at 411,000 tonnes, well below the normal level of around 1 million tonnes.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

48

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter In August, Bangladesh cut a duty on rice imports for the second time in two months. The lower import duty has prompted purchases by private dealers, with most of the deals being struck with neighboring India.

Bangladesh produces around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to feed its population. It often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts

http://jakartaglobe.id/international/bangladesh-scraps-rice-deal-cambodia-shipment-delay/

India's LT Foods buys facility in Texas for rice product processing

By Andy Coyne | 14 November 2017 LT Foods - rice speciialist is expanding production in the US.

LT Foods, the Indian company behind the Daawat and Royal brands of basmati rice, has purchased a building in the Houston suburb of Missouri City.

The company will use the new facility to manufacture ready-to-eat products.

It was revealed last month in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange LT announced its intention to expand its operations in Houston for this purpose.

The "rationale for setting the facility is to diversify and take {the} lead in this growing segment", the filing said.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

49

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter To this end it has acquired a 49,778 sq ft, Class A industrial building in Lakeview Business Park in Missouri City. It is adjacent to a facility which LT Foods already owns.

Jarret Venghaus of property agent JLL, which did the deal on the new building, said: "This offering presented a great opportunity for LT Foods to expand their business without interrupting their operations.

"This location continues to serve them well and now they have the space they need to grow."

The firm mills, processes and markets branded and non-branded basmati rice, as well as manufactures rice-based products, in its domestic market and for overseas.

Its US subsidiary, LT Foods Americas, located in Cypress, California, was established in 1992 and imports basmati rice along with Thai Hom Mali Jasmine rice from Thailand, grape seed oil from Spain, and tea from Sri Lanka.

https://www.just-food.com/news/indias-lt-foods-buys-facility-in-texas-for-rice-productprocessing_id138164.aspx

A heart-saving medical device the size of a grain of rice was just backed by a $60 million investment led by two Australian VC firms IMAGE: HTTPS://SECURE.GRAVATAR.COM/AVATAR/1297F290E355664D675FB4D28714BF5D?S=32&D=MM &R=G

TONY YOO NOV 15, 2017, 3:38 PM

50

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

A new medical tech device the size of “a large grain of rice” that keeps heart failure patients alive has completed a $60 million capital raising round led by two Australian investment firms.

Conventional CRT devices require wires to transmit pulses to the heart, but this means it cannot get inside the left ventricle due to the risk of clots that that can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Californian medical technology startup EBR Systems claims its small WiSE-CRT implanted device gets those signals inside the left ventricle without wires.

Sydney venture capital firms Brandon Capital and MH Carnegie & Co led the capital raising round.

“I’m convinced that wireless pacing represents the future of cardiac pacing and that EBR Systems is at the forefront of this technological advancement,” said MH Carnegie & Co partner Trevor Moody.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

51

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “As a former pacemaker engineer and long-time medical device investor, I am excited to back EBR Systems and its WiSE Technology for wireless endocardial stimulation.”

The new money will be used to perform a 350-patient clinical trial for the WiSE-CRT device in Australia, US and Europe. The trial results are hoped to lead to an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, which is a mandatory hurdle before commercialisation in that country.

EBR Systems’ device. (Source: supplied)

Brandon Capital managing director Dr Chris Nave, who is also the chief executive of the company’s Medical Research Commercialisation Funds (MRCF), said the difference in quality of life for heart failure patients that have had successful CRT treatment and those that have not are “like night and day”.

“Those that don’t respond to treatment can be so short of breath that they have difficulty completing even the most simple of daily tasks. Given the highly

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

52

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter encouraging clinical data the company has generated to date across a range of patient studies, including those patients that have previously failed to respond to conventional, wire-based CRT therapy, we believe EBR’s WiSE CRT system offers real hope to these patients.”

Australia will provide 100 patients to the clinical trial, which will be conducted in 10 hospitals around the country. Six of those hospitals are research members of the MRCF, which Brandon’s contribution came from.

Professor of Cardiology at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Dr Prash Sanders, will lead the trial in Australia, and will also sit on the steering committee for the global program.

Dr Nave said that Australia’s participation is a testimony to the nation’s reputation in medical research.

“Australia is extremely attractive for clinical trials because of its excellent research infrastructure, top-tier hospitals and leading clinicians,” he said.

“Government initiatives such as the R&D Tax Rebate, add significantly to Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for developing products like the WiSE Technology; creating jobs, growing our local industry and ultimately improving patients’ lives.”

Brandon Capital’s MRCF has $480 million under management and is claimed to be the largest “life science investment fund” in Australia and New Zealand. The fund has involvement from superannuation funds, Australia and New Zealand governments, state governments and more than 50 medical organisations.

MH Carnegie & Co is a private equity and venture capital firm based in Paddington in eastern Sydney, with more than $500 million under management to focus on “medical device opportunities”.

Read more at https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-vc-firms-led-60-million-capitalraising-for-medical-tech-heart-attack-startup-2017-11#Aey4h5O230zC4iqx.99 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/australian-vc-firms-led-60-million-capital-raising-for-medical-tech-heartattack-startup-2017-11

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

53

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rice production in South Korea hits 37-year low in 2017 Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-14 14:22:46|Editor: Zhou Xin SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Rice production in South Korea hit the lowest in 37 years this year on a continued fall in rice growing area, a government report showed Tuesday.

Rice production stood at 3,972,000 tons this year, down 5.3 percent from the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest since 3.55 million tons of rice was produced in 1980.

It was attributable to the continued decline in the rice cultivation area, which fell from 778,734 hectares in 2016 to 754,713 hectares in 2017.

The government also encouraged farmers to cultivate a proper amount of rice to help farmers sell rice at a proper price.

The amount of rice, which was raised in 10 hectares of land, shed to 527 kg this year from 539 kg last year. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-11/14/c_136751336.htm

S. Korea’s Rice Production Drops to Lowest Level in Nearly 40 yrs November 14, 2017 by Korea Bizwire in Agriculture, Industries, Statistics

SEJONG, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s rice output fell to the lowest level in nearly 40 years in 2017 amid the government’s efforts to tackle the yearslong oversupply of the staple grain, data showed Tuesday.

The country’s rice production reached 3.97 million tons this year, down 5.3 percent from 4.2 million tons produced in 2016, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

It marked the smallest amount since 1980 when it hit 3.55 million tons.

A total of 754,713 hectares of rice paddies was cultivated this year, down 3.1 percent from last year.

The South Korean government has been pushing to control rice production in order to deal with a chronic glut of the grain as people’s taste becomes increasingly westernized.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

54

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Some 3.7 million tons of rice is expected to be consumed this year, with rice production exceeding demand for nearly 300,000 tons.

Earlier, the South Korean government said it will purchase 720,000 tons of rice harvested this year to stabilize domestic market prices.

(Yonhap) http://koreabizwire.com/s-koreas-rice-production-drops-to-lowest-level-in-nearly-40-yrs

China partnership to strengthen rice sector Sok Chan / Khmer Times Share:

The new agreements aim to tackle some of the biggest hurdles in the local rice sector. KT/Mai Vireak

The government yesterday signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Chinese companies to bolster local rice production, build up storage infrastructure and increase

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

55

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

exports.An MoU on upgrading rice production was signed with the Export-Import Bank of China, which is also known as Exim Bank of China.A second agreement – focusing on the technical aspects of increasing rice production, such as the development, maintenance and operation of sector-related infrastructure, was signed with CITIC Group Cooperation.

The agreements aim to solve structural challenges that limit the potential of the Cambodian rice sector, with an emphasis on sustainability, according to a statement released by the government.

The new partnership will result in the development of 15 warehouse and silos across 11 provinces. The envisioned warehouse and silo network will have the potential to process up to 19,500 tonnes of rice per day and store nearly one million tonnes.

The MoUs also specify the size of loans that will be taken to finance the project.

According to the official statement, farmers can use their own rice output as collateral to take out a loan.

As per the MoUs, the Chinese companies will provide technical assistance and guidance to help the kingdom boost its rice exports to the Chinese market.

Kao Thach, the CEO of Rural Development Bank, told Khmer Times the new agreements are part of a $300 million loan programme from China.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

56

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “It is a big project that the government has considered for a long time.

“The loans will help stabilise the price of the commodity across the country and reduce rice surpluses,” Mr Thach said.

Song Saran, Amru Rice’s CEO, told Khmer Times yesterday that the private sector was satisfied with the new agreements, adding that they will help reach the goal of exporting one million tonnes of rice.

“We support the use of government warehouses and silos to store and process rice for export. We will work with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to implement the project,” he said.

“We will still invest in our own warehouses and silos to help farmers that do not have access to rice milling facilities in their area.”

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5090325/china-partnership-strengthen-rice-sector/

Achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2018 Augustine Ehikioya On: November 14, 2017 In: Abuja Review One of the promises of this administration which many Nigerians have held on to was that of making Nigeria self-sufficient in the local production of rice by the year 2018.

The government, which was worried that Nigeria was fast becoming a dumping ground for different types of rice from various parts of the globe, was determined to change the tide.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh in March, said “Nigerians have discovered that Nigerian rice is better than rice from Thailand and Vietnam, which are the largest producers of rice in the world.

57

“We are in a rivalry with the two countries for now and we will soon overtake them in rice production and take over the market from them.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “People in Thailand do not eat parboiled rice but white rice. So, all the parboiled rice they produce is exported to Nigeria. Nigeria is the biggest consumer of imported rice in the world.� he added The government then introduced various measures to encourage and boost local rice production while efforts were also made to check influx of foreign rice importation into the country.

Apart from hoping to save foreign exchange for such rice importation, the government also planned to create jobs opportunities for Nigerian youth through such rice cultivation, packaging, storage, distribution and sales.

The government, through the processes, specifically aimed to crash the price per bag of rice in the country.

But few months to the 2018 target year for rice self-sufficiency in Nigeria, many factors are still working against its realization.

Despite the fact that many Nigerians have gone back to farming including rice production, stopping rice smuggling into the country has remained a major challenge.

While the product still easily find its way to the Nigerian market through the country’s porous borders, the price of the product has remained relatively high in the last two years.

Ogbeh last Wednesday hinted that new measures will be taken to check influx of foreign rice into the country in order to achieve government target in rice production.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

58

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter He said “The other issue was the question of smuggling. In Mr. President’s speech to the National Assembly yesterday, he gave very strong warning about smugglers who bring in unauthorized commodities through the unauthorized borders into the country.

“We have to deal with that because, while we are making a great deal of progress in our grains productions, smugglers are busy compromising the success we have achieved.

“Between September 2015 and now, rice importation through the ports has dropped from 644,131, tones to 20,000 tones in September, this year.

“This means that by the early part of next year, we can literally say, that we are closed to total self-sufficiency in rice.

“On the other hand, to the west of Nigeria, rice importation has increased to 1.33 million tones.

At the Republic of Benin, they don’t eat parboiled rice but the white rice. So, every grain of rice landing there is heading for Nigeria through illegal smuggling.

“Some of it also come in through Niger Republic. These are issues we have to deal with because we are creating jobs through our local rice production. There are 12.2 million rice farmers in the country now.” he added On specific measures to tackle smuggling, he said “There is an MoU between Nigeria and Republic of Benin, entered into, when former President Obasanjo was in office, that we would work together not to compromise each other,s interest.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

59

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “That MoU has not been implemented fully, so we are going to take it up. Already, the Vice President has been working with the Committee which he heads and he is working with the Minister of Finance, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service and also the Ministry of Agriculture.”

Speaking on the price of locally produced rice, he said “I was in the largest mill in the country in Kano two days ago, they were selling rice for N15,000 for 50kg.

“You know your country very well, there are middlemen who do all kinds of things and I told the millers to increase the number of their distributors because there is no point saying it is N15,000 in their factory when out there, somebody is hoarding.

“The same thing happened to maize. Some people filled their warehouses with maize and shut the place so that the prices were so high that poultry farmers could not get access to maize in the market.

“So, people went to import, crash the prices and they started complaining. There is no where rice is selling for N20,000.” he said It is hoped that the new moves will be successful as many Nigerians are anxiously waiting to experience and benefit from Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in rice production.

They also want to see crashing of the prices of the various kilograms sacks of rice and more employment opportunities generated in the agricultural sector.

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

60

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Also, they want same treatment extended to other agricultural produce in the country in order to make living more bearable.

To many of them, that is the actual signal that will show that Nigeria has truly exited economic recession.

For now, many are confused and found it difficult to reconcile how Nigeria could be out of economic recession with prices of goods and services still very high.

Buhari and 2018 Budget presentation Not a few Nigerians were thrilled by the presentation of the 2018 Budget proposal by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly last Tuesday.

They were mainly thrilled by two things concerning the 2018 Budget proposal presentation.

The first issue was how President Buhari stood at a stretch for about one hour and seventeen minutes reading the budget speech. For the President to have spent a better part of half of the year on medical vacation in London and the various reports on the social media on his ill health, it beat the imagination of some Nigerians who were shocked that a ‘sick’ man could stand for long.

61

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter After standing for that long during the budget presentation, those in doubts concerning the President’s health before last Tuesday must have come to terms with the reality of the President’s fitness.

While the President was receiving standing ovation from the lawmakers at the end of the budget presentation in the chamber, his supporters outside were glorifying God for His miracle in the President’s life.

Others also could not help but attribute the President’s fitness as exhibited last Tuesday to his military training and background.

The second issue that marvelled some Nigerians about the budget proposal presentation was the effort to return the budget cycle to January – December.

Even though some Nigerians believed that the focus of the government should be on full implementation of the 2017 Budget as the year runs out, the government for the first time ensured that the 2018 Budget proposal was ready for presentation to the National Assembly by October 2017.

In the past, budget proposal presentations were often done in December while they were usually passed by the National Assembly between February and May the following year thereby making full budget implementation between January and December difficult to attain. http://thenationonlineng.net/achieving-rice-self-sufficiency-2018/ 62

www.ricepluss.com / www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com Contact Online Advertisement : mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell: 0321 369 2874