29th september,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

29th September, 2014

News Headlines  Unlocking transgenic technology is key to securing global food security: IRRI  Canadian food service professionals visit Stuttgart  CSIR award for CCMB and ICAR for developing improved Samba Mahsuri rice  Goodyear looks to rice waste to improve tire performance  New blood needed in rice science, IRRI urges ASEAN  The N13bn Rice Intervention Fund  Free flow, high returns!  Deadline approaching for Rice Leadership Development program applications  Eco-farming: Implementing the Chinese model for productivity

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:

News Detail‌.

Unlocking transgenic technology is key to securing global food security: IRRI

By Kristin April Kim | Sept. 26, 2014 at

4:31 PM WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Genetic modification of rice will be a powerful weapon in eradicating hunger and poverty in the developing world -- and can be done safely, the head of the International Rice Research Institute said Thursday.Speaking at a Brookings Institution panel on eliminating hunger by 2030, Robert Zeigler said that immediate changes in rice production practices are necessary to offset volatile climates, limited water supply and diminishing agricultural land."If we're going to address issues of poverty, rice is going to have to be a part of that equation," Zeigler said, citing a direct overlap between maps highlighting countries with high levels poverty and greater rice consumption.

Rice remains a food staple for more than half of the world's population everyday and more than 75 percent of the poor, especially across Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Rice Research Institute.The IRRI proposed ending global hunger by connecting farmers with efficient agricultural practices through online learning, using satellite mapping to education policymakers about rice production and utilizing transgenics -modifying a plant or animal genetically -- to breed stronger, more nutritional crops.Zeigler addressed the controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms, urging a critical evaluation of scientific evidence in the face of "woefully inaccurate" information. "I am so sick and tired of hearing that one side says the world is a sphere and the other says it's flat. The science of GMOs is irrefutable in terms of safely, and that message should unequivocally communicated," he said.

Zeigler added that transgenic advancements can be used to breed rice crops with increased submergence tolerance and nutrients, a crucial step towards not only providing more calories for people to live on, but also for ensuring their optimal health."Whether it's ethical or not, I'm very reluctant to get into that area, he said. "I've been to enough countries, cultures and religions to figure out that is a personal choice."

Topics: Brookings Institution

Canadian food service professionals visit Stuttgart In Arkansas, the group observed harvest at rice farms in Stuttgart and England; toured packaging centers and mills at Riceland Foods and Producers Rice Mill; and, finally, got an overview of rice production at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center.

By USA Rice Federation Posted

Sep.

26,

2014

@

4:00

pm

STUTTGART — In an effort to increase rice sales to the food service industry in Canada, last week the USA Rice Federation hosted Canadian food service professionals and media on a tour through rice country in the southern United States. The group included representatives from Aramark, a facilities management company; the Metro Toronto Convention Center, the largest convention center in Canada; and the Canadian Restaurant News, a publication which targets the food service industry.The four-day tour offered the Canadians a holistic look at the U.S. rice industry, from seed to table.

In Arkansas, the group observed harvest at rice farms in Stuttgart and England; toured packaging centers and mills at Riceland Foods and Producers Rice Mill; and, finally, got an overview of rice production at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center. The group also visited Russell Marine Group in New Orleans to learn about logistics and cargo inspection and toured Eurofins and their analytical labs. "The group was one of the most engaged I've ever had the opportunity to host at my farm," said Dow Brantley, Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of USA

Rice. "They were interested in our whole process from farm to table. They had questions about food safety and quality, and I think they left feeling good about U.S. rice."USA Rice has conducted marketing promotions in Canada for nearly two decades, but recent marketing activities have focused more on the food service sector, which is able to impact a larger audience.

"Participants were specifically selected because of their potential to supply U.S. rice to thousands of Canadians," said Virginia Zimm, USA Rice's marketing contractor in Canada. "This was a real eye-opening experience for everyone and I think we'll see some lasting benefits from this visit." Last year, Canada was the United States' fourth largest rice export destination. The U.S. exported over 235,000 MT of rice to Canada in 2013, valued at $170 million. Exports for the first seven months this year are trending about 9 percent higher than last year.

CSIR award for CCMB and ICAR for developing improved Samba Mahsuri rice Ch Sushil Rao, TNN | Sep 26, 2014, 06.53PM IST

HYDERABAD: The CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CSIRCCMB), Hyderabad and Directorate of Rice Research, ICAR, Hyderabad have won the CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development - 2013. On the occasion of CSIR foundation Day on September 26, P S Ahuja, DG, CSIR announced the CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development (CAIRD) - 2013 upon CCMB and ICAR for development and deployment of an improved Samba Mahsuri rice variety which is bacterial blight resistant, high yielding and possesses fine-grains. CSIR

had instituted the "CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development" in the year 2006 to recognize and honour S&T innovations that have helped transform the lives of rural people. The effort through this award, in a way, is also to give a boost to rural development through intrinsic innovation and its implementation at ground level.

Goodyear looks to rice waste to improve tire performance Waterloo Region Record

By Jim Mackinnon

AKRON, Ohio — Goodyear devotes significant efforts to develop and market its Eagle race tires.Now the Akron, Ohio, tire maker is touting rice tires, so to speak.Goodyear said this week it will use a waste product — ash left over from the burning of rice husks — and "harvest" the silica in the ash for use in its highperformance tires. The rice silica is identical to sand-derived silica Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. mixes with rubber."We found out the opportunities are huge," said Surendra Chawla, senior director of external science and technology at Goodyear.Rice

husk ash is totally a waste product, he said.Silica improves what is called rolling resistance, meaning vehicles need less energy to move and therefore burn less fuel.

It also improves traction on wet pavement.The rice silica will come from an estimated 700 million pounds of rice that is harvested worldwide, Goodyear said. The large amounts of rice husks that remain after the grain is harvested for food typically are burned at power plants to make electricity.

The significant amount of leftover ash is then taken to landfills; removing silica from the ash further reduces waste, the company said."This started at a small company that had the idea to convert rice ash into silica," Chawla said. "Rice husk has high silica content."Goodyear has tested rice-derived silica for two years.While the silica at the moment is used in experimental tires, Goodyear is securing contracts with suppliers to use the rice-derived silica in its regular manufacturing processes."Right now, this is in the early stages," Chawla said. "The plans are to slowly increase the capacity quite a bit. … There's a lot of research going on to extract silica from rice husk." Goodyear uses about 250,000 pounds of silica annually in its high-performance tire line, he said.

Goodyear said the rice silica is one example of where it is developing environmentally friendly tires. Goodyear also is using renewable soybean oil to replace some of the petroleum-derived oils needed in the tire-making process.Goodyear is among other tire makers exploring greener technologies, both in tires and in the manufacturing processes, said Bruce Davis, special projects reporter at the Akron-based industry magazine Tire Business.Italian tire maker Pirelli is already making highperformance tires using silica from rice husk ash.And sports shoe maker Puma uses rice husk filler in some of its products as a

partial substitute for natural rubber in outsoles to reduce scuffing and tearing, Tire Business reported.

Akron Beacon Journal

Image: Rice tire;Karen Schiely,McClatchyTribune Surendra Chawla, senior director of external science and technology at Gooyear, stands behind a tire made partly with rice husk ash.

New blood needed in rice science, IRRI urges ASEAN Saturday 27th of September 2014

NAYPYITAW, Mayanmar, Sept 27 -- IRRI calls on ASEAN to build a new generation of rice scientists and extension professionals. According to V. Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships, these efforts will help ensure secure and stable rice supplies across ASEAN and the world.

The proposal calling for more support for science education and extension was presented during a series of high-level meetings with the ministers and senior officials of the ASEAN Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) on 20-26 September in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

Through science education, the aim is to: (1)

produce at least 80 ASEAN PhDs, (2) 45 resident scientists, (3) 50 ASEAN participants in a Rice Breeding Academy, and (4) launch the ASEAN food security forum for senior-level policy- and decisionmakers.Development of extension professionals would be through (1) advanced extension courses for at least 3,000 extension professionals, (2) development of country-specific rice information platforms, and (3) development of an online rice crop forecasting system for ASEAN.

“Why do we need a new generation of rice scientists and extension professionals? Our farmers are getting old,” Dr. Tolentino said.

“In agricultural universities, only a few young people are taking agriculture courses.“We need modern blood to get into rice science for a sustainable future. We need to promote focus on agricultural science education to meet the current and future challenges that threaten our long-term food security goals,” he added.

IRRI was one of a select group of international agencies invited to address the meetings and set up an exhibit that featured the Institute‟s work and impact in each ASEAN country. ASEAN cooperation in the agriculture sector dated back as early as 1968, with cooperation in food production and supply. The partnership between IRRI and the ASEAN member-states has been very productive over the past decades and the region has benefited greatly from the research conducted by IRRI. The 2014 AMAF meetings were hosted by the government of Myanmar. (Rona Niña Mae Rojas-Azucena/http://irrinews.blogspot.com)

The N13bn Rice Intervention Fund

BY OUR REPORTER ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 ·EDITORIAL The recently announced collaboration between the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture on the establishment of a N13 billion rice intervention fund is a welcome step in the government‟s effort to attain self-sufficiency in rice production in the country. The financial intervention, which will be used to fund the establishment of 13 integrated rice mills and 10 cassava mills in different parts of the country, should significantly increase rice production if properly administered.This intervention is a further boost to the nation‟s rice milling capacity which was reported to have increased by between 200 and 300 per cent last year. But, it is an initiative that must be handled with all sense of seriousness to increase the nation‟s self-sufficiency in rice production.

President Goodluck Jonathan, at the inception of his regime in 2011, had spoken eloquently of his plan for an imports substitution scheme which would make it unnecessary for Nigeria to continue importing rice and some other food staples within two to three years.More than three years down the line, the prospects of an end to rice imports into the country have remained a mirage. Instead, Nigeria has continued with massive importation and widespread smuggling of the product, while there is little sign of production of local rice in sufficient quantities to make imports unnecessary.

Although the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has remained optimistic that the government‟s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) will lead to production of sufficient rice locally by 2015 to make an outright ban on importation of the product possible, there is little indication of this happening. The government had hiked rice import tariffs at the beginning of last year and announced the plan for a ban in 2015. The move was expected to help boost local production and save the billions of naira currently being committed to rice imports.

The high tariffs, however, only fuelled smuggling of the product, to the loss of Nigeria‟s economy and the benefit of neigbouring countries through which the product still gets to Nigeria. Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) estimates that rice worth N27 billion (about $170 million) was smuggled into the country between January and May, 2013 alone.To make the Rice Intervention Fund achieve the desired objective, the government must work harder to battle smuggling and make sure the fund is used for the intended purpose.

This is because low-priced smuggled rice makes local rice unattractive to buyers.

Some experts have said that 40 per cent of the local demand for rice is largely met through importation of the product from China, Thailand and India.There must be sufficient local rice that can compete in price and quality with the imported alternatives. The Nigerian Rice Millers and Traders Association (NRMTA) has been demanding an expansion of processing facilities for rice. The new intervention fund is, therefore, an answer to their demand and we urge that it be properly managed.We must not only concentrate on increased production but also higher milling capacity, which this fund is rightly designed to address.With the abundance of arable land and the availability of manpower, Nigeria has no business importing rice into the country. This is more so as the local variety of rice has been confirmed by health authorities to be much healthier than the more polished imported varieties.

It is good that the government has decided to intervene in this sector. Agriculture is an area which the government promised to transform, and investment in the sector will help to diversify the economy and create jobs.However, the intervention must be handled in a way that will produce results, as happened with the cassava intervention initiative. We appear to have got the cassava initiative right as the product is now widely available at a reasonable price and we have been exporting it.e have also been successful in maize production and we no longer

import the product as we used to, many years ago. Let the same thing be done for rice.Rice is such an important staple that should not be left to the vagaries of importation.Let the government continue to invest in increased production and processing of the product till we attain the desired sufficiency and use the sector to create jobs to reduce the growing unemployment in the country.

Free flow, high returns!

September 27, 2014 00:51 IS THE HINDUThe paddy produce at a rice mill in Nellore District. Photo: K. Ravikumar Illegal transport of rice from Nellore to TN a long-time challenge. The total production of rice in Nellore district as of now is 6.5 lakh tonnes a year. Of this, 2.5 lakh tonnes are set apart to meet the requirements of the ‘Mana Biyyam’ programme.

The Nellore district administration is grappling with a serious challenge of llegal transport of rice to Tamil Nadu from various parts of Nellore district.A few months ago, the Revenue authorities had recommended that the government allow free movement of rice as a solution to the issue. They had also suggested increasing the rate of local production of paddy.The seizure of 27 lorries with rice loads worth Rs. 2.3 crore at one go recently near the inter-State border brought the issue of illegal transport to the fore once again. While police have stepped up vigil, millers are mounting pressure on

the government for issuing more permits in accordance with the rise in production.

Order, 1984 and the AP Scheduled Commodities Dealers (LS&R) Order, 2008.

Illegal transport is being resorted to by almost all millers under what is known as „jackpot transport‟. They call it so because of the high returns involved in the process, as they can evade taxes.The total production of rice in Nellore district as of now is 6.5 lakh tonnes a year. Of this, 2.5 lakh tonnes are set apart to meet the requirements of the „Mana Biyyam‟ programme. Also, permits are issued to millers to transport as much as 65,000 tonnes to other States.“Clearly, there is excess production of nearly 3 lakh tonnes.

Where should all this go? We have written to the government to issue more permits or allow free transport to resolve the problem permanently,” said District Collector N. Srikanth. Nellore District Rice Millers Association president Y. Rangayya Naidu said there was no truth in the allegations that the rice meant for distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) was being diverted to other markets. Given the current situation, the overall production figures and the problems facing farmers and millers should be taken into consideration for resolving these issues, he added.

RULES SET ASIDE 1.Allowing free movement of rice is the solution to illegal transport, according to Revenue authorities 2.Increasing the rate or local production of paddy will also go a long way in curbing the practice 3.According to rules, only 25 per cent of the district levy can be legally transported to other States 4.The issue came to the fore after the recent seizure of 27 lorries with rice loads worth Rs. 2.3 crore 5.Millers are mounting pressure on government for issuing more permits in accordance with production 6. Millers resort to illegal transport of rice under „jackpot transport‟, which fetches them more returns QUANTITY QUESTION *Total production of rice in Nellore dt.: 6.5 lakh tonnes a year *2.5 lakh tonnes are set apart for „Mana Biyyam‟ programme QUOTE “There is excess production of nearly 3 lakh tonnes. Where should all this go? We have written to the government to issue more permits or allow free transport to resolve the problem permanently.”

N. Srikanth District Collector Keywords: Free flow of rice, high returns, smuggling to Tamil Nadu, goes unstopped

According to rules, only 25 per cent of the district levy or rice can be legally transported to other States. At the same time, it is alleged that the diversion of PDS rice is taking place at the level of mandallevel storage points.The Civil Supplies Department comes under the scanner whenever rice-laden lorries without authorised waybills are seized by the authorities. In a recent incident when 27 lorries were seized on one single night, the Civil Supplies officials were forced to register 6-A cases for the first time against rice millers for lack of proper records and variations in stocks. These charges are filed under the AP Rice Procurement (Levy)

Deadline approaching for Rice Leadership Development program applications

The Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills training.

By USA Rice Federation Posted Sep. 26, 2014 @ 2:31 pm

The Rice Foundation and managed by the USA Rice Federation.

For more information on the program or an application form, visit http://www.usarice.com.

Eco-farming: Implementing the Chinese model for productivity

By Our Correspondent

STUTTGART — The deadline for submitting applications for the Rice Leadership Development program is Oct. 4. Rice producers and other industryrelated professionals are encouraged to apply for the next class, which will be announced in December at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock. The Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills training. During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions that are designed to strengthen their leadership skills.

The class is comprised of five rice producers and two industry-related professionals chosen by a committee of agribusiness leaders evaluating their applications, reviewing letters of recommendation, and conducting personal interviews with the finalists. Candidates must be 25-45 at the time of application and derive their primary livelihood from some aspect of the rice industry.The program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity Company through

Published: September 28, 2014

LAHORE:

Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce

and Industry (PCJCCI) President Shah Faisal Afridi stressed on the increasing need for “Eco-Farming” to avoid future food crisis and asked the government to follow China’s cultivation model.

During a discussion on “Regaining Pakistani Agriculture Strength”, Afridi said the Chinese model involved using hybrid seeds, better water management, increased role of government for ensuring effective safety and support mechanism and public-private partnerships. “China accounts for 10% of arable land, produces food for 20% of the world‟s population and ranks first in worldwide farm output.

They made it possible by devising different techniques to increase yield of crops by

making use of nature, and farming termed as “Eco-Farming,” he said.While explaining environment friendly and effective techniques, he gave the example of rice yield via “rice duck farming”, where ducks are raised on rice paddies and feed on pests and weed. This means that farmers do not have to use earth and water-ravaging chemical pesticides or herbicides.“Duck droppings are an excellent natural fertiliser to rice plants. Growing two or more crops in proximity helps reduce disease outbreaks.

Such a technique reduces loss from rice blast disease, caused by a destructive fungus that damages panicles and leaves, before rice grains form,” informed Afridi.Pakistan‟s per hectare rice yield is 3.1 tons, whereas China is the largest producer of rice with per hectare yield of 6.5 tons.

Similarly, Pakistan produces pulses per year with per hectare yield of 0.6 tons and China produces 1.2 tons per hectare. Pakistan‟s

sugarcane production is 52.4 tons per hectare whereas China obtains a yield of 65.7.Highlighting the severity of food crisis, Afridi said the price of items such as vegetables, chicken and meat had increased by more than 20% in just one month, thus making half of the population „food insecure‟.“This means that 50 percent of the population is taking fewer calories recognised for average human need,” he said, adding that if the government fails to come up with new policies, this crisis could worsen.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2014.

Image: Pakistan’s per hectare rice yield is 3.1 tons, whereas China is the largest producer of rice with a per-hectare yield of 6.5 tons.

PHOTO: STOCK IMAGE

For Advertising SPECS & RATES Contact Advertising Department Mujahid Ali mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2874