1st december 2017 global regional local rice e newsletter

1st December,2017 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter Unedited Version www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

Pakistan to send a delegation of rice exporters to Sri Lanka Thu, Nov 30, 2017, 09:01 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 30, Karachi: A 15-member delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) will visit Sri Lanka in December to increase rice exports, a statement said on Wednesday.

Acting chairman of REAP Rafique Suleman along with former chairman Abdul Rahim Janoo and Asif Polani met with Consul General of Sri Lanka in Karachi G L Gnanatheva to discuss their visit.

Suleman apprised Gnanatheva regarding a communication received from the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo recommending to send a REAP delegation on urgent basis as Sri Lanka is facing shortage of rice.

Suleman said they are having a good quality crop of Pakistani Basmati and Irri-6 rice and they can export good quantity of rice with competitive prices.

"It is therefore decided to send a (15) members high profile REAP�s trade delegation to Sri Lanka in the month of December 2017 for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice."

He said the delegation will also discuss to increase the Basmati rice quota which is remaining at 6,000 tons for many years.

Pakistan to send a delegation of rice exporters to Sri Lanka Thu, Nov 30, 2017, 09:01 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 30, Karachi: A 15-member delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) will visit Sri Lanka in December to increase rice exports, a statement said on Wednesday.

Acting chairman of REAP Rafique Suleman along with former chairman Abdul Rahim Janoo and Asif Polani met with Consul General of Sri Lanka in Karachi G L Gnanatheva to discuss their visit.

Suleman apprised Gnanatheva regarding a communication received from the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo recommending to send a REAP delegation on urgent basis as Sri Lanka is facing shortage of rice.

Suleman said they are having a good quality crop of Pakistani Basmati and Irri-6 rice and they can export good quantity of rice with competitive prices.

"It is therefore decided to send a (15) members high profile REAP�s trade delegation to Sri Lanka in the month of December 2017 for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice."

He said the delegation will also discuss to increase the Basmati rice quota which is remaining at 6,000 tons for many years.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_17B/N ov30_1512012712CH.phpRice exporters to

visit Sri Lanka Listen

KARACHI: A 15-member delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) will visit Sri Lanka in December to increase rice exports, a statement said on Wednesday.

Acting chairman REAP Rafique Suleman along with former chairman Abdul Rahim Janoo and Asif Polani met with Consul General of Sri Lanka in Karachi Mr G L Gnanatheva to discuss their visit. Suleman apprised Gnanatheva regarding a

communication received from the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo, wherein it was recommended to send a REAP delegation on urgent basis as Sri Lanka is facing shortage of rice.

“We are having a good quality crop of Pakistani Basmati and Irri-6 rice and we can export good quantity of rice with competitive prices,” Suleman said. “It is therefore decided to send a (15) members high profile REAP’s trade delegation to Sri Lanka in the month of December 2017 for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice.” He added that the delegation will also discuss to increase the Basmati rice quota “which is stagnant to 6,000 tons since many years”.

1. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/250530-rice-exporters-to-visit-sri-lankaSkip to navigation 2. Skip to content

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Rice in Windsor? Dainty Foods invests $3M in Canada's only rice mill Dainty Foods wants Canadians to know more about its rice and its 50-year-old mill on Windsor's west side.

SHARON HILL, WINDSOR STAR Published on: December 1, 2017 | Last Updated: December 1, 2017 6:13 PM EST

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S H A R E A D J U S T C O MM E N T P R I N T

Cars, whisky — and rice?

Few people realize it but Windsor is home to the only rice mill in Canada. Dainty Foods has invested $3 million on equipment in its 50-year-old mill on Windsor’s west side in the last two years.

The mill at Broadway Boulevard off Ojibway Parkway processes about 50,000 tonnes of rice a year — around 110 million pounds — and packages 10 kinds of dry rice, a canned rice and rice flour making a case for Windsor being the rice capital of Canada.

“When I talk to friends and families and I tell them that I work in a rice mill in Canada they are taken aback by that,” general manager Bashir Mohamed said Thursday. “They don’t even know that existed in Canada.”

On Thursday, a 1,000 kilogram bag of rice from Thailand was starting its journey inside the five-storey plant while a freight train carrying long grain rice from Arkansas dropped its load onto an underground conveyer belt that feeds 24 silos.

The Hom Mali rice from Thailand will be sold as a premium Jasmine rice, he said. Rice is shipped to Montreal from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, and then trucked to Windsor.

Mohamed said few people realize rice is grown in the southern United States, including in Arkansas (the largest U.S. rice growing area), California, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Texas. The mill was built in Windsor in 1967 to be close to the American border.

People who drive past the mill daily and see the Dainty sign don’t realize it’s all about rice and a 135-year-old Canadian business, said Nikola Reford, a Dainty Foods marketing manager in Montreal.

“We really want to get the word out that we are in Windsor and we’re proud to be doing this and having a Canadian brand,” she said.

Nikola’s great, great grandfather, Robert Reford, was an Irish immigrant who arrived in Canada at the age of 14. He apprenticed in the grocery business in Montreal in 1866 and started a shipping business that still exists but is no longer in the family.

In 1882 he bought a flour mill in Montreal and converted it to the Mount Royal Rice Mills. At the time rice was being shipped to the east and west coasts of Canada from all over the world and a large tariff on U.S. rice made it advantageous to have a rice mill in Canada.

Dainty Foods — the Dainty brand was created in 1947 — was sold in 2015 to the French company Marbour, The Montreal mill was closed when the Windsor mill was built. Today it has about 80 employees in Windsor and 15 at its Montreal headquarters, and sales that reached $50.7 million in 2016.

Dainty Foods is celebrating its 135-year history by rebranding and repackaging its rice that’s only sold in Canada. The company invested about $1.5 million this year and $1.5 million in 2016 for new machinery and plant upgrades, Reford said.

That included a new packaging line for block bottom bags. The new rice bags stand up on the shelf and are more visible than the flat, clear bags of rice.

To help consumers learn more about the 10 different kinds of dry rice sold by Dainty and how to cook them, there are different banner colours such as pink for Basmati rice on the new aqua bags of rice. There’s more descriptions on each bag such as the “pearly white and delicately fragrant” Jasmine rice. Dainty Foods also teamed up with Quebec chef Jonathan Cheung to develop rice recipes for its website and Facebook page.

The mill also cans cooked rice for sale with a spice pouch. The canned rice has been in the Dainty line for decades and has a loyal fan base for its convenience, she said. The plant also packages rice for private labels and food services and sells rice flour in bulk.

Rice has benefitted in the last decade from the increased interest in gluten-free food, she said. And as different kinds of rice appear on store shelves, people are experimenting with them. Basmati, jasmine and brown rice are the top three sellers, she said.

“It’s just a simple, natural product and it’s so versatile. You can eat it with all kinds of things and you can transform it into all kinds of things. Just about every ethnic background uses rice in different ways.”

The mill removes the bran layer. Nikola said all rice is white at its core. Brown or whole grain rice doesn’t have its bran layer removed.

Once the rice moves into the mill by conveyer belts or by bags if its from overseas, the rice is cleaned and sent to be sifted and ground into flour or for dry rice, it goes through polishing and more machines from sifters to optical sorters that remove any debris. The rice essentially polishes itself as it is agitated and the mill doesn’t add salt or preservatives to the 100 per cent natural product. shill@postmedia.com twitter.com/winstarhill Bashir Mohamed, general manager at Les Aliments Dainty Foods Inc., picks up a handful of rice in the rail car receiving area during a tour of the Dainty Foods plant, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

Bashir Mohamed, general manager at Les Aliments Dainty Foods Inc., explains rice production in the rice mill. D A X MELMER / WINDSOR STAR

Dainty Foods’ new product line of rice, pictured Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

Andrew Tomlinson, a machine operator at Les Aliments Dainty Foods Inc., inspects a block bottom package of rice at the Dainty Foods plant, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

The flour mill at the Dainty Foods plant. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

Packaged rice sits in the warehouse at Dainty Foods Inc. D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

Rheal St. Louis, a rail car unloader, works in the rail car receiving area at Dainty Foods Inc., Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017.D A X M E L M E R / W I N D S O R S T A R

A couple of handfuls of rice show the essence of things at the Dainty Foods plant in Windsor. W I N W P

Dainty Foods’ new line of rice is sold in packages that stand up on the shelf, as opposed to lie down. D A X MELMER / WINDSOR STAR

Masse wants funding support for Sandwich to offset border traffic impacts

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Rice Science Museum teaches youth about agri

By Marilyn Galang, Philippine News Agency on December 1, 2017 Tweet Share

FILE: Farmers planting rice in the field (Photo courtesy of the Department of Agriculture) SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ , Nueva Ecija — The Rice Science Museum of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has opened a new exhibit that attempts to engage the youth to become agriculture advocates.

Dr. Diadem Gonzales-Esmero, museum curator, said in an interview Friday that through the exhibit, the youth can experience scientists’ workplay through puzzles, learn about rice growing, and listen to stories that can motivate them to finish their food, especially rice.

Esmero also said that children can familiarize themselves with biodiversity and the interaction among vegetables, rice, and insects in the field.

“We have 30 million young people. Contrast that to the aging population of farmers, which averages at 55 years old. For this exhibit, we are educating the children about their role on ensuring food security,” she said.

Although the ongoing exhibit, which opened last week, is more focused on the children, the general audience, especially the farmers, will not feel alienated, according to Esmero.

“They will learn about the healthy forms of rice and climate change-ready rice varieties. We also have a corner where they can read and watch about the latest practices and technologies on rice production,” she said.

Titled “Wonderful World of Rice”, this fifth exhibit also showcases rice arts and artifacts to promote the culture and heritage of rice farming.

Previous exhibits featured rice farming history focusing on Ifugao collections; traditional and modern rice farming practices; colored rice varieties; the colorful Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon; and the social and technological history of rice. (PNA)

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http://www.canadianinquirer.net/2017/12/01/rice-science-museum-teaches-youth-about-agri/

Rice Outlook Conference Tackles Grain Bin Safety

USA

Tuesday, December 12, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

217 C, Meeting Level

SAN ANTONIO, TX - According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, 2010 was the worst year on record for grain bin engulfments and fatalities - 31 people died and hundreds more were injured. And as more storage bins are built, the opportunity for potentially tragic accidents increases.

As part of this year's educational programming, the USA Rice Outlook Conference is offering a very important session on the challenges and dangers of grain bin entrapment rescue. Dr. Brent Cox, with Global Emergency Management Solutions, will explore options and low to no cost steps to prevent bin entrapments.

Because it can take rescue personnel a long time to reach isolated farm areas, Dr. Cox also will discuss do's and don'ts to follow while awaiting rescue teams, and analyze the steps taken to

successfully rescue trapped victims.

"I think it's in the best interest of everyone in the ag community to be schooled on grain bin safety," says Arkansas rice farmer Jennifer James. "I appreciate Valley View Agri-Systems for sponsoring this session. Being aware of the dangers and how to prevent accidents is vital information that we all can use."

01 DECEMBER 2017 Last Updated at 7:09 AM

IMF to update India growth rate forecast in January

By Lalit K Jha Washington, Dec 1 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today said it will update its growth rate forecast for India in January next year.

Recently, the US-based Moody's upgraded India's sovereign rating after a gap of 13 years to Baa2, with 'stable' outlook, from Baa3 earlier, citing improved growth prospects driven by economic and institutional reforms.

This was followed by S&P Global Rating, which kept India's sovereign rating unchanged at BBB- with stable outlook saying vulnerabilities stemming from low per capita income and high government debt balances strong GDP growth.

"We will be updating the forecast for India, including the growth rate, and that will be coming January with the update of our World Economic Outlook," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters at a news conference held at its headquarters here.

The IMF statement came as the latest figures revealed that India grew at 6.3 per cent in the September quarter compared to 5.7 per cent in the June quarter, reflecting an improvement in the Indian economy.

In its news dispatch from New Delhi, The wall Street Journal said India's economic expansion accelerated in the latest quarter, ending a five-quarter slowdown and sparking optimism that the negative effects of recent economic policies may now be behind Asia's third-largest economy.

CNN reported that India's economy has bounced back from a year-long slowdown, but it was not enough to regain the global growth crown from China.

By Lalit K Jha Washington, Dec 1 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today said it will update its growth rate forecast for India in January.

Recently, the US-based Moody's upgraded India's sovereign rating after a gap of 13 years to Baa2, with 'stable' outlook, from Baa3 earlier, citing improved growth prospects driven by economic and institutional reforms.

This was followed by S&P Global Rating, which kept India's sovereign rating unchanged at BBB- with stable outlook saying vulnerabilities stemming from low per capita income and high government debt balances strong GDP growth.

"We will be updating the forecast for India, including the growth rate, and that will be coming in January with the update of our World Economic Outlook," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters at a news conference held at its headquarters here.

The IMF statement came as the latest figures showed that India grew at 6.3 per cent in the September quarter compared to 5.7 per cent in the June quarter, reflecting an improvement in the Indian economy.

In its news dispatch from New Delhi, The Wall Street Journal said India's economic expansion accelerated in the latest quarter, ending a five-quarter slowdown and sparking optimism that the negative effects of recent economic policies may now be behind Asia's third-largest economy.

CNN reported that India's economy has bounced back from a year-long slowdown, but it was not enough to regain the global growth crown from China. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/imf-to-update-india-growth-rate-forecast-injanuary/1200008

MedLife Lowland Rice Experiment Records Success in Gbarnga By Omari Jackson December 1, 2017 3 218

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Harvested rice from MedLife-Liberia farms in Gbarnga.

Imagine a country where a water-loving crop like rice enjoys bountiful rainfall, fertile soil, and ecosystem suitable for growing it in abundance. This country is Liberia. Yet, Liberia spends millions of dollars each year to import rice. This import oriented food policy contributes to loss of foreign exchange, unemployment and lack of food self-sufficiency. In effect, Liberia subsidizes farmers in other countries, contributing to rising income and better living conditions for farmers in rice exporting countries like India and Thailand.

Workers harvesting rice in Totota

To change this situation, MedLife Liberia works with local farmers to create a sustainable pathway to increase rice production. If Liberia can make use of its available massive swampland to grow lowland rice, the country’s dependency on rice imports could be minimized and food security could be assured.

In a few years, the sector could provide massive employment for thousands of Liberia’s idle youth and improve rural income and livelihood. MedLife’s experience over the last few years suggests that improving agricultural productivity is the road to better schooling and healthcare. Farmers will continue to be reluctant to send their children to school as long as the price they pay is the risk of hunger due to low productivity. MedLife believes that we can overcome this food first logic by introducing improved rice farming techniques to produce surplus, where the children’s hands are needed on the farm to produce just sufficient food to feed the family.

That was the conclusion reached following a two-year experiment by a MedLife team that invested in lowland rice production in Totota, Garmu, Palala, Taylors Town, Fola and Green Hill Quarry with the support of UNDP GEF Small Grant Program. The program has shown increased promise of a better future for sustainable lowland rice production.

Mr. Alfred Miller, machine operator and supervisor of the project Dr. Khalifa Bility, former deputy minister for planning, research, and development, is convinced that Liberia could feed herself only when adequate investment is made in soil, seeds, tools and machines and lots of common sense policies to support farmers in a process that could bring results in months and not in years.

But in a country where commitment to work is challenging and people tend to take advantage of a situation instead of using dignity in labor as the end of their hard work, Dr. Bility said he has come up with a performance-based contract system that motivates workers to justify their income.

“And after two years I have finally found a system to get increased production,” he said, after a tour of his farms in Totota, Bong County last Friday.

The seed variety planted in lowland rice cultivation, he said, is ready to harvest in three months. “And after the harvest, two months later, you will realize that another harvest will take place after one month,” he added.

He said he has established five zones with each zone containing four farms, and each farm contains twenty-three plots, that equal one hectare.

Though he operates from Monrovia, Bility has five core workers who ensure that they employ contractors, including women and young men, to prepare the land for planting.

Presently, with support from the UNDP GEF grant and the Chinese Embassy, he has purchased power tillers, rice mill, a rice thrasher and a rice harvester, and is planning to introduce additional farming implements that would graduate into appropriate mechanized farming in the near future.

Alfred Miller, a machine operator, is the supervisor of the project. He informed the Daily Observer that the project provides employment for more than 100 Liberians.

“We feed them once a day. They work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or even more because the system rewards those who stay longer on the job to complete their day’s work on the farm,” Miller said.

Each worker is paid L$200 or more per day, and they are harvesting lowland rice planted three months ago; it would take them 5 days to complete the job.

“So after harvesting,” he said, “we restart the process and Liberia is blessed with rains that come even in the dry season.” In fact, Dr. Bility, following a visit to Southeast Asia (India, Malaysia, etc), borrowed a drainage system that ensures there is water on the farm at all times.

“Rice is a water product,” Dr. Bility said, “and so I borrowed the system that we have introduced to provide water all year round.”

He said his system is rooted in the spirit of self-help to generate income.

However, the use of the machines is communal because most farmers cannot afford to purchase a power tiller on their own. This is why the system is called Fixed Price Communal Commercial Farming in the various communities in Bong County he is operating his farms.

“We make sure to identify suitable lowland and then we get the community’s help to clear or brush the land and remove all tree trunks from the soil,” he said. “There is additional work to be done, including the developing rice nursery for transplanting, weeding, as well as fertilizer and water management.”

Dr. Bility said the experiment received less than 20% external help from the UNDP and he has borne all expenses.

His system is organized in such a way that even birds that make their presence during the growing stage after planting are kept out of the farms.

His objective, he said, is to bring his products to the Liberian market and to help reduce government’s rice imports, which is in the hundreds of millions, to zero so that the money could circulate in the country.

Dr. Bility said after two years, he is succeeding, because “you can predict the behavior of people by knowing their interest.”

The quality of the rice from his farms, he said, is the same as those that are imported from other countries. He admitted that it will not hurt the Liberian government to provide support to ensure that food security is sustained in the country. https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/medlife-lowland-rice-experiment-records-success-in-gbarnga/ https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/medlife-lowland-rice-experiment-records-success-in-gbarnga/ https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/medlife-lowland-rice-experiment-records-success-in-gbarnga/ https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/17-million-climate-resilient-agricultural-research

Row over paddy hits Assembly First published on 01-Dec-2017

Dipak Mishra

BREAK TIME: Ministers and MLAs step out of the Assembly on Thursday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh Patna: JDU and RJD MLAs crossed swords in the Assembly on Thursday over the paddy procurement scam.

RJD leaders Ramanuj Prasad and Shakti Yadav raised the paddy scam, which might be worth over Rs 1,000 crore, during Question Hour. The heated discussion saw the RJD members entering the Well of the House shouting slogans against the Nitish Kumar government.

Food and civil supplies minister Madan Sahni in his reply said that during the financial years 2011-12 to 2013-14, over 7.48 lakh metric tonnes of procured paddy were sent to various rice mills for milling and the rice was not returned to the government within the fixed timeframe. The cost of the milled rice is estimated at over Rs 1,573 crore. The government, the minister said, has got over Rs 349 crore from the millers and the rest is still to be recovered.

The minister said that during the same period, cases have been registered against 1,446 rice millers and cases to attach property had been registered against 1,676 millers, He said the government had managed to get 521 body warrants against the millers and in another 407 cases distress warrants have been issued. He said 40 body warrants and four distress warrants have been executed.

The government, the minister said, had started recovery of money of over Rs 114 crore from 409 guilty state employees of which Rs 16.56 crore had been recovered and the rest was under process. Charges have been framed against 211 employees and acquisition of property cases had been registered against 485 employees.

The minister stated that as per the direction of the Supreme Court the government had formed special courts in Patna, Purnia, Darbhanga, Chhapra and Gaya to hear the cases and a special investigation team (SIT) had been set up in April this year.

The RJD MLAs demanded the list of guilty government officials and employees be read out in the Assembly and alleged the government was trying to save "big officials" involved in the scam that happened during the NDA regime. The minister offered to send the list to the RJD members.

RJD MLA Alok Mehta demanded removal of officials and employees involved in the scam. Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary moved on to the next question, prompting the RJD MLAs to rush to the Well.

The House was adjourned till 12 noon.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/bihar/ row-over-paddy-hits-assembly-190052 Rice

Packaging Business In Nigeria By Agbaji Chinedu December 1, 2017 0 53

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Rice is an increasingly important crop in Nigeria relatively easy to produce and is grown for sale and for home consumption.

In some states, there is a long tradition of rice growing, but for many, rice has been considered a luxury food for special occasions only. With the increased availability of rice, it has become part of the everyday diet of many in Nigeria.

Nigerians spent not less than N1 billion daily on rice consumption, while spending had drastically reduced, consumption had increased because of increased local production of the commodity. “The consumption rate now is 7.9 million tonnes and the production rate has increased to 5.8 tones per annum. This is as a result of CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) with a total of 12 million rice producers and 4 million hectares of FADAMA rice land. Since inception of the programme, it has created economic linkage between Small Holder Farmers (SHF) and reputable large-scale

processors, thereby increasing agricultural outputs and significantly improving capacity utilisation of processors.

Rice Packaging And Branding Business With the above you will be sure of getting enough quantity of local rice to package and brand into your own name.

The local rice are available in different states in Nigeria such as Kano, kaduna, Enugu, Gombe State, Niger State, Kebbi State, Ebonyi State, Anambra State.

All you need to do is to buy the 100kg bag of stone free quality local rice and brand and bag into different kg such as 2kg,5kg,10kg,25kg with your brand name and supply to shops. Branding in rice is key as your brand will sell your rice as far as it is good.

Things You Need To Consider Before Going Into Rice Branding And Packaging Capital: The capital you need depends on the scale you want to operate such as small, medium, larger scale. But any amount from #250,000 will go a long way.

Rice variety: You really need to investigate all kinds of rice varieties in Nigeria.

At least the popular ones in your area or areas they are cheap.

Market: Decide your market better still, look for one. Your market is your business and not the product. Yes the product is the value you offer for money.

But the people in your market are the ones that will pay. “It is a No pay no business”.

Miller: This is where your work really starts. You need to go to the rural areas where there are local rice millers. Look for a miller with “near modern” equipment and excellent perboiling and drying techniques. Also look out for high level of hygiene

Your Brand and Packaging: After all the work has been done. You must present yourself, your product in the right package to attract the best buyers. A good name the will sell.

Finally, the return on investment is sure as Nigerians are now aware of the nutritional value of local rice to foreign rice which has little or no nutritional value.

As far as you have good rice to your brand name you will sell and be patronised by government and government agencies.

Note: If you need supply of any Agro Produce such as Rice, Beans, Maize, Soya beans, Ginger, Pepper etc you can contact us. https://independent.ng/rice-packaging-business-nigeria/

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Fayemi, Fashola, Kale Others Bag Excellence In Public Service Awards

By The Eagle Online On Dec 1, 2017 77

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday evening received the Businessday Newspaper’s Excellence in Public service award 2017 in recognition of the reforms and innovations that have repositioned the mining sector under his watch.

Other public servants that also bagged awards at the event, which held in Abuja, included the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde fashola (SAN); Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Elenamah; Statistician General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale; and Yewande Shadiku, the Executive secretary of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

Former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar, while presenting the award to Fayemi, said his leadership of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has helped to inject a new lease of life into the country’s comatose minerals and mining sector.

Stressing that public service could be a thankless job, Abdusalami said it takes a combination of patriotic zeal, brilliance and integrity for a public servant to make a mark.

Abdusalami urged Nigerians who have found themselves in positions of leadership to always strive to make positive impact, adding that the country would fare better with more purpose-driven public servants.

Fayemi, who was joined by the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Hon Abubakar Bawa Bwari, in receiving the award, said Nigerians could build Nigeria of their dream with more dedication and with everyone playing his or her roles well.

He lauded Businessday Newspaper for its daily brilliant reportage and analyses of the Nigerian and global economic developments.

The Minister was on November 2 honoured with an award by the authorities of the Federal University of Technology, Akure as well as the students body of the institution.

A day earlier, he had received the Excellence in Governance Award 2017 of the Global Patriots Newspapers in Lagos.

https://theeagleonline.com.ng/fayemi-fasholakale-others-bag-excellence-in-public-serviceawards/ Brown rice market forecast 2016-2021 scrutinized in new research WhaTech Channel: Food & Beverage Market Research Published: 01 December 2017 Submitted by Sai Panchakarla WhaTech Premium News from Market Data Forecast - market research, business intelligence and consulting Viewed: 17 times

fShare

inShare Brown Rice Market By Length (long, Medium, Short), By Type (sweet, Basmati), And By Region - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecasts (2016–2021) - Advertising -

The Global Brown Rice Market was worth USD XX billion in 2016 and estimated to be growing at a CAGR of XX%, to reach USD XX billion by 2021.

Rice is one of the chief staple food, consumed across the world by more than half of the total world’s populace.

Rice is produced and milled globally, yet the majority percentage of total rice produced is consumed in regions where it is produced.

View Full Report @ www.marketdataforecast.com/market-…rice-market-4923/ Most of the rice produced and consumed in Asia and Central-Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Thailand accounts for approximately 90% of world rice production.

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Due to high export of rice to other countries, the current share in global rice consumption of these countries is slightly lesser than the total production.

The growth of the global vital Brown Rice market is driven by the growing health consciousness and the rising number of mergers and acquisitions and the strategic collaborations between companies coupled with the increasing investment of vendors to maintain a steady supply of rice. The introduction of new products and flavours has also contributed to the growth of the market.

Request Sample @ www.marketdataforecast.com/market-…23/requestsample The Global Brown Rice market is segmented on the basis of length, type, and by region. On the basis of length, the market is segmented into long, medium, and short length brown rice.

On the basis of type, the market is categorised into sweet brown rice and brown basmati rice.

Inquire Report @ www.marketdataforecast.com/market-…rket-4923/inquire Type      

Introduction Sweet Brown Rice Brown Basmati Rice Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Type Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Type Market Share Analysis, By Type Distribution Channel

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Introduction Supermarkets/Hypermarkets Department Stores Grocery Stores Online retailers Others Y-o-Y Growth Analysis, By Distribution Channel Market Attractiveness Analysis, By Distribution Channel Market Share Analysis, By Distribution Channel The major players operating in the Global Brown Rice industry include T.K. Ricemill and Ash, Asia Golden Rice Co.,Ltd., Daawat, Shiva Shellac And Chemicals, Amira Nature Foods Ltd., Chandrika Group of Mills, Riviana Foods Inc., Ebro Foods, Agistin Biotech Pvt. Ltd., and SunFoods, LLC. Enquire Now @ www.marketdataforecast.com/cart/bu…-rice-market-4923

https://www.whatech.com/market-research/food-beverage/411854-brown-rice-market-forecast-20162021-scrutinized-in-new-research

This Nutritive Golden Potato Is the Latest GMO Superfood A genetically modified tuber with high amounts of vitamins A and E could potentially help to nourish the world — but will it ever make it to market?

BY LUCY JORDAN PUBLISHED ON 12/01/2017 6:28 PM EST   

Sufferers of malnutrition in the global south could soon find help from an unlikely source: a humble potato, genetically tweaked to provide substantial doses of vitamins A and E, both crucial nutrients for health.

Dubbed the “golden potato,” boosted levels of provitamin A carotenoids — which are found naturally in carrots and sweet potatoes — give the new tuber its yellow-orange flesh, and are converted into vitamin A by digestive enzymes when eaten.

The potato, created in a lab in Italy and studied at Ohio State University, is the most recent staple crop to be genetically transformed into a colorful superfood, joining such creations as antioxidant-rich purple rice and beta-carotene-enhanced golden rice.

But while foods with genetic tweaks to make them more commercially successful by increasing yield or longevity are relatively common — in the US, we have FDAapproved apples that don’t brown, bruise-free potatoes, and insect-resistant soy, among many other examples of genetically modified produce — these vitamin-enriched staples have yet to be grown commercially.

RELATED: ‘Gene Stacking’ Tool Produces Antioxidant-Rich Purple Rice

Potatoes are the fourth most popular crop worldwide, after rice, wheat, and corn, according to the US Department of Agriculture. It is a staple food in some Asian, African, and South American countries where vitamin A and vitamin E deficiencies are common.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, and is also key for growth, immunity, organ development, and reproductive health. Vitamin E protects against oxidative stress and inflammation, conditions that are associated with damage to nerves, muscles, vision, and the immune system.

The Ohio State University A single serving of the golden potato could provide up to 42 percent of a child’s recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 34 percent of their recommended vitamin E intake, according to a recent study co-led by researchers at Ohio State, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Development (ENEA) in Rome, and the Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics.

Women of reproductive age could get 15 percent of their recommended vitamin A and 17 percent of their vitamin E intakes from the same 5.3 ounce serving, the researchers said.

Malnourishment is possible even when people appear to have ample food. This phenomenon is known as “hidden hunger,� as people can be surviving chiefly on crops that supply calories but lack essential nutrients for growth and health.

Mark Failla, a professor emeritus of human nutrition who lead the research at Ohio State, said that this is particularly prevalent in developing countries, where staple food crops have often been bred for high yield and pest resistance instead of nutritional quality.

“More than 800,000 people depend on the potato as their main source of energy and many of these individuals are not consuming adequate amounts of these vital nutrients,” said Failla in a statement.

The potato was genetically engineered in Italy using a technique called biofortification.

“Carotenoid biofortification has proven itself with ‘golden’ rice and maize,” said Giovanni Giuliano, coordinator of the studies from ENEA. “Potato was the third crop to join this group.”

Giuliano noted that the level of technology necessary for enrichment is dependent on the crop. Maize and cassava can be enriched with beta-carotene using traditional breeding techniques, where parents with the desired trait are crossed over several generations — a bit like breeding labradors to retrieve, or border collies to herd.

But with crops where beta-carotene is not naturally occurring, it has to be transgenically inserted. Traditional breeding can then pass the trait down the genetic line.

Once the potato had been genetically manipulated, researchers in Failla’s Ohio lab created a simulated digestive system — complete with virtual mouth, stomach, and small intestine — to determine how much provitamin A and vitamin E could potentially be absorbed by someone who eats a golden potato.

“We ground up boiled golden potato and mimicked the conditions of these digestive organs to determine how much of these fat-soluble nutrients became biologically available,” Failla explained.

The group began the work focused on provitamin A availability, so their discovery that the potato also supplied a 10-fold dose of vitamin E was an unanticipated and pleasant surprise.

“Universities and other research labs regularly put out press releases saying they have developed a GM crop that will help feed people.”

The potato will join a growing stable of other genetically modified staple crops. Just this July, biotechnologists at the Queensland University of Technology announced that they had created a vitamin A-enhanced “golden banana.”

But while researchers are keen to tout such crops as potentially transformational, the reality is that these foods are slow to have an impact. Golden rice was heralded with splashy headlines declaring its potential to save millions of lives when it was unveiled in 1999. But 18 years later, it still has yet to be marketed commercially.

One problem is that genetic engineers don’t always have control over where exactly the beta-carotene enhancing transgenes land in the target organism’s DNA, said Glenn Davis Stone, a professor of anthropology and environmental studies at Washington University and a longtime observer of golden rice.

It was only earlier this year that the International Rice Research Institution in the Philippines — the world’s top rice research institution and the center of the effort to commercialize golden rice — felt able to submit the enhanced grain for regulatory approval.

Before that, Stone noted, its yields were significantly lower than the same rice without the “golden” trait, “probably because the trait had been inserted into a gene that controlled root development.”

IRRI anticipates that the first high-yield varieties of golden rice will be available toward the end of the decade.

As for the chances of the golden potato and other new superfoods making it to market, Stone is skeptical.

“Universities and other research labs regularly put out press releases saying they have developed a GM crop that will help feed people,” he told Seeker. “Lycopeneenhanced tomatoes, sorghum with more digestible protein, iron-enhanced cassava, vitamin-E-enriched canola, and so on.”

“The biotech industry has shown no interest in commercializing these crops,” he added. “These potatoes will never be commercialized.”

Another challenge to crops like the golden potato is the fact that vitamin A is fat soluble, meaning we can only absorb it if it comes with enough dietary fat. As VAD often affects people with a generally poor diet, this is by no means assured.

In one heavily cited human trial of golden rice from 2012, the participating children were eating the rice as part of a balanced meal in which 20 percent of the calories were from fat. As Stone suggested in a 2015 blog post, this demonstrates only that golden rice successfully imparts vitamin A to children who don’t need it.

He pointed out that over the past decade or so, the Philippines has succeeded in slashing its VAD rate without using golden rice.

“For some reason, the GMO supporters who claim to be deeply concerned about VAD have not celebrated this,” Stone said.

WATCH: Solving Hunger Is Just a Matter of Logistics  

Rice basmati up on stockists' buying PTI | Dec 1, 2017, 14:37 IST

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New Delhi, Dec 1 () Rice basmati prices firmed up by Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on emergene of stockists buying against restricted arrivals from growing regions.

Bajra also ended higher on increased offtake by consuming industries.

Traders said fresh buying by stockists against restricted arrivals from growing regions and some enquiries from rice mills mainly attributed the rise in rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121 variety went up by Rs 200 each to Rs 7,900-8,000 and Rs 6,400-6,500 per quintal respectively.

Non-basmati permal raw, wand,sela and IR-8 also settled higher at Rs 2,325-2,375, Rs 2,375-2,425, Rs 2,700-2,900 and Rs 1,950-2,000 from previous levels of Rs 2,3002,350, Rs 2,350-2,400, Rs 2,600-2,800 and Rs 1,950-1,975 per quintal respectively in line with rice basmati trend.

Other bold grain like bajra also moved up by Rs 1,215- 1,220 per quintal.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,125-2,325, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,840-1,845, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,845-1,850, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,030-1,040 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,900-8,000, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,400-6,500, Permal raw Rs 2,325-2375, Permal wand Rs 2,375-2,425, Sela Rs 2,700-2,900 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,950-2,000, Bajra Rs 1,215-1,220, Jowar yellow Rs 1,375-1,425, white Rs 2,750-2,850, Maize Rs 1,320- 1,325, Barley Rs 1,480-1,490. SUN KPS ADI MKJ

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/i ndia-business/rice-basmati-up-on-stockistsbuying/articleshow/61878206.cms IRRI and BASF team up to promote direct-seeded rice in Asia 01.12.2017

| UkrAgroConsult The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and BASF signed three agreements, paving the way for wider dissemination and adoption of direct-seeded rice (DSR) tools and technologies. Through this partnership, the two organizations will establish a multi-stakeholder DSR Consortium and further research on the use of nongenetically modified, herbicide-tolerant rice.

Under optimal conditions, direct seeding is considered a more efficient and cheaper method of growing rice than manual rice transplantation. It requires less resources such as labor and water, and it emits less greenhouse gases compared with other rice growing methods.

Although direct seeding is widely practiced in the United States and South America, challenges such as higher yield losses due to weed infestation have limited its wide-scale adoption in Asia.

Furthermore, the consortium will enable IRRI to develop DSR technologies and test rice varieties suitable to Asian environmental conditions. Membership is open to the public and private sectors, research organizations, NGOs, and farmer groups.

“Feeding the world is not just a public sector concern. It's a problem that needs everyone's contribution, including the private sector. With this partnership, we're enabling organizations like IRRI to work closely with companies like BASF toward a common goal, which is sustainable development,” said Jacqueline Hughes, IRRI’s Deputy Director General for Research.

The partnership will also advance research on non-genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant rice to safely control weed infestation in DSR systems. Once these varieties are introduced to the market, a third-party organization will assess their impact on rice productivity, profitability, and ecological sustainability.

“This partnership with IRRI will expand our reach and expertise, and we are confident that this will contribute to faster and wider dissemination of rice technologies, such as the Clearfield Production System, that raise rice productivity and farmers’ income at the same time. Through this collaboration, we are excited to provide products and program support that contribute to food security in a significant and environmentally sustainable way,” said Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, head of BASF’s Crop Protection Division in Asia Pacific.

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/irriand-basf-team-up-to-promote-direct-seededrice-in-asia AIDS affected children advised to live long with hope and confidence : Collector COMMENT

Kakinada | Friday, Dec 1 2017 IST

East Godavari District Collector Kartikeya Mishra has advised the AIDS infected and affected children to overcome the disease and live long with hope and confidence on future.

While interacting with the AIDS infected and affected children at his camp office hereon Friday, over breakfast in connection with World AIDS day, Mishra has assured them that

AIDS was a manageable disease and people can lead quality life protecting themselves with proper medication and discipline.

He also assured all out support to them in health and education aspects and cited the life of famous basketball player Michel Jordon who was infected by AIDS but leading a healthy life as a basketball coach for the past three decades.

The Collector gave away nutritious food kits, blankets and towels to the AIDs affected children donated by rice millers association and other organizations.

City Mayor Sunkara Pavani, Joint Collector Dr Mallikharjuna, Joint Collector 2 Radhakrishnamurty, Medical college Principal Ravula Mahalakshmi, GGH superintendent Dr Raghavendrarao, DMHO Dr Chenchaiah, AIDS nodal officer and additional DMHO Dr Pavan kumar were among those attended the event.

Later, the Mayor Pavani has flagged off AIDS awareness rally at the PR Government college grounds.UNI XC KNR CS 1910 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1154472.Xml Watch News Videos VIDEO : Congress rebel leader Shahjad Poonawala once again targeted on Rahul Gandhi

Congress rebel leader Shahjad Poonawala once again targeted on Rahul Gandhi 0 VIEWS News

U.S. rice prices soar amid sharply lower production https://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20171201/3226165.html December 1, 2017 - by Ron Sterk Share This: Search for similar articles by keyword: [Rice], [USDA report]

U.S. rice production is down 20% from 2016.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S. — U.S. rice production is estimated down 20% from 2016 while nearby rough rice futures traded in Chicago were up nearly 30% from a year ago in late November.

The drastic reduction largely was the result of reduced planted and harvested area as rice (as well as corn and sorghum) lost acreage mainly to soybeans and cotton due to relative prices when planting decisions were made earlier in the year. Slightly better national average rice yield provided some offset to lower acreage.

Rice prices were declining in March while soybean prices were rising, Nathan Childs, PhD, an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said earlier in the year, and U.S. rice carryout for 2017 at the time was forecast at more than a 30year high.

The USDA in its November Crop Production report estimated 2017 U.S. rice production at 178.382 million cwts, down 5% from its initial forecast in August, down 20% from 224.145 million cwts in 2016, down 13% from the recent five-year average and the lowest since 1996. A record crop of 243.104 million cwts was harvested in 2010.

Harvested area was estimated at 2.391 million acres, down 706,000 acres, or 23%, from 2016 and the lowest since 1987. Average yield based on Nov. 1 conditions was estimated at 7,461 pounds per acre, up 3% from last year.

Harvested area for rice, corn and sorghum declined a combined 2.103 million acres in the six rice states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, while harvested area for soybeans and cotton increased a combined 2,015,000 acres, according to USDA data.

Some rice acreage losses also resulted from heavy rains and flooding related to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. Although much of the crop was harvested when the hurricane hit, there were significant losses to the second harvest, known as the ratoon crop, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its November Rice Outlook.

Additional acreage was lost to flooding earlier in the year in top-producing Arkansas, which accounted for about 60% of the total reduced harvested area.

The nearby January rough rice future closed at $12.42 a cwt on Nov. 24, up 29% from a year ago and up 20% from the first of the year but below September highs above $13 a cwt. Rice futures last week neared $13 a cwt in the July 2018 contract and didn’t drop below $12 until the new 2018 crop November contract.

In its November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, the USDA forecast the average farm price of all rice in 2017-18 (August-July) at $12.50 to $13.50 a cwt, with the midpoint up $2.60 a cwt, or 25%, from $10.40 a cwt a year earlier and compared with $12.20 a cwt in 2015-16.

The USDA in its WASDE forecast carryover of rice on Aug. 1, 2018, at 29.9 million cwts, down 35% from 46 million cwts in 2017 and the lowest since 2007-08.

Unlike wheat, corn and soybeans, the United States is not a major producer of rice on the global stage, missing the top 10 by a couple of slots. Still, the United States exports about 55% of its rice production (similar to wheat and soybean export percentages). But the United States also imports a substantially larger share of its rice supply (about 10% of total supply and about 20% of domestic consumption) than the other commodities mainly due to the classes of rice produced and the varieties desired by consumers. The USDA forecast U.S. rice imports in 2017-18 at a record 24.5 million cwts.

Despite the sharp decline in U.S. rice production, global supplies are ample after record outturn of 486.57 million tonnes in 2016-17. Though forecast production for the current year is down 1% from last year at 481.20 million tonnes, 2017-18 ending stocks at 141.51 million tonnes are the highest since a record 146.7 million tonnes in 2000-01.

Looking ahead, the USDA in its preliminary long-range projections released last week, forecast 2018 U.S. rice planted area at 2.9 million acres, up 17% from 2017, and harvested area at 2.878 million acres, up 20%, though both still are below 2016 acreage. Production next year was forecast at 220.2 million cwts, up 23% from 2017.

The average farm price was forecast to decline 5% to $12.30 a cwt in 2018-19. http://www.worldgrain.com/articles/news_home/World_Grain_News/2017/12/US_rice_prices_soar_amid_sharp.aspx?ID ={9FA65E1D-6799-417C-9182-34E9510BE7A0}

Crop Tech Corner Weeds Nibble Away at Nitrogen 12/1/2017 | 9:25 AM CST

(DTN photo illustration by Nick Scalise)

By Mark Moore DTN Contributing Editor Research recently published in the Journal Crop and Pasture Science indicates weeds could be stealing Nitrogen (N) from crops.

The study "investigated the ability of several plant species commonly occurring as weeds in Australian cropping systems to produce root exudates that inhibit nitrification via biological nitrification inhibition (BNI)."

The weeds -- wild radish, great brome grass, wild oats and annual ryegrass -- were considered.

Read the preliminary results of the study here: http://bit.ly/‌ Each of the weed species showed the ability to suppress nitrification, which could help them to compete with other plants for nitrogen. "This highlights that increasing our understanding of how plants influence soil microbiota and associated nutrient cycling could open the door to potential novel weed-management strategies," according to the study. Further research is needed to explore whether it is possible to enhance weed-control strategies by manipulating the form and or timing of N supplied to crops.

"Weeds are called weeds for a reason," writes Cathryn O'Sullivan, a researcher with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. "They are masters of invasion, and they use sneaky tricks to give them an advantage over our crops. This is very interesting research that could one day give us another tool in our arsenal against our selfish weeds."

PASS THE CORN BELT-RAISED RICE

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/ne ws/crops/article/2017/12/01/weeds-nibbleaway-nitrogen-3 Record rice harvest seen this year December 1, 2017 | Filed under: Editorial | Posted by: Tempo Online

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ShareTweet We are now in a time of the year associated with rice harvests in the country, especially in Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Cagayan Valley, and Central Mindanao. Many years in the past, we were hit by powerful typhoons and floods that destroyed harvests while destroying homes and communities.

This year, however, we seem to have been spared from such calamities as super-typhoon Yolanda in November, 2013, and the floods of tropical storm Ondoy in September, 2009.

These natural calamities impact a great deal on our annual rice harvests. This year, the Department of Agriculture expects a record rice harvest of about 19.4 million metric tons for 2017. But this is still below our total need of 20 million tons a year. We thus still need to import 600,000 tons of rice.

There was a time when we had to import 1.8 million tons of rice a year, due to our fast-increasing population, loss of ricelands to real estate development, and natural calamities such as storms and floods. We gradually reduced this shortage through high-yielding rice varieties, farm mechanization, and this year, a program of free irrigation.

Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said that reports from department regional offices indicate that the fourth quarter harvest will be better than previous yields. The most welcome report came from Nueva Ecija whose farmers – using hybrid seeds developed by private firms in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna, and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PRRI) in Nueva Ecija – have posted harvests of 10 tons per hectare. This compares with the national average of 4.38 tons per hectare.

These high-yielding hybrid rice varieties are now being planted in about 360,000 hectares – out of a possible 4.9 million hectares in the country. The DA has set a target of one million hectares planted wih hybrid rice by the year 2020. This modest goal means an additional production of 4 million tons per harvest a year – so much more than our present shortage of 600,000 tons.

Agriculture truly carries our greatest hope for economic growth in the coming years. It would provide much-needed employment for Filipinos, most of whom now live in the rural areas. Its growth is bound to impact on other sectors of the national economy.

Self-sufficiency in rice will be a particular source of satisfaction to Filipinos, whose IRRI and PRRI trained the rice growers of Vietnam and Thailand. We have the land, we have the technology, we have the high-yielding rice varieties. We should be able to produce the rice needs of our own people

http://tempo.com.ph/2017/12/01/record-riceharvest-seen-this-year/ After Strong 9 Months of Sales, Kubota Ups Full-Year Outlook

By Dave Kanicki posted on December 1, 2017 | Posted in Data & Forecasts

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Stronger than expected sales of agricultural and light construction machinery was the basis for managers at Kubota to increase their forecast for year-end revenues.

With the Farm & Industrial Machinery division recording a 10% upturn in revenues for the 9 months to the end of September, Kubota executives now expect a full year figure equivalent to almost $15 billion, up $176 million or just over 1% on previous forecasts.

In North America, sales of compact tractors, construction machinery and engines grew due to expanded demand, in addition to the positive effect from favorable exchange rates and the contribution from Salina, Kan.-based Great Plains, which was acquired in 2016.

Short and long term finance receivables increased due to the expansion in sales financing operations in North America, where retail sales were strong, notes Kubota. Trade notes and accounts receivable decreased because of the inventory control by dealers in the U.S. Increased sales in Europe also contributed to a near 12% increase in over- seas revenues over the period, with the Kverneland Group implements business doing better as it supplies an increasing number of machines to Kubota dealers, as well as its Vicon and Kverneland independents.

China contributed a significant increase in revenues due to better sales of rice transplanters, construction machinery and engines, which more than offset slowing demand for combines.

In Japan, sales of tractors and implements, engines and other equipment in the division’s portfolio increased 3.8%, thanks to recovering sales of tractors previously held back by the strengthening of emissions regulations.

Overall, the farming-related division accounted for 82% of Kubota group revenues in the 9month period. For 3 months ended Sept. 30, sales of farm equipment and engines were up 8%.

Domestic sales rose 5.6%, while overseas sales increased by 8.7%.

U.S. sales for the quarter were $991 million.

https://www.farmequipment.com/articles/14909-after-strong-9months-of-sales-kubota-ups-full-year-outlook

Rice Science Museum teaches youth about agri

By Marilyn Galang, Philippine News Agency on December 1, 2017 Share

FILE: Farmers planting rice in the field (Photo courtesy of the Department of Agriculture) SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ , Nueva Ecija — The Rice Science Museum of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has opened a new exhibit that attempts to engage the youth to become agriculture advocates.

Dr. Diadem Gonzales-Esmero, museum curator, said in an interview Friday that through the exhibit, the youth can experience scientists’ workplay through puzzles, learn about rice growing, and listen to stories that can motivate them to finish their food, especially rice.

Esmero also said that children can familiarize themselves with biodiversity and the interaction among vegetables, rice, and insects in the field.

“We have 30 million young people. Contrast that to the aging population of farmers, which averages at 55 years old. For this exhibit, we are educating the children about their role on ensuring food security,” she said.

Although the ongoing exhibit, which opened last week, is more focused on the children, the general audience, especially the farmers, will not feel alienated, according to Esmero.

“They will learn about the healthy forms of rice and climate change-ready rice varieties. We also have a corner where they can read and watch about the latest practices and technologies on rice production,” she said.

Titled “Wonderful World of Rice”, this fifth exhibit also showcases rice arts and artifacts to promote the culture and heritage of rice farming.

Previous exhibits featured rice farming history focusing on Ifugao collections; traditional and modern rice farming practices; colored rice varieties; the colorful Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon; and the social and technological history of rice. (PNA

Rice Science Museum teaches youth about agri

By Marilyn Galang, Philippine News Agency on December 1, 2017 Share

FILE: Farmers planting rice in the field (Photo courtesy of the Department of Agriculture) SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ , Nueva Ecija — The Rice Science Museum of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has opened a new exhibit that attempts to engage the youth to become agriculture advocates.

Dr. Diadem Gonzales-Esmero, museum curator, said in an interview Friday that through the exhibit, the youth can experience scientists’ workplay through puzzles, learn about rice growing, and listen to stories that can motivate them to finish their food, especially rice.

Esmero also said that children can familiarize themselves with biodiversity and the interaction among vegetables, rice, and insects in the field.

“We have 30 million young people. Contrast that to the aging population of farmers, which averages at 55 years old. For this exhibit, we are educating the children about their role on ensuring food security,” she said.

Although the ongoing exhibit, which opened last week, is more focused on the children, the general audience, especially the farmers, will not feel alienated, according to Esmero.

“They will learn about the healthy forms of rice and climate change-ready rice varieties. We also have a corner where they can read and watch about the latest practices and technologies on rice production,” she said.

Titled “Wonderful World of Rice”, this fifth exhibit also showcases rice arts and artifacts to promote the culture and heritage of rice farming.

Previous exhibits featured rice farming history focusing on Ifugao collections; traditional and modern rice farming practices; colored rice varieties; the colorful Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Quezon; and the social and technological history of rice. (PNA

http://www.canadianinquirer.net/2017 /12/01/rice-science-museum-teachesyouth-about-agri/ FFAR awards

$1 million grant to create open source technology for gene discovery in plants 

Dec 1, 2017 Updated Dec 1, 2017

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The research is being led by Principal Investigator Pamela Ronald, Ph.D., in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at UC Davis. (Photo courtesy of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.)     

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The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a nonprofit established in the 2014 Farm Bill with bipartisan congressional support, awarded a $1 million Seeding Solutions grant to University of California, Davis to study the genetics of rice plants. Together with researchers at the University of North Carolina and collaborators, the team will develop and implement a chemistry-driven gene discovery approach to identify genes that

modulate root traits. The FFAR grant has been matched with funding from the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Structural Genomics Consortium, AgBiome, and Promega for a total $2.3 million investment.

The project targets protein kinases, enzymes that control diverse biological process in plants, such as root architecture and drought response. Genes corresponding to kinases discovered in this project will be further characterized using a recently established comprehensive collection of mutants to assess their roles in root system architecture and drought tolerance.

“The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is encouraged by the collaborative nature of this research,” said Sally Rockey, executive director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. “This project is a prime example of how public-private partnerships can advance our understanding of plant genetics to develop crops resistant to drought and other climate extremes.”

To accomplish their goals, the team will create and characterize a set of kinase inhibitors that collectively inhibit most of the kinases in rice. The starting point will be approximately 1,000 human kinase inhibitors carefully selected from a library of chemical compounds donated to the partnership from eight pharmaceutical companies.

The set will be distributed without restriction to scientists studying other plants and traits, thus serving as a broadly useful platform. The team has agreed to operate under open access principles—specifically prohibiting filing for IP on any of the results and will communicate the results widely.

The research is being led by Principal Investigator Pamela Ronald, Ph.D., in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at UC Davis.

“I am delighted to work with this talented and diverse team of researchers to advance rice genetics research. We are grateful for FFAR support that has allowed us to launch this project,” said Ronald.

“The pharmaceutical industry has poured resources into the study of human kinase inhibitors for drug discovery,” said David Drewry, Ph.D., co-PI and professor at University of North Carolina. “We are excited to leverage this investment and apply what we have learned to the important problem of water scarcity. An open science approach will allow us to build our understanding of genes that influence root growth more effectively and efficiently.”

In addition to those listed in the above article, researchers on this project include: Aled Edwards, Ph.D., collaborator, professor at the University of Toronto and director of the Structural Genomics Consortium; and Rafael Najmanovich, Ph.D., collaborator, professor at the University of Montreal.

This project is supported by FFAR through its Seeding Solutions grant program, which calls for bold, innovative, and potentially transformative research proposals in the Foundation’s seven Challenge Areas. This grant supports the Overcoming Water Scarcity Challenge Area, which aims to increase the efficiency of water use in agriculture, reduce agricultural water pollution, and develop water reuse technologies.     

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White Rice Pales in Comparison to These Antioxidant-Rich Grains

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By: Dr. Michael Greger  December 1, 2017  About Michael  Follow Michael at @nutrition_facts

Why does switching from white rice to brown rice enable overweight individuals to significantly reduce their weight, their waist size, their blood pressure, and the level of inflammation within their bodies?

We think it might be the fiber. Brown rice has four times as much dietary fiber as white rice, including prebiotic types of fiber that foster the growth of our good bacteria, which may help account for the anti-obesity effects of brown rice.

Besides the prebiotic fiber, when brown rice is milled into white, there are all sorts of vitamins and minerals that also are lost, as well as phytonutrients such as gamma oryzanol, which may help shift one’s preferences to healthier foods. Petri dish studies suggest gamma oryzanol may help lower cholesterol. And, along with other compounds found in the rice bran, which is what makes brown rice brown, gamma oryzanol may inhibit human cancer cell growth through antioxidant means, anti-proliferative and pro-cancer cell suicide mechanisms, immune system modulation, and increasing barrier protection. However, this was all seen in test tubes, not people.

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There are two human studies, though. The Adventist Health Study found that brown rice was one of four foods associated with significantly decreased risk of colorectal polyps, which can turn into colorectal cancer. Eating cooked green vegetables every day was associated with 24 percent lower risk, which was as much as eating dried fruit just three times a week. Eating beans, chickpeas, split peas, or lentils at least three times a week was associated with 33 percent lower risk, but brown rice seemed to garner 40 percent lower risk, and that was just a single serving or more a week.

The other human study reported increased muscle strength after supplementation with a brown rice compound in hopes that it could provide a side effect-free alternative to anabolic steroids.

The dose the researchers were giving, however, is equivalent to approximately 17 cups of brown rice a day, so it’s not clear if it works at practical doses.

Naturally pigmented rice, such as black rice and red rice, may be even more nutritious than brown rice. During the last decade, research has shown that these natural anthocyanin plant pigments may have a variety of beneficial effects. Anthocyanins are what make blueberries blue and red cabbage red. “Recent recognition of the fact that taking diet rich in plant foods lowers the risks of cancer promotes the enthusiasms in isolating…[these components as] pharmaceutical agents”—but why not just eat the blueberries or add some red cabbage to your stir fry atop some colorful rice?

Black, purple, and red rice—and their pigment compounds—have been found to be involved in a variety of antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-heart disease, anti-diabetes, and anti-allergy activities, but these were all studies done in a lab. We don’t yet have clinical studies, but these pigmented rice varieties have everything that brown rice has, plus five times more antioxidants and a variety of extra benefits. That’s why I, or rather my rice cooker, has always cooked red, black, or purple rice with a handful of lentils or split peas thrown in for good measure, since they cook in the same time frame.

But why don’t most people even choose brown over white? Well, brown rice does not last as long on the shelves, so it can actually be more expensive even though it’s less processed. White rice, on the other hand, is like food for the apocalypse, even puttingTwinkies to shame. White rice was still edible after 30 years—though, by then, it may have a “slight playdough” odor.

In health, Michael Greger, M.D. PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch my live, year-inreview presentations—2015: Food as Medicine: Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet, and my latest, 2016: How Not to Die: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers.

Related at Care2 

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Drugs and the Demise of the Rice Diet

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China's CITIC closes $1.1 bln Brazil takeover, sees more ahead December 01, 2017, 08:35:00 AM EDT By Reuters

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Shutterstock photo

By Marcelo Teixeira RIBEIRÃO PRETO, Brazil, Dec 1 (Reuters) - China'sCITIC Agri Fund said on Friday it had completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of Dow Chemical Co's corn seed business in Brazil, a potential vehicle for future purchases in Latin America.

CITIC plans to rename the business LP Sementes Ltda and have its Yuan LongPing High-tech Agriculture Co run it.

Beyond seeds, Shi said the main areas the fund is looking at are animal genetics, veterinary products such as vaccines, and crop protection products. But there are no negotiations with possible targets at the moment, he added.

The Dow deal, announced in July, includes seed processing plants and seed research centers, a copy of Dow AgroSciences' Brazilian corn germplasm bank, the Morgan seed brand and a license for the use of the Dow Sementes brand for a limited time.

Dow sold the seed business as a condition of its merger with DuPont, which was completed this year.

Chinese companies have been investing heavily in Brazil as their local counterparts seek partners to improve their capital structure after the country's harshest recession on record.

Chinese companies invested $14 billion in deals in Brazil in the first nine months of 2017, already making it the second-biggest year since the Brazilian government began tracking such data in 2003.

LongPing Chief Executive Officer Zhang Xiukuan said the company planned to expand the seed business in Brazil and was looking for a location to build a rice research center there.

The company is a leader in hybrid rice technology in China, with about 30 percent of the market.

Zhang said there was large potential to expand rice cultivation in Brazil, which is mainly grown in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state. The new LP Sementes subsidiary is also looking to expand corn seed sales to countries such as Paraguay and Argentina, where it already has operations, he added.

Demand for food in China will continue to grow, he said, while Brazil has a large area available for agriculture expansion http://www.nasdaq.com/article/chinas-citic-closes-11-bln-brazil-takeover-sees-more-ahead-2017120100381 http://www.nasdaq.com/article/chinas-citic-closes-11-bln-brazil-takeover-sees-more-ahead20171201-00381

Have NAFTA Talks Reached A Breaking Point? 

Nathaniel Parish Flannery , Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Photo by Nathaniel Parish Flannery. Instagram: @NathanielParish

A girl walks by a section of the border wall in Tijuana, Mexico that has been painted like the American flag.

As efforts re-negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) continue, the U.S. team continues to push a hardline stance that the governments of Canada and Mexico aren't going to accept. Right now it seems like very little progress is being made. On November 29 Mexico's Minister of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo exited a meeting with Trump's team in Washington with a negative outlook. “I was clear that the domestic content [proposal] is something that is not viable at this point,� Guajardo said.

The U.S. appears to be adamant that it will squeeze concessions out of Mexico and Canada and deliver a win for Donald Trump's administration. So far Trump's team is ignoring criticism from business groups in the U.S. that have warned about the potentially disastrous consequences of the U.S.'s current proposals.

In a statement U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said, “While we have made progress on some of our efforts to modernize NAFTA, I remain concerned about the lack of headway.

Thus far, we have seen no evidence that Canada or Mexico are willing to seriously engage on provisions that will lead to a rebalanced agreement. Absent rebalancing, we will not reach a satisfactory result."

Representatives from Canada and Mexico, however, aren't yet willing to seriously discuss the U.S.'s controversial proposals for new rules for increasing the U.S. content on cars produced under the NAFTA framework or a so-called sunset provision that would require the three countries to re-affirm their commitment to NAFTA every five years. One Canadian official explained, “On the controversial proposals, we cannot really negotiate as there seems to be little room to do so and little logic to the proposals.”

Trump's team appears to be threatening to be ready to cancel NAFTA if serious concessions aren't made. Mexico and Canada, however, are willing to stall and wait for Congress and U.S. business chambers to increase the pressure on the Trump administration to preserve the current framework. Right now it's still not clear if Trump really is willing to walk away from NAFTA and risk losing up to $12.8 billion in yearly exports to Mexico and up to 50,000 jobs in both the U.S. agricultural and auto manufacturing sectors. After all, most people in the U.S. might end up blaming Trump if NAFTA ends and the U.S. economy takes a serious hit. Trump has latched on to out-dated mercantilist ideas that don't account for the complexity of the modern economy.

Trump needs to understand that walking away from NAFTA would be a major disruption for important U.S. corporations with complicated cross border supplier and client networks such as Ford, GE, John Deere, and HP. For now the talks appear to be stalling and negotiations are expected to drag on (at minimum) into early 2018.

To ask about what we might see next in the NAFTA talks I reached out to Jason Marczak, the Director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington D.C. based think-tank.

Nathaniel Parish Flannery: How optimistic are you right now that progress is being made in the ongoing talks about NAFTA's future?

Jason Marczak: Last week, the 5th round of NAFTA negotiations concluded in Mexico City. So far, progress has been made in the minor and more technical sectors of the pact such as digital trade, the establishment of a NAFTA Trilateral Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME) Dialogue, food safety, sanitary and environmental standards. Although all countries are in favor of updating the agreement to better fit the needs of a 21st century economy Canada and Mexico will not accept a deal that is bad for them. Little progress has been made on the major points of

contention such as rules of origin, labor standards, dispute settlement resolution, agricultural trade and government procurement. On average, the United States has taken 18 months to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement that then has to be ratified by the U.S. Congress. The March deadline is overly ambitious. Assuming all parties continue to agree to meet, we will likely see this process conclude in 2019. It will be quite tough for negotiators to make concessions in heat of the campaign leading up to the Mexican presidential election in July 2018, and the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Negotiators from the three countries are going to have to find a way to tackle the sticky issues that remain. For example, in this last round we saw how Mexico presented a counter offer to the U.S.’s sunset clause, with Mexico instead proposing periodic reviews for the pact. This is an example of a concession that could be agreed to as long as all countries are willing to give and take.

Parish Flannery: Right now what are the main sticking points?

Marczak: The sticky points are far-reaching at this point. I’ll just cover three of them. One is rules of origin, which determine what percentage of a product needs to be made in North America to be entitled to preferential tariff treatment under NAFTA. At the last round, the U.S. proposed that half of all content of autos be from U.S. and that the total required North American content rise from 62% (currently the highest of any trade agreement) to at least 85%. From the Canadian and Mexican side, country-specific rules of origin are considered as non-starters for negotiations since they could eliminate the competitive edge North America has globally in the automotive sector. Both have called for content to be measured regionally instead of nationally.

A second issue is the dispute settlement mechanisms, specifically Chapter 19 of the agreement, which allows the private sector to challenge antidumping and countervailing duty rulings.

Currently this takes place in an international tribunal, but the U.S. would like to bring it into the U.S. court system. Canada on the other hand has repeatedly stated that the NAFTA dispute settlement mechanism cannot be eliminated or weakened and should remain independent of any single national justice system. Canada could walk away if an independent dispute resolution mechanism isn’t reached. Remember, this was a hold-up for Canada when NAFTA was first negotiated.

Hopefully there could agreement around the sunset clause. The underlying assumption from Canada and Mexico is that a sunset clause would ultimately drive down confidence and hurt long-term investment in the region, two of the big wins under NAFTA. With all the instability in different areas of the world today, the last thing we should be doing is detracting from the stable market we have created right here in North America.

Parish Flannery: At this point how optimistic are you that NAFTA is going to survive 2018?

Marczak: I think – and hope – that it continues to be abundantly clear that ending NAFTA would have dire consequences on the U.S. workers who already are concerned about their future.

Why add to their uncertainty? Why upend the jobs of millions of Americans? In the end, not only would a withdrawal from NAFTA hurt U.S. workers, but it would cause significant harm to the

United States beyond North America. We would be seen as a less credible trading partner. It would give huge advantages to China to make further gains in its quest to be the driver’s seat in setting global trade rules. And China surely wont’ be writing those rules to benefit the American worker.

So, I believe that the United States and our NAFTA partners see the bigger picture implications of getting this deal right. Either way, U.S. credibility is already being questioned. It is critical that we reach a successful conclusion so that we reverse this.

As well, if the U.S. administration does decide to terminate the agreement, it is still a lingering question how much authority Congress has to prevent elements of any such decision from being enacted.

In the end, I remain optimist. I see a deal as being reached eventually. And if we get this right, it can serve as a blueprint for future deals.

Additional Reading: How Mexico City Is Beginning To Rebuild After The Earthquake Follow me: Twitter: @NathanielParish and Instagram: @nathanielparish

Ricegrowers Association of Australia to help shape future leaders 

Talia Pattison News   

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RGA president Jeremy Morton.

FUTURE leaders of the rice industry have been given the support of the federal government.

The Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia (RGA) has welcomed an announcement it will be benefiting from the government’s $5 million Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund.

Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston, announced the RGA would receive $367,960 in funding to develop industry leaders into the future.

The news was welcomed by the RGA president Jeremy Morton, who was hopeful it would mean the industry can continue to grow and boom. “It has been great leadership in the past that has brought our industry to where it is today, and through this funding we can ensure our leaders will continue to adapt and grow our industry,� he said.

RGA will use the funding to develop a Rice Industry Leadership Program.

It will be aimed at equipping participants across industry with the skills, knowledge and confidence to take on leadership roles within its main bodies and associated entities.

http://www.irrigator.com.au/story/5093885/fu ture-leaders-are-now-possible-after-riceindustry-gains-a-handy-fundingboost/?cs=1524 Govt to procure 300,000 tonnes of rice at Tk 39 per kg BSS . Dhaka 01-Dec-2017 12:53

The government will procure a total of 300,000 tonnes of aman rice at a rate of Tk 39 per kg from the internal market during the current aman season.

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting of food planning and monitoring committee (FPMC) held at the Bangladesh secretariat on Thursday. The procurement drive will continue from 3 December 2017 to 28 February 2018.

"Decision has been taken to procure 300,000 tonnes rice during the current aman season at a rate of Tk 39 per kg as the farmers have to spend Tk 37 for growing a kg of rice," food minister Qamrul Islam told journalists after the meeting.

Last year, the government also procured 300,000 tonnes of aman rice at a rate of Tk 33 per kg and production cost of per kg rice was Tk 29.

The food minister said the government has a target of growing 14 million tonnes of aman rice this year. "I am hopeful about achieving this target," he added.

Replying to a question, he said the production cost of per kg paddy will be Tk 24.63 while cost of per kg rice will be Tk 37.02.

Food minister Qamrul Islam chaired the meeting while finance minister AMA Muhith, agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, secretaries of the concerned ministries and other senior ministry officials, among others, attended it.

http://fb.prothomalo.com/en/economy/news/135598/Govt -to-procure-300-000-tonnes-of-rice-atTk-39 Nagpur Foodgrain

Prices Open- December 1, 2017 Reuters Staff 6 MIN READ

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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-December 1 Nagpur, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Gram prices recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) on good demand from local millers amid weak arrival from producing regions.

Fresh rise on NCDEX, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and reported demand from South-based millers also boosted prices, according to sources.

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram varieties quoted static in open market here but demand was poor.

TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders amid ample stock in ready position. * Rice Shriram varieties recovered strongly in open market on increased marriage season demand from local traders. * In Akola, Tuar New – 4,000-4,150, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean) – 8,000-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,525-4,675, Gram Super best – 7,300-7,500 * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Previous close

Available prices

Gram Auction 3,800-4,200 3,750-4,100 Gram Pink Auction n.a.

2,1002,600 Tuar Auction n.a.

3,822-3,927 Moong Auction n.a.

3,900-4,200 Udid Auction n.a.

4,3004,500 Masoor Auction n.a.

2,600-2,800 Wheat Mill quality Auction 1,600-1,680 1,600-1,696 Gram Super Best Bold 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800 Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 6,400-6,800 6,400-6,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a Gram Mill Quality 4,700-4,800 4,700-4,800 Desi gram Raw 4,950-5,050 4,950-5,050 Gram Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,400-13,000 Tuar Fataka Best-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400 Tuar Fataka Medium-New 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,000 Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700 Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,100-5,350 5,100-5,350 Tuar Gavarani New 4,100-4,200 4,000-4,100 Tuar Karnataka 4,550-4,850 4,550-4,850 Masoor dal best 5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200 Masoor dal medium 4,600-4,800 4,600-4,800 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 7,100-7,500 7,100-7,500 Moong Mogar Medium 6,300-6,700 6,300-6,700 Moong dal Chilka 5,200-6,000 5,200-6,000 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500 Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-7,000 5,800-7,000 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,300-6,400 5,300-6,400 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,200 5,100-5,200 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 2,900-3,000 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000 Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,850-1,950 1,850-1,950 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,150 1,900-2,100 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 3,100-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,700 2,300-2,700 Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,500 3,000-3,500 Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400 Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600 Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000 Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,600 3,250-3,600 Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,200 4,800-5,100 Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,700 4,400-4,600 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,200-14,000 10,200-14,000 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,200-7,500 5,300-7,500 Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,100 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 30.6 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 12.2 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 30 and 12 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)

https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpurfoodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-opendecember-1-2017-idINL3N1O134L Rice

basmati up on stockists' buying PTI | Dec 1, 2017, 14:37 IST

New Delhi, Dec 1 () Rice basmati prices firmed up by Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on emergene of stockists buying against restricted arrivals from growing regions.

Bajra also ended higher on increased offtake by consuming industries.

Traders said fresh buying by stockists against restricted arrivals from growing regions and some enquiries from rice mills mainly attributed the rise in rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121 variety went up by Rs 200 each to Rs 7,900-8,000 and Rs 6,400-6,500 per quintal respectively.

Non-basmati permal raw, wand,sela and IR-8 also settled higher at Rs 2,325-2,375, Rs 2,375-2,425, Rs 2,700-2,900 and Rs 1,950-2,000 from previous levels of Rs 2,3002,350, Rs 2,350-2,400, Rs 2,600-2,800 and Rs 1,950-1,975 per quintal respectively in line with rice basmati trend.

Other bold grain like bajra also moved up by Rs 1,215- 1,220 per quintal.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,125-2,325, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,840-1,845, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,845-1,850, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,030-1,040 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,900-8,000, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,400-6,500, Permal raw Rs 2,325-2375, Permal wand Rs 2,375-2,425, Sela Rs 2,700-2,900 and

Rice IR-8 Rs 1,950-2,000, Bajra Rs 1,215-1,220, Jowar yellow Rs 1,375-1,425, white Rs 2,750-2,850, Maize Rs 1,320- 1,325, Barley Rs 1,480-1,490. SUN KPS ADI MKJ

Get latest news & live updates on the go on your pc with News App. Download The Times of India news app for your device. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-up-on-stockistsbuying/articleshow/61878206.cms

World Demand for Pakistani rice rises ISLAMABAD: Demand for Pakistani rice has increased due to its special fragrance, colour and quality across the world.

A spokesman of Agriculture Department talking to Radio Pakistan said the Agriculture Department launched a special campaign about poison free paddy crops this year.

He said international rice export companies have lauded the initiative of the agriculture department.

Pakistan produces world class rice and has a well developed rice processing industry as proven by its exports to high-end and the most sensitive markets around the world. “We want to move towards value-added products to increase exports,� he added.

https://www.pakissan.com/2017/12/01/worlddemand-for-pakistani-rice-rises/ NFA:RicepricesupbyP1toP2perkilo By: Futch Anthony Inso

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A P1 TO P2 per kilo increase in the prices of rice in different major and small retailers in different public markets and supermarkets in Metro Cebu has been observed by the National Food Authority in Central Visayas (NFA-7). Olma Bayno, NFA-7 information officer, said that based on their price monitoring in several markets in [‌]

http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/tag/by-p1to-p2-per-kilo

© Provided by Businessworld rice THE National Food Authority (NFA) has proposed to import 350,000 metric tons of rice before 2018’s first harvest in order to beef up government stocks, an official of the state grains agency said yesterday. “‘Yung import volume, nag-request kami ng 350,000 (MT) which is under consideration ngayon sa… food security committee” that checks domestic grains stock levels, NFA Grains Marketing Operations Division Director Rocky L. Valdez said, adding that the agency submitted the recommendation to the NFA Council on Nov. 22.

The council’s membership includes Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr.; Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III; Trade and Industry Sec. Ramon M. Lopez; Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Ernesto M. Pernia and Executive Sec. Salvador C. Medialdea, among others. Alternate members include BSP Deputy Gov. Diwa C. Guinigundo, National Treasurer Rosalia V. de Leon, Trade and Industry Undersecretary Teodoro C. Pascua as well as National Economic and Development Authority Assistant Sec. Mercedita A. Sombilla.

“Hopefully, by next week, meron na silang evaluation to import or not to import,” Mr. Valdez said in a telephone interview.

“Kung papayagan (If approved, the shipments will arrive) January to February; bago anihan ipaparating namin ito (before the harvest). At kahit dumatingnaman ng harvest, di naman namin ilalabas ito sa market. Naka-standby langang mga ito ng lean months sa (And even if shipments arrive amid harvest, we will not release them in the market. They will be on standby for the lean months of ) May, June, July, August,” he added.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Nov. 21 that it expects unmilled rice output to increase by 2.58% year-on-year to 4.533 million MT in 2018’s first quarter.

Mr. Valdez said that current inventory at the NFA “has thinned,” sufficient for just six days — well below requirements. This is expected to decline further to three- to four-day levels by the end of the year.

The NFA is required to maintain a buffer stock good for at least 15 days at any time and keep its inventory levels sufficient for 30 days during the lean periods that peak in the third quarter.

The 350,000 MT volume requested is expected to add 11 days to government stocks.

The national rice inventory, however — including stocks in households and commercial warehouses — is good for 61 days, according to Mr. Valdez.

For this final quarter alone, the PSA expects palay production to increase by 6.26% annually to 7.45 million MT, as yield improvement offsets a contraction of harvest area.

That, plus the arrival between Dec. 20 and Feb. 28 next year of about 805,200 MT that was bought by private-sector traders, should help buoy the country’s rice buffers.

Last year, government approved the importation of 500,000 MT but brought in just half of that volume.

The post NFA eyes 350,000 MT rice imports appeared first on BusinessWorld.

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NFA ASSURES RICE PRICE INCREASE IS NOT DUE TO LACK OF SUPPLY The National Food Authority (NFA) today assured the public that the reported slight increase in rice prices is actually price related and not due to lack of supply.

“We have adequate volume of industry wide rice inventories at this time. The country’s rice stocks, at 1.944 million metric tons, would last for 61 days based on the average national daily requirement of 31,462 MT,” NFA said.

The rice varieties whose prices were observed to have increased by P1-P2/kilogram were of premium, special and aromatic rice, or those with 5 to 15 percent brokens, and not the regular and well-milled varieties traditionally consumed by the majority of consumers, the NFA noted.

Another reason for such an increase in price, NFA says, is that the low-priced stocks held by traders and retailers are starting to be depleted. “Traders are now milling and starting to sell their newly harvested stocks bought at higher ex-farm prices. This harvest season, for example, traders were buying palay from P18 to P24/kg. Thus, when processed into

rice, the higher wholesale and retail prices will be passed on to retailers and consumers,” NFA said.

Also, the main harvest that started in late September is almost over and lean months, or the period when there is very low or no harvest is looming (December to February) and it’s normal that prices will slightly increase, the NFA said.

A review of the past three-year period showed that rice prices indeed tend to register slight increase at this period, although this year’s increase is observed to be even lower than during the same period in previous years. In November 2014, the price of regularmilled and well-milled rice were at P40.74 and P43.63/kg.; in 2015 – P38 and P42/kg; in 2016 – P35.97 and P41.80. This month, the average retail prices for regular and wellmilled varieties are at P37 and P40/kg.

Nevertheless, NFA assures that the agency is doing its best to arrest any abrupt increase in rice prices. “We continue to sell low-priced NFA rice at P27 and P32/kilogram through our accredited retailers so that consumers will have an option to buy good quality but lower-priced rice,” NFA said.

The agency has also fielded monitoring teams in markets and supermarkets to ensure that NFA rice is available in places where slight rice price increases are noted.

The NFA believes that rice prices will eventually settle down to its previous levels when private sector imports via the minimum access volume (MAV) quota start arriving in December. ###

http://www.nfa.gov.ph/35-news/1039-nfaassures-rice-price-increase-is-not-due-tolack-of-supply