22nd december,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine www.ricepluss.com

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter 22 December, 2014

Volume 4 Issue: XI

nd

Vol 4, Issue XII

Today’s News Headlines…

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Take steps to discourage rice imports Hostels get fine rice, anganwadis left egg faced Rice export increases 8.32pc in five months Rice exports surged in 2014 setting a new record – FAO Vietnamese Rice Farmers Battle Vietnam Rat Infestation As Snakes, Cats Become More Popular With Diners 6. Cuban trading could benefit local farmers 7. Sushil Kumar Modi for one-time settlement of rice mills' dues 8. Prime minister admits 1 million tonne goal is unlikely for rice sector 9. Year 2014 termed the bleakest for agricultural sector 10. Basmati exports set to decline 11. Gang uses ‘rice pulling’ con to cheat Tumkur politician of Rs 6 cr 12. Acreage under pokkali cultivation dips 13. Ex-president Kufuor in big rice business 14. Not enough rice in Central Visayas: DA 15. OSHA cites Basic Grain Products after 2 workers injured at Coldwater rice-cake plant 16. Louisiana rice farmers could benefit from normalized Cuba relations 17. Temasek Foundation's Aceh rice project yielding results 18. Bihar minister says govt sincere on paddy procurement

Contact & Visit www.ricepluss.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 7th Floor,Suite 11 Central Plaza New Garden Town Lahore-54600 Landline :92 3584 5551 For Advertisement Specs & Rates: Contact: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine News Detail‌.

Take steps to discourage rice imports Parliamentary panel advises food ministry Star Business Report

A parliamentary standing committee yesterday advised the food ministry to take steps to discourage rice imports to protect

domestic market, affecting both farmers and local millers.

Retail prices of all types of rice, irrespective of quality, have declined between one percent and 3.53 percent in Dhaka markets, according to data from state run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.In the face of

growers."We have sufficient domestic production now. So, rice imports should be discouraged for the time being, to safeguard the interests of farmers," Md Abdul Wadud Dara, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on food ministry, told The Daily Star by phone.The panel made the recommendation at a meeting at the parliament building, citing media reports on

spiralling imports, many millers are avoiding milling of paddy, fearing stiff competition from imported rice, Md Abdur Rashid, president of Bangladesh Auto, Major and Husking Mills Association, said last week.He demanded the government impose duties rice imports so that farmers do not feel discouraged to grow the staple in the upcoming boro season.The government has kept a zero-duty facility on rice imports

the rise in rice imports, particularly from India.

since fiscal 2006-07, according to National Board of Revenue.

Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam, members of the panel and top officials of the food ministry were present at the meeting.Rice imports in just five and a half months of this fiscal year crossed last year's total, as businessmen found foreign produce cheaper than local output. Bangladesh's private

Dara said the parliamentary committee discussed the issue following media reports and favoured taking measures to discourage rice imports by consulting related ministries.Islam however said rice imports are negligible considering overall demand and production in the country.Production

importers brought in 4.45 lakh tonnes of rice from July to December 17, exceeding last year's total import of 3.74 lakh tonnes, according to food ministry data.Surging rice imports supported by an absence of duty and the aman harvests, the year's second largest rice crop, have already lowered prices in the

rose to 3.44 crore tonnes in fiscal 2013-14, from 3.38 crore tonnes a year ago, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Bangladesh requires nearly 1 lakh tonnes of rice a day, said Islam."There is nothing to worry about.

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine However, we will discuss the matter with the commerce ministry on whether duty benefits for rice import can be withdrawn."Some imports are aromatic rice and some low quality rice is also being imported as cattle feed, Islam said."I don't think such imports can influence the market.

But a section of people are trying to create confusion when we are exporting rice abroad."

revised proposals, fine rice will be served to all 23,000 students staying in 244 hostels in the two districts. And that is precisely where the catch lies. .

Kids having a meal at an Anganwadi centre in the city (file photo)

On the recent fall in rice prices, he said prices usually go down during the peak harvesting period.

Source with thanks:http://www.thedailystar.net/business/tak e-steps-to-discourage-rice-imports-56476

Hostels get fine rice, anganwadis left egg faced December 20,2014, 10.31 PM IST | | THE HANS INDIA

One man‘s gain is someone else‘s loss. This adage is getting pronounced by the Telangana State government much to the disappointment of toddlers who may not know that they are likely to be denied their staple dose of egg a day. If this comes as a huge letdown, there is another section that seems to rejoice a decision taken by the government, also meant for students.Enjoying a full meal comprising of fine rice and vegetables is nothing short of a luxury for inmates of welfare hostels spread over Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. If things go according to

Fine rice will come at the expense of meals for kids up to the age of three. Government officials might dismiss it as a coincidence but NGOs and student bodies are not buying such excuses. While the officials of the welfare department are working round-theclock to ensure that students living in welfare hostels eat fine rice from the New Year, the Telangana government has reduced the quantity of eggs supplied to anganwadis, which cook for children below the age of three.

The supply of eggs has been cut from one egg a day to once in two days, towards which a GO has also been issued. The women and child welfare department officials state that the decision was taken in consultation with nutrition specialists, who said that yolk will increase the fat content among children. Meanwhile, the annual budget for meeting the welfare scheme has been reduced to a little over Rs 24.28 lakh from the earlier Rs 45.13 lakh. Currently, welfare hostels in the city are serving PDS rice that has more stones and worms than rise. ―A team of our officers are currently

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine surveying the hostels in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy as part of the plan to introduce fine rice.

We aim to find out the number of students living in the hostels and the quantity of rice they consume every month,‖ informed an official from the welfare department.

Currently, the students from classes 3 to 7 are being served meals worth Rs 25 while eighth to 10 standard students get to taste meals worth Rs 28.Recently, rice millers have agreed to the Telangana government‘s plea to make available superfine quality rice such as BPT and sona masuri to all welfare hostels from January 1.

By:Aditya Parankusam Source with thanks:http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/i ndex/2014-12-20/Hostels-get-fine-riceanganwadis-left-egg-faced-122164

Rice export increases 8.32pc in five months Sunday, 21 December 2014 17:47 Posted by Imaduddin

ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the country during first five months of current financial year registered an increase of 8.32 percent as compared to the same period of

last year.During the period from JulyNovember, 2014 about 1,303,644 metric tons of rice worth $738.602 million exported which witnessed an increase of 8.32 percent as compared to the exports of corresponding period of last year.According the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, rice exports during the first five months of last financial year were recorded at 1,160,586 metric tons valuing $681.859 million.During the period under review, exports of basmati rice grew by 6.01 percent and about 219,428 metric tons of basmati rice worth $ 247.193 million exported as compared to the exports of 214,447 metric tons valuing $233.182 million of same period last year.

From July-November, 2014, exports of others rice also increased by 9.52 percent and reached at 1,084,216 metric tons valuing $491.409 million which was recorded at 946,139 metric tons costing $448.677 million in same period of last year.Meanwhile, the exports of fish and fish preparations swelled by 0.67 percent as country earned $148.500 million by exporting 58,008 metric tons of fish and fish products. Fish and fish preparations exports during the first five months of last financial year were recorded at 56,457 metric tons costing $147.514 million.

However, the data reveled that overall food exports from the country during last five months remained on down track and decreased by 0.35 percent when it compared with the exports of same period last year.In first five months of current financial year country managed to earn $1.611 billion by exporting the different food staff which was stood at $ 1.66 billion during the same period of last year.Meanwhile, the data reveled that on-month on month basis, the food group exports remained on up track an swelled by 21.94 percent in month of

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine November as compared to the exports of the October current year.

000 tonnes short of the 2011 record exports.

Source with thanks :http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/business-aeconomy/212482.html

The RMM predicts that rice deliveries by India will fall by five percent to 10.0 million tonnes in 2014, depressed by a combination of heightened competition for markets and a reduction in demand in its major Basmati outlets. The export outlook is also bleak for Viet Nam, the RMM states, where official deliveries are now projected to remain close to the 2013 depressed level of 6.6 million tonnes, as the country is out-priced in Africa and rivalled by Thailand in important Far Eastern markets, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Rice exports surged in 2014 setting a new record – FAO Saturday, 20 December 2014, 12:30 pm Bangkok, 18 December 2014 – Bumper crops and a surge in demand for rice, particularly in the Far East, have resulted in 2014 recording the highest rice export figures ever, the UN‘s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today.While final figures won‘t be confirmed until early next year, FAO‘s last quarterly report for 2014, the Rice Market Monitor, indicates much of the forecast growth in 2014 global trade in rice is likely to be due to a surge in exports from Thailand, which again will claim title as the world‘s top rice exporter.

Indeed, a development dominating international rice trade this year has been the resurgence of Thailand as a leading rice exporter, ―an advance made possible by key policy changes regarding government market intervention, namely the suspension of the paddy pledging programme and public stock sales,‖ the report states. ―The ensuing restoration of its competitive edge has permitted Thailand to recapture much of the market share lost to India and Viet Nam over the past two years,‖ it adds.Increased exports of Thai rice to other countries in the Far East and Africa is expected to propel Thai rice exports to 10.2 million tonnes in 2014, which, if confirmed, would stand only 500

Production remains steady Despite regional variations, overall, global rice production has remained steady, down only slightly from the previous recordsetting year.

Weather conditions contributed to a 0.5 percent decrease in Asia.At 744.7 million tonnes (496.6 million tonnes, milled basis), the resulting 2014 global production forecast is expected to be only slightly lower this year compared with last year (down 0.2 percent or 1.6 million tonnes), reflecting a 0.1 percent contraction of both plantings and yields to 162.9 million hectares and 4.57 tonnes per hectare, respectively, brought about by unfavourable weather conditions.Overall global trade in rice is expected to exceed 40 million tonnes in 2014 (40.2) and could reach 40.5 million tonnes in the 2015 calendar year, the RMM states.

Import Demand The anticipated growth in global rice trade in 2014 is forecast to be sustained by a near 2.0 million tonne surge in shipments

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine to Asian countries to 18.9 million tonnes.

At a country level, the increase would mostly mirror a resurgence of demand from the Philippines, in the aftermath of damages incurred as a result of typhoon Haiyan and depleted inventories. The country may close the year with delivery of 1.8 million tonnes, up 1.1 million tonnes year-on-year, part of which to reconstitute public rice reserves, the report states.

Supply shortfalls and difficulties in meeting programmed local purchases necessary to service welfare programs also induced the Government of Indonesia to recur to international markets this year.

The move is expected to underpin a 500 000 tonnes rise in deliveries to the country to 1.2 million tonnes. Traditionally a selfsufficient nation, Sri Lanka has been compelled to rely on supplies from abroad to compensate for significant production shortfalls, with 280 000 tonnes assessed to have been purchased by the country.

High domestic prices, particularly in the context of cheaper offerings abroad, also underpinned a steep rise in consignments to both Bangladesh and Turkey, now forecast at a higher level of 700 000 tonnes and 400 000 tonnes, respectively. Iraq, the Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are all similarly envisaged to purchase more in 2014, while official deliveries to China (Mainland) hold steady at around 2.3 million tonnes, the report predicts.

These factors resulted in a 30 percent slump in the Aromatic rice sub-Index to seven year low of 190 points, reflecting increasing market arrivals, amid thinning buying interest,‖ the report said.

ENDS Source with thanks http://cartel.scoop.co.nz/contact.html

Vietnamese Rice Farmers Battle Vietnam Rat Infestation As Snakes, Cats Become More Popular With Diners

By Cristina Silva @cristymsilva c.silva@ibtimes.com on Dece mber 19 2014 9:00 AM Farmers harvest rice at a paddy field in Dong Tri village, outside Hanoi, Oct. 8, 2014. Rats, long a menance to the nation's robust rice farms, eat up to 20 percent of the annual grain crop, according to some farmers. Reuters

Prices International prices have eased further the RMM states. ―Particularly steep falls have been evident in the fragrant segment, where quotations were weighed by prospects of large availabilities this season coupled with reduced import demand.

Vietnam's mighty rice industry is battling an ancient foe: Rats. The vermin, long a menace to the nation's robust rice farms, eat

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine up to 20 percent of the annual grain crop and

encouraging farmers to kill rats by giving

farmers have had enough. They are hiring

out cats to people who turn in rat tails.

workers to catch the rats and then dispose of them -- sometimes by eating them.

That means for some, rat killing has become a lucrative trade. Tran Quang Thieu, who

Rice is king in Vietnam. The communist

goes by the name "Rat King," catches about

country

second-largest

10 kilograms of rats in rice paddies near

exporter of the grain and is expected to reap

Hanoi on a typical day. He uses a special rat

45 million ton of paddy, or unhusked rice,

trap he created himself that relies on very

this year, up 1.9 percent from 2013,

strong springs. He said he has killed millions

according to Reuters. But in recent years the

of rats. "The agricultural losses caused by

rat population has imploded and threatened

rats are enormous -- and these rodents can

rice crops as snakes and cats have become

cause fires and explosions by chewing

increasingly popular protein sources in

electric cables in houses and factories," he

Vietnam. That's a huge problem for rice

told News 24.Thieu said he gets requests

farmers. "Rats cause hundreds of millions of

from all over the country from rice farmers

dollars of damage, before we even mention

asking him to catch their rats.

the risk of communicable diseases," said

He said he has sold 30 millions of his

Nguyen Manh Hung of the Institute of

special traps to rice farmers in Vietnam and

Agricultural Sciences.

neighboring China and Cambodia. Grant

is

the

world's

Singleton,

a

rodent

expert

at

the

Part of the problem is that government

International Rice Research Institute, trains

officials want farmers to protects rice crops

farmers in Vietnam on how to kill the rats

without using chemicals. But rats are

before they breed. More traditional methods

difficult to catch. "We used to have to accept

include poisons, traps and electrocution,

the loss of large chunks of our paddies -- the

according

rats destroyed it. It made us wonder why we

hunters then sell their kill to restaurants or

bothered working so hard," 46-year-old

farmers to feed their livestock. Vietnam's

farmer Hoang Thi Tuyet toldNews 24. "It's

total rice export volume for 2014 is expected

hard to trap them, they're clever, they move

to be between 6.3 million and 6.5 million

fast and in Vietnam there are 43 different

tons,

species of rat to contend with."In Thai Binh,

China, according to

near

Association.

Hanoi,

government

officials

are

to Radio

excluding

Australia. Some

the the

grain

sold

Vietnam

rat

to Food

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Source with thanks :vietnamese-rice-farmersbattle-vietnam-rat-infestation-snakes-catsbecome-more-1763419

Cuban trading could benefit local farmers

By Jazmin ThibodeauxPublished: December 18, 2014, 9:18 pm Updated: December 18, 2014, 10:32 pm

President Obama is now in talks with Cuba about working toward resuming trade. Local farmers in Acadiana could reap the benefits.

Owner of Falcon Rice Mill, Robert Trahan, is anxiously awaiting the outcome.―A country like that, that consumes that much rice is a really good market for us or potential market for us,‖ said Trahan.Trahan said in the United State alone half of their rice is exported.If Cuban trading resumes, it means more rice and other goods going out.

This would be the first time in more than 50 years. ―It‘s a big deal and especially in South Louisiana. We are so close. We have a good freight advantage to them. It‘s so close to them it‘s easy to get rice to them,‖ said Trahan.Agriculture Commissioner, Mike Strain said before the trade embargo, the Port of New Orleans transported 65 percent

of trading goods to and from Cuba.If trading were to resume, Director of Rice Research, Steve Linscombe, said change should would not be seen overnight. ―There‘s a lot of hurdles to go through.

There‘s a lot of financial hurdles that need to be overcome relative to the banking end and assurances of payment and things like that,‖ said Linscombe.Linscombe said just talks of trade between the two countries had been long-awaited by farmers.―My entire career here at the Ag Center and I‘ve been working with rice the whole time. Our farmers have been looking and lobbying for the Cuban market to open,‖ said Lincombe.LSU Ag Agent, Stanley Dutile, said this could also open up a door for Cuba to export sugar.It‘s too early to tell, but he said while this could benefit some farmers, this have an adverse affect on local sugar cane farming.

Source with thanks :http://klfy.com/2014/12/18/cuban-trading-couldbenefit-local-farmers/

Sushil Kumar Modi for one-time settlement of rice mills' dues Abhay Singh, TNN | Dec 18, 2014, 11.33PM IST

PATNA: Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday batted for rice millers in the state, saying the state government should go for one-time settlement (OTS) of dues with them if the rice mills in the state don't have to face a bleak future.Modi said the state government has been implicating them in "false" cases alleging the rice millers failed to give to Bihar State Food Corporation (BSFC) real account of rice milled and deposited to it.

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Rice mills are the only thriving industry in Bihar, he said and added these mills should be made centres for procurement of paddy from farmers after fixing minimum support price (MSP) for it.Modi said the state has 1,315 rice mills and added if false certificate cases are lodged against them, even the rice mill industry would collapse. He said CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has been attending their meetings and functions and also addressing them, but he has not been listening to their grievances.

Source with thanks :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Su Mo-for-one-time-settlement-of-rice-millsdues/articleshow/45567422.cms

Prime minister admits 1 million tonne goal is unlikely for rice sector Fri, 19 December 2014 Chan Muyhong

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday admitted that the government target of reaching 1 million tonnes of rice exports by 2015 is likely to fail due to a lack of milling capacity and funding.Speaking at the graduation ceremony for students at the National Institute of Education yesterday, Hun Sen said this year‘s rice export figure clearly proves that achieving the 1 million tonne target next year is unlikely.―From January to November, Cambodia exported only around 330,000 tonnes of rice, very far behind the 1 million tonnes we planned to achieve,‖ he said.

The Cambodian government set the target in 2010.The PM blamed the failure on a lack of investment in rice milling and paddy storage facilities.―Our rice production has overtaken rice milling capacity. Most of the rice millers do not have capital to buy paddy and then stock it for export, which results in Cambodia losing value-added gains for the rice industry,‖ he said. ―We cannot ban farmers from selling their paddy to traders as we do not have the capital to buy paddy for stock,‖ he added.Citing a report from the Council Development for Cambodia (CDC), which allegedly shows a number of approved investments in rice milling facilities, the premier said he was optimistic that Cambodia‘s export capacity would improve in the coming years.Sok Puthyvuth, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), and also the son-in-law of Hun Sen, agreed that Cambodia was unlikely to reach the 1 million tonne target. He said the uncontrollable offloading of rice stock to buyers had made it a tough year.―There have been problems in funding, which have left rice millers and exporters unable to stock paddy in large amounts.

We could have achieved a higher export target for this year, but our members are not confident in entering big deals because of the lack of stock,‖ he said.Puthyvuth said the CRF is working to improve infrastructure in the Kingdom‘s rice sector, and is also considering taking out additional loans to buy paddy to stock in large amounts for export.―With the plan and the loan, we will hopefully be able to bring the export figure closer to the target next year,‖ he added.

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Last month, the Post reported that the Chinese government had approved inprincipal a $300 million to build a series of warehouses aimed at assisting the Kingdom‘s rice industry with its storage woes.The loan is to be used to build more than 10 warehouses equipped with dryers capable of storing at least 1 million tonnes of Cambodia‘s paddy. The facilities will be located along key rural production areas, urban markets and ports along the country‘s value chains.

of the year played havoc with the agriculture of the country.

ZAHID BAIG

BGA President Hamid Malhi said Basmati sector suffered yield losses due to floods and crash of prices at harvest time when the market registered price of Basmati paddy at nearly half of the last year rate of Rs2600 per 40kg. While the quantity of Basmati Rice's exports and the average rate per ton received during 2013-14 has increased by 16 percent, even then the domestic traders/ millers & rice exporters are not willing to pay a reasonable price for Basmati paddy.

The burden of last year's stocks, still lying unsold with the traders/millers and exporters, was one big excuse which was being forwarded for those low Basmati paddy prices, Malhi added. To stabilise the market price and to facilitate marketing of the surplus stocks of Basmati Rice lying unsold, a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of 1150 $/Ton should have been enforced for all Basmati Rice exports to stabilise the market price above Rs 2200 per 40 Kg for paddy and to facilitate marketing of the surplus stocks of Basmati Rice at above Rs 4000 per 40 kg.

Agriculturists and farmers' organisation representatives have termed the year 2014 as the bleakest year for agricultural sector during which growers suffered an accumulative loss of what they said around Rs 300 billion because of flood damages and price crash for three main crops ie cotton, rice and sugarcane. Basmati Growers Association (BGA) President & Farmers Associates Pakistan (FAP) Director Chaudhry Hamid Malhi and Punjab Water Council (PWC) Founder Convenor Farooq Bajwa while talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday said that though the first half of current calendar year was not good for agriculture but the last six months

He stressed the need for negotiating additional sales of one million tons of Basmati Rice with Iran, Iraq or Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Basmati Rice Policy should also been announced immediately to benefit the Basmati sector, Malhi observed. Coming to wheat prices, he said those were kept constant at Rs 1200 per 40 Kg during the last season. "This price was announced in November 2012. The cost of production during this period soared due to inflation, GST on all agri inputs, rising fuel and electricity rates, labour costs. The farmer was unable to compete with international rates which were low because of subsidy regimes world-wide. There was

Source with thanks :http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/prim e-minister-admits-1-million-tonne-goalunlikely-rice-sector

Year 2014 termed the bleakest for agricultural sector December 21, 2014

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine no market protection for his high cost of production.

Import of wheat is allowed duty free, this has kept prices low although the quality is questionable and its gluten content is also low, making it difficult to make a 'roti'. The price has been increased to Rs1250 per 40 Kg for the next crop to encourage increase in area of wheat." "It is unfair for agriculture, in the face of a ban on wheat exports. Wheat policy of the government has always been consumer centric, forcing the farmers to subsidise wheat to the consumer," he added. Similarly, he said cotton production was going to miss its target for the fifth consecutive year this season.

"Production estimates have been revised downwards from 13.2 million bales to 12 million bales, while the Pakistan Cotton Ginning Association (PCGA) has estimated production this year at 11.7 million bales," Malhi claimed.

"Major reasons were attack of the cotton curl leaf virus (CLCV), absence of a virus resistant variety, pesticides adulteration and uncertified seeds. The government yet not approved a BT cotton variety nor is there a law to check these fakes. The approved 16 traditional varieties are sown only on 20 percent of the total 3.2 million hectares.

Cotton production is at great risk in light of the low prices and lack of subsidy to the effected farmers." Punjab Water Council (PWC) Founding Convenor Farooq Bajwa said growers suffered a loss of around Rs 120 billion because of price crash and flood damages to the cotton crop during the year under review. Similarly, he said rice suffered over Rs 70 billion loss during 2014 because of price crash and floods. He said another blow which growers of the province of Punjab suffered due to the floods was becoming 500,000 acres of land unproductive.

He said expense for reclamation of land needed Rs 30,000 to 50,000 per acre so the growers had to incur those expenses which would add to the losses they suffered during the year. Similarly, he said livestock in the province also suffered loss because of fodder shortage and on other accounts.

Source with thanks: business recorder Pakistan

Basmati exports set to decline Komal Amit Gera | Chandigarh December 18, 2014 Last Updated at 22:33 IST This year, earnings from the export of basmati rice are expected to fall 15-20 per cent, owing to Iran banning the import of the commodity from India.Iran purchases about 40 per cent of the basmati rice sold in the international market by Indian exporters.

Through the past few years, Iran has been charging an import duty on rice (basmati and non-basmati) to safeguard the interests of farmers in that country. This was lifted once the local crop was consumed. Last year, the import duty was raised from 22.5 per cent to 40 per cent in July; the move was rolled back in December.

This year, however, Iran banned such imports.Mohinder Pal Jindal, president of the All India Rice Exporters' Association, told Business Standard though exporters had purchased about 80 per cent of the estimated export demand, there was no clarity on the demand from buyers in Iran.

Besides Iran, Europe and Saudi Arabia are the major buyers of Indian basmati rice.

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine at 900,000 tonnes.Annual consumption of rice in Iran is about three million tonnes and production this year is reported at about two million tonnes.The official added a price correction for basmati was expected, as prices had become unrealistic. High production of food grain across the globe had led to a fall in the prices of various commodities and rice exporters couldn't remain insulated from this trend, he said.

Though demand from these regions is stable, given the bumper crop in India, exporters are bracing up for low prices.Last year, the average realisation was $1,400 a tonne; as of now, the price stands at about $900 a tonne.

It is expected if the import restrictions in Iran aren't lifted, the price will fall further.

Enthused by the high demand and remuneration last year, farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have diversified from non-basmati to basmati this year.

However, due to a fall in import demand and oversupply in the domestic market, prices have crashed from Rs 3,500-4,000 a quintal last year to Rs 2,200-2,800 a quintal this year. A senior official in the Agriculture and Processed Food ProductsExports Development Authority said the slowdown in demand had resulted from the ban by Iran. He added in the past few years, basmati exporters had booked huge profits, as Iranian importers had bought aggressively.

Source with thanks :http://www.businessstandard.com/article/markets/basmati-exportsset-to-decline-114121801568_1.html

Gang uses ‘rice pulling’ con to cheat Tumkur politician of Rs 6 cr

By Shyam Prasad S, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Dec 19, 2014, 04.00 AM IST

The lightning-charged metal is supposed to attract all sorts of objects Unable to come out in the open about humiliation, he finally complains to cops The seemingly silly scam of 'rice pulling' has snared a politician. An assembly

Last year, Iran had imported 1,450,000 tonnes of rice from India; this year, that country's rice imports from India will stand Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine election contestant from Bengaluru hailing from Koratagere in Tumkur and residing in Peenya, he has lost all of Rs 6 crore of his own and his relatives' money. Unable to come out in the open due to the humiliating fraud he suffered, he finally mustered courage to file a written complaint in the office of the DG&IG on Wednesday. The letter says, "I have been suffering a lot since the last six months. I have seen people being cheated like this style in TV and media. I was unable to tell this matter in open and I have faced a lot of pain and suffering and am putting it up before you today."

thousands of crore of rupees. Falling for these ridiculous claims, the politician said he ended up paying Rs 6 crore over six months.

More money was taken from him when visiting 'scientists' came to 'test' the rice puller. The complaint says that scientists and a foreign company representative came with eight to ten police personnel as security to check the rice puller. Having fallen for such a silly trick, the politician is in no mood to reveal himself for now, but the police, sources said, are already on the look out for the culprits and to find out how many others they have been cheated in a similar fashion.

The letter by the politician mentions 10 people who allegedly cheated him, and gives their mobile phone numbers. M S Shyam Sundar, the advocate for the politician, said, "It is not just my client but many other people who have fallen prey to this scam.

Source with thanks ;http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/crime/G ang-uses-rice-pulling-con-to-cheat-Tumkurpolitician-of-Rs-6-cr/articleshow/45567522.cms

It is real and there are many people out there cheating people. It is in the best interest of everyone that they are nabbed at the earliest." It all happened when some people approached the politician about a strange element that pulled rice towards it. It was claimed that the element falls to earth during lightning strikes (especially if lightning strikes a vessel) and after hundreds of years, has the power to pull things towards it.

Simple magic tricks are used to show that rice grains scattered around a vessel, which is said to have been drawn by the power of the material. The gang claimed that the item was in possession of another person (obviously a gang member) from whom it had to be purchased.

Acreage under pokkali cultivation dips ‘Shrimp lobby behind flooding of sown fields’

The 'rice puller,' the gang claimed, was to be used in satellites and nuclear weapons and that NASA and ISRO would buy it for Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Vagaries of the weather, rapid infrastructure and property developments and expanding shrimp farming have reduced acreage under pokkali cultivation in the State. According to available data, acreage under the rice variety, unique to the coastal areas of the State lying roughly between Kuthiathode in Alappuzha district and Kodungalloor in Thrissur district, has shrunk to about 1,800 hectares.Of these, data for 2013 season showed that only about 1,700 hectares came under sowing. Scientists engaged in research on pokkali rice estimate that the State may have had about 26,400 hectares at the turn of the century.

fields with salt water ahead of the harvest this season.Scientists also pointed out that large areas under pokkali had been taken over for developmental activities in Ernakulam district.

A host of problems have plagued pokkali farming in the State. Though shortage of hands was the key issue more than a decade ago, it has now turned out that vast tracts of the fields have come under shrimp farming throughout the year despite the State‘s declared policy of ―one rice and one fish‖ cycle in a calendar year.Information from some of the agricultural offices in the district showed that pokkali cultivation has had a reasonably good season this year.

About 120 hectares came under sowing in Varappuzha panchayat. Kumbalanghi had about 38 hectares; Chellanam 40 hectares; Pallippuram 52 hectares and Edavanakkad 25 hectares.

For every business magnate, US$400 million (GHC1.28 bil-lion) is money that cannot be put into a competitor‘s pocket. In the world of a president, that is an amount of money that can put up several classroom blocks, supply water, or even purchase enough fuel to deal with ‗dumso.‘What about an ex-president? It is dif-ficult to tell, but the answer may not be far if you read the mind of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

A scientist at the Vyttila Rice Research Station said the most recent blow to pokkali cultivation was the flooding of the fields in 2013 when unprecedented rain inundated large areas in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.The flooding resulted in substantial loss in terms of seed production. About 1,700 hectares came under sowing during the 2013 season.

However, most of the fields were inundated.A spokesman for Pokkali Samrakshana Samithi, a voluntary group engaged in propagating pokkali cultivation, said pokkali fields came under constant pressure from shrimp farming. He alleged shrimp lobby was behind the flooding of sown

Source with thanks :http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/acr eage-under-pokkali-cultivationdips/article6706973.ece

Ex-president Kufuor in big rice business

That Ghana spends US$400 million on importation of rice is a headache to the former president. That amount is 147 short of the $547 million Millennium Challenge Account first compact which the United States awarded his administra-tion to construct the N1 (George Bush) Highway, the Mallam interchange and other road networks, especially in the Afram Plains area of the Eastern Region.

It is also about $112 million less than the amount of money the current adminis-tration received on oil exports over Janu-ary to December 2014.Now, the former president, who was awarded the World Food Prize in 2011 along with Brazilian Lula da Silva, has put the machinery of the John A. Kufuor (JAK) Foundation, which he chairs, into motion to advocate in favour of domestic production of

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine rice.By this act, he is seeking to beat down the amount of money spent on rice im-ports and help to channel a chunk, if not all, of the amount into the hands of local rice farmers to produce the staple, which has now become the first choice meal for majority of Ghanaian households.―All we want to do is to ensure that appropriate policy environment is created for the production through processing and marketing of local rice,‖ Professor Baf­four Agyemang-Duah, Chief Executive Officer of the JAK Foundation, spoke of the former president‘s intentions.

He was speaking on Tuesday in Accra where the JAK Foundation, in col-laboration with the Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body, GRIB, outdoored a Public-Private National Dialogue Council on Rice, a vehicle that will facilitate the sharing of ideas by private sector actors and public sector institutions on policy and regulatory improvements for the rice industry in Ghana.According to Prof. Agyemang-Duah, the Public-Private National Dialogue Council on Rice (or Rice Council) is ―an effort, in collaboration with other partners, to revive the Ghanaian spirit especially in the area of Ghanaian rice production.―We want to today, constitute a council and inaugurate it…so that the public sector, which is normally controlled by government, and the private sector where individuals, independent people and com-panies are operating can come together, have a common platform to dialogue on the best, appropriate policies for our rice industry to meet local demand,‖ he intimated.

In real terms, the value of the rice industry per annum is worth more than the US$400 giving that local rice produc-tion is calculated to be in the region of 30 percent of national need.The JAK Foundation has, therefore, taken a strategic initiative to ensure that if the local production is not propped, in the least, the existing quota for local farmers can be preserved.Looking three to four decades back, however, one gets a picture

of massive retrogression. Here, Prof.

Agyemang-Duah recalled: ―…we know that in the early 70s this country started exporting rice.

I was a young man, and I saw it myself under the government of General (Ignatius Kutu) Acheampong. Through a very, very vigorous policy of operation feed yourself, we produced so much rice we started exporting rice to our neigh­bouring countries.‖Sprint into 2014, and you will find that Ghana is a pale shadow of its former self.

Prof.

Agyemang-Duah acknowledges that ―We‘ve been told many times by governments that we spend a chunk of our scarce resources on importing rice.

And I understand that currently we spend about 400 million dollars a year on rice importation.

The assumption is that if we can produce our own rice then we will be saving ourselves that much.‖His lamentation is that ―the whole idea of relying on imported rice is the problem just as we relying on so many goods im-ported for our livelihoods is a problem.‖ He expatiates that ―Now we know we are importing not only rice, we are also im-porting tomatoes, some vegetables, plan-tain; things that in our very youthful days we will just walk behind the backyard and just get them free of charge to our homes for our meals. ‖According to the Ministry of Trade, a minimum US$500 million is spent on rice imports and even that is modest because many importers engage in under-invoicing or under declaration of actual value of their imports in order to avoid tax.Evans Sackey, Executive Secretary at GRIB, supplies that current rice consump-tion is at 1.6 million metric tonnes, up almost three-fold from the 2008 figure of 600,000 metric tonnes. Per the statistics, not more than 500,000 metric tonnes, or 31 percent, is supplied by local producers.The inauguration of the Rice Council is, therefore, meant to address challenges to local production, which are mainly policy-

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine related so that an enabling environ-ment can be created for local production to thrive.―The expectation is that after this council is inaugurated, it will look at the rice strategy and validate the priorities therein. We will not end there.

We are also hoping that zonal councils will also be launched in the regions where priorities of stakeholders will also be discussed. Then the findings at both the local and national levels will serve as the basis for the public-private dialogue on the rice industry,‖ said Prof. AgyemangDuah.He added, ―So, this is just the begin­ning.

We are building the national archi-tecture, to be followed by the regional group.‖Beyond the short term, ―we envisage that in the near future, this council will link to the rice councils in other neigh-bouring countries, for instance in Nigeria and Burkina Faso, to constitute a West African rice council.

And if we succeed in that, we can link that to other sub-regional councils as, for instance, we have in East Africa,‖ the CEO said.Meanwhile, the JAK foundation is a partner to a major rice initiative – Com-petitive African Rice Initiative, CARI. In partnership with TechnoServe and Kilimo Trust of Tanzania, the project is designed to maximize rice production in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania.

This five-year project empowers small-scale rice farmers in these Sub-Saharan Africa countries and is sponsored by the Ger-man Cooperation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by the German Development Corporation, GIZ.―The JAK Foundation is a partner han-dling mainly the advocacy and policy as­pects of the rice industry in Africa,‖ Prof. Agyemang-Duah stated. ―Through these four countries, we hope to create these councils that will, hopefully, cascade into an African kind of rice council so that in the future, all Africa can be self-reliant.‖

Source with thanks :http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/N

ewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=339643

Not enough rice in Central Visayas: DA

By Jeandie O. Galolo Friday, December 19, 2014 THERE IS not enough rice in Central Visayas to feed its seven million - and still growing population. Rice self-sufficiency in the region is only at 32 percent, according to government data.The report came from the Department of Agriculture 7 Director Angel Enriquez in a recent interview.

She said yield per hectare is only at three metric tons, which is below the average target of 3.9 metric tons of yield per hectare.In a year, Enriquez said every person consumes 80 to 90 kilos of rice.Among the four provinces in the region, only Bohol can feed itself independently, even leaving surplus for others to consume, she said. Some farmers in Bohol have a yield of seven metric tons per hectare.

Nationwide figures, meanwhile, show the country at 96 percent self-sufficient.The figures, according to DA 7 chief for agribusiness and marketing assistance division Gerry Avila, could have reached 100 percent in 2013 if not for typhoons Santi and Yolanda, which caused massive destruction to the country‘s top rice producers in Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas, respectively.

Enriquez explained that the main factor for the low rice production in Central Visayas is the ―limited‖ land resources of the region in contrast with those in Luzon and Mindanao.Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that rice production in Central Visayas has been

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine declining. In the first quarter of 2014, palay production was at 93.371 metric tons, Q2 was at 57.074 metric tons, and Q3 was at 20,294 metric tons.

(Neda) 7 Director Efren Carreon said the agency, together with DA, will be pursuing the preparation and implementation of Agri-Fishery Development Plans at the LGU level.

Capitol investment

On a decline

But the productivity of Bohol is another story.

Enriquez said what it is experiencing now are returns of the provincial government‘s investments in agriculture, particularly in funding farming machineries.In the first semester of this year, Bohol‘s production was at 118,042 metric tons while Cebu recorded only 7,523 metric tons.Instead of the farmers shouldering the cost of the machine, it is the province that pays for it, Enriquez said.Under DA‘s production support program, Avila said DA shoulders 85 percent of the cost of the machinery which is then awarded to farming communities. The remaining 15 percent will be shouldered by the farmers or the local government unit.Like Bohol, Enriquez said DA wants to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the entire region with the help of the local government units, especially the chief executives.

Part of the plan is to upgrade the Municipal Agriculture Office with at least five personnel and fast track the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).According to Carreon, agriculture‘s performance in Central Visayas in the past three years is declining and ―needs much help.‖Of the three sectors (agriculture, industry, and services) identified in the Gross Regional Domestic Product, agriculture has the lowest contribution at 6.7 percent in 2013. The two others are at 35.7 percent and 57.6 percent, respectively.Carreon attributed the slow down to the vulnerability of the agriculture sector to disasters and effects of climate change.

She urged mayors to revisit and enhance their Agriculture Development Plan and know for themselves how much their towns are producing per hectare.In Cebu, rice fields are mainly concentrated in Carcar, Argao, Balamban and Toledo, said Avila.Carcar City administrator and agriculture office OIC Edgardo Oca in a phone interview said it has increased its rice production to five metric tons this year, an increase from their average 3.2 metric tons production.

OSHA cites Basic Grain Products after 2 workers injured at Coldwater ricecake plant

Oca attributed this to the city‘s assistance to their farmers by supplying them with rice inputs like hybrid, registered, and certified seedlings and fertilizers.Actual cultivated land area in Carcar is 220 hectares.In a separate interview, National Economic Development Authority

Source with thanks :http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2014/

12/19/not-enough-rice-central-visayas-da382893

Last updated: December 19. 2014 12:53PM COLDWATER — In response to a complaint of an electrical shock injury, the U.S. Department of Labor‘s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a 20-year employee was injured while he performed service work on an electrical panel at a Coldwater rice-cake manufacturer, according to a news release this week.

Following the investigation, OSHA has cited

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Basic Grain Products Inc. for two repeated and five serious safety violations.The employee missed two days of work due to the electrical shock injury which occurred Aug. 18.

OSHA also learned that another employee missed 20 workdays and was on restricted duty for an additional 22 days after part of his ring finger was amputated on June 19 as he adjusted a machine used to make rice cakes.―Basic Grain Products must ensure that its workers are not exposed to dangerous machinery and are never expected to conduct maintenance without shutting down electrical and energy sources,‖ said Kim Nelson, OSHA‘s area director in Toledo. ―Those actions can prevent severe injuries like those suffered by these workers.‖OSHA‘s investigation determined that the employee who suffered the amputation injury while servicing the ricecake machine was exposed to the operating parts of the machinery because it had not been properly powered down before maintenance.

The investigation also found Basic Grain Products failed to implement electrical safety-related work practices, which included no use of personal protective equipment; untrained workers; and inadequate clearance in front of electrical panels. These violations resulted in five serious safety citations. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.OSHA also cited the company for exposing workers to unguarded rice-cake machines that had been improperly powered

down to prevent them from starting up during maintenance. These violations exposed workers to amputation and laceration hazards. Similar violations were found at the company in 2013. OSHA issues repeated citations when a company has been cited previously for the same or a similar violation at any facility within federal enforcement states in the past five years.

Based in Coldwater with about 130 employees, Basic Grain Products is one of the largest private-label manufacturers and suppliers of rice cakes and other healthy snacks to supermarkets nationwide. The company faces proposed penalties of $58,410.The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA‘s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source with thanks:http://www.sidneydailynews.com/news/ business/150948480/Coldwater-plant-citedafter-injuries

Louisiana rice farmers could benefit from normalized Cuba relations Advocate staff photo by BRYAN TUCK -- Rice farmer Allen McLain, left, watches his son, Allen McLain Jr., load rice into a truck at their drying station Wednesday in Abbeville in this December 2013 Advocate file photo.

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Cuts in subsidies, other programs have hampered industry

response to questions about the impact of

BY BILL DECKER| SPECIAL TO THE ADVOCATE

Louisiana rice farming is concentrated in a

normalized relations.

belt that runs diagonally from the southwest Dec. 21, 2014 The prospect for normalized relations with Cuba could be good news for Louisiana rice farmers, who have fought to reopen what had been a lucrative market before the 1962 embargo and again as recently as a decade ago.―That would be a very big deal for the rice industry,‖ said Dustin Harrell, who is set to become the LSU AgCenter‘s new state rice specialist in January.Experts say the benefits of normalizing diplomatic and trade

into the northeast. Rice was worth about $494 million to Louisiana farmers in 2013, according to AgCenter figures. Value-added enterprises such as milling added another $164 million.In all, 1,023 farmers grew rice on about 410,000 Louisiana acres in what was considered a good crop year.Rice farmers got a taste of what an open Cuban market could do for prices after an easing of the Kennedy-era embargo in 2000 allowed food and medicine exports to Cuba.

relations would accrue gradually, and would

U.S. rice exports grew to nearly 177,000

come at a time when the rice industry is

metric tons, worth about $68 million, by

learning to cope with cuts in subsidies and

2004, according to the U.S. Department of

other support programs brought on by

Agriculture. The price of rice rose from

the 2014 farm bill.

$164 per metric ton in 2000 to just more

Michael Salassi, a production economics specialist for the AgCenter, said any benefits in terms of increased rice exports from Louisiana wouldn‘t happen overnight but rather would slowly phase in over a period of years as any potentially new trading arrangements were formalized.―Should the U.S. be successful in normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba, this certainly would have great potential for Louisiana rice exports to Cuba,‖ he wrote in an email

than a $1,000 per metric ton in 2007.But the Bush administration toughened trade policy with Cuba in 2004, requiring cash in advance for food shipments. Rice exports to Cuba declined sharply and dropped to nothing in 2009.―An agreement between the two countries to facilitate commerce and banking activities would go a long way toward

facilitating

agricultural

trade,‖

Salassi said. ―Should this occur, the Louisiana rice production sector would be in a prime

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine position to supply a large portion of any rice

$403.Farmers also have had to cope with

exports to Cuba.‖Published sources estimate

high fuel costs and hurricanes Rita and Ike,

total Cuban rice imports from all sources at

which pushed salt water into fields as far

600,000 to 770,000 metric tons each year.In

north as La. 335 in Vermilion Parish,

the agriculture policy portion of her website,

AgCenter rice specialist Johnny Saichuk

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., cites an

said.

estimate that Cuba could buy 480,000 metric tons of U.S. rice if trade relations are normalized.

Before the hurricanes, Vermilion accounted for roughly one-fifth of Louisiana‘s rice acreage, according to the AgCenter. But rice

Exports at that level would have made Cuba

is sensitive to saltwater intrusion.The new

the second-biggest importer of U.S. rice in

farm bill‘s effects could be another blow to

2012-13. Mexico was the top importer of

rice

U.S. rice that year with 856,000 metric tons,

received nearly $2 billion in rice subsidies

according

of

between 1995 and 2012, according to

Agriculture Economic Research Service.

calculations by the Environmental Working

Haiti was next with 366,000 metric tons.

Group.

Donald Sagrera is a former rice farmer

That ranks third among states.The new farm

whose family still works about 600 acres

bill eliminates direct payments and requires

south of Abbeville.He said he‘s heard that

farmers to choose between protection based

opening exports to Cuba could raise the

on price or revenue and whether those

price of a barrel of rice by about $2. Rice is

values fall below government-established

currently selling at $23-$24 a barrel,

levels.―We‘re getting ready to find out if we

according to the AgCenter.―I don‘t know

can make it or not,‖ Saichuk said.

how much difference it will make,‖ Harrell

Source with thanks :http://theadvocate.com/news/11138118123/louisiana-rice-farmers-could-benefit

to

the

U.S.

epartment

said. ―It would create a lot more demand, and that should help prices.

‖Rice prices have swung wildly over the last five years. The peak price was $615 a metric

farmers.Louisiana

rice

producers

Temasek Foundation's Aceh rice project yielding results

ton in August 2011. The low point was in May 2014, when the price dropped to

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Residents in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh may soon have more varieties of rice to choose from. By 2017, there may be six more rice varieties - the result of an S$800,000 research project funded by Temasek Foundation.

Acehnese rice farmers. (Photo: AFP/Files) BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA: Residents in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh may soon have more varieties of rice to choose from. By 2017, there may be six more rice varieties - the result of an S$800,000 research project funded by Temasek Foundation.Large areas of rice fields in the province became unsuitable for farming for many years after being flooded by salt water from the Indian Ocean tsunami 10 years ago.

The project hopes to develop new rice types and increase rice production in Aceh.

Six out of 10 Acehnese are farmers. For Nasir, it's a means of living that has been passed down for generations. The 50-yearold is not well-educated but understands the value of science and how it can improve traditional farming methods.He agreed to participate in the rice project by setting aside a small plot of land for field trials in July.

Results have been encouraging, and even attracted the attention of neighbouring farmers. Nasir said: "Many have asked for the seeds from me, they also want to try. I told them, 'not yet, be patient, it's not time yet'."On December 26, 2004, a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami. Giant waves crashed into coastal communities more than five kilometres inland, destroying about 20,000 hectares of farmland.

In 2008, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory partnered Syiah Kuala University to build capabilities in rice research. Under the four-

year collaboration, researchers developed new and improved rice varieties.

Two Acehnese rice - Siputih and Cantik Manis - were used in the project. The local rice have good quality grain, but low yields and are susceptible to diseases. Through the project, researchers improved the rice varieties using marker-assisted selection (MAS).The process selects rice genes which have desired traits, for example, genes that can control higher yields and are more tolerant of diseases.

These genes are then combined with those from the local rice varieties, and the outcome is a new rice variety that is superior in all areas.Dr Zhongchao Yin, Senior Principal Investigator at Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, said: "One of the local Acehnese rice lines, called Siputih, the grain quantity is quite good, as good as Thai fragrant rice but the yield is very low - about two tons per hectare. But our improved line,

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine through the field trials, can achieve six to seven tons per hectare.

"The variety I mentioned - Siputih - when you grow it in the hilly area, it takes about seven months to harvest but for the improved line we can harvest it around four to 4.5 months."The new rice lines are then sown at one location as part of field trials and the results monitored. In the next phase, they will be tested in several locations. The multiple location field trials have to be conducted in at least three provinces across Indonesia. The Aceh rice project researchers are looking at North Sumatra, Riau and Central Java. These provinces are the rice producing areas in the country.

As part of the partnership, lead scientists from the Syiah Kuala University received training on rice breeding technologies in Singapore. They said the training and funding have been useful.Dr Sabaruddin Zakaria from Syiah Kuala University's Department of Agrotechnology, said: "The Indonesian government gives great attention to improve the field of molecular biology, but Indonesia also has a very big area, and we have almost more than 100 national universities. So, it's not easy for the government to provide equipment. We have received grants two times - in 2009 and 2010 - but not complete yet, so we cannot run the equipment properly yet."

Indonesia is among the top five riceproducing countries in the world. Nearly 70 million tons are expected to be produced this year. However, Aceh is not a major riceproducing province, contributing close to only two million tons.From the fields, the rice is then brought to factories to be processed. After the rice is packed, it is loaded onto trucks and distributed to cities like Medan in North Sumatra. Ridwan Daud, a distributor from PT Bina Usaha Pratama,

said: "Aceh has excess to even export rice.

Aceh feeds the people in North Sumatra.

They depend on rice from Aceh."

When the rice finally reaches the local markets, consumers are spoilt for choice as there are many types available. The popularity of any new rice variety depends on several factors, especially price.

Muhammad Yusuf, owner of Meuraxa Jaya, said: "The price will depend on the quality, its packaging and marketing. But, our traditional community here would choose cheaper rice."

It has been six years since the research collaboration started. The training phase and single location field trials are over.

Researchers will now focus on the multilocation field trials, expected to be completed in 2017. The results of the trials will then be submitted to the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development. Once the new rice varieties are approved, the seeds can then be distributed to farmers for mass production.Peter Chia, Chief Operating Officer of Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, said: "With agriculture becoming more knowledge-based, more knowledge-intensive, suddenly it opens a new area for us to partner with people, to work with companies and countries to see how we could improve our lives as a community, as a region.

"So, in the case where technology is a resource enhancer, if we are able to produce a lot more with less natural resources, not only are we able to become more sustainable in our activities, we are also able to reduce our ecological footprint, and you can see the benefits translating across to everybody."The Aceh rice project is just the start of many more collaborations Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory has with other

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine countries in the region. It has established partners in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam on other rice projects, using technology to enhance productivity.

Technology is again a game changer in food production where rice is a staple to feed a majority of the population in Asia. Results have been positive, and researchers are quietly confident the new rice varieties will be ready for mass production in the next few years.But more than that, they hope the new capabilities can sow the seeds for greater research for Aceh to harvest its potential as a major rice-producing province in Indonesia.

Researchers even have a name for the new rice variety - SIKUTEM - the acronym for Syiah Kuala and Temasek.

- CNA/ir Source with thanks :

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sing apore/temasek-foundation-saceh/1542086.html

Bihar minister says govt sincere on paddy procurement Press Trust of India | Patna December 19, 2014 Last Updated at 17:11 IST Bihar Food and Consumer Protection minister Shyam Rajak today said the state government is "more sincere" than BJPon paddy procurement and condition of rice millers. "As per central government notification, Bihar has extended the procurement period till December 31, 2014 to obtain Custom Milled Rice (CMR) from

the millers for the year 2012-14. We will take strong action against millers who are unable to provide CMR," Rajak said. The minister said the problems with rice millers would be solved soon, but BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi should not give wrong statements on the issue.

"Modi should give suggestion on how to deal with millers who have paddy or rice worth Rs 1,961 crore pending with them.

They have not returned it and we need to extract it from them," Rajak added. The minister said according to central government standards, paddy is purchased only when the moisture content in it is less than 17 per cent. At several places, paddy is not reaching at the procurement centres due to this reason, impeding the procurement process. Rajak also said procurement centres have been opened at all designated places and officials have been deputed for the purpose.

Source with thanks: http://www.businessstandard.com/home-page

For advertisement and Specs: Mujahid Ali +92 321 369 2874 mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847