8th october,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

October 08,2018 Vol 9 ,Issue 10

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Rice Harvest nearly complete, yields and quality better than expected AGRICULTUREBUSINESS

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net

Arkansas rice farmers have fought unusual weather this year and the assumption was that yields and quality would suffer, but at this point in the harvest that hasn‘t been the case, rice agronomist Dr. Jarrod Hardke told Talk Business & Politics.

About 80% of the crop has been harvested statewide, and the majority of the remaining rice in the ground is in Northeast Arkansas, the primary rice growing area in the state, he said.

Harvest progress is on par with the five year averages, but is behind what farmers have gathered in recent years, he said. Hardke predicts yields to be in the 163-164 bushel per acre range, slightly down from last year when it was 166.4 bushels per acre, the third highest ever in the state. The final fields to be harvested are typically planted later in the growing season and have historically caused yields to decline at the end of the harvest, he added. ―Things are finally going well, … this sunshine has helped a lot,‖ he said. ―Yield and quality have been good so far. Hopefully, it‘s a trend that will continue.‖ Farmers and agriculture industry leaders feared an unusually cold spring, and intensely hot summer, and unrelenting rains at critical moments in the season would cause yields and quality

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to drop. Recent rains delayed the harvest, and the longer the crop stays in the field the more problems that can develop, Hardke said.

During the next several days, the weather conditions are predicted to be sunny and clear with little chances for precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Rain chances are expected to increase towards the middle of next week and temperatures are expected to drop as a cold front moves into the Arkansas Delta Region. Farmers will be working round the clock to clear fields before a new round of rains begins, Hardke said.

Arkansas farmers were projected to grow 1.4 million rice acres this season, an uptick from 2017 when about 1.161 million acres were planted. It was 47.1% of all rice acres planted in the U.S., according to the B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research study issued by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Those acres accounted for 82.6 million hundredweight of rice, and it represented 46.4% of the 178.2 million hundredweight produced in the country. During the last three years, Arkansas has accounted for more than 47% of the nation‘s total rice production, the report found. Per acre, farmers had a yield of 164.4 bushels per acre or 7,400 pounds. It was the third highest yield on record in the state and a 570 pound per acre uptick from 2016.

Rice is grown in 40 of Arkansas‘ 75 counties and is predominately grown in the eastern section of the state. The first rice crop was grown on a single acre in Lonoke County in 1902, although there are reports of the crop in the state before the Civil War, according to historians. Rice acres steadily grew from then and by 1955 the federal government initiated a set of controls capping the number of rice acres at 500,000. Controls were lifted in the 1970s, and the number of rice acres continued to grow. The state set its all-time rice acreage record in 2010 when farmers planted 1.785 million acres. https://talkbusiness.net/2018/10/rice-harvest-nearly-complete-yields-and-quality-better-than-expected/

NG subsidies for August shrink 17.2% to P5.037 billion– Treasury

By Rea Cu October 8, 2018

THE subsidies made by the national government for the month of August have reached P5.037 billion, with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) receiving the bulk of the subsidy for the month, data from the Bureau of the Treasury showed.

The subsidies for August represent a 17.2- percent contraction from the P6.085 billion made in the same month for 2017.

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The NIA received the bulk of the subsidy with P2.392 billion, falling by 15.1 percent compared to the P2.818 billion received in 2017.

The second-biggest recipient of subsidy for the month is the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) with P2 billion, with no subsidy received during the same month last year.

Other government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) that received subsidies for the month include: the Philippine Coconut Authority with P233 million; the Philippine Heart Center with P72 million; the Philippine Children‘s Medical Center with P65 million; and the Philippine Rice Research Institute with P51 million.

Also included in the list are: the National Kidney Transplant Institute with P49 million; the Lung Center of the Philippines with P41 million; the Philippine Sugar Corp. with P32 million; the Philippine National Railway with P29 million; the Cultural Center of the Philippines with P26 million; the Philippine Institute for Development Studies with P11 million; and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care with P10 million.

The People‘s Television Network also received a subsidy for the month amounting to P6 million; the Light Rail Transit Administration with P6 million, as well; the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority with P4 million; the Southern Philippines Development Authority with P4 million; the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone with P4 million; and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, P2 million. The government‘s subsidy has amounted to a total of P105.251 billion from January to August this year, expanding by 29.6 percent from the P81.171 billion disbursed in the same period last year.

A subsidy from government to GOCCs aims to help agencies reduce costs and support the growth of different sectors, among others https://businessmirror.com.ph/ng-subsidies-for-august-shrink-17-2-to-p5-037-billion-treasury/

HOW TO OVERCOME THE SNAIL‘S DEVASTATING RICE FIELDS ? magictr | October 7, 2018 |

By Denis Loctier & Stephanie Lafourcatère The huge rice fields of the Ebro delta produce more than 90,000 tons of rice in catalan per year. The global demand increases, but at the same time, the problems are growing : climate change, infestations by parasites. How to protect the rice european this creeping threat, for example ? In this edition of Futuris, our reporter Denis Loctier has met on-site, scientists working on the issue in the framework of a european research project dedicated, in collaboration with rice farmers.

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There is one species of snail (Pomacea insularum apple snail in English for snail the size of an apple) imported from South America which is a real plague for the paddy fields, rivers and wetlands : it devours the young rice plants to such an extent that a single specimen can destroy one square meter of a plot of land in a night and it has no predator. Scientists and farmers are looking for how to eradicate it in the framework of the european project NEURICE.

“We should slow down as much as possible, its proliferation,” insists Miguel Ángel Vivas, head of the cooperative rice Cámara in the delta of the Ebro river. “It is a scourge that is difficult to eradicate, with which we must learn to live and we must use every means possible to prevent it from proliferating,” says he.

SEA WATER AS A SOLUTION The use of pesticides would be a solution except that oysters and mussels in the region suffered. Gold just nearby, there is a product that is harmful to the snails, which is more secure : the water of the sea.

“According to the situation of the rice field, some methods may be more interesting than others,”explains Maria Del Mar Catala Forner, an agronomist specialist of the rice at the Institute of research and technology agro-food catalan IRTA, one of the organizations partners of the european project. “In a particular area, it may be more economical, more efficient and more environmentally friendly use of salt water flooding rice fields with the water of the sea,” she continued.

But salt is harmful for the local varieties of rice. Climate change already increases the salinity of the soil, which reduces yields.

HYBRID RICE To combat the salinization of soils, and the threat of snails, biologists from the University of Barcelona, also the participants of the project, are working on the development of a rice salt tolerant.

Camilo López-Cristoffanini, phytophysiologiste within the university laboratory of biology, shows in a greenhouse experimental a “cross between a variety of asian rice and a Spanish variety of the highest quality.

As you can see, this hybrid variety,” he adds, “has grain colour coffee that are mature and ready to be

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processed. We try to show that it is possible to transfer the tolerance to the salinity in the lines of Spanish for them to acquire this resistance, while preserving their performance as the lineage asian has a lower productivity,” he says.

The teams produce their hybrid rice by removing the male parts of the flower of rice, and then placing the pollen of another variety on the female parts remaining.

The young plants are grown in salt water and their growth is studied closely to ensure that their performance is sufficient.

“We realize that some of our crosses between varieties of asian and european tolerate actually the salinity and keep the return lines to the european,” stressed Camilo López-Cristoffanini. “We should prove it when tested on the plots, but it has already been shown that these rice hybrids have inherited this tolerance to salinity, so they will be able to cope with climate change,” he says.

A GLOBAL PROBLEM Other experiments are conducted in Spain, France and Italy, to provide farmers of these countries, rice varieties salt-tolerant and optimal.

New varieties are cultivated in the delta of the Ebro river in the framework of the project.

Wireless sensors continually measure the salinity of the water and ensure the accuracy of the results.

“The salinization of soil affects the whole of the mediterranean region and Europe as a whole. It is a global problem,” insists Xavier Serrat, head of the project NEURICE, a biologist at the University of Barcelona. “And about this snail, which attack rice, the big question behind our project, this is not to know if France or Italy will be affected, but rather : when will these countries be ? Because if nothing is done, it is certain that this is what will happen,” he insists.

https://koztimes.com/how-to-overcome-the-snails-devastating-rice-fields/1402/

Rice Farming TV just started a Premiere: Harvesting Rice in Virtual 360º Action! | Harvest 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXud2UuR_3Q&feature=em-lsp

PHILAAST awards 6 scientists

By Stephanie Tumampos October 7, 2018 In Photo: Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (PHILAAST awarded six Filipino scientists recently. The event was attended by Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña (left). The awardees are (from second from left): Dr. Rody Sy, Engr. Ricardo Balog, Dr. Rosalinda Torres, Dr. Marissa Paglicawan, Dr. Artemio Salazar and Dr. Elmer Dadios. With

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them are Assistant Secretary Paul Anthony Pangilinan of the National Youth Commission and Dr. Alvin Culaba, PHILAAST Overall Convention Chairman.

Six Filipino scientists in different fields were awarded for their dedication to the service for the Filipinos through their respective researches, and were regarded as inspiration for the youth.

The awards were given by the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (PHILAAST) during its 67th Annual Convention with the theme, ―Engaging the Youth in Science, Technology and Innovation,‖ held recently at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology headquarters in Quezon City.

The winning scientists are Dr. Rosalinda Torres and Dr. Marissa Paglicawan, who received the Gregorio Zara Award for Basic Science Research and Applied Science Research, respectively; Dr. Rody Sy for the Dr. Paulo Campos Award for Health Research; Dr. Artemio Salazar for the Leads Agri Award for Agricultural Research; Dr. Elmer Dadios for the David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research; and Engr. Ricardo Balog for the Mario Cruel Award for Advanced Engineering Technology Application.

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Dr. Alvin Culaba, PHILAAST overall convention chairman, said this year‘s batch of recognized scientists is distinct from the previous winners.

He added, ―The researches of the winning scientists this year have significant impact to the people…. It is important that it benefits also the youth because our youth are the country‘s future.‖ Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said the science department is actively looking for role models that can drive the youth to actively help in nation-building through science. ―What‘s even more interesting is that these scientists awarded today come from different disciplines,‖ he said.

De la Peña told the BusinessMirror in an interview that the youth, or even the majority of the Filipinos today, have very limited knowledge of the country‘s scientists. He cited that only a few could name even one, but they could identify foreign scientists instead.

The goal of giving recognition to Filipino scientists is to recognize their researches ―so that the young people will be inspired and have an idea on how it is to be a Filipino serving the country as a scientist.‖ De la Peña noted that there are Filipino scientists working abroad, ―but how would their research impact Filipino lives?‖ National Youth Commission Assistant Secretary Paul Anthony Pangilinan told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of the awarding that ―we have national scientists but the youth do not know them.‖ He said the recognition must be shared to the public to inform the youth that Filipino scientists are constantly challenging themselves to solve pressing problems in the society and eventually, change Filipino lives for the better.

Below are the details of the awards.

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Dr. Rosalinda Torres: Solving the mosquito epidemic (Gregorio Zara Award for Basic Science Research) Mosquitoes have been the constant problem of Filipinos nationwide. Their presence signals the possibility of having diseases, such as dengue and malaria.

Dr. Rosalinda Torres, who works at the DOST as a scientist, has been working on a product that can kill mosquito larvae, thereby, controlling its population. ―Although it is still in a laboratory stage, we are now working on product development,‖ Torres told the BusinessMirror. ―We have five promising plants used in the development of the antimosquito product.‖ She is also working on natural colorants from plants ―for the cosmetics industry.‖ Most of the colorants used in makeup products are synthetic dyes, which ―have a lot of side effects like baby hyperactivity when the mother was still pregnant and using cosmetics with synthetic dyes.‖ Torres‘s laboratory is using five different local plants that come from different places in the country. They are also looking forward to develop halal certified natural cosmetic products.

Dr. Marissa Paglicawan: Abaca as engineering material (Gregorio Zara Award for Applied Research) The Philippines is the No. 1 producer of abaca, a natural product from a type of banana that is used mainly in textile.

Dr. Marissa Paglicawan, a scientist at the DOST Materials Science Division, has been working on the use of abaca as an engineering material. ―We‘re developing the roof of tricycles or sidecars [with the use of] abaca and it‘s been proven to be strong. Our product is still intact after two years of being used by a tricycle,‖ Paglicawan told the BusinessMirror.

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She added, ―We are using it [abaca composite] for boats. Our study on using it as material for drones and for severe-weather amphibious navigator is ongoing.‖ Another project she has been working on is on the problem on plastic use. ―We want to address the problem on solid waste by developing biodegradable plastic made of local materials.‖ The locally developed technology is already in the licensing stage with a company and will soon be rolled out commercially.

Dr. Rody Sy: Dr. Paulo Campos Award for Health Research As an astute clinician-cardiologist, Dr. Rody Sy has been a leader in cardiology in the Philippines.

He has focused on hypertension, diabetic heart disease, metabolic syndrome, heart failure, and atherosclerosis, a disease in which a plaque, such as fat and cholesterol, build up in the arteries of the heart.

Heart failure has been growing in the Philippines. His research in 2009, called LIFE course study in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology, studied factors leading to development of cardiovascular diseases. It has initiated follow-up researches, including health evaluation questionnaire.

In addition, the development of the translation and validation of depression questionnaire was also generated.

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Dr. Artemio Salazar: Promoting corn for daily meal (Leads Agri Award for Agricultural Research) The rice scenario in the Philippines has been an ongoing problem for a long time. The country has been importing rice because the local supply has been insufficient for the growing population.

Dr. Artemio Salazar of the University of the Philippines Los Baños has been pushing corn as food blended with rice. ―Corn is an upland crop so it does not need irrigation,‖ Salazar told the BusinessMirror. ―Its management is different with rice and is easier to plant.‖ At first, Salazar thought of corn as a substitute for rice but said it could be blended with their rice to reduce the grain‘s intake.

Glucose, commonly called as sugar, is the body‘s source of energy and is present in rice and corn. However, what sets it apart from the Filipinos‘ staple food is that corn has a low glycemic index. It is processed slower in the body system—slowly digested, absorbed and metabolized.

Corn is a recommended food for stamina-requiring athletes and for diabetics because ―it does not fluctuate your body‘s sugar,‖ Salazar said.

He added, ―if we want to change the scenario in terms of food security and health, corn is needed.‖

Dr. Elmer Dadios: Robotics and automation (David M. Consunji Award for Engineering Research) An engineer and a professor of De La Salle University, Dr. Elmer Dadios has been working on robotics since 1993, when he was working on his doctoral degree in the United Kingdom.

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―We‘re now into these highly intelligent robots,‖ said Dadios in an interview with the BusinessMirror. Robots have been aiding humans and they can cooperate in projects and commands.

Dadios is currently working on artificial intelligence. ―We developed new algorithms for robots, such as drones to communicate with each other similar to bees or any swarm animals,‖ adding that robots can work with social behavior, too.

They can interact and avoid objects.

A project Dadios is currently working on is another research on developing a bomb-disposal robot. This is a joint project with the Philippine National Police Explosive Ordinance Unit. ―We are ready to face the fourth industrial revolution,‖ he added.

Engr. Ricardo Balog: Low-cost medical equipment (Mario Cruel Award for Advanced Engineering Technology Application) ―What I came up with was an expression of need,‖ said Engr. Ricardo Balog, a professor at the University of Santo Tomas. ―Doctors needed to have a certain technology for their work so I designed and fabricated an equipment that they can buy locally and that it not too expensive,‖ he added.

Balog‘s innate creativity, coupled with imagination and ability, has helped a lot of his friends, such as doctors, to perform medical missions with the use of his developed equipment.

And in a greater perspective, his inventions have helped Filipinos have better health care.

Image Credits: Stephanie Tumampos https://businessmirror.com.ph/philaast-awards-6-scientists/

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Agricultural Intelligence: What AI Can Do for Smallholder Farmers

Imagine one hundred years ago if farmers had access to huge volumes of information about the soil profile of their land, the varieties of crops they were growing, and even the fluctuations of their local climate. This kind of information could have prevented an environmental crisis like the Dust Bowl of the 1920s in the American Midwest. But even ten years ago, the idea that farmers could have access to this kind of information was unrealistic.

For the team behind the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, farming is the next frontier for using artificial intelligence (AI) to efficiently solve complex problems. The team— which includes biologists, agronomists, nutritionists, and policy analysts working with data scientists—is using Big Data tools to create AI systems that can predict the potential outcomes of future scenarios for farmers. By leveraging massive amounts of data and using innovative computational analysis, the CGIAR Platform is working to help farmers increase their efficiency and reduce the risks that are inherent in farming.

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The idea behind the CGIAR Platform is to first create a better way for researchers to manage and share agricultural data. This is a huge project by itself, but the Platform is aiming to be more than just a library of research data. The ultimate goal is to seamlessly integrate real-world data from farms around the world into algorithms that generate critical insights that can then be shared back with farmers.

Silicon Valley is also using AI to impact agriculture, but these companies tend to focus more on the technological aspect than on the agricultural aspect. These technologies include innovations like indoor farms and robotic harvesters, equipment that require significant investment and resources. Much of the work done by CGIAR focuses on smallholder farmers in the developing world, and many of these farmers lack access to even basic technologies such as irrigation.

Collaborations between CGIAR and the private sector, though, could be a powerful way to leverage the mission of ending world hunger with the resources and incentives of these high-tech enterprises. For example, a recent report from the George Washington University Food Institute describes effective ways to deploy indoor farming technology for smallholder farmers in conflict zones.

Smallholder farmers grow about 70 percent of the world‘s food supply on farms that are less than one hectare—these farmers are critical to the global food system. And these farmers in the developing world will benefit the most from the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture. ―One way to use these tools for smallholder farmers is to create probabilistic models for seasonal forecasting,‖ says Andy Jarvis, a researcher at the CGIAR Research Program for Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and one of the founders of the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture. ―If done properly, we can look six months in advance and provide farmers with simple information: what crop varieties will be suitable for the season, when they should plant, and how they can optimize their farm management based on weather patterns during the season.‖ Jarvis and Daniel Jiménez, a researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and a leader on the CGIAR Platform, describehow these models could be developed: ―If it were possible to characterize a crop production system in terms of management and environmental conditions, and if information were collected on the management, environment, and resulting harvest for the crop, it should be possible to develop data-driven models that

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describe the production system.‖ The innovation of Big Data is to inform these model with thousands of plantings under different management and environmental conditions and then to analyze the corresponding harvests and develop insights into the relationship between these agricultural and environmental factors and the resulting harvest.

But there are many variables that must be considered simultaneously, including soil nutrients, seed bed preparation, germination rate, irrigation, cultivation, minerals, microorganisms, pests, and disease. The data is not only big in terms of volume but also in terms of the number of variables that must be linked and layered to accurately simulate the complex system of a farm.

The CGIAR Platform is already showing results of potential benefits for smallholder farmers, such as for the Colombian Rice Farmers Federation. After multiple seasons of challenging rain patterns, rice farmers in Colombia were struggling to know when to plant their crop. Depending on whether there was going to be above average or below average rainfall, farmers would need to decide whether to plant earlier or later in the season. If there was going to be too much rain, they might decide not to plant at all that season.

The risks and trade-offs of these decisions are significant: if a farmer invests in planting a crop and the harvest fails, the financial impact of that loss can have serious consequences for the farmer‘s business. But how can a farmer predict how much rain there will be?

In a pilot project for the Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, researchers from CGIAR were able to help the rice farmers by aggregating local weather data as well as rice production data for the region. They ran this large volume of data through a climate model that could project the prevailing trend of rainfall for the region as well as analyze the viability of a rice crop in varying amounts of rain. For that season, the researchers recommended that the farmers delay planting until the next season. And sure enough, there was a huge amount of rain that season—enough rain to ruin a rice crop. Through the use of this Big Data methodology, the CGIAR Platform was able to respond to an urgent problem and provide critical guidance to help these farmers. https://foodtank.com/news/2018/10/agricultural-intelligence-what-ai-can-do-forsmallholder-farmers/

Modified Citrus Pectin Helps Reduce Body Burden Of Toxins 15 | w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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Oct 04, 2018, 4 p.m.

A deadly poison that is versatile causing damage even at low doses, so lethal only a small amount can kill, that is easily absorbed in stomach and intestines to spread out and damage skin, liver, kidneys, lungs, and more as one of the most deadly toxins in history is beginning to show up in so called healthy foods.

This toxin has no odor or colour and is almost impossible to detect that harms the body slowly and insidiously making one sicker and sicker until it‘s too late. This poison has been used throughout history kill unsuspecting spouses, wealth relatives, business partners, has been implicated in the death of kings and queens and can be the murder weapon of choice to mystery writers.

The deadly toxin in question is arsenic, which is alarmingly showing up in foods deemed healthy. Rice is likely to be loaded with dangerously high levels of arsenic according to scientists from the Consumer Reports organization‘s undercover investigation. 223 samples of rice products were tested by the scientists who found significant levels of arsenic in almost all of them. Even if one never eats rice that does not guarantee safety as rice flour, bran, and rice based sweeteners are in just about everything you eat such as crackers, pasta, granola bars, and energy bars.

This ends up in our food thanks to heavy use of pesticides and poultry fertilizers that contain arsenic environmental levels have increased. The USA is the world‘s leading user of arsenic accumulating an astonishing average of 1.5 millions tons of the toxin each year that goes right into the soil, according to Consumer Reports. Plants such as rice soak up the toxin just like a sponge, absorbing 20 times more than other grains; organic rice soaks it up from the soil just as much so that whole food heading isn‘t helping. Healthier brown rice contains even higher levels, testing showed it contained up to 80% more as arsenic builds up in bran, and brown rice is all about the bran.

Exposure to even low doses in food and water can cause breathing problems, increase risk for heart and blood sugar problems, damage lung cells, cause inflammation of heart cells, and interfere with immune cells function. Arsenic within the body has been shown by research from Dartmouth to accumulate by eating as little as a half cup of rice a day leading to 53% more arsenic being found in the body.

Rinsing rice off before you cook, and cooking it in a much larger pot of water than required helps, these precautions will help to eliminate around 40% of the arsenic. You can try to avoid consuming rice, but that is almost impossible. Arsenic isn‘t the only toxin ending up in foods.

Studies have shown that DDT, PCBs, mercury, and dioxins are also showing up in many foods.

Each day unknowingly all of these chemicals slowly seep into the body. Eating organic food, drinking filtered water, and using natural cleaning products really helps to avoid them.

Unfortunately the bottom line is that every single person has some form of contamination.

A recent study involving groups of families tested for 107 different man made toxins using blood and urine samples found every single person from oldest to youngest was contaminated with toxins; family members having the most toxins were between the ages of 58-92 with 63 different chemicals being found.

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The CDC found 148 different chemicals in urine and blood samples from 2400 Americans, over a quarter of them containing benzoapryene found in vehicle exhaust, and 9 out of 10 containing a mixture of pesticides.

National Geographic tested one of their reporters for presence of 320 different chemicals and discovered levels of one flame retardant chemical was alarming high even if that person had worked in a plant that manufactured the chemical.

Mount Sinai found 167 different chemicals in urine and blood samples of volunteers with an average of 91 toxins each; finding lead, PCBS, dioxins, phthalate, and compounds banned for over 25 years.

Canned foods are a leader for sources of toxins, 85% of all can foods even organic ones are lined with a plastic coating which contains BPA that can leach out into the foods. One study analyzing 20 different brands found BPA contamination in over half of the cans tested. Over 55 commonly used medications can cause weakened memory and impair brain function, the more medications taken the stronger the effects. Over 65% of cosmetics contain toxic ingredients including aftershave, shampoos, antibacterial soaps, and deodorants which can contain over 200 different synthetic chemicals.

If you‘re tired all the time, suffering from joint pain and inflammation, and brain fog this could be why. The brain and body was never designed to eliminate heavy metals and these chemicals from the body, the liver and kidneys can‘t do this task easily or quickly. When the body is not able to break down and eliminate these toxins they become stored in far reaches of the liver or in fat cells. These stored toxins eventually are released allowing them to travel through the bloodstream to invade organs such as the brain, lungs, heart, and eyes. All these heavy metals and toxins can build up in tissues and joints triggering inflammation, pain, memory loss, migraines, blood pressure problems, premature brain aging, reduce libido, sexual dysfunction, blood sugar problems, vision problems, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. These low levels of chemical build up over time and can react with each other in dangerous ways as well having even more toxic effects.

Modified citrus pectin made from the inner peel of citrus fruits is a powerful detoxing substance that has been proven in human clinical studies to help with the build up of the chemicals and toxins. In one study modified citrus pectin was given to subjects for 6 days, scientists measured amounts of toxins excreted in urine before taking and 24 hours after taking the citrus pectin.

Results showed amounts of arsenic excreted increased by 130%, excretion of mercury increased 150%, amount of cadmium excreted increased by 230%, and amounts of lead excreted increased by 560%. Effects were gentle on the system with zero subjects reporting any side effects other than mild loose stools as it is a mild dietary fiber.

Modified citrus pectin was been tested on children as young as 5 years old suffering from lead poisoning, results showed that excretion of lead was increased on average over 130%. Modified citrus pectin is considered to be safer than many forms of detox as it does not deplete the body of essential mineral needed while it helps to eliminate toxic metals and chemicals. No change in levels of vital minerals were seen in any patient during the study. Modified citrus pectin can help to deep clean the body to reduce body burden of these toxins that can lead to chronic disease, interfere with capacity to recover from illness, and to help improve memory, joint pain, insomnia, energy, and more.

Materials provided by: Note: Content may be edited for style and length. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18219211

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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5236772_The_role_of_modified_citrus_pectin_ as_an_effective_chelator_of_lead_in_children_hospitalized_with_toxic_lead_levels https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/modified-citrus-pectin-fighting-heavy-metaltoxicities https://www.advancedbionutritionals.com/Modified-Citrus-Pectin https://www.uwhealth.org/files/uwhealth/docs/pdf/IMNews_vol2_2.pdf https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm https://www.worldhealth.net/news/modified-citrus-pectin-helps-reduce-body-burdentoxins/

Scientists hatch plans to increase maize production by 30 per cent SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 2018

A farmer tills his maize garden. To have a food secure Africa, more maize must be grown and handled properly after harvesting. Photo by Lominda Afedraru

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In Summary 

Increasing productivity of priority food crops like maize remains a big agenda for scientists and funders trying to create food security. Lominda Afedraru, writes.

By Lominda Afedraru Maize farmers continue to lose in times of bumper harvests.

However, scientists engaged in developing improved varieties at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge are looking at available options to reverse this painful trend. To them the production of maize and other priority crops such as rice and beans is inadequate as far as commercialisation and satisfying the export market is concerned.

NaCRRI is working with partners under Technologies for Africa Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) with an aim to boost maize production by 30 per cent in order to make Africa food secure and gain a sizeable share in the export market.

This project covers Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique and Ethiopia.

Dr Jonas Chianu from Africa Development Bank, who is coordinating the project, explains that funding worth $120 million (Shs457b) has so far been allocated for nine priority commodities with $40 million (Shs152b) already dispatched to the beneficiaries.

The idea is to increase productivity of the priority crops like maize, beans and rice using science.

This means farmers will be sensitised on how to adopt high yield nutrient varieties, particularly hybrid and bio fortified varieties.

Dr Grace Abalo, the focal person for Uganda in charge of improved maize production, points out that a team of scientists is on the lookout for farmers using best practices to improve productivity, harvest and post-harvest practices as well as marketing and distribution.

She explains that maize is among the 15 strategic commodities that have been selected for the project considering returns it creates on investment, priority within agro-ecological zones and the number of households involved in growing the crop as well as contribution to exports and potential future impact it can cause to the economy.

Uganda is the eighth largest producer of maize in Africa and third in East Africa.

The production area for maize is 1.15 million hectares with a production of 2.7 million metric tonnes. An estimated 75 per cent of maize production and 70 per cent of marketable surplus attributed to smallholder farmers.

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Production Dr Abalo explains that the project will target farmers to use existing technologies developed by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro) to boost production and this includes use of water efficient maize varieties, striga-resistant and herbicide tolerant maize varieties as well as observing seeding/planting density and seed rate.

Farmers engaged in growing rice are expected to use Nerica 6, Komboka, WITA9, Agoro and Okile and NamChe‐2, NamChe‐3, NamChe‐4, NamChe‐5, and NamChe‐6.

Agronomic package will involve fertiliser use, herbicide weed management, timings, land preparation, insect and pest control and disease management.

Harvest, postharvest practices and storage Abalo points out that most farmers in Uganda harvest maize when the moisture content is as high as 18 per cent, thereby causing 900 tonnes of maize loss.

She says the right practice is to harvest maize with moisture content of at least 16 per cent although the recommended rate is 13 per cent.

This is achievable by using raised platforms or solar dryers especially during wet season.

Farmers will be sensitised on how to get over the old age harvesting practices by using affordable combined harvesting and medium size millers.

Storage facilities such as metallic silos will be required and the harvest must be protected against insects and weevils using the right insecticides.

Farmers must have central storage warehouses sand they must have a linkage with grain aggregators to ensure good prices for their produce.

The plan Farmers will be expected to produce and market in bulk both within the country and for export.

The project aims to strengthen partnerships with seed companies, input dealers, processors who should be in position to purchase grains at farm gate and at reasonable prices.

Farmers will be linked with output markets, and linkages will be made directly to buyers or buyers‘ agents.

Farmers will also be availed with any market information and in case of bumper harvest; they will be expected to store their produce and wait for the right time to sell.

The government is expected to step in to consolidate regional market integration where it should be responsible to purchase maize and export to its neighboring countries.

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Impact of the project Dr Gospel Omanya from Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) who will implement the project explains that at the end of the project, scientists will expect increased profit margins in the maize value chain through improved market linkages, value adding activities and agribusiness training and incubation.

The project is expected to have reached at least two million households; 12 million farm family members in the 12 countries.

It also aims at increasing maize productivity by at least 30 per cent, enhance incomes by at least 20 per cent for those households involved in the maize value chain, at least 40 per cent-women and 25 per cent youth involvement in the maize value chain by 2021.

An extra 12 million tonnes of maize grain will be generated from the maize value chain.

The current maize production for Uganda is at 2.5 tonnes per hectare which is expected to increase to 3.2 tonnes in the same acreage.

Dr Chianu noted that currently Africa is spending $131 trillion on food imports and TAAT is aiming to alter this.

He says by 2030, Africa should be in position to feed the entire world because of its arable land.

Big boost The project is expected to have reached at least two million households; 12 million farm family members in the 12 countries, increase maize productivity by at least 30 per cent, enhance incomes by at least 20 per cent for those households involved in the maize value chain, at least 40 per cent women and 25 per cent youth involvement in the maize value chain by 2021 and an extra 12 million tonnes of maize grain generated from the Maize value chain.

The current maize production for Uganda is at 2.5 tonnes per hectare which is expected to increase to 3.2 tonnes in the same acreage. http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Farming/Scientists-hatch-plans-increase-maizeproduction30-per-cent/689860-4793382-5hucdi/index.html

Repeated verification: Rice millers say no to paddy lifting Members of the Haryana Rice Millers‘ Association during a meeting in Kurukshetra on Saturday. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service Ambala, October 6 21 | w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

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Unhappy with the repeated physical verification of the stocks at rice mills, millers in Ambala City decided not to lift paddy stock for milling on Saturday.

Rajkumar Singla, president of the Rice Millers Association, Ambala City, said, ―The state government has constituted teams to check the stock and records of rice mills and commission agents. We can‘t work under such pressure. The government has been sending its officials for physical verification repeatedly as if we are criminals.‖ ―On September 23 and 24, the physical verification of the mills was carried out. We have been lifting stock for the government and it is not possible to get the physical verification done now as the arrivals have started to turn heavy in the market. If the government wants to carry out the physical verification, it can carry it out in November and February,‖ he added. ―If the government wants, it can purchase the stock, and offload at rice mills. We will provide space, but we will not lift the stock from now. The commission agents will also not participate in the procurement process,‖ the millers said.

They marked their resentment to Deputy Commissioner Sharandeep Kaur.

The DC assured the rice millers that she would apprise the higher authorities about the issue.The millers also raised objection to the ban on the entry of heavy vehicles under the limits of the Municipal Corporation. They said they had been facing obstacles in paddy lifting due to the ban.

The DC said relaxation would be given to vehicles during the paddy season.

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While inspecting the grain markets of Ambala City and Ambala Cantonment, the DC inquired about the arrivals and lifting. She asked the officials concerned to ensure that stocks were lifted on time and farmers got their payments in time and also to pay more attention to sanitation.

At the Ambala Cantonment grain market, the DC asked the market secretary to get the CCTV cameras installed at the place. Over 1,22,931 tonnes of paddy have arrived at five grain markets of the district so far.

Kurukshetra: The Haryana Rice Millers Association (HRMA) on Saturday announced to indefinitely suspend paddy purchase and milling in the state to protest the spot-verification of the foodgrain stocks at various rice mills.

As traders stopped buying paddy, agitated farmers locked down the new grain market here this evening. They demanded the state government restart paddy purchase immediately.

Farmers demanded action against the rice millers for harassing them. The protesting farmers blocked the Kurukshetra Development Board road. However, the blockade was lifted at around 8 pm.

HRMA president Jewel Singla said the state agencies were harassing the millers on the ―flimsy ground‖ of checking the mills.

Karnal: After the failure of their meeting with the Minister of State for Food and Supply Karan Dev Kamboj at Karan Lake, the Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association on Saturday announced not to procure paddy from tomorrow across the state.

At the state-level meeting that lasted for more than around two hours, the millers told the minister that the higher officials of the department were issuing ―illogical‖ orders to harass them daily. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/repeated-verification-rice-millers-say-no-to-paddylifting/664317.html

Rice mills need credit facilities for modernisation: BSY STAFF REPORTER B.S. Yeddyurappa, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, addressing a convention of Shivamogga District Rice Millers‘ Association in Shivamogga on Saturday. | Photo Credit: VAIDYA

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‗They are now facing production loss owing to outdated machinery‘ B.S. Yeddyurappa, Shivamogga MP and former Chief Minister, has stressed on the need to provide access to credit facilities for the rice mill industry for modernisation of production facilities.

He was speaking after inaugurating ‗Sihimoge‘, a two-day State-level convention of rice mill owners, here on Saturday.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the rice mill industry has played a commendable role in strengthening the food security of the country. However, owing to antiquated production technologies, many mills were incurring losses. It has become inevitable for the owners to modernise production facilities to operate their units in an economically viable manner. The State and Central governments should take measures to ensure that rice mill owners get access to credit facilities from banks for this purpose, he said.

Commenting on the decline in the area of cultivation of food crops and rapid extension of the acreage under commercial crops in recent times, he said that if the trend continues, rice mills would face new problems. Policy makers and agriculture experts should work together to evolve a solution for this problem, he added.

D.H. Shankaramurthy, former Chairman of the Legislative Council, said that the prevailing bureaucratic bottlenecks related to procurement of paddy, its transportation

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and marketing of rice have hampered the growth of the rice industry. He called upon the rice mill owners to lay emphasis on offering quality products to the consumers.

The event was organised by Karnataka State Rice Millers‘ Association. Paranna Munavalli, Gangavati MLA and president of the Association; S. Rudre Gowda, MLC; and B.Y. Raghavendra, former MP, were present.

Exhibition A ‗Rice Expo‘ was held to mark the occasion in which firms engaged in production of paddy parboiling, sorting, de-stoning, dust cleaning and drying units displayed their products. Firms engaged in production of solar-powered motors and pumps also participated in the exhibition. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/rice-mills-need-credit-facilities-for-modernisation-bsy/article25147877.ece

Complete ban placed on rice exports in Muse Submitted by Eleven on Sun, 10/07/2018 - 10:10 Writer: Nilar Executive committee of the rice trade center in Muse issued a statement saying that it has placed a total ban on rice exports in Muse.Local and foreign merchants and brokers are exporting localgrown rice to China via illegal routes. The government has not allowed merchants to export rice officially. Actions will be taken against those who export rice illegally.Muse rice trade center has warned that cooperation would be made with relevant ministries and local authorities if there are complaints about illegal rice trade.

Muse rice trade center issued this statement at the CEC meeting held on October 5.

Region and State Rice Millers Association has submitted the fact that merchants from the neighbouring country buy and export local-grown paddy from the whole country, via illegal routes.Last year, Myanmar Rice Millers Association reported the matter relating to illegal rice trade to the government via the commerce ministry. The President Office has directed respective officials to take action against illegal rice exports via border areas, in accord with the law.

The rice millers association complained about the purchase and exports of thousand tons of rice in the west Bago Region.Lack of effective actions against illegal rice trade may have an adverse effect on the local rice market. It may also result in an increase in rice price, a shutdown of local rice mills and a decline in the number of poultry farms, fish and cattle farming.

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/15380

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Rice millers call off stir, resume lifting Oct 8, 2018, 12:03 AM; last updated: Oct 8, 2018, 12:03 AM (IST) Minister

Kamboj assures no verification of

mills till end of paddy procurement season

Minister of State for Food and Supplies Karan Dev Kamboj addresses rice millers and dealers at a state-level meeting in Karnal on Sunday.

Tribune News Service Ambala, October 7 The rice millers, who had stopped lifting of paddy in protest against repeated physical verification of stocks on Saturday, withdrew their strike on Sunday after their demand was accepted.

The millers staged a dharna outside the Ambala City Grain Market to mark their protest Sunday.

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on

Rajkumar Singla, president, Rice Millers‘ Association, Ambala City, said, ―We have withdrawn our strike after our demand was accepted and lifting has also been resumed. There will be no physical verification during the season. We have no objection if the government takes action against rice millers who do not return the milled rice, but will not tolerate the harassment of genuine millers.‖ The millers on Saturday had said that they had been lifting stock for the government and it was not possible to get the physical verification done now as the arrivals have started in the market. ―If the government wants to carry out the physical verification, it can carry it out in November and February,‖ they had said.

The state government had constituted two committees on October 5. The teams were asked to inspect the paddy procurement under the supervision of Assistant Controller, Food Accounts, for verification of mills in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Yamunanagar. The committees were directed to inspect the ‗J‘ Form, arrival of paddy at rice mills, inspect the old stock of rice lying in the mills and submit the report by October 9.

Karnal: Rice millers have virtually forced the physical verification of their stocks.

government to accept their demand of no

Minister of State of Food and Supplies Karan Dev Kamboj on Sunday assured the millers that no physical verification would be conducted in their mills till the end of paddy procurement season.

During physical verification, the authorities had recovered over 1.25 lakh bags of rice on September 19 from some mills in Karnal and 758 bags of rice from a mill in Rishi Nagar here on October 4 allegedly meant for the public distribution system (PDS). The bags recovered on October 4 bore the mark of Bihar Government supply.

Kamboj also assured the millers that the government would take back demanding bank guarantee from the millers.

the decision of

Earlier, the millers had held a meeting under Hansraj Singla, state president of the Haryana Rice Millers and Dealers Association and against alleged harassment by officials on the pretext of physical verification. ―No miller would be harassed and no physical verification would be conducted till the end of ongoing paddy procurement season,‖ said Kamboj.

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―We are happy with the assurance and have withdrawn our strike and the procurement would be carried on smoothly across the state,‖ said Vinod Goel, senior state vice-president of the association.

The bone of contention The government had constituted two committees on October 5. The teams were asked to inspect paddy procurement for verification of mills in Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Yamunanagar. The committees were directed to inspect the ‗J‘ Form, arrival of paddy at rice mills and submit the report by October 9. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/rice-millers-call-off-stir-resumelifting/664702.html

Proteins produced in transgenic rice may help prevent HIV transmission

By Man-tik Choy October 5, 2018

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A group of researchers at the Iowa State University developed a new method to extract three proteins from transgenic rice plants that may stop HIV transmission into human cells.

Nearly 37 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV/AIDS, according to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS. In 2016, over 1 million people died of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. Most of the infected population are in low- and middle-income countries, with more than 25.5 million living in sub-Saharan Africa. Among them, about 19 million are living in East and Southern Africa, among whom saw 44% of new HIV infections globally.

The number of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS is declining over the last few years owing to the use of antiretroviral drugs, but there were still 2 million new cases last year. The virus continues to spread as there are no effective vaccines, and prevention remains mostly reliant on barrier methods and abstinence, both of which have produced limited success.

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Recently, scientists have shown that HIV transmission can be prevented by using neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and lectins. However, the traditional recombinant protein manufacturing methods require strong technical skills and are too expensive for developing countries.

In order to produce sufficient supply of microbicides to protect at�risk populations at low costs, a group of researchers at the Iowa State University in the United States extracted three proteins from transgenic rice plants that could help stop the spread of HIV. The research was funded by a federal grant from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and the scientists recently published their results in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Extracting functional HIV-neutralizing proteins from plants offers an inexpensive and viable alternative to treating HIV/AIDS for developing countries because transgenic rice is inexpensive to cultivate. The researchers have tested the extracted proteins in a buffer solution, where all the three proteins showed strong binding ability on the surface of the HIV envelope, resulting in good synergistic HIV-1 neutralization effect.

The extracts made from such a rice plant could be used to produce a topical antimicrobial gel that can be applied before intercourse to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Further studies should be done to fully assess the safety and effectiveness before this therapy can launch to the market.

Written by Man-tik Choy, Ph.D Reference: Vamvaka, E. et al. Unexpected synergistic HIV neutralization by a triple microbicide produced in rice endosperm. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.2018; 201806022. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806022115. https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/proteins-transgenic-rice-hiv-transmission/

Transhipment of rice is grounded Friday, October 05, 2018

Kota Kinabalu: A consignment of 20 containers of rice worth millions of ringgit from Vietnam meant for transhipment to rice-starving Southern Philippines has been suspended for reasons yet unclear.

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According to a source, the transhipment has been idle at the Sepanggar Bay Port since last week.

"I was informed that the cargo was loaded into 20 container vans meant for southern Mindanao, as its port of destination," the source said.

The Philippine Government is presently facing shortage of rice, especially in southern Mindanao where prices of the staple essential commodity continue to rise.

Under the law, Customs is authorised to suspend transhipment of cargoes if its owner failed to comply all the documentation requirements which include the transhipment vessel and import licences, amongst others.

Meanwhile, residents of the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and Basilan and Zamboanga City in southern Philippines have been scrambling for rice supplies following a crackdown on smuggling.

The southern regions have for years relied on smuggled rice believed to come from Vietnam and Thailand, shipped via the Malaysian state of Sabah, forcing local farmers to quit rice growing.

The situation in Tawi-Tawi has been described as "precarious" as residents lined up for rice at prices as high as 100 pesos ($1.88) per kg, almost triple the price of government-subsidised rice, in August. http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127725

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Price hike, rice scarcity looms in Nigeria over favorable weather

By Bola Macaulay October 6, 2018

Scarcity of rice is imminent in Nigeria next year with resultant hike in prices unless farmers take appropriate measures to replant the commodity after the recent flood mayhem in some states including Kebbi, Jigawa, Anambra and Kogi, which destroyed farmlands.Nigeria declared a national disaster last month after severe flooding across 10 states left about 100 people dead, a situation described by the country‘s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as the worst flooding in six years.

Some rice-producing states, in collaboration with the private sector, invested massively in local production as part of their strategic response to the Nigeria‘s government push to achieve selfsufficiency in rice by 2020, diversify the economy and create jobs.These investments are being threatened by floods, which have washed away rice farms across the country.

Rice consumption in Nigeria has grown over the last two to three decades and this has raised its

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profile as one of the leading staples in the country. Over the years its importation from Thailand, Indonesia and other south-east Asian countries had left a drain pipe on Nigeria‘s foreign exchange reserves forcing the government to ban its importation and pursue massive local farming of the produce.

The average price of one kilogramme of imported high quality rice increased by 1.14 percent month-on-month to N375.02 in August from N370.79 in July, and decreased -2.43 percent yearon-year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Speaking on this, Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, said the flood, which affected some major rice producing states, including Kebbi, Jigawa, Anambra and Kogi, portends risk of scarcity of rice in the country if not addressed.

Ogbeh, who was commissioning the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Molecular Facility in Abuja on Thursday in commemoration of the 2018 seed fair and Farmer‘s field day, advised farmers to use water that recedes from the flood to replant rice to avoid shortage of the crop next year.

Ogbeh said: ―We have to find a way to reach out to farmers who have lost their crops because in places like Jigawa, Kebbi, Anambra and Kogi many farmers lost everything they planted. ―New varieties of rice are being produced at the National Agricultural Seed Council, the Faro 66 and 67 which are flood tolerant, we hope to get them into the field in large quantity for farmers to plant in the near future. ―We are also hoping that as soon as the rain recedes we encourage farmers to replant so that the residual moisture in the soil plus irrigation can give up another crop maybe by the end of December or early January, otherwise we may be in serious trouble for millet, rice, maize and sorghum‖ Ogbe feared.

For instance, about 20 percent of the 110 hectares of rice field at the Leventis Farm in Agenebode, Edo State, have been washed away by flood. The farm, cultivated by farmers with the state government‘s support, under the FADAMA III financing project, was said to have been submerged by floods from the Niger River.

At least, 21,000 hectares (51, 892 acres) with 168,000 metric tonnes un-harvested rice have also been washed away in the past month in Kebbi, one of Nigeria‘s main rice-growing states.

The state chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Mohammed Sahabi, had said similar damage was reported by farmers in three other northern states, namely Niger,

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Kano and Katsina.

Similarly, about 7,000 registered members of RIFAN in Adamawa State are said to be assessing the extent of damage on their farms by floods, which hit the state. With some farmlands in various local government areas especially those along the bank of River Benue submerged, the Association was emphatic that the earlier predicted bumper harvest in the state was under threat.

Reported By Shalom Anthony https://naija247news.com/2018/10/06/price-hike-rice-scarcity-looms-in-nigeria-overfavorable-weather/

FAO Advises African Govts On Right Policies To Boost Rice Production

By Adebayo Abiodun Published October 4, 2018

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called on African countries to put in place the right policies, strategies and appropriate institutional mechanisms to boost rice production and reduce importation.Bukar Tijani, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, FAO made this call on Thursday while addressing the high-level Ministerial Conference on Rice in Dakar, Senegal.

He said in the address, which was e-mailed to NIGERIA NEWS in Abuja, that FAO would continue to support regional and national efforts to boost rice production along the value-chain of the African rice transformation agenda.

Tijani, a former Nigeria Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources, stressed the need for enhanced leadership and increased investment by African governments in the rice sector.

He explained that this would indeed help sustain the momentum toward the attainment of rice self-sufficiency and the creation of gainful employment for the youth and women along the entire rice value chain.

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According to him, with the huge potential benefits for investments in Africa‘s rice sector, there is the need for urgency in implementing appropriate strategies to realise the opportunities provided

by Africa‘s strategic commodities The FAO officials said further that those countries that had successfully increased their rice production was an indication of their government leadership in putting in place the right policies, strategies, appropriate and adequate institutional mechanisms He identified such mechanisms to include national rice platforms that have facilitated, enhanced investment and effective coordination of multi-stakeholders in the rice sector.

Tijani said that FAO had strengthened its partnership with various organisations to support the African Union Commission and Regional Economic Communities to boost productivity, strengthening rice value chains, and supporting improved coordination of regional markets.

He said some organisations, which include AfricaRice, African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Coalition for African Rice Development and International Rice Research Institute would promote and disseminate the best practices on rice to other countries Tijani said FAO had also promised to contribute immensely to improvements in seeds, postharvest, irrigation and technology adoption.

According to the former minister, it is still very unfortunate to note that rice, a staple in many African countries, is still heavily imported. ―Data shows that in 2015 alone, African countries imported about 36 per cent of their domestic rice requirements, amounting to over 4 billion dollars. ―Projection also forecast that by 2020, the amount would reach 4.8 billion dollars annually, and this is unacceptable,‘‘ he said.

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Tijani, however, said that with the demand for rice consumption in Africa currently increasing at a rapid rate of 5.5 per cent per annum, the only option for countries to be on track on development goals is to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.

He said self-sufficiency in rice could only be achieved through sustaining a higher rate of production and productivity along the rice value-chain. ―In the prevailing circumstances, self-sufficiency in rice for Africa will be strategic and consequential, not just in terms of meeting consumption requirements locally, but also through its multiplier effects. ―These include reallocating the much-needed foreign exchange and investing in price-value chain development, an area that has the potential of creating and expanding employment opportunities for youth and women,‘‘ he said.

He, however, said there is still need to strengthen partnerships and collaboration among technical and donor partners at the country level, such as enhancing mutual accountability for results.

Tijani said that the ongoing conference would delve into strengthening synergies and effective collaboration between national governments, development partners, private sectors and producer organisations. https://www.nigerianews.net/fao-advises-african-govts-on-right-policies-to-boost-rice-production/

Piñol bares plan to import fancy whole grain rice October 06, 2018 at 01:05 am by Rio N. Araja

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is working out a ban to import the 5-percent broken milled white rice known as the fancy ―whole grain‖ rice to be able to lower the prices of commercial rice in the market before December.At the first 1st Usapang Politika, Agrikultura at Komunidad media forum in Quezon City, NFA spokesperson Angelo Imperial Jr. said Piñol

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wanted commercial rice to be 25-percent broken just like the NFA rice being sold at P27 per kilo. ―Our good secretary met with the millers and importers last Wednesday and discussed the issue.

Instead of importing the 5 percent or 10-percent broken milled rice and selling it to the public, he asked the stakeholders to import the 25-percent broken milled rice, or the rice with ‗binlid,‘‖ he told reporters. ―At least 25 percent of our NFA rice is broken, or not whole grain,‖ he told the Manila Standard.

He said Piñol has set another meeting with the millers and importers on Oct. 18 to iron out their ―counter-hirit.‖ ―We may be able to see 25-percent broken [commercial] rice earlier before December,‖ he said. ―Our secretary is doing consultations, not imposing, with the affected groups reacting on the issue. I cannot say they are objecting, but they have these so-called ‗counter-hirit,‘‖ he added.

According to Imperial, the commercial rice traders fear that people may no longer buy commercial rice with 25-percent broken grains. ―This is not yet a decision. We are still negotiating with the millers and importers,‖ he said.

He said Piñol wanted to give the local rice farmers the chance to supply good variety of rice to high-end restaurants and hotels that may be affected by the looming ban in the importation of the fancy rice.

Meanwhile, Akbayan Party-list Senator Risa Hontiveros pressed Piñol regarding his decision to cancel the leave of absence of former NFA Administrator Jason Aquino and retain his services despite the alleged large-scale corruption and shortage of government-subsidized rice in the market under his term.

The Agriculture chief reportedly said he needed Aquino during the transition of the NFA to a new leadership. ―Why is Aquino, who is included in a CoA report pointing to possible technical malversation in the NFA, allowed to go back to work and tasked no less to transition the NFA to a new leadership?‖ asked Hontiveros. ―Is the government rewarding corruption? Is it the policy of the government to provide graceful exits to disgraced public officials allegedly involved in corruption? Or is this an attempt to cover his tracks?‖ Hontiveros asked Piñol.

In related developments: • The Bureau of Customs has recovered only 16,000 out of the 21,015 missing sacks of rice at the Port of Zamboanga which mysteriously slipped out of the bureau‘s custody last month allegedly with the help of two top Customs officials in Zamboanga.

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Joint elements from the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines intercepted three vessels containing 23, 015 sacks of rice at Ben Go Wharf, Baliwasan, Zamboanga City, on Sept. 22, 2018.

The smuggled rice was turned over to the Bureau of Customs-Zamboanga for inventory and issuance of the corresponding warrant of seizure and detention.

On Sept. 30, the rice was discovered to have been missing from BoC-Zamboanga custody.

• NFA clarified that the agency charged only a minimum of P165.00 to a maximum of P11,000.00, depending on capitalization for a rice retailer‘s license, not the atrocious amount of P115,000.00 quoted by Senator Win Gatchalian as the license fee for supermarkets to sell NFA rice.

Gatchalian was quoted by media as saying ―the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association revealed that the NFA is requiring retailers with a paid-up capital of P10 million to pay P115,000 for a permit to sell rice.‖ NFA Central Office management checked with NFA-NCR branch if there was anyone who was assessed with such amount for license to retail and found out there was none. ―In fact, supermarkets that were already licensed to retail rice before the signing of our MOA didn‘t need to pay additional fees,‖ NFA-NCR said.

NFAis empowered by law,through Presidential Decree No. 4, to collect of fees from grains businessmen for different lines of business like retailing, wholesaling, milling, warehousing, among others.

CoA questioned the NFA use of its P5.1-billion subsidy from the national government to pay for maturing loans instead of allocating the funds to the food security program of the agency.

Agricultural groups reportedly accused Aquino of technical malversation.

The CoA ralso highlighted the lack of documentation and the absence of pertinent documents that prevent the proper assessment of many of the NFA‘s transactions.

It also pointed to the low level of compliance and efficiency in the allocation, distribution and issuance of stocks as well as the sale of ageing stocks.

Hontiveros said a report from CoA confirmed the existence of massive corruption in the NFA involving personalities she exposed during her privilege speech on the NFA ―tara system‖ and previously mentioned by Senator Grace Poe during a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing. ―I find it extremely interesting that the CoA report already flagged the issues and anomalies in rice importation, diversion and stocking; that the personalities behind these schemes were already exposed, yet, these people still remain in the NFA,‖ Hontiveros said.

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Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña immediately suspended two BoC ranking officials, Port District Collector lawyer Lyceo Martinez and district commander of the Customs Police District, Felimeno Salazar who allegedly connived with smugglers for the illegal release of the seized rice shipment.

According to the bureau chief, this has to be done immediately to ensure they will not be able to influence the investigation that is currently undertaken. ―I will go after the people involved in this and will unmask the illegal activities of Customs personnel from Zamboanga who are in cahoots with smugglers,‖ Lapeña declared.

Ongoing efforts are now being conducted to recover the missing rice.

Lapeña said that the bureau‘s team led to the recovery on Oct. 1 of 5,000 sacks of rice in a warehouse reportedly owned by Basulta Traders Corporation.

On Oct. 2, another 3,000 sacks of rice were recovered in Suterville Warehouse, Manga Drive.

Meanwhile in Kasanyangan Compound, Sta. Catalina, around 8,000 sacks of rice were also found. ―I condemn this deplorable act of smugglers and conniving Customs personnel. This is unthinkable especially during this time when rice should be easily available in the markets,‖ Lapeña added.

The customs chief vowed that the truth will come out and no one will be spared from the results of the ongoing investigation.

He directed the investigation team to speed up their probe. http://www.manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/277267/pi-ol-bares-plan-to-import-fancy-whole-grainrice.html

‗Price setting‘ for rice and sugar; Cushion to oil price impact sought FRED M. LOBO

Fred M. Lobo ―Price setting‖ for rice and sugar by allowing their importation to those who can guarantee to sell rice at P38 per kilo and sugar at P50 per kilo is now being considered by the government.

Yes, explore all options to bring down prices and check inflation. ***

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The government rushes the importation of rice and sugar to ensure adequate supply of the vital commodities, as ordered by President Duterte.

Yes to Oplan Angkat for speedy supply-price stabilization. No more economic nosebleed, says Digong. *** The government summoned oil companies to an ―emergency meeting‖ to map out contingency measures and cushion the adverse effects of successive oil price increases.

Time to cushion the impact of oil price hikes on prices and the consuming public. *** Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the ―price-setting‖ approach could ensure cheaper rice and sugar in the market.

Hurry, sir! Adopt it before ―memo-rice‖ and the ―souring‖ of sugar worsen. *** As to importation, Lopez said the government plans to bring in 350,000 metric tons of rice to be imported by major retailers for the B,C,D markets, on top of the 750,000 MT earlier approved by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council.

The hungry gets angry. More rice on the table, especially for the poor. *** Lopez said the DTI has invited major supermarket chains to undertake the importation themselves with an undertaking of selling well-milled rice at P38 per kilo, the pre- inflation price of the staple.

Rice prices have gone up P44 to P50 per kilo, consumers cry.

Lopez said the need for cheaper rice is immediate and that he hopes the imports will arrive by the end of this month.

Yes to speedy importation. Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? *** He added that import permits can be given for specific volumes per period but the importers will still have to pay for the 35 percent tariff meant to protect local farmers. ―This way, we don‘t need to worry about layers of traders who will just make margins in the process,‖ he said.

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*** Lopez added that Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, now the concurrent chairman of the NFA Council, is amenable to the DTI proposal because this means faster distribution of low-priced rice..

Let the Lopez-Pinol team move mountains for the sake of rice- consuming Pinoys. *** Lopez pointed out that under Administrative Order 26, President Duterte called for ways to facilitate importation and availability of basic commodities especially rice and sugar.

Act now and hurry! Utos ni DU30 hindi dapat mabali. *** Lower-priced rice and sugar will be made available in supermarkets and in DTI Suking Outlets and DA Malasakit Stores.

Yes to lower prices. Less ―pasakit‖ and more ―malasakit.‖ *** Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board Member Roland Beltran bared his agency rationalized the speedy importation of 150,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar as ― a preemptive importation to stabilize sugar supply and prices between the months September to December.

Yes, let‘s keep the ―ber‖ months sweet. *** The Department of Energy (DOE) summoned oil companies for an ―emergency meeting‖ to explore contingency measures in the wake of successive oil price increases in the world and local markets.Hurry! Joint government-private sector team should help cushion the impact of rising oil prices — before consumers drown.*** Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, speaking at the University of the East 72nd anniversary convocation, called for government vigilance in asserting the country‘s territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea, saying it could be a major source of oil and other much-needed natural wealth.

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Forget war but remember the oil, ―Solomonic‖ Carpio stressed. https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/10/06/price-setting-for-rice-and-sugar-cushion-to-oil-priceimpact-sought/

Oil For Rice: Dollar Dependency Will Come Down, But We Must Guard Against Food Inflation

by S Murlidharan Oct 06, 2018, 1:54 pm

Pumps draw petroleum from oil wells through the night. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Snapshot 

With the Indian rupee’s fall against the US dollar, India can look towards countertrade measures, such as exchanging rice for oil, rather than relying on currency to fund its oil imports.

But as rice heads outside India, the price of rice here in the country could rise. And we must guard against that.

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With the Indian rupee reaching a new low every day against the United States (US) dollar, the Indian government is right in actively pursuing the rupee trade option. It is a throwback to the seemingly primitive barter system. But, in modern times, barter is euphemistically called countertrade. Quite a few nations are pursuing this option, if only to break free from the compulsion to acquire the greenback (US dollar)—widely acclaimed, albeit undeservedly, as the safest harbour currency.

Estimates of countertrade as a percentage of world trade vary wildly from 10 per cent to 30 per cent. India had a rupee trade or countertrade agreement with the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) with rice figuring prominently in Indian exports. And, in more recent times, it had a similar agreement with Iran during 2012-2015 when that nation was under sanctions. The world order also warmed up to the idea of oil for wheat to defang the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

India is all set to enter into a fresh rupee trade agreement with Iran in order to overcome the US ban against making dollar payment to Iran, which kicks in with effect from 4 November 2018.

Iran accounted for about 16 per cent of India‘s oil supplies in 2017-18, supplying about 23 million tonnes, while Venezuela accounted for another 11 per cent, supplying over 18 million tonnes in India‘s total oil imports of about 155 million tonnes in 2017-18.

Venezuela is our fourth-largest oil supplier after Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. It is nearly broke with hyperinflation ravaging its economy and its currency, Bolivar. So much so that its government has issued the first ever sovereign crypto-currency ―petro‖. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is dead against crypto-currencies, and India can swing a deal with Venezuela, too, for supply of oil in return for food and medicines.

The US is not going to be amused, either with India cozying up to what it perceives as renegade countries or marginalising its currency. But then, we must pursue our interest. Vulnerable nations, especially those in the bad books of the US but endowed with oil, should be brought around to the win-win countertrade. Russia could also be amenable to rupee trade, but it could

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demand its pound of flesh. The downside is if all of them start demanding rice for oil, we could well be jumping from fire to frying pan, both literally and figuratively. While we would have doused the oil fire to some extent, what with the US dollar not being needed to import oil, the price of rice could shoot up now that a hefty chunk of production would be foreign-bound to pay for the import of oil. Iran has plumped for oil. And it is difficult to compel a nation to broad-base its imports and move away from its rice fixation.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the canalising agency for oil imports, is flush with funds. The government can prevail upon it to promote rice production in a big way. While it would be difficult for the IOC to plunge into farming, an unchartered territory for it, it can acquire limited expertise and resources in quick time so as to be able to enter into contract farming arrangements like those that McDonalds has been having with farmers for potato and tomato cultivation and supply. This would be less challenging than finding dollars to finance import oil any day. If McDonalds ensures timely and uninterrupted supply at fixed prices through such long-term arrangements, the IOC‘s role should be to ensure that relief from the dollar hegemony is not evanescent. Of course, the government must prevail upon its partners in rupee trade to buy our other goods and services as well, but that should be on the back of competitiveness and quality.

But then, the influence of the greenback is not going to wane, at least in the short run. While it may not be used for payments in countertrade, it would be the medium for ascertaining the value of goods and services brought to the table by the two sides. Nonetheless, it would give a great deal of relief, especially to import-dependent countries like India, which imports as much as 80 per cent of its crude oil. https://swarajyamag.com/world/oil-for-rice-dollar-dependency-will-come-down-but-we-must-guard-againstfood-inflation

There is no such thing as forever – even with rice We can diversify a lot more when it comes to what we should eat:Maria Isabel Garcia @scisolitaire

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Published 11:00 AM, October 07, 2018 Updated 12:21 PM, October 07, 2018

Rice is as much a grain of sentiment as it is of nourishment. Whole cultures, economies, and industries have been built around rice – from research, to planting, to consumption. Songs about planting rice as well as idyllic paintings of rice farms and farmers have defined a good part of our own art history. Those paintings symbolize our connection with the land – as if the land only had a singular role, and that was to feed humans.

If you are a prolific rice eater as most Asians are, then it's likely that when you go to other places in the world, you would take great pains to make sure rice is part of your diet. A few days without rice on a trip, and you start craving for it. When calamities or political economies cause a rice shortage, populations make their malaise known and palpable to elected officials. It is not an exaggeration to say that when the grain is threatened, we, too, feel threatened in the most basic sense.

Rice has been in the headlines these days – about it costing too much, and government scrambling to find an explanation as to who is to blame. But there is another threat that has not been in the news: rice is being stripped of its nutritional value, no thanks to the air.

A study that came out last May 2018 studied, for the first time, the effect of increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on the nutrients that rice contains. In other words, climate change is not only causing seasonal disruptions and catastrophes in rice farming, but it is also robbing rice of the nutrients it once had the power to give to those who relied on it for their diets.

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Depending on the variety, the study found that too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has significantly reduced protein, vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, and also Vitamin B complex in rice. This is because rice, as any plant, always negotiates a balance between what it gets from the air and what it gets from the soil. With too much carbon dioxide in the air, rice has "given in," and the effect is the loss of the nutrients it once flaunted, and which has been the caloric bedrock of many rice-eating populations.

This definitely is affecting the 2 billion people who eat rice as their primary food. But the study also showed that the lower income populations – about 600 million people, including a big portion of our own rice-eating populations – who are not able to shift their diets to make up for the loss in nutrients are at the highest risk of being undernourished or malnourished. Childhood hunger and malnutrition cause stunting, which could spell serious developmental problems.

These children would make for adults whose brains would be hard-pressed to cope with the demands of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution – an era where the physical and the technological merge to create cultures and economies.The study said that the most obvious solution is to find ways to cultivate varieties that could resist the nutrient-stripping effects of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. But this also includes genetic modification, to which the public, in general, are emotionally repulsive. What the public generally do not realize is that the rice they eat has already undergone and continue to undergo genetic modifications in order to offset decreasing yields due to reduction in fertile lands, climate disasters, and infestation.

Agriculture has made us humans so dependent on only a few plants for the bulk of our sustenance. These are mainly 10 crops that feed the world, namely, cassava, maize, plantains, potatoes, rice, sorghum, soybeans, sweet potatoes, wheat, and yams. With the whole of the Kingdom Plantae numbering a recorded 400,000 species, we, the self-proclaimed genius over all other species, just decided that we shall focus on planting and eating only about 200 plant species, with the 10 listed above accounting for most of our caloric intake.

In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Hariri reminded us that we were once a lot more versatile and flexible with our food sourcing and diets as foragers (hunter gatherers), until about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, when we started to plant. Agriculture most likely started when bands of foragers started bringing fruits to where they would temporarily settle. The seeds would take root in favorite human trails, and eventually, humans noticed that they could grow this intentionally.

The downside, Hariri pointed out, is that growing crops in place would be so seductive to species like us who are crazy about new ideas but quite poor, up to now, at foreseeing the consequences down the line.

Agriculture has made us settle, and with that, we invented arrangements that suited it. We gave licensed roles to landlords, tenants, and large agricultural companies. We've grown only a few domesticated animal species, which now outnumber many wild animals. In terms of biomass, farmed poultry, for example, make up 70% of the world's birds, while only 30% are wild birds. It is worse for mammals, where 60% are livestock, 36% are humans, and only 4% are the other wild mammals.

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For eons, our textbook history of civilizations taught us that agriculture was our major foil against food scarcity. Now it is our major source of food insecurity. We know and have come to love only a few things to eat from the plant kingdom. Now that they are not delivering on the roles we gave them because of the things we have mixed in the equation, we are blaming only modern-day politics.

We probably should blame modern-day politics, but only after we also blame ourselves for our own miseducation and miscalculation on what role agriculture should play in our nutrition and our economies. Rice has domesticated us, just as the other crops we have depended on have.

They have trapped us in our own, well-entrenched political economies, and homey cultural notions of what we need to eat in order to live. This has no basis in biology. We can diversify a lot more when it comes to what we should eat. Now that our lives depend on it, will we learn how to leave home? – Rappler.com Maria Isabel Garcia is a science writer. She has written two books, "Science Solitaire" and "Twenty One Grams of Spirit and Seven Ounces of Desire." You can reach her at

sciencesolitaire@gmail.com. https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/ideas/science-solitaire/213683-no-such-thing-asforever-even-with-rice

Farmers join hands to acquire machines S. Ganesan TIRUCHI, OCTOBER 05, 2018 18:48 IST

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Collective bargaining: Farmer Producers‘ Groups members with their tractor bought at Nadarasapuram near Tiruverumbur in Tiruchi on Friday.

75 Farmers Producers Groups have bought 270 machines or devices this fiscal so far The collective farming scheme launched by the State government last year is gaining traction with 75 Farmers Producers Groups (FPGs) in Tiruchi district acquiring various farm machinery last year by utilising financial assistance extended by the government.

An equal number of FPGs, with 100 members each, are to get the assistance this fiscal for purchase of farm equipment for common use by the group members.

The Collective Farming scheme envisages pooling of farmers‘ resources to derive benefits of large-scale farming. Under the initiative, farmers‘ interest groups (FIGs) of 20 members each is formed. Five FIGs come together to form Farmers Producers‘ Groups (FPG) and 10 FPGs will form one farmer-producer organisation (FPO).

The FPGs are given ₹5 lakh each as corpus fund by the government to buy farm machinery of their choice. During 2017-18, the 75 FPGs have bought 270 farm machines or devices, depending on requirements of group members. Thirty-nine groups have opted to acquire tractors, which are rented to members and other farmers at nominal rates.

Agriculture department officials say many of the FPGs have utilised the scheme. For instance, the one at Natarajapuram near Tiruverumbur has made good use of the corpus fund by utilising it to buy a tractor costing ₹6.52 lakh, besides a cultivator, cage wheel and other accessories costing another ₹80,000. The additional money, above the government grant of ₹5 lakh, was contributed by group members.

The FPG holds regular meetings and the tractor is leased to a member of the group who is unemployed. All accounts regarding hiring and diesel consumption are maintained properly. The tractor is given on rent to group members at ₹ 1,000 an acre and to other farmers at ₹1,500 an acre. Preference is given to members and a register is maintained to know the priority. Group members can utilise the tractor on paying an advance and pay the remaining rent after 15 days.

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The FPO members have decided to cultivate the same paddy variety, pool their produce during harvest and after processing intend to sell the rice under a brand name to fetch a higher price. The group has also made a collective purchase of seeds in bulk for ₹26,000 and fertilizers worth ₹48,000 at cheaper rates, saving ₹4,200 on inputs and transport cost for the farmers. Women members are undergoing training to cultivate mushrooms and making paper cups. ―Unity (among farmers) has made these possible and collective farming has given us the power to bargain. We get good revenue by renting out the tractors and it will be very useful if the government gives diesel at a subsidised price. We are also now part of the Tiruchirapallli Rockfort Collective Farming Producers Company, which plans to market rice and take up distribution and production of cattle feed in due course,‖ said B. Senthil Kumar, president of Natarajapuram FPG. An agriculture official said FPGs in Tiruverumbur, Pullampadi, Marungapuri and Thuraiyur areas were functioning well. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/farmers-join-hands-to-acquiremachines-for-collective-farming/article25135994.ece

Research team develops corn that can grow in dry conditions AN international research team has discovered they can increase production of this food, particularly in the face of drought.

Stephanie Bedo

news.com.auOCTOBER 5, 201810:32PM Weather Explained: Will the rain falling across NSW put a dent in the record drought?

THERE is a crop in Australia that researchers think has all the key elements to become the food and fuel of the future.

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An international research team has found they can increase corn productivity by targeting the enzyme in charge of capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.

Maize, or corn, is a staple food for billions of people around the world, with more maize grown annually than rice or wheat.

In Australia, maize has the widest geographical spread of all the field crops, but it remains a small crop compared to wheat or rice.

Researchers were able to produce a maize with improved photosynthesis which means more growth.

Lead researcher Dr Robert Sharwood, of the Australian National University, said this could potentially increase tolerance to extreme growth conditions ―There is an urgent need to deliver new higher-yielding and highly adapted crop species, before crops are affected by the expected climate change conditions,‖ Dr Sharwood said. ―These conditions will increase the threats against global food security, and the only way to prepare for them is through international research collaborations.‖ Every plant on the planet uses photosynthesis to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but not all plants do it in the same way.

Plants like wheat and rice use the ancient, less efficient C3 photosynthetic path, while other plants such as maize and sorghum use the more efficient C4 path.

Corn is able to grow in dry conditions and could thrive in the future.Source:istock

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C4 plants include some of the world‘s most important food, feed and biofuel crops, accounting for 20-25 per cent of the planet‘s terrestrial productivity.

These plants are specially adapted to thrive in hot and dry environments, like the ones that are expected to be more prevalent in future decades.

Central to this process is Rubisco, the main enzyme of photosynthesis, which is in charge of converting CO2 into organic compounds.

In C4 plants, Rubisco works much faster and they are more tolerant to heat and drought through better water use efficiency. ―Maize has one of the most efficient Rubiscos and they need less nitrogen to work,‖ said coresearcher David Stern, from the Boyce Thompson Institute, an affiliate of Cornell University. ―So, our main question was, if we increase Rubisco content in maize, what would it do for the plant? We found that by boosting Rubisco inside the maize cells, we get an increase in crop productivity. ―This is a very exciting finding, because it shows that there is room for improvement even in the more productive C4 crop species.‖ The study improved CO2 assimilation and crop biomass by 15 per cent.

Dr Sharwood said the next step was to do field trials to see how the maize behaved in real field conditions.

So far they have been tested in glasshouse and cabinet conditions. https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/research-team-developscorn-that-can-grow-in-dry-conditions/news-story/f15cbfc38f90eb86658f320576203226

More farmers buying machines than co-op societies, Happy Seeder top choice Vibhor Mohan | TNN | Updated: Oct 8, 2018, 09:22 IST Delivery as on October 4,2018 CHANDIGARH: Where Punjab has been struggling to convince farmers to give up the unhealthy practice of stubble burning, it is now banking upon financial aid of Rs 695 crore from the Centre to fuel its campaign. The focus now is on in-situ disposal of residue with subsidy on machines. Among the eight types of subsidized equipment being provided, it is Happy Seeder, a tractor mounted machine, which has turned out to be most popular among farmers.

State nodal officer for the anti-stubble burning campaign K S Pannu told TOI that out of the central aid,

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Rs 269 crore is being used this year and the rest of it has been kept aside for the next year. The Centre has given a total of Rs 1,151 crore to the northern states to tackle stubble burning, he added.

Meanwhile, 3,306 units of Happy Seeders had already hit the ground till last week and most of these have gone to individual farmers.

The coming weeks will test the success of the state government‘s efforts. Smoke from paddy fields set on fire not just envelopes Punjab but there are claims that it also casts its shadow over the atmosphere of the national capital.

For 2018-19, the state government has set a target of making available 24,972 machines of eight types to farmers in the state and so far 10,697 have been provided. More, individual farmers have opted for machines than cooperative societies. ―The financial assistance is being utilized only for in-situ crop residue management with subsidy on eight key equipment to farmers to tackle paddy straw. Apart from groups of farmers and cooperative societies, individuals too can avail the subsidy,‖ he said.

Pannu said a concerted effort was being made by the state government under its ―Tandarust Punjab‖ campaign to reach out to farmers so that they give up the practice of getting rid of paddy straw by setting the fields on fire. Under the centrally-sponsored scheme, the objective is to set up ‗farm machinery banks‘ for custom hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery. Financial assistance of 80% of the project cost will be provided to the cooperative societies of the farmers.

Meanwhile, over seven thousand Happy Seeders will be provided to individual farmers in two years. The equipment can plant the wheat seed without getting jammed by the rice straw. The Happy Seeder is a tractor-mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw, sows wheat into the bare soil, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch.

Nodal officers have been appointed for every village, besides administrative officers keeping a close eye on the ground situation to ensure that there are is no stubble burning, said Pannu. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66112561.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_ medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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