17th february 2018 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Rice News Headlines…

 Myanmar rice export hits record high in 60 years  Rice Prices  Rats destroy Nigerian rice crops  There's a 5,000-percent search spike for 'rice water' for hair — but does it work?  USA Rice Team Effort Has Impact on Capitol Hill  Wild crops could save chickpeas from being blitzed, scientists say  Indians Aren’t Happy With ‘Basmati Blues’— Brie Larson’s New Old Movie www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 0321 3692874 1

News Detail‌ Myanmar rice export hits record high in 60 years Submitted by ttwin on Fri, 02/16/2018 - 16:19 Writer: EMG Myanmar's rice export this financial year has reached a record high in over 60 years, said Sai Kyaw, central executive committee member of Myanmar Rice Federation.Currently, Myanmar exports rice to more than 50 countries and nearly 3 million tons have been exported this fiscal year. In the previous years, a maximum of 1.8 million tons of rice were exported.

"Regarding the rice export in 2018 (this year), even small-scale merchants will earn good income. More rice was exported in late 2017 and this year. In 2018, we can say that rice trade will be much better. In neighobouring Thailand and Vietnam, rice prices have increased more this year. In our country also, a bag of rice get K4,000 more this year," said Sai Kyaw.

From last April to the second week of this month in the current 2017-2018 fiscal year, nearly 3 million tons of rice was exported reaching a record high in 60 years. http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/13427

Rice Prices as on : 14-02-2018 11:38:38 AM Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals Current

Price % change

Season cumulative

Modal

Prev.

Modal

Prev.Yr %change

Rice

2

Durgapur(WB)

132.00

1.54

3427.00

2550

2550

-4.49

Asansol(WB)

130.00

NC

3543.00

2550

2550

-4.85

Dibrugarh(ASM)

8.90

11.25

195.00

2400

2400

6.67

North Lakhimpur(ASM)

4.80

-28.36

193.60

2600

2600

36.84

Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)

4.00

NC

112.50

2240

2250

0.45

Published on February 14, 2018

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article22749342.ece

Rats destroy Nigerian rice crops | Updated Feb 16, 2018 at 11:24am

Farmers in north-west Nigeria fear for their future after rats invaded their farms and destroyed rice crops. Damage to the farms in Kebbi State could lead to a severe shortage of locally grown

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rice. The area is one of the biggest rice producers in the country.The invasion is one of the worst since the boom in rice farming in the state, and farmers are calling for quick intervention from government.In addition to the rodents, the farmers are also faced with the problem of birds which feed on the rice seeds before they mature.Deputy Governor of the state, Samaila Yombe Dabai, says he has visited some of the affected areas and explained that government would take the necessary measures to dislodge the rodents.

SOURCE: BBC NEWShttp://www.gbcghana.com/1.11786504

There's a 5,000-percent search spike for 'rice water' for hair — but does it work?

It might be the best thing that ever happened to your hair.

by Kristin Granero / Feb.16.2018 / 2:00 AM ET / Source: TODAY Wash rice in wooden bowl

Google search interest in rice water as a hair treatment is on the rise, showing a 5,000-percent spike over the past three months alone.

A search for similar terms on YouTube yielded more than 100,000 results, with plenty of vlogger videos discussing the apparent hair benefits of rice water — especially its supposed growing powers.

According to Rita Hazan, a celebrity colorist, salon owner and product developer, rice water can not only help with hair growth, but also with shine and volume.

"Rice water contains rice protein, which plumps up the hair cuticle," she said. "In the same way rice expands when you cook it in water, it expands in your hair, making it appear healthier and more voluminous."

And there are other benefits, according to Julian Guerrero, hairstylist and educator at Butterfly Studio Salon in New York. “Fermented rice water is acidic, and when you rinse your hair with it, it restores and balances the pH of your hair," he said. "We’ve been seeing hair care brands bring the benefits of rice to hair products, from cleansers to styling creams."

It can also be used to fight frizz. "Rice water contains inositol, which is (a) carbohydrate that helps strengthen elasticity and reduce surface friction," said Guerrero.

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All you need is a cup of rice — brown long grain or white — to get started. "Add your choice to two cups of water in a jar or bowl and let sit for 20-25 minutes," he said. "Drain the water out and store it or use it directly after."

Once you've shampooed, he said, apply the rice water from roots to ends while massaging it in.

"Then condition as normal with your regular conditioner," said Guerrero. "Rice water could also be used as a conditioner if mixed with an oil and applied from roots to ends, or just on hair ends, then rinsed and styled."

Don't have extra time on your hands? Stash one — or all six — of these rice-infused hair products in your shower to start achieving your hair goals.

TODAY has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by TODAY. All prices are subject to change and items could sell out based on the merchant’s inventory. https://www.today.com/style/does-rice-water-have-benefits-hair-t122434

USA Rice Team Effort Has Impact on Capitol Hill

By Lesley Dixon

WASHINGTON, DC -- This week, 100 members of USA Rice representing all six rice-producing states

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gathered in the nation's capital to meet with legislators and administration officials for the annual Government Affairs Conference (GAC). For two days, USA Rice members met with Congressional leaders to discuss the Farm Bill and other priorities for the rice industry, breaking with tradition by ncluding visits to members of Congress outside of rice-producing areas.

This year, the conference had an ambitious goal of meeting with every member of Congress who sits on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and leaders of committees addressing key trade issues.

By the time the conference was over on Thursday, USA Rice members had visited close to 100 different offices to educate legislators and their staff about farm policy and trade issues directly affecting the industry.

USA Rice Government Affairs Chairman Joe Mencer and Senator Debbie Stabenow, ranking member on the

Senate Ag Committee

"This was a unique opportunity for us to meet with members of Congress who otherwise might not have much exposure to the rice industry," said Joe Mencer, chair of the USA Rice Government Affairs Committee. "It's important for them as members of the House and Senate Ag Committees to hear our concerns and understand our priorities, but also find common ground in their priorities like nutrition policy."

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The groups of delegates this year were also mixed rather than organized by state, as they had been in the past, giving members from different areas a chance to work together and speak to congressional leaders about their common priorities and unique challenges.

Members attended a session on pesticide regulations at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and also met with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to discuss conservation priorities and the success of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

USA Rice makes the case at FAS Delegations met with staff from the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to talk about USA Rice's ongoing involvement in fortified rice for food aid and with the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) where discussions centered around USA Rice's various international promotion programs.

Additionally, a team focused on trade met with staff from the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA to discuss market challenges, and the 2016 Rice Leadership Development class visited with Colombian Ambassador Camilo Reyes to discuss the vital trade between our two countries.

"This week opened many doors and laid a foundation for strengthening relationships with key policy makers on Capitol Hill," said USA Rice Vice President Government Affairs Ben Mosely. "With a Farm Bill on the horizon and NAFTA on the block for renegotiations, these conversations came at a critical point. Members definitely left a strong impression and created new advocates in Congress."

USA Rice members get prepped for Hill meetings USA RICE DAILY

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Wild crops could save chickpeas from being blitzed, scientists say

A Libyan family prepares to eat a freshly cooked traditional couscous dish, with lamb, onions, chickpeas and pumpkin, in Tripoli on Feb. 6. | AFP-JIJI THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION FEB 16, 2018 ROME – They are nutritious, versatile and a dietary staple for millions of people from South Asia to Ethiopia, but scientists have warned that the humble chickpea is under threat from climate impacts such as higher temperatures, drought and pests.The key to saving the chickpea could lie with a project cross-breeding domestic and wild varieties — found only in southeastern Turkey near the border with war-torn Syria — said a study published this week in the journal Nature Communications.

Unlike domestic crops, which receive dedicated care in the form of fertilizers and pesticides, their wild relatives are able to adapt to changing conditions, according to scientists. “It will take another five years before it’s in the hands of a farmer in Ethiopia … but we are well on the road

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to being there,” said Eric J.B. von Wettberg, a plant geneticist at the University of Vermont.He said researchers were working with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, an India-based agricultural research body, to ensure that the resilient seeds make it to market once they are available.

About one in five people globally depend on legumes such as chickpeas as their primary source of protein, Von Wettberg said.He called for better protection for and conservation of wild varieties of crops, which could have traits that would allow them to survive and thrive under climate pressures.“They (wild crops) may be our most potent weapon against climate change,” said Chikelu Mba, plant geneticist at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

“They are irreplaceable,” he said by phone, adding that chickpeas were vital for nutrition in many developing countries.Scientists are also assessing wild rice varietals to combat climate change, with one species growing in northern Australia’s crocodile-infested waters raising hope for a more nutritious grain that is drought- and pest-resistant. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/16/world/science-health-world/wild-crops-save-chickpeasblitzed-scientists-say/#.Wofb1YNubm4

Indians Aren’t Happy With ‘Basmati Blues’—Brie Larson’s New Old Movie Brie Larson stars in 'Basmati Blues.'

By Kamala ThiagarajanFEBRUARY 15, 2018

It sounds like the ultimate white savior movie.Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson plays a young scientist who has created a new fast-growing super-rice. She comes to India to convince villagers to switch to this grain. There’s Bollywood-style singing, dancing — and in one scene she even rides a white horse! Called Basmati Blues, the Hollywood film was made in 2013, before Larson was astar. But it’s just now coming out. When the trailer was released in November, with scenes of Larson dressed in elaborate Indian costumes and recoiling from spicy food, Indians around the world took offense, calling out its stereotypes and cliches.

The movie is finally being released in the U.S. on Friday, playing in select cinemas and available via video on demand. Critics have not been kind. The L.A. Times called it “a big miss,” while the Village Voice wondered how “this thing got financed and finished.”In the film, Larson’s character, Dr. Linda Watt, is sent to the southern state of Kerala in India. Gurgon, her greedy corporate boss, played by the actor Donald Sutherland, wants her to convince local farmers to

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switch to the new rice: “India: 500 million farmers, 1.1 billion rice eaters, all of them… potential customers,” Gurgon declares with glee. The problem is that the rice she’s recommending could financially destroy the very people she means to help. The rice is sterile. If farmers grew it, they’d need to spend a lot of money to buy new seeds every year.Along the way, she falls in love with a farmer, who actually trained as a scientist but had to drop out of university. Rajit, as he’s called, is played by American-born actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, who’s appeared in the movies Pitch Perfect and on TV shows like The Mindy Project.

The controversy around the film started in November, after the international trailer was released.

That’s where the white horse made its appearance, which Linda rides while trying to halt a train loaded with the super-rice.“It plays to stereotypes of an exotic but backward people just waiting for a white person to swoop in and save them,” says Bengaluru-based cartoonist, Manoj Vijayan, in an interview with NPR.That sentiment was shared by people across Twitter.

Following the backlash, director Dan Baron and his wife, Monique Caulfield, who produced the film, issued an apology and withdrew the trailer. In a statement to the blog Refinery29 in November, they said: “We deeply regret any offense caused by the Basmati Blues trailer. We have heard a number of voices that have understandably reacted to a trailer that is not representative of the film as a whole.” In January, a new trailer was introduced to the Basmati Blues website, with the white horse scene deleted.The criticism on Twitter however, raged on.The film’s white savior message isn’t the only issue that rankles. “The script seems to have gone overboard with its lazy cliches, the lame jokes and the stereotyping,” says Vijayan. “It’s a sadly missed opportunity to tell a story with some nuance and ends up pandering to tired old preconceptions.”

In the scene where Larson first meets Rajit, he greets her while hanging upside down from the roof of a train while she’s seated at the window, as though hanging like possums on trains was perfectly normal in India.In an interview with NPR, Jaya Padmanabhan, an immigration columnist for The San Francisco Examiner, shared some advice for the filmmakers: “Someone should tell Baron and Jeff Dorchen [who wrote the screenplay] to visit India without a camera obstructing their worldview.”Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, South India. Her work has appeared in The International New York Times, BBC Travel and Forbes India. You can follow her @kamal_t http://www.npr.org/

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