3rd january ,2018 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

DailyDRice E-Newsletter G L E aily

lobal, Regional and

ocal Rice

-Newsletter February 03, 2018

 Holds Cleared for Senate Vote on Chief Agricultural Negotiator at USTR  TPP Moves On Without the U.S.; Rice Negatively Impacted  Fish in the Fields May Reduce Methane Emissions  More rice, please: 13 rice genomes reveal ways to keep up with ever-growing population  Customs Seizes 375 Bags Of Rice, 600 Bags Of Fertilizer  Liberian newspapers awash with President Weah meeting with rice importers  Innovative Microbial Sensor for Investigating Soil Dynamics  Flouting Promise: Local Importers Marginalized - Pres. Weah Forges Partnership With Foreign Rice Importers  Rice farmers in Boko Haram liberated community want modern mills  Myanmar to hold rice trade forum  Rice Flour Market Production, Consumption, Export and Import, Revenue, Price Trend by Type, Analysis by 2022  Fortified Rice Market: Opportunities in Key Application Sectors  Navy arrests suspected smugglers, seizes bags of rice  Fortified Rice Market is estimated to exceed US$ 25,000 Mn in revenues by 2026 Sales of Fortified Rice in APEJ to Register Fastest Growth through 2026, states TMR  QRs  The Science Behind the Scenes of ‘Basmati Blues’  Bangladesh to scrap rice imports from Thailand  Debate on rice strategy continues  Rice export surges 74.2 percent in January  When rice lets farmers down, what do they turn to?  Finance Minister Muhith backs commerce minister’s view on rice prices  Rice price will not drop below Tk 40 a kg :Tofayel

Volume X | Issue I

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter News Detail‌ Holds Cleared for Senate Vote on Chief Agricultural Negotiator at USTR

By Lesley Dixon WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) lifted his hold yesterday on the nomination of Gregory Doud, the Trump administration's pick for chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, after receiving assurances that his concerns over a proposal involving U.S. import protections on seasonal produce in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would be addressed.

"Given the importance of U.S. agriculture and what's at stake for them in the NAFTA negotiations, I am pleased that this nomination can move forward," Flake said. USA Rice joined nearly 80 other agricultural groups in a letter to each U.S. Senator earlier this week urging confirmation of Doud and other nominees to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. "There is a full trade agenda facing U.S. agriculture, and Ambassador Lighthizer needs a full team at USTR," said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings.

Doud is president of the Commodity Markets Council, and was nominated last June for the position at USTR. The Senate Finance panel cleared Doud unanimously in October, but his nomination has been held up since Flake placed his hold last November. It is uncertain when the Senate will vote on his nomination, but it is expected to go smoothly, as Doud is a widely supported choice and the position has remained empty for months.

With or without U.S.

TPP Moves On Without the U.S.; Rice Negatively Impacted

By Lesley Dixon

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

TOKYO, JAPAN -- Eleven countries will sign a new version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Chile next month, after successful negotiations concluded here last week. The new deal, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CP-TPP or TPP-11), will not include the United States.

President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the original TPP deal in one of his first acts as President. Pulling out of TPP was opposed by most of U.S. agriculture, however USA Rice ultimately took no position due to the deficient market access package for rice.

But in or out of the deal, the U.S. rice industry concerns remain. As part of CP-TPP, Mexico will eliminate the current 20 percent tariff on rice imports from Viet Nam, a move that could negatively affect U.S. market share in the

number one U.S. market. Although Mexican consumers largely prefer U.S.-grown rice for its quality and cooking characteristics, and importers appreciate the U.S.'s reliability and logistical advantages, U.S. rice is vulnerable to cheap competition from Asia. The elimination of the tariff will be a gradual transition, though the exact schedule has not yet been announced. Mexico recently renewed a 150,000 metric ton TRQ for rice that could benefit Vietnamese rice immediately. (see USA Rice Daily, January 16, 2018).

A stumbling block for the U.S. rice industry on the original TPP concerned quality and quantity of access to the Japanese market and the threat of Vietnamese imports into Mexico at zero tariff. The Trump Administration is pursuing a bilateral trade agreement with Japan and President Trump recently expressed a willingness to rejoin "a substantially better" TPP.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter "USA Rice supports the Administration's discussions with Japan and will press for an improvement of rice market access under any enhanced TPP agreement," said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings.

The 11 member countries - Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and Viet Nam - will sign the new CP-TPP March 8, 2018, at a ceremony in Chile.

Fish in the Fields May Reduce Methane Emissions FEBRUARY 1, 2018 FIELD & ROW CROPS, INDUSTRY

The Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) is moving into the second phase of its Fish in the Fields control study evaluating the introduction of fish in rice fields with a goal of reducing methane emissions from rice production. The institute has been working on strategies to address environmental issues for over 30 years.Six years of research have shown that fallow rice fields allow for the rapid growth of small, freshwater forage fish. Initial results indicate that modernizing the longstanding and simple practice of raising fish in rice fields can result in significant benefits on a global scale. Along with reducing overall methane emissions, the practice would also support more sustainable and profitable agricultural practices, along with providing another source of protein for an expanding population. On February 1, a group of scientists from the University of Montana and UC Davis introduced Golden Shiner minnows into trial rice field ponds near Marysville. The team will be measuring what kind of effect the small fish have on nutrient levels as well as methane emissions in the fields. Samples that were taken from flooded rice fields over the past two months verify an abundance of zooplankton, a significant source of protein for fish.

The Fish in the Fields research could prove to be extremely valuable as California continues to focus on and regulate methane emissions. RRI believes that adopting the methods being tested could potentially reduce methane emissions from rice by 90 percent. For California growers, employing the program could provide a secondary crop and income with minor costs for implementation.

Rice is a staple in the diet of over half of the global population, which continues to grow. According to RRI, methane emissions from rice cultivation around the world is

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter responsible for nearly two percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers with RRI are hopeful that the Fish in the Fields production methods will be adopted on a global scale.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR http://agnetwest.com/fish-in-the-fields-reduce-methane-emissions/

More rice, please: 13 rice genomes reveal ways to keep up with ever-growing population COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY IMAGE: TOP: GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF 13 RICE VARIETIES COMPARED IN THE NEW STUDY BY WARE AND COLLEAGUES. DASHED RED LIN SHOWS LIMITS OF RICE CULTIVATION. BOTTOM: A TREE SHOWING THE... view more CREDIT: WARE LAB, CSHL Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- Billions of people around the world rely on rice as a mainstay of their diet. The grain provides about 20 percent of the calories consumed by humans worldwide. Rice production is critical for global food security, and demand will only grow as the world's population expands by an estimated 2-3 billion by 2050. To keep up, farmers will need new strains of rice that can be grown both efficiently and sustainably, in new environments and in a changing climate.

A vast new genetic resource created by a team led by Doreen Ware, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will accelerate efforts to develop new rice varieties, guiding breeders to the genes plants use to resist pests, thrive in inhospitable environments, and produce abundant amounts of grain.

In research led by Dr. Rod Wing, a plant scientist at the University of Arizona, and Dr. Joshua Stein, manager of scientific informatics at CSHL, an international consortium of scientists sequenced the genomes of seven wild species of rice and two domesticated cultivars: a droughttolerant variety called Nagina 22, and IR8, so-called "miracle rice," a high-yield variety developed in 1967 and pivotal in the Green Revolution that helped relieve famine in Asia.

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Comparing these nine new rice genome sequences to four previously available wild rice genomes, the team has generated a telling new view into the plant's 15-million-year evolutionary history.

Because the newly created genetic resource is so broad, representing distantly related rice species that have evolved in habitats throughout Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia, it enables researchers to zero-in on valuable sequences that have been preserved as the plants adapted to different growing conditions. "We're able to look at these wild species, which have been exposed to different diseases or other challenges. In some cases, these plants have been able to adapt to

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter those challenges and we can see footprints of that in the genome," explains Ware, a CSHL Adjunct Associate Professor.

In a report published January 22, 2018 as part of a cover story in Nature Genetics, the team highlights one set of valuable tools uncovered in their analysis: thousands of genes that appear to encode disease resistance. Harnessing these genes to develop crops that are better equipped to resist infection by fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens could reduce the need for pesticides and help ensure more reliable rice harvests around the world.

Stein says the information embedded in the newly available genomes will accelerate the development of improved rice strains through traditional breeding practices as well as with the aid of new genetic technologies. The team's comparative analysis also offers scientists new clues into the molecular mechanisms that drive the evolution of new traits, of potential value to breeders. ### Funding: US National Science Foundation; Bud Antle Endowed Chair of Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences; Alexander von Humboldt Research Award; AXA Chair in Genome Biology and Evolutionary Genomics; University of Perpignan BQR grant; Senior Chair, Institut Universitaire de France; CNPq grant.

Citation: Stein JC et al, "Genomes of 13 domesticated and wild rice relatives highlight genetic conservation, turnover and innovation across the genus OryzaI" was published online January 22, 2018 in Nature Genetics.

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology.

Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students and technicians.

The Meetings & Courses Program annually hosts more than 12,000 scientists. The Laboratory's education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a graduate school and the DNA Learning Center with programs for middle and high school students and teachers. For more information, visit http://www.cshl.edu https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cshl-mrp020118.php

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Customs Seizes 375 Bags Of Rice, 600 Bags Of Fertilizer

By Our Correspondents February 1, 2018

Rice The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Services on Thursday revealed that it had seized a total of 375 bags of rice, 600 bags of fertilizer, two trucks and six used cars from smugglers in the first one month of 2018.The new Comptroller of the Command, Christopher O. Odibu, revealed this at a press conference Thursday Odibu bemoaned the incessant activities of smugglers at borders within the area.Other smuggled items seized by the Oyo/Osun command of the NCS during the period include 271 bales of second hand clothes, 60 kegs of vegetable oil, and 43 sacks of used shoes.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Odibu revealed that the total Duty Paid Value of all the seized items was N77, 753, 492. 8K, saying that the command would not relent in intensifying efforts to curb the menace.

He lamented that it was “unfortunate and disturbing that despite the wide awareness on the dire consequences of smuggling activities on the economic growth and development of Nigeria, some citizens still find joy in perpetrating the evil act for their personal gains.”The Customs boss, however, vowed that the command, under his watch, would continue to deal decisively with the economic saboteurs, and work for the security of wellbeing of Nigerians.

Odibu commended the dedication and cooperation of the officers of the command, as well as officers of other units such as the Headquarters Compliance Team, Federal Operation Unit and Customs Intelligence Unit, in the actualisation of the achievements. https://independent.ng/customs-seizes-375-bags-rice-600-bags-fertilizer/ Anglophone crisis

Liberian newspapers awash with President Weah meeting with rice importers 02.02.2018 à 13h21 by APA News President George Weah meeting with rice importers to reduce the price of the commodity and LACC rejecting Justice Minister’s claims of non-productivity dominate the headlines of Liberian newspapers on Friday.President Weah on Thursday met with rice importers in the country to convince them to reduce the price of the country’s staple rice to make it affordable to ordinary Liberians.

The Liberian Chief Executive said his government is fully prepared to work with the rice importers in every way possible to reduce the price of rice, which is also referred to as a political commodity.

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The Inquirer and FrontPage newspapers published this story as their front page banner headlines under the respective captions: “Rice Price To Be Reduced…As President Weah, Importers Discuss” and WEAH’S RICE GAMBLE.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has sharply reacted to Justice Ministerdesignate Counselor Charles Gibson’s claims that the commission is not performing its duties.

Clr. Gibson alleged that LACC has not been able to prosecute a single individual since its establishment in 2008.

In his reaction at a press conference on Thursday, the Chairman of LACC, Counselor James Verdier, termed the Justice Minister-designate’s claims as “misinterpretation and misguided impression by Gibson.”

The Daily Observer newspaper published this story as its front page banner headline under the title: “Cllr. Gibson’s Allegation Backfires-Gets drilled in LACC’s achievements”, while the Inquirer published it on its front page under the caption: LACC Rejects Justice MinisterDesignate Claims Before Senate Committee…Says Information Was Faulty, Other headlines include: Local NGOs to Strengthen Advocacy For Equitable Distribution of Oil Palm Wealth (Daily Observer); Salvation Army General Predicts Brighter Future For Liberia (Women Voices); LEGISPOL Protests Journalists’ Flogging (Women Voices); Gender Ministry Condemns Child Abuse In Maryland (Women Voices); PUL Condemns Hostilities Against Journalists…Regrets Death of Journalist J. Varney Kamara (Inquirer). https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/liberian-newspapers-awash-with-president-weah-meeting-withrice-importers/

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rice production in Ukraine will increase 01.02.2018 | UkrAgroConsult According to the Kherson regional administration, rice plantings and yields in the region increase from year to year. This may shortly result in full self-sufficiency of Ukraine with this cereal crop.

A drastic improvement of the rice sector is expected in the region, but it will improve in line with up-to-date practices for growing this cereal, reports UkrAgroConsult.

Rice planted areas totaled 7.5 Th ha in 2016 and 7.8 Th ha in 2017. The yields equaled 5.4 MT/ha in 2016 and 5.7 MT/ha in 2017.

Import substitution is now one of the main tasks for the region. Kherson region is Ukraine’s top grower of rice.

Noteworthy is that Ukraine annually imports some 50-80 KMT of rice, mostly from Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Vietnam.

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/rice-production-in-ukraine-will-increase

Innovative Microbial Sensor for Investigating Soil Dynamics February 2, 2018 at 10:58 AM Written by AZoSensorsFeb 2 2018

A gene created by researchers at Rice University offers scientists valuable data related to microbes through discharge of gas from the soil. The most recent version is a powerful two-stage microbial sensor that will assist geobiologists, bioengineers and other scientists to monitor gene expression as well as the bioavailability of nutrients in laboratory reproduction of environments such as sediments and soil without perturbing them.

A robust two-stage microbial sensor developed at Rice University will help researchers observe gene expression and the bioavailability of nutrients in environments like soil and sediments without disturbing them. Rather than fluoresce, like current biosensors, these release gas to report on their host microbes’ presence and activity. (Image credit: Illustration by Ilenne Del 11

Valle)

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

The gas is generated by using microbes genetically engineered to give an account of their environment as well as activity and combined into soil samples in restrained laboratory experiments. A gas that oozes out informs scientists about the number of target microbes that exist, and another gas informs the activities of the microbes. Ultimately, the Rice researchers will expect the programmed microbes to disclose whether and how they communicate with one another.

The sensor has been described in the ACS Synthetic Biology journal published by the American Chemical Society.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The study in progress started in 2015 with the help of a grant of $1 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation and has been headed by Jonathan Silberg, a Rice synthetic biologist; Caroline Masiello, a biogeochemist; and Hsiao-Ying (Shelly) Cheng, a graduate student and lead author of the study. Their aim is to evaluate bioactivity in opaque environments, specifically those in which modifying the environment will change the outcomes.

According to Silberg, the new gas-emitting microbes function on the same principle that governs those that include two fluorescent proteins; for instance, a green-fluorescing protein will tag all the cells in a dish, and a red protein will get illuminated when triggered by microbial activity, such as proximity of a specific molecule or protein expression.

“In those systems, you can check the ratio of green to red and know, on average, what the cells are doing,” he stated. “But that doesn’t work in soils.”

At present, scientists evaluate microbial activity in soil by crushing samples and adopting processes such as high-performance liquid chromatography to quantify their constituents. This removes the chances of analyzing the same sample over time, and also restricts the scope of the data.

“Our system answers the right question,” stated Masiello. “Do microbes know these compounds are present, and what are they doing in response to them?”

In the ratio-metric system developed at Rice lab, gases discharged from modified Escherichia coli or other microbes can assist researchers in evaluating soil development. The term ratiometric indicates that the gas output is directly proportional to the input, which is the level of activity sensed by the microbe here.

In one of the tests, E. coli was transformed to expel enzymes that produce bromomethane and ethylene. The microbe continuously produced ethylene, thereby enabling the researchers to observe the microbe population size; however, it produced only bromomethane when triggered

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter by, here, bioavailability of acylhomoserine lactones (AHL), molecules enabling signaling between bacteria.

Once Cheng placed the E. coli in agricultural soil and fixed the temperature to increase gas signals, she discovered that the addition of short- and long-chain AHL did not have an impact on ethylene output but drastically impacted bromomethane. The highest concentration of shortchain AHL elevated the bromomethane signal by over an order of magnitude, and that of longchain AHL elevated it by nearly two orders of magnitude.

Investigations with a different bacterium, Shewanella, with sediment as a native habitat, revealed similarly robust outcomes.

“The dynamic range for sensing chemicals with what Shelly’s built is very good,” stated Silberg.

“It will vary with the organism, but synthetic biology is really about tuning all of that.”

The particularly useful aspect of this work is the potential to distinguish between what’s chemically extractable in a marine or soil environment and what a microbe perceives is there. Just because we can grind up a soil and measure something doesn’t mean that plants or microbes know what’s there. These tools are what we need to be able to, for the first time, measure microbial perception of their environment.

Caroline Masiello, Biogeochemist The transformed microbes are meant to be applied for lab investigation, as opposite to in the open. But tests would be much faster than current processes and allow labs to monitor a sample continuously over time. The researchers anticipate applications not only in synthetic biology and environmental science but also for tracking the environmental fate of gut bacteria being developed for diagnostics and therapeutics.

In the future, the Rice lab aims to focus its attempts on the conditional output portion of the sensor.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter As we’ve been building this, people like (Rice bioscientist) Jeff Tabor and others are standardizing the sensing modules. We’re building new output modules that you could then couple to the great diversity of sensors they are building.

Shelly’s really led the way to prove that we can do gas reporting, and she was the first to do it in soils. She then showed we could do it with horizontal gene transfer as part of our proof of concept, and now this. The tools are just getting there, and I think applications will be next.

Jonathan Silberg, Rice Synthetic Biologist Graduate student Ilenne Del Valle in the Systems, Synthetic and Physical Biology graduate program, research scientist Xiaodong Gao, and George Bennett, the E. Dell Butcher Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, all from Rice University, are the co-authors of the paper. Silberg is an associate professor of biochemistry and cell biology. Masiello is a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences.

The W.M. Keck Foundation, Rice University, a Taiwan Ministry of Education Scholarship, the National Science Foundation Long-term Ecological Research Program, Michigan State University AgBioResearch, and the Department of Energy, Offices of Science and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supported the study. https://www.azosensors.com/news.aspx?newsID=12337

Flouting Promise: Local Importers Marginalized - Pres.

Weah Forges Partnership With Foreign Rice Importers Monrovia – President George Manneh Weah has begun a dangerous game with the country’s most political commodity – rice.

Report by Lennart Dodoo, ldodoo@frontpageafricaonline.com

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Rice and its demand have left indelible marks on the Liberian body politic. Some political scientists say events of the past may come back hunting the future if similar missteps occur.In 1979, then President William R. Tolbert increased the price of a bag of rice from $22 to $30 triggering a riot in which hundreds of demonstrators were killed. The following year, Tolbert was executed in a coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe. Today, Liberians still pine for the days of warlord-turned President Charles Taylor, when a 50kg bag of rice sold for US$22 a bag - about half the price it sells today (though double its value on the world market).Fast track to 2018, President George Manneh Weah’s administration now faces a compounded task of reducing the price of rice in an economy massively dominated by foreigners.

On Thursday, February 1st, Mr. Weah met with the association of rice importers, also dominated by foreign investors.The purpose of the meeting, according to an Executive Mansion release, was to step up efforts to ensure the price of the nation’s staple food is substantially reduced and made affordable for ordinary Liberians.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter President Weah, according to the Executive Mansion release, said his government was fully prepared to work with rice importers in every way possible to reduce the price of rice.

President Weah said it was intolerable that in the midst of acute hardship and mass unemployment the price of nation’s staple continues to increase.“I am ready to work with you and resolve all the issues that underpin the galloping price of rice so that our people will afford to buy.”

“If government-imposed tax is an issue, you can rest assure that my government is more than ready to grant reasonable adjustments in the tax regime to make the reduction of rice price possible,” the President said.

But the President’s move is not all about ensuring affordability of rice, as FrontPageAfrica has gathered that the move is also part of a payback plan to some major importers including George Nehme, CEO of Supplying West Africa Trader Inc. (SWAT) and the Harbel Supermarket Corporation.Multiple sources have confirmed to FrontPageAfrica that the businessman was a key financier of President Weah’s election campaign that led to his massive victory.

Political pundits and some local importers wanting anonymity are querying the President’s meeting with the giant importers when they had expected him to be considering empowering Liberians to match up the foreigners in the import of major commodities.This, in their view, runs contrary to his pledge in his inaugural address where he said he would ensure that Liberians would no longer be spectators in their own economy.

Pres. Weah said in the inaugural speech: “We will do all that is within our power to provide an environment that will be conducive for the conduct of honest and transparent business. We will remove unnecessary regulatory constraints that tend to impede the establishment and operation of business in a profitable and predictable manner.”

“As we open our doors to all foreign direct investments, we will not permit Liberian-owned businesses to be marginalized. We cannot remain spectators in our own economy. My government will prioritize the interests of Liberian-owned businesses and offer programs to help them become more competitive and offer services that international investors seek as partners.”

But the honest and transparent business spoken of by the President is not what is currently being witnessed in the rice import sector.For example, the quality of rice supplied by Mr. Nehme’s SWAT company supplies is 50% rice and 5% kernel.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The company has stood several allegations of importing very low grade.Last year, SWAT faced several allegations ranging from importing a consignment of contaminated Bella Luna parboiled long grain rice. Another brand of the rice imported by SWAT – BB Rice – was widely believed by the public to be synthetic rice (plastic rice).

However, a test conducted by the National Standards Laboratory proved that BB Rice is indeed real rice, but very poor in quality.Currently, there are four companies licensed to import rice by the vessel load.They account for about 95% of all rice imports (SWAT and UCI each bring in over 100,000 metric tons (MT) per year and the third company, Fouta Corporation, does about 70,000 MT. K&K is the fourth licensed importer and does only about two vessels (40,000 MT) per year.

Small traders, who import rice in 20- foot ocean containers, apparently have different licensing requirements.

“What we had expected of the President isn’t to continue strengthening these powerful importers. What we expected from him is to bring all the local importers together and find out our challenges in maximizing our imports. Foreigners must not feed our people, we must,” said one local importer.

The Lebanese national, Nehme, almost has monopoly over the rice market in Liberia and has been solidifying ties with President Weah in an effort to expand his businesses in Liberia, this paper has gathered. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/6809-flouting-promise-local-importersmarginalized-pres-weah-forges-partnership-with-foreign-rice-importers

Rice farmers in Boko Haram liberated community want modern mills Rice farmers during harvest in Nigeria

By Rabiu SaniMaiduguri, Feb. 2, 2018 (NAN) Rice farmers at Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government Area of Borno have called on the state government to provide them with modern mills to accelerate paddy rice production.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Zabarmari is one of the farming communities liberated by the military from the Boko Haram insurgents. About 5,000 farmers cultivated thousands of hectares of farmlands producing over a million tonnes of grains like rice, maize and sorghum through rain-fed and irrigation activities.A cross section of the farmers said that provision of modern mills would boost food production in the liberated areas and improve their economic status.

Alhaji Adawa Wakil said that they currently rely on local millers to process their produce.Wakil said that the introduction of modern processing technologies would allow for better use of the bumper harvest this season.Most of the farmers returned to the farms and we are happy over the high yields recorded this season. “Application of modern processing technologies will add value to the produce and encourage production,� he said.Wakil added that such technologies would also cut cost of production and lead to reduce prices.

Another farmer, Bashir Usman, explained that there were over 200 local mill operators in the area, who used metal pots and grinding machines for rice processing.Usman said that the high cost of processing was causing a heavy drain in their pockets and push prices up.

A mill operator, Musa Muhammad, said that he run a local mill with a 10 tonnes daily production capacity.Muhammad described the trade as lucrative, explaining that he charges between N200 and N250 per 50-kilogramme bag for processing.Malam Hassan Muhammad, the Chairman, Rice Processors and Sellers Association, disclosed that the farmers need access road to open the area and ease movement of produce to the market.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter “It is difficult to move the produce to the market due to lack of road. We relied on ox-cart for transportation. This also affected patronage,� he said. http://www.nan.ng/news/rice-farmers-boko-haram-liberated-community-want-modern-mills/

Myanmar to hold rice trade forum Source: Xinhua 2018-02-03 13:24:49 YANGON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) will hold a multi-stake holder forum for sustainable development of rice industry this month, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Saturday.

Under the title "Rice Trade Development Forum," the event aims to maintain the status of the country's rice sector and exchange views for the sectoral development.

The forum will also host panel discussions on controlling the rice price, farmers' problems, gaining appropriate profits for rice millers, rice merchants and exporters and providing assistance to small and medium enterprises.

Official figures show the country earned about 700 million U.S. dollars from 2.6 million tons of rice exports which is a major agricultural product as of Jan. 19 in the current 2017-18 fiscal year.

During the period, the country's agriculture products export hit 2.4 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 25 percent of the total exports Challenging with erratic weather, capacity and technical know-how to yield value-added products and dependence on foreign market demand, Myanmar is making efforts to promote agricultural production, while addressing the issue of high transportation cost. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/03/c_136946374.htm

Rice Flour Market Production, Consumption, Export and Import, Revenue, Price Trend by Type, Analysis by 2022 EBRUARY 2, 2018 BY SUMANT D Rice Flour Market research report provides Emerging Market trends, Raw Materials Analysis, Manufacturing Process, regional outlook and comprehensive analysis on different market

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter segments. Rice Flour Market report evaluates key factors that affected market growth and with the help of previous figures, this report elaborates current scenario and forecast of Rice Flour industry.

The Rice Flour Market provides detailed analysis of Market Overview, Market Drivers, Opportunities, Potential Application. Top Key Players of Rice Flour Market covered as: Burapa Prosper, Thai Flour Industry, Rose Brand, Cho Heng, Koda Farms, BIF, Lieng Tong, Bob\’s Red Mill Natural Foods, Pornkamon Rice Flour Mills, Huangguo.

Rice Flour industry drives a strong trend of R&D investments in Rice Flour industries. Other growth drivers include the need to curtail costs, growth and increased use of shifting commodity prices, strength of private label brands and increased competition from players in Rice Flour market.

Ask for Sample Report @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/requestsample/11344668 The Rice Flour market research report gives an overview of Rice Flour industries on by analysing various key segments of this market based on the product types, application, end-toend industries and its scenario.

The Rice Flour Market report also displays the Production, Consumption, revenue, Gross margin, Cost, Gross, market share, CAGR, and Market influencing factors of the Rice Flour industry in USA, EU, China, India, Japan and other regions, and forecast to 2022, from 2017.

Rice Flour Market split by Product Type: Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Glutinous Rice Flour, Others and Market split by Applications: Rice Noodle and Rice Pasta, Sweets and Desserts, Snacks, Bread, Thickening Agent, Others.

The regional distribution of Rice Flour industries is across the globe are considered for this market analysis, the result of which is utilized to estimate the performance of the International market over the period from 2017 to forecasted year.

Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/11344668 Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Rice Flour in these regions, from 2017 to 2022 (forecast), covering: USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia, South America, South Africa, Others.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Rice Flour Market in World, presents critical information and factual data about Rice Flour Industry, with an overall statistical study of this market based on market drivers, market limitations, and its future prospects. The widespread trends and opportunities are also taken into consideration in Rice Flour Market study.

Along with this, analysis of depreciation cost, manufacturing cost structure and SWOT analysis are also carried out. Price, cost, and gross analysis of the market is also included in this section.

Price of Report: $4000 (Single User) Purchase Report @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/purchase/11344668 The product range of the Rice Flour industry is examined based on their production chain, pricing of products and the profit generated by them. Various regional markets are analysed in Rice Flour market research report and the production volume and efficacy for Rice Flour market across the world is also discussed.

http://www.satprnews.com/2018/02/02/rice-flour-market-production-consumption-exportand-import-revenue-price-trend-by-type-analysis-by-2022/

Fortified Rice Market: Opportunities in Key Application Sectors

By Hiren Samani February 2, 2018 Transparency Market Research, in its new report on the global fortified rice market, has identified key participants contributing to the market expansion, which include Wilmar International Ltd., General Mills, Inc., BASF SE, BĂźhler AG, Bunge Limited, and Cargill Incorporated.

According to the report, the global fortified rice market will reflect an impressive growth over the forecast period (2017-2026). Fortified rice sales across the globe are estimated to exceed US$ 25,000 Mn in revenues by 2026-end.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Growing Need to Cater Global Demand for Nutrition to Influence Adoption of Fortified Rice Micronutrient deficiencies have threatened the productivity, development & health of millions among the global population. For example, roughly half of India’s child population suffers from vitamins & mineral deficiencies and chronic malnutrition. In addition to micronutrients supplementation & diversification in diets, enriching the food consumed regularly, such as rice, with minerals and vitamins is seen as an effective remedy for alleviating the issue. These factors have resulted into fortification of rice that is emerging as sustainable and a cost-effective measure to deliver nutrition to people globally. Since the recent past, many initiatives have been undertaken by the rice industry along with development partners to offer fortified rice via safety net programs as well as the open market. A great example for this is the government of India, which in coordination with WFP and PATH, has distributed fortified rice via several welfare schemes, particularly the Mid-Day Meal across few of its states. Similarly, the U.S. food assistance agencies are seeking diversification of their portfolio apropos to value-added nutritional foods made by commodities within the region’s origin for global nutritional & food aid. The fortified rice has prevailed as a key component of these programs carried out by the U.S. food assistance agencies.

APEJ will Remain Most Remunerative for Growth of the Market Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will continue to be the most remunerative region for growth of the fortified rice market, with sales projected to hold nearly half revenue share of the market by 2026-end. Sales of fortified rice in APEJ will record the highest CAGR through 2026, followed by the market in Middle East & Africa (MEA). Between North America and Latin America, the latter is projected to register a comparatively faster expansion through 2026.

However, the market in North America will continue to account for a relatively larger revenues than that in Latin America.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Vitamins and Minerals will prevail as the preferred micronutrients in the global fortified rice market. Revenues from global sales of vitamins and minerals will collectively account for over three-fourth share of the market by 2026-end. Revenues from sales of minerals will increase comparatively faster than those from vitamins through 2026.

Request to view Sample Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=3850 4 Drying to Remain Sought-after Among Technologies for Fortified Rice Drying is slated to remain sought-after among technologies for producing fortified rice.

Revenues from this technology are estimated to surpass US$ 13,000 Mn by 2026-end. In addition, revenues from coating and encapsulation technology for production of fortified rice are poised to record a relatively faster expansion through 2026. Based on end-users, there will only be a slight difference between revenue shares of the commercial and residential segments, with the latter being comparative more lucrative during the forecast period.

Although, sales of fortified rice in modern trade will record a relatively lower CAGR, this sales channel will endure as the most remunerative in the market through 2017 to 2026. Sales of fortified rice in convenience stores and departmental stores will register an approximately similar CAGR through 2026. https://cmfenews.com/fortified-rice-market-opportunities-key-application-sectors/

Navy arrests suspected smugglers, seizes bags of rice February 3, 2018 Etim Ekpimah, Uyo

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has apprehended three suspected smugglers and seized 759 bags of rice smuggled from Cameroon.

A wooden boat was also been confiscated in the seizure.

The suspects, Yahaya Balaribe, 32, from Borno State; Godwin Owoyemi, 23, and Michael Aderemi, both from Igbokoda area of Ondo State, were said to have been apprehended on the high sea on Tuesday around 3am following a tip-off as they made their way into Nigeria’s maritime area.

The Commanding Officer, FOB, Navy Captain Yusuf Idris, on Wednesday asked smugglers to stay away from Nigeria’s maritime environment, noting that the current leadership of the Nigerian Navy would find them wherever they might be.

He said, “On January 30, the men of the Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, acting on a tip off, intercepted and seized a large wooden boat loaded with 759 bags of rice. We also arrested three suspected smugglers along with the items.

“In line with the harmonised standard operating procedures, the Nigerian Navy, today hands over the suspects and the items to Nigeria Customs Service for in vestigation and further necessary actions.

“The Nigerian Navy, FOB, warns the would-be smugglers and other maritime offenders like sea pirates, oil thieves and their like to keep away from Nigeria’s maritime environment as the current leadership of the Nav y will hunt them down wherever they may be.”The commanding officer assured legitimate users of the sea of navy protection and assistance to carry out their legitimate businesses with a view to enhancing the economic prosperity of Nigeria.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Comptroller of Eastern Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt, Ajiya Masaya, who received the three smugglers and the goods, described the fight against smuggling as a collective responsibility of Nigerians.

According to him, smuggling is affecting the Nigerian economy and any nation that allows smuggling to thrive will be unable to grow its economy.

He thanked the Navy for collaborating with the NCS to curtail the spread of smuggling within Nigeria’s maritime environment.

He said, “Fighting smuggling cannot be left only for the Nigeria Customs Service.

Everybody has a duty to stop or reduce the menace.

“As I said, fighting smugglers is not only for Customs; everybody has a role to play.

Please, as a member of the community, rice is still a contraband item; 2018 fiscal policy that recognises imported rice as a contraband good, is still in force.”

Copyright

PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. https://punchng.com/navy-arrests-suspected-smugglers-seizes-bags-of-rice/

Fortified Rice Market is estimated to exceed US$ 25,000 Mn in revenues by 2026 Sales of Fortified Rice in APEJ to Register Fastest Growth through 2026, states TMR Date:2/2/2018 9:27:22 AM (MENAFN Editorial) Albany, New York, Feb. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -Transparency Market Research, in its new report on the , has identified key participants

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26

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter contributing to the market expansion, which include Wilmar International Ltd., General Mills, Inc., BASF SE, BĂźhler AG, Bunge Limited, and Cargill Incorporated.

According to the report, the global fortified rice market will reflect an impressive growth over the forecast period (2017-2026). Fortified rice sales across the globe are estimated to exceed US$ 25,000 Mn in revenues by 2026-end.

Growing Need to Cater Global Demand for Nutrition to Influence Adoption of Fortified Rice Micronutrient deficiencies have threatened the productivity, development & health of millions among the global population. For example, roughly half of India's child population suffers from vitamins & mineral deficiencies and chronic malnutrition. In addition to micronutrients supplementation & diversification in diets, enriching the food consumed regularly, such as rice, with minerals and vitamins is seen as an effective remedy for alleviating the issue. These factors have resulted into fortification of rice that is emerging as sustainable and a cost-effective measure to deliver nutrition to people globally.

Get PDF Brochure for more Professional & Technical industry insights: Since the recent past, many initiatives have been undertaken by the rice industry along with development partners to offer fortified rice via safety net programs as well as the open market. A great example for this is the government of India, which in coordination with WFP and PATH, has distributed fortified rice via several welfare schemes, particularly the Mid-Day Meal across few of its states. Similarly, the U.S. food assistance agencies are seeking diversification of their portfolio apropos to value-added nutritional foods made by commodities within the region's origin for global nutritional & food aid. The fortified rice has prevailed as a key component of these programs carried out by the U.S. food assistance agencies.

APEJ will Remain Most Remunerative for Growth of the Market Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will continue to be the most remunerative region for growth of the fortified rice market, with sales projected to hold nearly half revenue share of the market by 2026-end. Sales of fortified rice in APEJ will record the highest CAGR through 2026,

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27

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter followed by the market in Middle East & Africa (MEA). Between North America and Latin America, the latter is projected to register a comparatively faster expansion through 2026.

However, the market in North America will continue to account for a relatively larger revenues than that in Latin America.

Request For Custom Research Vitamins and Minerals will prevail as the preferred micronutrients in the global fortified rice market. Revenues from global sales of vitamins and minerals will collectively account for over three-fourth share of the market by 2026-end. Revenues from sales of minerals will increase comparatively faster than those from vitamins through 2026.

Drying to Remain Sought-after Among Technologies for Fortified Rice Drying is slated to remain sought-after among technologies for producing fortified rice.

Revenues from this technology are estimated to surpass US$ 13,000 Mn by 2026-end. In addition, revenues from coating and encapsulation technology for production of fortified rice are poised to record a relatively faster expansion through 2026. Based on end-users, there will only be a slight difference between revenue shares of the commercial and residential segments, with the latter being comparative more lucrative during the forecast period.

Purchase this Premium Research Report at Although, sales of fortified rice in modern trade will record a relatively lower CAGR, this sales channel will endure as the most remunerative in the market through 2017 to 2026. Sales of fortified rice in convenience stores and departmental stores will register an approximately similar CAGR through 2026.

About Us Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.

Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.

Contact Us Mr. Apoorv Tripathi Transparency Market Research State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany NY - 12207 United States Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Website: Research Blog:MENAFN0202201800703653ID1096421702 http://www.menafn.com/1096421702/Fortified-Rice-Market-is-estimated-to-exceed-US25000-Mn-in-revenues-by-2026-Sales-of-Fortified-Rice-in-APEJ-to-Register-FastestGrowth-through-2026-states-TMR

QRs FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno (The Philippine Star) | Updated February 3, 2018 - 12:00am It is sad testimony to how wrong our agricultural policies have been that economists are now saying the inflation rate will drop as soon as we abandon quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter With the lifting of QRs, rice can be freely imported subject to tariffs our legislators might impose. It is estimated that a 35 percent tariff on rice will be imposed when QRs are lifted.

Notwithstanding that stiff tariff, the price of rice is expected to decrease. Cheaper rice will moderate the inflation rate. It is estimated that the inflation rate for this first quarter of the year could be close to 4 percent.

For years, we pleaded with our trade partners for the extension of the QR regime on rice. In exchange we offered other concessions that took a toll on other sectors of our economy.

After several extensions, we have reached the end of the rope. No further extension, under free trade rules, could be had.

Unfortunately, during the time the QR regime was extended, we did not accomplish much in bringing down the cost of domestic rice production. As a result, imported rice carrying a 35 percent tariff will still be cheaper than domestically produced rice.

Under the QR regime, government set the quantity of rice to be imported during the year. Once the quantity of imports was determined, government issued import permits for traders to undertake the importation. This system, because of the wide price disparities between imported and domestic rice, invited corruption. The high price of rice produced high food poverty in the country.

Under this regime, too, rice aggregators abroad anticipated the volume of Philippine imports and drove up rice prices in their home market as they collected rice supplies to export. This has injured not only our consumers but consumers in the rice-exporting countries as well.

Under the prospective tariff-based regime, anyone can import rice as long as they paid the tariffs.

Small-scale importers will drive aggregators out of business since they do not purchase in large quantities. We will end the regime of corruption surrounding government’s monopoly of rice importation and remove incentives fro rice smuggling.

Of course, the flood of imported rice could threaten our domestic rice producers. Because of sheer inefficiency, our rice farmers make very little even as domestic rice prices are very high.

Rice cultivation has become a poverty trap.

This is a matter of urgent concern. We will have to sort out this problem without resort to QRs that penalizes our domestic consumers.

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The problem is compounded by the fact that the average age of our rice farmers is 57. Young people do not want to go into rice cultivation because of poor economic returns and large swathes of “reformed� farmland are now idle because the plots are too small to be viable.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Shotgun Several hearings conducted at the Senate over the hazing death of Horacio ‘Atio’ Castillo in the hands of Aegis Juris fraternity members did serve the purpose of keeping the incident in the public eye and hastening investigation of the case. A crime was committed here and all those culpable should be made to pay.

But the report emanating out of those hearings puzzles many. It is as if the report fired a shotgun into a large crowd, recommending charges against the dean of the UST faculty of civil law, the faculty secretary and at least 13 trustees of the Aegis Foundation. As a consequence, the search for the truly culpable could lose focus and, worse, the justice we all want for Atio and his grieving family might not be fully won.

Those present at the brutal initiation rites were named. Charges for violation of the Anti-Hazing Law and other related crimes should be filed against them. They all acted in concert. Their collective act resulted in the death of a neophyte.

Those initiation rites were, it should be emphasized, conducted without authorization from the university authorities. The fraternity was suspended long before the initiation rites began. The school could not possibly be expected to know all their students do outside the campus.

In similar hazing cases resulting in the deaths of neophytes, school authorities were at best admonished but not included in the charges. That is because they had no direct hand in the rituals that resulted in murder.

True, there was an attempt at cover-up on the part of the Aegis Juris members, possibly including some of the alumni. That attempted cover-up was frustrated by speedy police investigation of the case. There is no evidence linking Dean Divina or members of his law firm to any obstruction of justice.

Atio, according to accounts by family and friends idolized his Dean. That might have been a factor encouraging the young man to join the fraternity to which Divina belonged. Even if it was a factor, the Dean could not be held criminally liable for that.

By issuing the report it did, the Senate could stumble into becoming a party in the professional rivalries of big-name lawyers. Divina’s law firm is a rising star in the profession. That could attract jealousies of every sort.

It was lawyer Lorna Kapunan who pushed for Divina’s inclusion among those the Senate recommended should be charged. Earlier, she filed a complaint with the Supreme Court asking for the disbarment of Divina and 20 lawyers in his firm. Now she has filed a case for murder, hazing and obstruction against the dean.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter This is grist for keeping the case in the public eye. But it also causes us to lose focus on those directly responsible for the brutality. http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2018/02/03/1784000/qrs

The Science Behind the Scenes of ‘Basmati Blues’ UCR geneticist Norman Ellstrand lent his scientific expertise to a musical romantic comedy centered around genetically modified rice

By Sarah Nightingale On FEBRUARY 2, 2018 Basmati Blues follows a young female scientist who is sent to India to sell farmers the GMO rice her company created.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) – The film Basmati Blues is a musical romantic comedy about two about people who reach across cultures and find love. It also has a serious side: a U.S. agriculture company selling its genetically modified rice to Indian farmers.The film, which is directed by Danny Baron and produced by Monique Caulfield and Jeffrey Soros, is being released in select U.S. theaters and on Video on Demand starting Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. It received funding from Sloan Science & Film, a branch of the Sloan Foundation that supports filmmakers who create narratives about science and technology.Basmati Blues follows the journey of a young female scientist, Dr. Linda Watt (played by Academy Award winner Brie Larson), who is sent by her company’s CEO (played by Donald Sutherland) to India to sell farmers the GMO rice created by the company. As the story plays out,

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Linda navigates a new culture, a new love interest, and the realization she has unknowingly become part of a destructive plan against the farmers.

To ensure the science in Basmati Blues was portrayed accurately, the Sloan Foundation turned to Norman Ellstrand, a distinguished professor of genetics at UC Riverside and an expert on gene flow between GMO and non-GMO plants. It was Ellstrand’s first opportunity to serve as a scientific advisor in the movie industry.

“Reading an early version of the script and commenting on the science was fun because the writers had done an excellent job with the science, right down to the scientific name of the plants,” Ellstrand said. “I learned later that the writers and the producer were science fans. In discussing the script, we quickly got ‘into the weeds’ of agronomy, talking about plant reproductive systems, molecular biology, and what role scientific nuance should—or should not—play in a romantic musical comedy.”

Norman Ellstrand, a distinguished professor of genetics at UC Riverside.

On screen, Linda’s relationship with a farmer called Rajit (played by Utkarsh Ambudkar) takes a somber turn when he informs her that, instead of helping local farmers, she is unwittingly hurting them. The GMO seeds Linda has developed are sterile, meaning that plants grown from them have lost the ability to reproduce and farmers have to buy new seeds for each planting.The plot is a fictional exploration of real-world issues including globalization, innovation, personal responsibility, and food security. Many of the world’s largest agrochemical firms hold patents on the technology behind sterile seeds (which are also called suicide or terminator seeds), but large-scale protests about their impact on farmers’ self-sufficiency have hindered their commercial development.

“Companies create new kinds of seed for farmers to grow and harvest for people to eat, which can be a mutually beneficial relationship,” Caulfield, the movie’s producer, said in an interview with The Sloan Foundation. “However, if the only goal of a company is to maximize profit how does that affect the more vulnerable farmers and populations? In between the company CEO and the farmer is the scientist. We wanted to explore their role.”

The film was shot over the course of several years in India and New York City, and features original songs by global artists Pearl Jam, Kristan Bush (of Sugarland), Sid Khosla (of Goldspot), Dave Baerwald, and Sonu Nigam. For more information on the film, including theater locations, visit the Basmati Blues website.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter EDIA CONTACT Sarah Nightingale Tel: (951) 827-4580 E-mail: sarah.nightingale@ucr.edu Twitter: snightingale https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/51314

Bangladesh to scrap rice imports from Thailand Bangladesh will scrap a plan to import 150,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand, agreed at $465 a tonne in October, head of the state grains buyer said on Thursday. “They have been taking too much time to finalise the deal. There is no point to wait for them when we are getting supplies from other sources, including India, at cheaper rates,” Badrul Hasan, the director general of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Food, told Reuters. Traditionally the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh emerged as a major importer of the grain in 2017 after floods damaged crops and sent domestic prices to record highs. http://en.prothomalo.com/economy/news/170458/Bangladesh-to-scrap-rice-imports-fromThailand

Debate on rice strategy continues By: Karl R. Ocampo- @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:28 AM February 02, 2018 (Conclusion) Contrary to the administration’s action plan and recommendations from economists, industry group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) wants the country to reach its decade-old dream of rice self-sufficiency and stop relying on imports.

The group maintained that if the government would subsidize rice farmers in the production to marketing stage, raise the National Food Authority’s (NFA) farmgate support price for palay and

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter incentivize local rice millers to modernize operations, producing our own staple would be more beneficial for the country in the long run.

It cited data from the latest report of the United States Department of Agriculture where it noted that less than 10 percent of global rice production was tradeable, with 66 percent already allotted to China.

“Shortage may happen with limited supply of rice going around the market,” the group said. “The greatest tragedy of our times is the destruction of our capacity to produce our own staples.”

Food security But for former Economic Planning Secretary Cielito Habito, food security does not equate to rice self-sufficiency.

“The most unfortunate irony of all is that under current circumstances, the more we pursue 100percent rice self-sufficiency, the more we make most Filipinos food-insecure. Food security and food self-sufficiency are two different things. Food security denotes reliable access to adequate, affordable, safe and nutritious food. Our self-sufficiency policy has had the perhaps unwitting effect of making rice much more expensive to Filipino consumers than it needs to be, with the Filipino poor suffering the most,” he said.

Habito emphasized the need for the present administration to help farmers diversify their produce accordingly by choosing crops that are more suitable to their lands, and stop chasing the elusive goal of rice self-sufficiency, which, over the years, has been proven to be unsuccessful despite numerous government interventions.

Historically, rice has taken the lion’s share of the agriculture budget. For 2018, the agency will continue advocating the use of hybrid rice seeds, and loan and insurance programs are expected to cater mostly to rice crops. “Our marginal rice farmers should be assisted to shift to other more remunerative crops suitable for their lands. Meanwhile, utmost productivity support must be given to our rice lands that are inherently competitive in rice, including in Central Luzon and Western

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Visayas,” said Habito.Economist and Ateneo professor Leonardo Lanzona Jr. agreed, emphasizing that the country must now move away from prioritizing the production of the staple.

“It would be better to use funds that we have for producing high-value crops or improving technology. Ever if we move some of the rice producers to planting high-value crops, our growth would continue to increase. But, of course, we need to have some agricultural development program,” he said.

“Lifting the QR will benefit the public in general, but there should be a social protection for farmers. Subsidize to a limited extent, but what is more important is to give them incentives to look for other options,” he added.

Lanzona said that the shift to other crops from rice would not mean neglecting the agriculture sector. For him, the farm sector must be developed toward a direction where the Philippines might have a comparative advantage against other countries. “Right now, we don’t have a comparative advantage on rice anymore.”

Both economists said they believed that food security should be best pursued at the regional level, and this is where Asean plays a crucial role.

“Asean as a region is not only self-sufficient in rice, it produces a surplus and can continue doing so for a time,” Habito said. “Food security can be achieved through a stronger regional buffer stock where the rice-surplus countries can fill the deficits of the rest. That way, rice could be cheaper for all, and Asean peoples, particularly in the rice-deficit countries, would generally be much more food-secure. This is what the Asean Economic Community should be about.”

At present, a food security scheme has been established among members of Asean along with China, Japan and Korea in 2016, creating an emergency rice reserve for the region called APTERR or Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve.

The program provides an exclusive market for the countries to buy rice from in case of natural calamities or emergencies, without distorting the international rice market.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Currently, the total earmarked emergency rice reserve pledged by APTERR member-countries is placed at 787,000 MT. According to the NFA, the Philippines has been benefiting from APTERR since 2010. In the wake of Typhoons Ondoy and Juan and the occurrence of La Niña and flash floods in the country, Thailand donated 520 MT of rice to the country through APTERR. “Since 2012, at least 7,200 MT of rice had been donated through the program to the Philippines for the victims of Typhoons Pablo, Yolanda and Nona,” the NFA said.

With the nearing influx of imported rice, policymakers must make sure that the country’s rice requirement is met by all means. At the same time, local farmers should be well-equipped to survive the evolving market.

Right now, the challenge is to make sure that rice farmers can compete at a price 35-percent higher than imported rice, and give consumers the option to avail themselves of the staple at a more affordable price. http://business.inquirer.net/245204/debate-rice-strategy-continues

Rice export surges 74.2 percent in January February 02, 2018 | 19:03 (GMT+7) An estimated 524,000 tons of rice was exported in January, bringing home USD 249 million, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The figures represented rises of 56.5 percent in volume and 74.2 percent in value as compared with the same month in 2017.

A sudden rise in rice export price from USD 390-395 per ton to USD 420430 per ton was attributed to the growing export value of rice in the month.

An estimated 524,000 tons of rice was exported in January 37

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rice exporters said the price hike is due to prospects of deals with the Philippines and Indonesia as the two Southeast Asian countries, which are Vietnam’s traditional rice importers, have plans to import a large volume of rice.

The Ministry of Trade of Indonesia has recently approved the import of 500,000 tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to fix the insufficient rice supply and price hike in the domestic market. The Indonesia Logistics Bureau (BULOG) said that the country only had 950,000 tons in stockpile.

Earlier, the National Food Authority of the Philippines also agreed to import 250,000 tons of rice and planned to open rice purchase bidding right in January. The country’s rice stock is enough for use in only three days while the minimum amount must satisfy demand for 15 days.

The country shipped abroad about 5.89 million tons of rice worth USD 2.66 billion in 2017, a year-on-year increases of 22.4 percent in quality and 23.2 percent in value, the ministry said.

Vietnamese rice is now exported to over 130 markets. However, experts are still calling for quality to be improved, to enhance competitiveness.

In October, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced its rice export strategy for the 2017 to 2020 period, which aims to decrease export volume but increase value.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Accordingly, the country’s average rice export volume was set at 4.5 to 5 million tons per year to 2020, at an average value of USD 2.2 to 2.3 billion.

Between 2021 and 2030, Vietnam plans to export 4 million tons per year on average, worth around USD 2.3 to 2.5 billion.

http://en.qdnd.vn/economy/news/rice-export-surges-74-2-percent-in-january-489512

When rice lets farmers down, what do they turn to?  

Bilkis Irani Published at 12:26 AM February 03, 2018



Last updated at 01:48 AM February 03, 2018

39 The anolmalies in rice and paddy prices are pushing farmers away from the staple crop and towards more profitable ventures Bigstock

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Harvest losses and lower profit margins are pushing farmers away from cultivating paddy. The common coarse varieties are being abandoned in favour of expensive finer varieties and profitable fruit orchards. The Dhaka Tribune’s Bilkis Irani travelled across three northern districts – Naogaon, Dinajpur, and Panchagarh – to investigate the price anomalies. This is the finale to a three-part series on the crisis in rice prices Farmers in many areas of Naogaon district had to wait until the recession of flood waters during August-September last year. A rice variety that can be harvested in less time than is required for the widely cultivated Swarna was the answer to this situation, and many farmers therefore chose to cultivate Chinigura, a fragrant and non-boiled rice variety, in their fields.

Md Rabbani of Lolbol village under Mohadebpurupazila was inspecting the quality of the sheaves of Chinigura plants in his field on December 2. He said about half of the farmers in his village had opted for the cultivation of Chinigura that season while 9 out of 10 farmers in the neighbouringBagdhana village had planted the variety.

“Generally, Swarna gives a yield of about 18-20 maunds per bigha [one bigha equals 33 decimals], and the Pyjam gives about 15-16 maunds. But this season, the flood had caused a yield loss of about five maunds per bigha. Those who cultivated Chinigura immediately after the recession of the flood water were fortunate enough to recuperate the loss,” Rabbani said.

“The cultivation of this Atap (non-boiled) rice costs less for the seeds and fertilizers. You can get a yield of 19 maunds by planting only two kilograms of seeds in one bigha of land,” he added.

Farmers in the area noted that cultivation of the Chinigura variety enables the cultivation of three crops a year instead of two crops. Although the yield is a bit less compared to the conventional varieties, it earns about Tk 1,300-1,400 per mound.

Rice fields turn into mango orchards As this correspondent travelled across the villages in Sapaharupazila, she came across numerous mango orchards on the roadside fields. The locals noted that most of the mango orchards had been rice fields just three years ago.

The groundwater level in this region has depleted to a great extent and most of the farmers cannot afford the cost of the irrigation. The fact that mango plantations do not require much irrigation is the driving factor behind the conversion.

MdMajumder, a mango orchard owner at Sapahar Bazar, said: “There is no loss in mango plantation. We can make profit from the orchards within just one-and-a-half-year of the

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter establishment. Rice cultivation will give you a profit of Tk 4,000-5,000 per bigha, whereas you will make a profit of Tk 70,000-80,000 from a mango orchard of the same size.”

Records kept at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) show that the acreage of paddy during Boro season in Naogaon has shrunk to 6,280 hectares in 2017 from 10,200 hectares five years ago.

Monojit Kumar, deputy director of Naogaon DAE, told the Dhaka Tribune that the farmers have gradually been turning away from paddy cultivation as they are failing to make much profit from it.

“The hybrid paddy gives them higher yield, but the market price shrinks when the production is high. That is why many farmers are looking for alternatives. Some of them are going for mango plantations instead of paddy cultivation, while some are taking up vegetable gardening. Many among the farmers have either given up agricultural activities, or have ended up selling off their lands.”

Jakir Hossain of Baliagari village in NaogaonSadarupazila used to be a full time farmer just a few years ago. Subsequent losses with the paddy harvest forced him to look for an alternative livelihood.

Now he runs a fertilizer shop in the locality. “I faced losses with the paddy cultivation. Now I spend more time and money in fertilizer business, though still continuing paddy cultivation to a small extent.”

Additional reporting by Sazzadur Rahman Sazzad, KhondakerMdAbdurRouf, and MdFaruk Hossain http://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/special/2018/02/03/rice-lets-farmers-turn/

Finance Minister Muhith backs commerce minister’s view on rice prices Staff Correspondent, bdnews24.com Published: 2018-02-02 18:10:10.0 BdST Updated: 2018-02-02 23:57:23.0 BdST Rice prices started to hike when unseasonal floods in April last year damaged crops in the northeastern backswamps or Haors, which was further fulled as monsoon floods later in the year badly hit production.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has backed his cabinet colleague Tofail Ahmed on not expecting rice prices below Tk 40 per kg.

“The commerce minister is right, prices should be at Tk 40,” he said on Friday while addressing the National Food Security Day organized by the food ministry.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Minister Tofail said it would ‘unrealistic’ to expect the rice prices to fall below Tk 40 if the farmers’ interests were to be protected.

“When prices dropped, the media said farmers were facing losses. We must give importance to our farmers. We will be harming ourselves in the long run if they lose interest to cultivate rice,” he said.

Rice prices started to hike when unseasonal floods in April last year damaged crops in the northeastern backswamps or Haors.

A second round of floods during the monsoon hit rice production badly with the government’s rice stocks depleting below 200,000 tonnes in mid last year.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Finance Minister AMA Muhith (centre) is flanked by Food Minister Qamrul Islam (right) and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury (left) on Friday.

The situation worsened with price-gouging by rogue traders, which forced the government to open import initiatives and revise down the duty twice, but the prices are yet to come down.

According to the government’s Trading Corporation of Bangladesh or TCB data, coarse rice was sold between Tk 44 and 46 a kilogram on Friday.

Finance Minister Muhith said that he considers Tk 40 for a kg as reasonable considering the production cost and purchasing power of the consumers.

He, however, denied that the government was in a crisis of over rice. “This is not a crisis, rather a temporary problem. And the food ministry has moved to open imports to solve that." https://bdnews24.com/business/2018/02/02/finance-minister-muhith-backs-commerce-ministersview-on-rice-prices

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rice price will not drop below Tk 40 a kg :Tofayel February 2, 2018 The commerce minister has said it will be ‘unrealistic’ to expect the rice prices to fall below Tk 40 per kilogram if the farmers’ interests were to be protected, reports bdnews24.com Fielding questions at a press briefing at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday, Tofail Ahmed said everyone should keep in mind that the needs of rice growers also need to be taken care of.“When rice prices dropped, journalists wrote that the farmers were facing losses. We must give importance to our farmers. We will be harming ourselves in the long run if they lose interest to cultivate rice,” the minister said.

“My personal opinion is that the rice prices will never drop below Tk 40 (a kg). And (rice price below Tk 40 per kg) is unrealistic.“So the (minimum) price of rice will be around Tk 40 as it is now,” he added. According to Tofail, the government and traders have imported over 2.5 million tonnes of the staple until Jan 23 of the current fiscal year.The ministry called the presser to brief the media about the Bangladesh Tea Expo 2018.

The Tea Board will organise the expo at International Convention City Bashundhara from Feb 18 to 20.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to open the expo, Tofail said. https://businessnews24bd.com/rice-price-will-not-drop-below-tk-40-a-kg-tofayel/

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