16 april 2015 daily gobal rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice E-Newsletter April 16 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I

Rice planting in La. a 'tale of two regions' Posted: Apr 16, 2015 2:59 PM PSTUpdated: Apr 16, 2015 3:03 PM PST Posted By Anne Robicheaux

LOUISIANA

(KPLC)

-by

Craig

Gautreaux,

LSU

AgCenter

contributor

Rice planting in southwest Louisiana is virtually through, while planting in northeast Louisiana www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine has come to a standstill because of wet weather. It's a tale of two regions: rice farmers in southwest Louisiana got a window of opportunity and have nearly finished planting their crop. Farmers in the northeast Louisiana, where about 30 percent of the state's crop is grown, had to complete their corn planting before focusing on rice. Wet conditions are now hampering those farmers.

"Corn went in first, probably all the corn went in that week, and not much of the rice was planted," said Dustin Harrell, LSU AgCenter Rice Specialist. "Probably right now, we stand about 10-15 percent of the rice has been planted in north Louisiana.

"Harrell expects Louisiana to plant about 460,000 acres of rice, close to last year's figures. Last year's crop saw a significant uptick in medium-grain rice because of the California drought and contracts paying Louisiana farmers a premium for medium grain. That is not the case this year."Going into 2015, a lot of those early contracts weren't as plentiful. One of the reasons they aren't as plentiful is because Arkansas is going to plant a lot of medium-grain rice," said Harrell.Unfortunately for rice growers, prices are under pressure and trending downward."They're not as favorable as they've looked in the past right now. Stocks are a little bit higher, and because of that, prices are a little bit lower," said Harrell.

Farmers early in the season got an emergency exemption to treat rice seed with a bird repellant to prevent birds from feeding on the seed."It doesn't do any harm to the bird(s). It's just a deterrent.

It leaves a bad taste in their mouth. They spit it out and move on," said Harrell.According to Harrell, all of the stands of rice he has seen are in excellent condition. Last year's Louisiana rice crop had a total farm value of about $650 million.http://www.kplctv.com/story/28817340/riceplanting-in-la-a-tale-of-two-regions

Ministry of Agriculture to Probe Hybrid Rice 2015-04-16 09:19:58

CRIENGLISH.com

Web Editor: Hai Peng

http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/04/16/3241s874527.htm

Founder of Yuan Longping High Tech. [Photo: baidu] Chinese agricultural authorities are planning an investigation, following the failure of a hybrid rice variety in Anhui.It's being reported some 650-hectares of rice fields in Anhui have failed.The company behind the project, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture, is blaming abnormal weather conditions.It says low temperatures and heavy rains last year led to the crop failure.Agricultural scientist and company founder Yuan Longping, widely dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", contends the situation in Anhui shouldn't be viewed as a complete failure

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine of GM rice.Production of the variety in-question has been suspended by the company.Hybrid rice accounts for around one-third of the strains in China's rice-growing area.

Philippines looks to broaden rice suppliers’ list Thursday, 16 April 2015 03:36 The Philippines’ state grains procurement agency has announced that it is looking to import rice from a broader range of countries including India, Myanmar and Pakistan in order to diversify its supplies With a longer list of possible suppliers, the nation could keep a lid on the cost of purchases even if emergencies such as natural disasters hit agriculture at home. (Image source: Public Domain Picture/Pixabay) One of the world‟s biggest rice importers, the Philippines usually buys from key producers Vietnam and Thailand, Reuters reported.The agency added that with a longer list of possible suppliers, the nation could keep a lid on the cost of purchases even if emergencies such as natural disasters hit agriculture at home.National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Renan Dalisay said that he had coordinated with the embassies of Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Myanmar in Manila, encouraging the countries to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippines for rice supply.

The MOA would allow those countries to participate in rice import tenders that the NFA issues from time to time, similar to agreements the Philippines has with Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, he added.Vietnam and Thailand had recently won 500,000-tonne supply deals by the NFA, and hope to get more contracts as they struggle to offload some of their stocks.

Dalisay had issued the statement after Pakistan, world‟s No.4 rice exporter, approached the Philippines for a 50,000-tonne supply deal. The administrator noted that Pakistan could sell as much as 50,000 tonnes to the Philippines through the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) scheme under which local traders are allowed to import an annual volume of up to 755,200 tonnes with a 35 per cent tariff.Other countries that can also sell rice to the Philippines under the MAV scheme include China, India, Australia and El Salvador.The Philippines imported a total of around 1.7mn tonnes of rice in 2014, the most in four years and is looking to buy 1.6mn tonnes this year, according to a forecast by the USDA. http://www.fareasternagriculture.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5493:philippine s-looks-to-broaden-rice-suppliers-list&catid=1085&Itemid=99

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice stocks sufficient for 67 days

By Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 16, 2015 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines - The country‟s rice stocks, which rose by more than a fifth at the start of March, is sufficient to meet demand for over two months.The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a report the total rice stock inventory reached 2.26 million metric tons (MT) as of March 1 of this year, up by 26.9 percent from the 1.78 million MT in the same month last year.Compared to the rice inventory of 2.35 million MT as of Feb. 1, last month‟s stocks however are down by nearly four percent.The PSA noted this month‟s rice stocks in all sectors were higher compared to their respective levels in the same period last year.Stocks in the households increased by 2.3 percent to 970,000 MT as of March 1 this year compared to 950,000 MT in the same period a year ago.Those in commercial warehouses jumped by 97.9 percent to 740,000 MT this year from the previous year‟s 380,000 MT. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Stocks in the National Food Authority‟s (NFA) depositories also grew by 19.7 percent to 550,000 MT this year from 460,000 MT in 2014.“The total rice inventory for this month would be enough for 67 days,” the PSA noted.While the country‟s rice stocks rose year-on-year in March, corn supply declined from a year ago.As of March 1, 2015, the total corn stock inventory reached 186,600 MT, 30.3 percent lower than last year„s record of 267,800 MT and 26.2 percent less than last month„s level of 252,800 MT.This, as corn stocks held by all sectors registered year-on-year decreases in March.Stock levels in the households dropped by 24.8 percent to 94,700 MT this year from last year‟s 125,900 MT.Commercial warehouses‟ stocks fell by 31.4 percent to 90,300 MT this year from 131,500 MT in the previous year.Those held in NFA depositories slipped by 84.6 percent to 1,600 MT this year from 10,400 MT in 2014. http://www.philstar.com/business/2015/04/16/1444229/rice-stocks-sufficient-67-days

Asia Rice-Prices stable amid thin export demand, Thai mills on holiday Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:41am GMT

By Kaweewit Kaewjinda BANGKOK, April 16 (Reuters) - Asian rice prices were little changed this week, with export demand sluggish and Thai mills on an extended holiday, traders said on Thursday."Thai and Vietnamese rice prices are currently in a similar situation," an official at the Thai rice exporters' association said declining to be named. "Although prices have come down, exports have not really picked up. Demand is weak from foreign countries and many factors are contributing."Thai exporters are waiting for clarity on rice shipments from Nigeria's presidentelect Muhammadu Buhari, the official said.Nigeria was the largest importer of Thai rice last year, taking around 1.24 million tonnes, data from the rice exporters' association showed.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Demand is expected to pick up in the coming weeks as Islamic nations start buying for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts around June 17, a Bangkok-based trader said."Especially in the Middle East, they will start buying rice soon to prepare for Ramadan," the trader said. "But once it is Ramadan, the cost of making shipments rises as well."Thailand had a public holiday from April 13-15 and some rice mills are shut for the rest of the week, which further subdued demand, a Bangkok-based trader said.Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice was quoted at $396 per tonne free-on-board on Thursday, against last Thursday's price of $395 a tonne.The Thai government has announced it would delay further sales of rice from its stockpiles until the market gets stronger.

Prices on Vietnam's export market were stable after purchases under a government-backed stockpiling plan ended on Wednesday, traders said.Vietnam's 5-percent broken rice prices stood unchanged from last week at $365-$370 a tonne, free-on-board Saigon Port."There are only a few loading activities for contracts signed earlier," a trader in Ho Chi Minh City said.Vietnam exported 1.14 million tonnes rice in the first quarter of 2015, down 18.8 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry-run Vietnam Customs said.China, Vietnam's largest rice buyer, has not stepped up its purchases, although its annual import demand is forecast to rise 5.2 percent to 3.2 million tonnes in 2015, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

(Additional reporting by Ho Binh Minh in HANOI; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath) http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL4N0XD39B20150416?sp=true

How Iran-US nuclear deal can affect India’s commodity exports?

TEJINDER NARANG 

China Export - Connect with over 120,000 suppliers from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan It may be best for Indian trade to deal with Dubai counterparties which may take exposure to Iran April 15, 2015: The Iran-US nuclear deal, expected to be concluded by June-end, should pave the way for free trade with Teheran.This will relatively end preferential treatment accorded to India under the Indo-Iran rupee payment agreement. Usage of the rupee account will be need-based and will not remain a pressure point on Iran. A way may also be found by Iran to repatriate the balance in the rupee account in hard currency after the sanctions are lifted. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Earlier pacts

Historically, Indo-Iran trade has gone through a metamorphosis after a few years, leaving many issues unresolved. India‟s past experience of two earlier pacts with Iran have not been good as both ended abruptly.First, the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) barter in 1976, against which Iran invested $630 million in return for iron ore. It was abandoned in 1980 due to changed political realities.Thereafter, another bilateral trade and payment mechanism – Asian Clearing Union (ACU) - was terminated by the RBI in December 2010 under US pressure.

Export of non-basmati rice and wheat in 1994-95 was done under ACU. Thereafter, the Dubai route emerged.In February 2012, India‟s UCO Bank was nominated to deal with four Iranian banks for payment in the ratio of 55:45 of hard currency and rupee respectively.

Rice, oilmeal cases

The accompanying chart shows a significant decline in major Indian commodities after US-Iran “interim” agreement was signed in November 2013. This is not a matter of conjecture but reflected by facts on ground.Basmati exports to Iran flourished initially between 2012-13 and 2013-14 relying on three major buyers.But over the last 18 months, some suppliers have their deemed profits wiped out and registered losses in their balance sheets.The same is true with oilmeal exports.

Not only money made in some bargains was lost subsequently – India abandoned its traditional markets due to value distortion created by high priced exports to Iran. Raw sugar export was somewhat workable at lower volumes in 2014 but there has been no repeat business.The government made persistent efforts to export wheat by getting relaxation for Karnal but for “negligible percentage” instead of “nil” but the phytosanitary and plant quarantine authorities in Iran have not budged.Apparently, value-added business of pharmas and rail lines/steel pipes seems to be doing well. Engineering business/oil exploration is also being supported at the political level in view of India‟s concerns with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Balochistan.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine are competing against one another and sabotaging business by offering varying terms of trade and compromised specifications.Secondly, Iran knows that the Indian side has made money and they levied customs duty or imposed rigid customs regulations that offered Iranian buyers opportunities to a rebate on contracted prices. In both these cases, Iran called the shots.

Bureaucratic bottlenecks Indian trade has no contractual recourse because Iranian law is incorrigible. In Government business, bid bonds and guarantees are demanded with unlimited time frame. Letters of credit once issued by Iranian banks are very difficult to get amended. Government departments are working in silos – for example – commerce department will have no say in agriculture – the type of working relationship we have in India.Iranian traders cite currency fluctuations or some government regulations for non-performance and Indians are totally at their mercy because the factual position remains veiled. GTC and other traders have very “intimate” contact with MNCs. Their “preference” for commodities lies elsewhere except basmati rice.

Even during sanctions, food items were not under any prohibition, so Iran continued to source elsewhere despite surplus in UCO Bank rupee account.Iran works according to its priorities with patience – with utter disregard to any agreed provisions – and it is not possible to extract a viable bargain because traders are exposed to rough and tough trading environment.On a short-term basis, India may find itself isolated from Iran in trade (except basmati rice). Iran will court Western powers/China and other origins for trading and building up its other petrochemical capabilities.

All nations (P5+1) are not signing the nuclear agreement for charity. Trade, in preference to investment, will be foremost in their minds.Dubai will surely emerge as a vital trading hub.

Indian trade will be best served by dealing with Dubai counterparties who may take exposure to Iran. Iran too will go through the developmental phase. But surely it will rebuild its nuclear capabilities under one pretext or the other.That will again lead to some sort of disruptive environment in trade.The on-going Sunni-Shia discord can also go through an expansionary phase which may compel western powers again for interventionist measures. Thus, in long term, India will again be in the reckoning. At this point of time, India has to walk back in trade.

The writer is a grains analyst. Views are personal.

(This article was published on April 15, 2015) http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/how-iranus-nuclear-deal-can-affectindias-commodity-exports/article7106097.ece

Brazil's Rice exports reach 262471 tons in Q1 2015: IRGA Apr 16, 2015 03:27 PM Brazil exported around 262471 tons of rice during the first three months of 2015, according to data released by the Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (IRGA).In March 2015, Brazil exported around 142643 tons of rice, nearly three times more than 49915 tons exported in February 2014.Iraq remained largest importer of Brazilian rice in March 2015 with around 61765 tons or www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine about 43% of brazil's total rice exports during the month.Brazil exported around 1.2 million tons of rice in 2014, rose 2.4% around 1.209 million tons exported in 2013, according to data from IRGA. http://www.commodityonline.com/fundamentals/brazils-rice-exports-reach-262471-tons-in-q1-2015irga/3028/

Rice farmers switch to sugar 

16 Apr 2015 at 16:36 3,977 viewed



WRITER: BLOOMBERG NEWS

A grower loads cane onto a truck for delivery to a processing plant in Khon Kaen. The Cane and Sugar Board reports 92 million tonnes of cane were harvested from December to March 18.

(Photo by Patipat Janthong) Sugar cane output in Thailand, the world‟s second-biggest exporter of the sweetener, will be higher than the government estimated after rice farmers switched crops.Output for the 2014-15 crop may exceed 104 million tonnes, beating an earlier forecast of 102.8 million tonnes, Pichai Tangchanachaianan, secretary-general of the government's Cane and Sugar Board, said on

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Thursday. Sugar output may be little changed because of lower yields after drought conditions, he said.Raw sugar futures have dropped 11% this year. Global production is set to exceed demand for a fifth year, leaving the biggest stockpiles on record, according to the International Sugar Organisation. Rice prices traded in Chicago have dropped 14% over the same period.

"An increasing number of small rice farmers in the northeastern region have shifted to cane for better returns," Mr Pichai said. "We could see production of more than 104 million tonnes this year and probably again next season as income from cane is more attractive than other crops.''During the first 130 days of the 2014-15 season which started on Dec 1, the cane harvest was 103.9 million tonnes, with sugar production of 11 million tonnes, government figures show.

In the same period a year earlier, cane output was 101 million tonnes with sugar production of 11 million tonnes.For all of 2013-14, cane output was an all-time high of 103.7 million tonnes with record sugar production of 11.3 million tonnes.

Reminder!

Arkansas Rice Depot’s 2nd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

April 18, 2015 Arkansas Rice Depot 3801 West 65th Street Little Rock, AR 72209 The Arkansas Rice Depot is so grateful for the continued dedication of our wonderful volunteers. Our work would not be possible without their support and dedication. We want to take this special opportunity to recognize those who give of themselves to benefit the ARD mission.

Please join us for lunch and a brief ceremony to honor our volunteers! Everyone is welcome, so please feel free to invite family and friends.

There are still spots left, so if you haven't already, contact Sadie!

501.565.8855, Ext. 144 or sadie@ricedepot.org

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Availability of land remains big issue for food selfsufficiency

Linda Yulisman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Thu, April 16 2015, 7:59 AM Bringing in the sheaves: Women harvest rice on a farm in Maos Kidul village, Cilacap Regency, Central Java on Monday. Land conversion to non-agriculture uses such as housing is a tough issue for the government‟s food self-sufficiency target and it aims to convert between 100,000 hectares and 110,000 hectares into farmland. JP/Agus Maryono Like many of his fellow farmers, Timin Martodihardjo has converted his main crop from soybean to other produce because the price of the commodity is too low for him to earn a decent livelihood.“Production costs are now very high, partly driven by the rise in prices of pesticides and fertilizer, while the soybean price remains low. We find planting soybean no longer attractive,” said the former soybean grower in Nganjuk, East Java.“The soybean price is about Rp 7,000 [54 US cents] per kilogram and can go as low as Rp 3,500 in some areas,” Timin said.

He added that growing soybean would be attractive only if the price was at least Rp 10,000 per kilogram.

Crop conversion undertaken by small farmers like Timin, who manages a farm of less than 1 hectare, is only one of the tough issues that need to be addressed by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to wean the country off its dependence on imported food crops, such as rice, corn and soybean, by 2017.A similar food self-efficiency target, a sacred tenet in Indonesia, was touted by the past administration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but proved a failure as the country‟s fastwww.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine growing population of 250 million outpaces its ability to supply its own food.

Rice imports from Thailand and Vietnam, which reached 676,496 tons in 2010, only shrank slightly to 672,621 tons in 2014, Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data show.To meet its selfsufficiency program, the government aims to see unhusked rice production rise from 73.45 million tons this year to 78.13 million tons by 2017, corn output from 20.31 million tons to 22.36 million tons and soybean output from 1.2 million tons to 2.76 million tons, according to the Agriculture Ministry‟s director general for food crops, Hasil Sembiring.

The government has implemented a wide range of measures to attain such a target, such as converting between 100,000 and 110,000 hectares of land into farming areas, improving irrigation channels to cover 1 million hectares and distributing seeds, fertilizer and farming equipment. An idea to build commercial farms through food estates, which was also a failure of the prior government, are also under discussion between relevant stakeholders.

On land provision, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said the ministry would be ready to prepare more farmland to support the self-sufficiency program.“The new farmland can be sourced from, for example, forests and idle land. We can also use unproductive agricultural land,” he said.However, Ferry could not say how the government would acquire the land because not all the designated land was owned by the state. Acquiring the land from the owners could be difficult and take years.Currently, 3.4 million hectares, or 42 percent, of 8.1 million hectares of farmland are located on the most densely populated Java Island, raising concerns over the spread to other parts of the sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.

Sutarto Alimoeso, chairman of the Indonesian Rice Millers and Entrepreneurs Association (Perpadi), said the land issue was the most crucial problem that needed to be tackled to achieve the target. “For soybean, new farming areas are urgently needed. Without this, it will be very difficult to attain the self-efficiency target,” said Sutarto, a former official at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko, the national coordinator of the Alliance for Prosperous Villages (ADS), a group of 15 NGOs that focuses on food and rural issues, said the availability of land for food production should be guaranteed as stipulated in Law No. 41/2009 to ensure the self-sufficiency target was achieved.“But so far, we see that no serious efforts have been made to stop the conversion of farmland for other uses on the priority list, such as the development of infrastructure,” he said, adding that a reform would engage the active participation of local governments to guarantee land for food production instead of commercial purposes. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/16/availability-land-remains-big-issue-food-self-sufficiency.html#sthash.weRTS5EX.dpuf

Governor, Ministers hail University for bagging Rice Research Performance Award Friday, 17 04 2015 09:46 28th SKUAST-K University Council meeting held

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine JAMMU, APRIL 16:Chairing the 28th University Council meeting of SKUAST-K, held here at the Raj Bhavan, Governor, N.N. Vohra, Chancellor of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), has called for a campaign approach to rejuvenate senile orchards in the Valley. He also emphasized the need for strict check to ensure against the sale of spurious pesticides and insecticides in the State.

The Governor; Ghulam Nabi Lone, Minister for Agriculture; Bali Bhagat, Minister for Social Welfare, Forests, Ecology and Environment; Sajad Gani Lone, Minister for Science & Technology and Animal Husbandry complimented the University for bagging the Rice Research Performance Award for Rice Research Station, Khudwani. The Governor also recorded appreciation of the VC‟s initiative to raise voluntary donations and providing valuable relief to its flood affected employees and students.

The Governor called for the time bound completion of acquisition proceedings for acquiring a pocket of land in the Main Campus of the University at Shalimar, Srinagar. He emphasized the need for providing more funds to the University for completion of infrastructural projects and purchase of the required high tech equipments for undertaking quality research.The Governor, along with the Ministers, released three Policy Research Papers brought out by the University and stressed the need for vocational and skill oriented courses being commenced very early for encouraging entrepreneurship.

The Council approved amendment in University Statutes in line with “Model Act for Agricultural Universities in India (revised 2009) of ICAR” and the reconstitution of Division of Floriculture and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and change of nomenclature of the Division. The Council also approved holding of Convocation later this year, which could not be held in 2014 due to the floods during September, 2014.Dr. Trag, VC, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipore, stressed the need for ensuring sufficient seed availability, providing of poly panels in every tehsil and proactive measures to prevent occurrence of Rice Blast in the Valley in the post flood growing season.

Dr. Tej Partap, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, made a detailed presentation on the various initiatives which had been undertaken by the University in the recent past. He highlighted the academic achievements and informed the Council about the accomplishments secured in improving capacities and infrastructure development under Special Grant from ICAR at various stations, including at Zanskar, Nyoma and Leh Research Stations. He also highlighted that as a result of the technological interventions made and the extension services provided by the Farm University, the farmers in Leh, Zanskar Valley, and Changthang have taken to cultivation of offseason vegetables and fodder crops. The application of advanced technology has enabled the growers to supply fresh vegetables to markets in Leh during winter months and also earn good profits. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Among those who attended the meeting were Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu; P.K. Tripathi, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon, Commissioner Secretary, Agriculture Production; Rafi Ahmad Indrabi, Director Codes, Finance Department and Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad, Registrar, SKUAST- K.

Thin imports from Nigeria, others stabilise Asian rice prices April 16, 2015 | Filed under: Agricultural Business,Breaking News,main story | Author: Reuters

Asian rice prices were little changed this week, with export demand sluggish and Thai mills on an extended holiday, traders said on Thursday. Nigeria, the largest importer of Thai rice last year, taking around 1.24 million tonnes, data from the rice exporters‟ association showed. But the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) expect Nigeria‟s rice imports…

5 vigilance teams to probe Rohtas paddy procurement scam Alok Chamaria | Apr 16, 2015, 11.12 PM IST

Sasaram: The state vigilance department has constituted five teams to probe the paddy procurement scam in Rohtas district. Each team will be headed by a DSP-rank officer. The teams reached the district on Wednesday.In October 2013, a vigilance team led by SP Rajendra Prasad, after a year-long probe, had found the charges true and held all the officials concerned right from revenue department 'karamchari' to the DDC, Rohtas, involved in it. Vigilance DIG Ajit Roy confirmed the constitution of the teams.Acting on the report of the vigilance SP, the vigilance headquarters had slapped show cause notices on the concerned officers in October 2013 asking them why FIRs should not be lodged against them for their alleged involvement in the scam.

But the vigilance department instead of taking any action preferred to sit on the files and swung into action after one-and-a-half year only when the Patna high court, while hearing a PIL issued notice to the state government in this regard.The vigilance department instead of lodging FIRs against the suspects formed five teams. DIG, vigilance, said the inquiry report of the SP is limited only to Sheosagar block though he was supposed to probe irregularities in all 19 blocks of the district.The probe team led by SP Rajendra Prasad had found transporters, rice millers and officers of SFC and the district administration involved in multi-crore procurement scam during 2010-11, as major part of paddy were procured and transported to rice mills on paper only.

Sources said the vigilance team, as part of its inquiry to cross check the claims of the transporters that the paddy consignment were physically transported to rice mills not on paper as being alleged, had also visited the toll plaza at Sheosagar on NH-2 and sought details of the trucks which were shown to have been used for transporting the procured paddy.It is leant that the procurement centres of Sheosagar block were attached to Sasaram-based rice mills and the shortest and convenient route is through toll plaza. The probe team was shocked to know that most of these trucks never crossed the toll plaza.Sources said that about 2lakh MT rotten paddy were also procured and despite hue and cry by public representatives, the rice of the rotten procured paddy were delivered to PDS dealers.

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