9th december,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter 9 December, 2014

Volume 4 Issue: XI

th

Vol 4, Issue XII

Today’s News Headlines…  National Rice Federation's Annual Conference Held in LR  Rice stocks sufficient to offset any impact from ‘Ruby’ -Alcala  NFA to raise rice imports to 600,000 MT  Ruby’s damage on agri sector not as grave as Yolanda’s— DA chief  On saving our rice and minimising losses  Coastal Bangladesh turns too salty for salt-tolerant rice  Gene critical to the development of low arsenic plants identified by scientists  Recipe: Green Garden Curry  What Is the Glycemic Index and How It Affects You  Amira collaborates with farmers to develop organic crops  On saving our rice and minimising losses  Nigeria: Local Rice Producers Get N1.56 Billion Funds From BoI  Japanese Rice Cookers a Hot Commodity Among Chinese  2015 Leadership Development Program Class Announced  USA Rice Outlook Conference -- Day Two  Japan Announces 9th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014  CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

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

National Rice Federation's Annual Conference Held in LR LITTLE ROCK, AR - Rice growers, buyers and agri-business owners are in Little Rock this week for the National Rice Federation's annual conference. Six states across the country produce rice, with Arkansas being the largest grower. During the conference, farmers from across the country are learning about the new farm bill and changes technology can bring.

"They're coming at us faster than they used to, the issue for farmers is for farmers to adapt and see if they create value for their farm," says Dow Brantley, Chairman of USA Rice Federation."International buyers are loving the idea, and local farmers are going to love the idea too once they find out about it," says Layne Fortenberry.A new Arkansas start up, Grainster is among the technological options farmers are able to see at the conference. KARK covered the online site's launch in August. CEO Layne Fortenberry says grain buyers across the globe as far away as India and Rio De Jenero have started to sign up for the socalled dating service for grain.

Listen the program: http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/nationalrice-federations-annual-conference-heldi/31942/QV6uS6SsTESgyPTp_bBNBQ

Rice stocks sufficient to offset any impact from ‘Ruby’ -Alcala

THE AGENCY responsible for procuring grain has assured that rice stocks will be sufficient for the remainder of 2014 despite any damage to farms resulting from typhoon Ruby (international name: Hagupit).

“The supply of rice we have right now is more than enough and so far, there is no need to import right after the typhoon,” Renan B. Dalisay, National Food Authority (NFA) administrator, said in phone interview yesterday.He clarified, however, that the country is still poised to import an initial 600,000 metric tons (MT) of rice for 2015 to boost its buffer stocks for the lean months of June to August.BusinessWorld reported last month that the tender process for the additional supply would start by January, ensuring the arrival of shipments by June, in time for the lean period.Mr. Dalisay noted however that the NFA Council has yet to give a go signal for an auction to procure the imports.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The NFA Council, which includes the Agriculture Secretary, makes import recommendations to the President, who then makes the final decision.The Philippines imported around 1.8 million tons of rice over the last 11 months, the biggest amount in four years -- including 1.5 million tons this year and 300,000 tons representing last year‟s residual imports -- to replenish thinning stockpiles and bring down local retail prices.The NFA is still authorized to import another 500,000 MT of rice this year, if need arises depending on supply conditions and calamities, the possible onset of El Niño, and output in the fourth quarter.

FARM DAMAGE In a related development, Agriculture officials said yesterday that “minimal damage and losses to the farm and fisheries sector” are expected following the typhoon, which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility over the weekend.Data from the agency showed that reported farm damage due to typhoon Ruby was at P1.02 billion -- involving 55,850 hectares of farmland.The main affected areas have been identified as Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas.

Of the total, rice accounted for the largest production loss amounting to P840.5 million, equivalent to 48,054 MT.Corn had P92.5 million worth of losses, while fisheries had P48.22 million.The remaining consists of production losses in high value crops and livestock; as well as damage to infrastructure and equipment.Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, in a statement, assured that the typhoon‟s damage is

expected not to be in the same class as that dealt out by typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in 2013.

Mr. Alcala said the damage was worse last year since typhoon Yolanda hit before farmers could harvest their crops.Mr. Alcala said this time, the farmers were able to harvest mature crops before the typhoon made landfall, while fishing communities were able to bring their boats to safe places.“What we can [also] assure the public is that although Ruby is also a destructive typhoon, we are ready to roll out further assistance, apart from what had already been prepositioned,” Mr. Alcala said.The Agriculture department prepositioned some 77,479 bags of rice and 17,554 of corn in anticipation of possible supply disruptions due to the typhoon.

The top sources of fruits and vegetables -like Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya -- are not expected to be severely affected by the typhoon, Mr. Alcala added.The poultry sector, on the other hand, may see negative effects but not as worse as the damage due to typhoon Glenda (international name: Rammasun).“Looking at its trajectory, typhoon Ruby will not affect poultry production areas,” Mr. Alcala said.“As of now, our supply of chicken is stable and the SRP (suggested retail price) has not changed, so we hope we can maintain this.

We will also facilitate in balancing the supply,” he added.

Source with thanks: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?s ection=Economy&title=rice-stockssufficient-to-offset-any-impact-from&145ruby&8217----alcala&id=99263

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine NFA to raise rice imports to 600,000 MT

by Reuters December 8, 2014

The Philippines‟ state grains agency said yesterday it will consider importing u p to an additional 600,000 tonnes of rice to boost buffer stocks after Typhoon Hagupit (local name: Ruby) damaged crops and prompted the release of emergency supplies.Crop losses this quarter from bad weather and a projected drop in first-quarter output next year have put the Philippines, one of the world‟s biggest rice buyers, under pressure to boost imports in order to maintain a healthy buffer stock in 2015.

Fresh demand from the Philippines could support softening rice export prices in main suppliers Thailand and Vietnam.A team at the National Food Authority (NFA) has recommended that a standing order to import 500,000 tonnes of rice in case of a natural disaster should be increased by 100,000 tonnes, NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay told Reuters.“We‟re seeking a meeting of the NFA Council to discuss the recommendation of the group in charge of computing our requirements,” Dalisay said.The review would be carried out by a panel of Cabinet members, chaired by Food Security Secretary Francis Pangilinan.

The Department of Agriculture said initial reports showed nearly 20,000 tonnes of unmilled rice from standing crops had been damaged by strong winds and rains from Hagupit, which battered the Philippines over the weekend.Dalisay said it was too early to give a timetable for any rice purchases or to say whether they would be made through tenders or government-to-government deals.The NFA bought more than 1.8 million tonnes from Vietnam and Thailand over the past 12 months, aggressively shoring up its buffer stocks while releasing more rice into local markets to bring down retail prices that hit record highs in recent months.

The agency was forced to import more, bringing in the biggest annual volume in four years, after its stocks were almost depleted due to relief efforts and crop losses following category-5 Super Typhoon Haiyan‟ wrath in November 2013.Dalisay said the NFA began releasing more rice stocks from its warehouses last week to boost supply in areas expected to be hit by Hagupit, including Samar island provinces where the typhoon first hit on Saturday.The agency expects to release more stocks, with a number of local government officials in areas hit by the typhoon seeking additional NFA supply, he said.Any new shipments will be tariff-free and on top of an annual volume of up to 805,200 tonnes that the private sector can bring in. The annual volume attracts a tariff of 35 percent.

Source with thanks: http://www.mb.com.ph/nfa-to-raise-riceimports-to-600000-mt/

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Ruby’s damage on agri sector not as grave as Yolanda’s— DA chief December 09, 2014 QUEZON CITY, Dec. 9 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public that with department's proactive response, typhoon Ruby‟s damage on agriculture is expected to be not as severe as what the sector had experienced during the onslaught of Yolanda last year.In a statement, Secretary Alcala stressed that initial figures on damages presented by Assistant Secretary Edilberto De Luna and Undersecretary Emerson Palad of DA Field Operations are much lower, compared during typhoon Yolanda.

De Luna and Palad reported that as of 2:00pm on December 8, total cost of damages and production losses in crops and infrastructure reached P1.02 billion, involving 55,850 hectares of farmlands and with estimated production losses of 56,090 metric tons in Bicol, Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas.The volume of palay production affected is at 48,054 metric tons; 7,550 tons for corn and 486 tons for highvalue crops all valued at P941.04 million.

For fisheries, production losses amounted to P48.225 million, while damage inflicted to the livestock sector amounted to P809,550.Damage to various agri-fishery infrastructure and equipment P29.993 million.

According to Alcala, damage on agriculture was worse during Yolanda because farmers had yet to harvest their crops. For typhoon Ruby, farmers were able to harvest mature crops even before the typhoon had its landfall while fishers were also able to place their boats into safety, following DA‟s and

other government agencies‟ advisories. “What we can [also] assure the public is that although Ruby is also a destructive typhoon, we are ready to roll out remaining assistance, aside from what had already been prepositioned,” Alcala said.Secretary Alcala said that DA had prepositioned a total of 78,479 bags for rice and 17,554 for corn nationwide intended to lessen the impact of any weather disturbance.

Meanwhile, in a text message also on Monday, the National Food Authority (NFA) said that its rice inventory on areas affected in regions 5 and 8 is enough to supply the needed volume of the main staple.For Region 8, about 5.9 million cavans were currently at the area, while Region 4 has 236,557 cavans in its inventory, according to NFA‟s Director Rex Estoperez.The National Capital Region‟s rice inventory stands at 1,190,816 cavans, while a total of 1,243,842 cavans were already distributed to relief agencies and institutions including LGUs, according to NFA administrator Renan B. Dalisay, adding “today the agency will also send additional rice to affected areas particularly in Maslog, Samar.

With regard to supply of fruits and vegetables for the holiday season, Secretary Alcala also assured the public that this will not be significantly affected as the top sources of fruits and vegetables such as Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya will not be seriously affected by the typhoon.Secretary Alcala as well said that the poultry industry may be negatively affected but not as worse as during typhoon Glenda, which has devastated southern Luzon earlier this year. “Looking at its trajectory, typhoon Ruby will not affect poultry production areas. As of now, our supply of chicken is stable and the SRP has not changed, so hopefully, we can maintain this. We will

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine also facilitate in balancing the supply,” Alcala added.

Meanwhile, Atty.

Asis Perez, Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR Director, stressed that there might be a slight increase on the price of seafood this holiday season because of the increased demand.“Lapu-lapu and shrimp will be of high demand, because we usually prepare red-colored food during Christmas. It‟s not the supply but the demand that will increase the prices, so we should not be surprised if there will be a slight increase,” Perez explained.Secretary Alcala said that basing on the lessons learned from typhoon Yolanda, DA has been conscious in mainstream mechanisms to cope up with extreme weather events in its programs, hence reducing the vulnerability of the agriculture sector to damage and losses.

(DA) Source with thanks: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1781418 031679/ruby-s-damage-on-agri-sector-notas-grave-as-yolanda-s-da-chief

On saving our rice and minimising losses

“Rice quality has been an issue since long and there is a tough competition among rice exporting countries in international market.

There is a need for improved rice

production, harvesting and milling technology in the country. Currently about 9,000 old re-assembled conventional wheat combine harvesters are being used for rice harvesting and that are causing grain shattering, breakage losses and low head rice recovery. ”This was stated by Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Secretary and PARC Agricultural Engineering Division (AED) Director General Dr Munir Ahmad while addressing all stakeholders including farmers, machinery service providers, rice millers, rice exporters, manufacturers, and representatives of line departments on the occasion of a day-long national seminar on “Rice quality and head recovery affected by harvesting/threshing and milling practices” at a local hotel in Gujranwala.Speaking on the occasion, National Agricultural Research Council (NARC) Director General Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan said that by adopting new improved harvesting machines, about 4-6 billion worth of losses in rice quality could be saved annually.

He said PARC has developed various crop productions technologies and innovations for the benefit of small farmers. He said we are working with various stakeholders for transfer of new innovations to the end-users to make the agriculture more profitable.Speaking on the occasion, NARC Agricultural and Biological Engineering Institute (ABEI) Director Dr Tanveer Ahmad said that due to traditional drying and storage practices more often rice produced is affected by aflatoxin. Poor crop

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine conditions also affect rice head rice recovery. PARC has conducted a study factors causing low head rice recovery.

The results showed that conventional combines are causing low head rice recovery and paddy harvested by head feeding combines and manual harvesting gave better head rice recovery.After detailed discussion, some recommendations were suggested by the participants of the seminar which include i) development of new improved rice varieties; ii) introduction of high capacity head feeding combines; iii) installation of rice kit on already operating conventional wheat combines that are being used for rice harvesting; iv) Engineering Institute with collaboration of Engro (Pvt) initiate a project to design and develop an improved rice threshing kit for conventional combine harvesters; v) Government legislation to restrict farmers and combine service providers not to harvest paddy crop at higher moisture content; and vi) introduction of mechanical dryers, etc.

Source with thanks : http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/12/09/b usiness/on-saving-our-rice-and-minimisinglosses/

Coastal Bangladesh turns too salty for salt-tolerant rice

varieties of rice, the main crop in the region.

But the sea keeps coming in and turning everything more and more saline, well beyond the point that salt tolerant rice varieties can tolerate.The latest salt tolerant rice variety – that the scientists released among Bangladeshi farmers as recently as November 20 – can tolerate a salinity of up to 8 deci Siemens per metre (dS/m, equivalent to 512 parts per million).But salinity is now well above that level in more than half the arable lands in 19 affected coastal districts of Bangladesh.

Researchers say none of the existing varieties of salt-tolerant rice can survive and grow at the level of salinity that has affected both the soil and the groundwater in some of the coastal districts.According to a study conducted by the Bangladesh Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI), out of 8.1 million hectares of arable land in Bangladesh, 1.02 million hectares in 19 coastal districts are affected by salinity.The study also shows that salinity in more than half the arable land in five coastal districts has gone well past the 8 dS/m level. It says out of the 560,000 hectares in five coastal districts – Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Barguna – the salinity level now ranges between 8.1 and 16 dS/m.

Traditional varieties of most crops can withstand salinity of up to 0.7dS/m only.

thethirdpole.net Tuesday 9 December 2014 As the sea keeps rising due to climate change and affecting coastal Bangladesh, turning the soil and groundwater saline, scientists have been breeding salt tolerant

“The latest variety of rice we have released can tolerate up to 8 dS/m salinity. It will be damaged if the salinity increases even for a few days,” Jiban Krishna Biswas, director

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), told thethirdpole.net.He did hold out the hope that more salt tolerant varieties could be bred in the future. BRRI scientists have already released more and more salt-tolerant rice varieties eight times.

But there is a limit to this. Researchers say the tolerance cannot go beyond 12dS/m, a level now surpassed in some areas of coastal Bangladesh.

extracted more and more groundwater over the last two decades or so. As a result, aquifer levels have fallen, hastening the process of seawater intrusion, experts say.Anwar Zahid, deputy director of groundwater hydrology) at the Bangladesh Water Development Board, told thethirdpole.net, “We‟ve found saline water in aquifers that are just 600-700 feet (183213 metres) deep.

The SRDI study found that in the last few years, an average of 6,200 hectares of fresh farmland is being affected by salinity every year. In 1973, 833,000 hectares of land in 19 coastal districts were salinity-affected. Now, the figure stands at 1.02 million hectares.In 12 salinity-affected areas, only a quarter of arable land remains under cultivation – that too in a limited way.Some of the farmers who tried to cultivate salt-resistant rice varieties earlier are unhappy with their experience. Nazmus Sahdat, a farmer in Bagerhat district, said he tried one of the varieties in 2012. “Initially, the sapling was growing well. But the crop was damaged in March and April when water flow reduced and the river water became more saline,” he told thethirdpole.net. Nowadays, most of the land in and around his village remains barren.

”Water is considered fresh as long as its salinity is within 1,000 micro Siemens per centimetre (700 parts per million). A recent study led by Zahid found that in most coastal areas, salinity level was four to five times higher than that. “In some areas, we have found the level of salinity has reached up to 40,000 micro Siemens (per cubic centimetre) in shallow groundwater,” he said.Apart from salinity increase, sea level rise is now significant enough to measure in some parts of coastal Bangladesh. BWDB records show that at Hiron Point in the Sundarbans, water level of the Passur River has increased by 5.6 mm between 1977 and 2009.Ainun Nishat, hydrologist and climate change expert, suggests that farmers grow other crops as they can no longer grow rice in such salinity-affected land.

Hydrologists say that even in areas where the soil has not turned too saline yet, the groundwater has, due to seawater intrusion.

This makes it hard for farmers to irrigate their crops.As the seawater first intruded through rivers and canals, farmers have

“There are some experiments are going on in some pockets of the salinity-affected areas,” Nishat told thethirdpole.net. “There are some crops like soybean, maize, barley, sugarcane and some varieties of lentils that are being tried.”Asked if he or his

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine neighbours had tried to grow any of these crops, Sahdat – the farmer in Bagerhat district – said it was hard to get those seeds.Officials in Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation – the government agency that distributes seeds – say that currently they can provide only 21 per cent of the seeds needed in salinityaffected areas.

The crisis is going to get worse, as Bangladesh will have to grow food for an estimated 250 million people by 2050. The population is around 160 million now.

Researchers say that by 2050, the country may be left with only 4.8 million hectares of arable land. It has 8.1 million hectares now.

On top of that, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in its 2007 report that due to global warming, rice yield in developing countries may decrease by 15 per cent by 2050.

Recipe: Green Garden Curry

By Hannah www.bittersweetblog.com | 2014

Kaminsky, December 8,

A highly flavorful yet delicate curry, bursting with bold notes of that luscious basil of course, but assembled with finesse so that you taste far more than just heat.

Easily falling on the mild side of the spectrum, this Green Garden Curry is all about soothing, warming, and invigorating tastes, and not so much the sheer spice level itself. This recipe is truly a season-less dish, equally delicious and accessible 365 days of the year.

Ingredients:  1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil  3 Medium Shallots, Diced  4 Cubes Frozen Minced Garlic*  3 Cubes Frozen Minced Ginger**  1 Medium-Sized Fresh Jalapeno, Finely Minced  1 1/2 Tablespoons Lime Juice  3 2-Inch Long Stalks Dried Lemongrass or 1 Stalk Fresh, Bashed and Bruised  1 1/2 Teaspoons Cumin Seeds  1 Teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds  1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander  1/2 Teaspoon Ground Fenugreek  1/4 – 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes  1 Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk  1 Cup Snow Peas  1/2 Cup Frozen Green Peas  1 Cup Shelled and Peeled Fava Beans, Fresh or Frozen  4 Cubes Frozen Chopped Basil**  Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste Brown Basmati Rice, to Serve *1 cube is equal to 1 whole clove. **1 cube is equal to 1 teaspoon.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Method: 1. Set a large saucepan over moderate heat and add the coconut oil in first, allowing it to fully melt. Once liquified, introduce the shallots, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Saute for 6 – 8 minutes, until the cubes have broken down and the entire mixture is highly aromatic, as the shallots begin to take on a golden-brown hue. Deglaze with the lime juice, scraping the bottom of the pan to ensure that nothing sticks and all of the brown bits are incorporated.

Next, introduce your whole but bruised lemongrass along with the remaining spices.

Stir periodically, cooking for 5 – 6 minutes until it smells irresistible.

2. Pour in the coconut milk, turn down the heat to medium-low, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the snow peas, green peas, and fava beans next, stirring to combine, and let stew gently for 10 – 15 minutes, until the snow peas are bright green and the fava beans are tender. Pop in the basil cubes last, cooking just until they‟ve completely dissolved and melded seamlessly into the curry before removing the pot from the heat.

3. Season with salt and pepper according to taste, and serve immediately over brown rice.

This article was originally published on www.bittersweetblog.com. Read the original here.

What Is the Glycemic Index and How It Affects You December 8, 20145:32 PM MST

The glycemic index can be difficult to navigate.

http://pixabay.com/en/scale-diet-fat-healthtape-weight-403585/ The Glycemic index (also GI) is a ranking system invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto. It is a system that ranks the effects of carbohydrates on an individual‟s blood glucose level.Different carbs have different effects on an individual‟s blood glucose level. When you consume a carb such as white bread, it will cause an insulin spike in the body and the blood glucose level will go up. The GI index will show how much effect the food has on an individual‟s blood glucose level.

Generally, for weight loss, one will need to avoid foods that have a high GI index.

Carbohydrates that are slowly digested and broken, will release glucose into the blood stream gradually. These carbs have a low glycemic index. A lower glycemic index means slower rates of digestion and absorption of the sugars and starches in the foods.

•Spinach •Tomatoes •Asparagus •Broccoli •Cauliflower •Celery •Cherries

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine •Cucumber •Grapefruit •Peas •Peppers •Green beans

you do have diabetes, you will be better able to control it. A low GI diet reduces blood cholesterol levels, risk of heart disease, minimizes carbohydrate cravings.You will feel less hungry and whatever low GI foods you consume will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. It also prolongs physical endurance. For people trying to lose weight, a low GI diet will prevent energy crashes and you will have a lower tendency to gain weight.

•Lettuce •Low-fat yogurt •Soy Beans •Zucchini Examples of high GI foods are – •White •White •Brown rice

bread potatoes

•Watermelon •White rice •Dates •Puffed wheat •Corn chips •Waffles •Rice cakes •Candies •Pretzels Knowing the GI of the foods you consume will be very helpful to your fat loss quest. If you are eating a lot of high GI foods, you will be sabotaging your progress and these foods are also detrimental to your health.If your blood sugar levels keep being raised repeatedly, your endocrine system will be pushed to its limits. By choosing to consume low GI carbohydrates, you will be enjoying several health benefits.

You will increase your body‟s insulin sensitivity and prevent diabetes. In the event

In order to enjoy the benefits of a low GI diet, you will need to substitute the high GI foods you consume with low GI foods. It will take some sacrifices and initial discomfort but once you get used to it and start seeing the benefits, you will adopt this diet happily.For starters, you can substitute the normal sugary cereals that you consume for breakfast with low GI cereals comprised of oats, bran and barley.Instead of eating white bread and pastries which use white flour, you can eat wholegrain breads and pastries made with stone-ground flour.

Switch to brown rice or basmati rice instead of white rice.

Replace white potatoes with sweet potatoes or yams. Skip the mayonnaise, margarine and high calorie dressings. Eat fresh fruits instead of drinking sweetened juices.All these are small changes that make a big difference. Once you get used to the low GI diet, you will see changes in your body that will amaze you. You will look better and feel better. You weight loss progress will be unhindered and rewarding.

Amira collaborates with farmers to develop organic crops FBR Staff WriterPublished 09 December 2014

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Packed basmati rice provider Amira Nature Foods has joined hands with 7,500 farmer families in India to develop 12,000 hectares of land for organic crops.As part of this development, Amira plans to deliver technical guidance, marketing linkage to the farmers and also to expose them to organic and sustainable methods of farming, The Economic Times reported.In November, Amira launched a range products at the organic food show held at Kochi, Kerala. It includes organic rice, lentils & beans, flour, spices, oil & ghee.

Amira Nature Foods chairman and CEO Karan Chanana was quoted by the Economic Times as saying: "With this launch we have further expanded our range of offerings in India."Organic products category has seen a tremendous growth in the last couple of years and Indian consumers are becoming more conscious about their health as well as the environment."Recently, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Snapdeal.com to be the first rice brand to be available on an online platform in India. www.foodbusienssreview.com

On saving our rice and minimising losses

“Rice quality has been an issue since long and there is a tough competition among rice exporting countries in international market.

There is a need for improved rice production, harvesting and milling technology in the country. Currently about 9,000 old re-assembled conventional wheat combine harvesters are being used for rice harvesting and that are causing grain shattering, breakage losses and low head rice recovery. ” This was stated by Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Secretary and PARC Agricultural Engineering Division (AED) Director General Dr Munir Ahmad while addressing all stakeholders including farmers, machinery service providers, rice millers, rice exporters, manufacturers, and representatives of line departments on the occasion of a day-long national seminar on “Rice quality and head recovery affected by harvesting/threshing and milling practices” at a local hotel in Gujranwala.Speaking on the occasion, National Agricultural Research Council (NARC) Director General Dr Muhammad Azeem Khan said that by adopting new improved harvesting machines, about 4-6 billion worth of losses in rice quality could be saved annually.

He said PARC has developed various crop productions technologies and innovations for the benefit of small farmers. He said we are working with various stakeholders for transfer of new innovations to the end-users to make the agriculture more

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

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine profitable.Speaking on the occasion, NARC Agricultural and Biological Engineering Institute (ABEI) Director Dr Tanveer Ahmad said that due to traditional drying and storage practices more often rice produced is affected by aflatoxin. Poor crop conditions also affect rice head rice recovery. PARC has conducted a study factors causing low head rice recovery.

The results showed that conventional combines are causing low head rice recovery and paddy harvested by head feeding combines and manual harvesting gave better head rice recovery.After detailed discussion, some recommendations were suggested by the participants of the seminar which include i) development of new improved rice varieties; ii) introduction of high capacity head feeding combines; iii) installation of rice kit on already operating conventional wheat combines that are being used for rice harvesting; iv) Engineering Institute with collaboration of Engro (Pvt) initiate a project to design and develop an improved rice threshing kit for conventional combine harvesters; v) Government legislation to restrict farmers and combine service providers not to harvest paddy crop at higher moisture content; and vi) introduction of mechanical dryers, etc.

Tags Pakistan, rice crop

Source with thanks: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/12/09/b usiness/on-saving-our-rice-and-minimisinglosses/

Nigeria: Local Rice Producers Get N1.56 Billion Funds From BoI

By Franklin Alli The Bank of Industry and other local investors have injected N1.56 billion on two rice mills and farms promoted by the former Minister of Industry/ President Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Engr.

Charles Ugwuh.The 42,000 capacity Tara Rice Mill and its subsidiary 1,200 hectares of rice farm are located at Adani, Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state, while the first one is in Abakaliki with a capacity of 30,000metric tonnes; the combined capacity being 72,000 metric tonnes.BoI Managing Director, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa justified the financing, saying "This project is very unique in the sense that it is not just a rice mill, he also has a 1,200 hectares of rice settlement and the whole idea is that they plan to increase that to 5,000 hectares, so the sourcing of the paddy that will be required by the rice mill is guaranteed.

"He noted that to turn the country from a major importer into a net exporter of rice is part of President Goodluck Jonathan's Transformation Agenda."So a lot of things are happening and it is hoped that at the end of the day, Nigeria will significantly reduce the amount of money spent importing food.

Already the expenditure on processed food has reduced from $6.9billion in 2009 to $4.3 billion currently. We believe that in the short-term, at most medium term, we should be in the position to not only eliminate food importation completely but actually ensure that Nigeria can be a net exporter of food items," he said.

According to Charles Ugwuh, the Tara mill had been tested, fully established and

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine producing rice of high quality with capacity to mill 42,000 tonnes of paddy per year or about 30 tonnes of paddy per day."The value of the mill at cost is N1.56 billion out of which BoI has provided N840 million and the local investors ploughed in the rest.There are about 200 people who work here directly and then about 4,000 farmers who contribute the paddy that keeps the mill running. The quality is excellent, Nigeria produces good quality paddy that does not get to stay in the silo for years and so we mill current paddy that is produced within the locality. We have a very good and nutritious paddy.

"Can you imagine what it would be if it were to be 10, 000 hectares producing a huge volume of paddy and massive job opportunities for farmers? This is the way forward for Nigeria and if you do it for 30 or 40 mills scattered across the country, Nigeria will be going forward. If we can increase the level of paddy production and the quantity of rice that we mill in the country, it will be good for Nigeria.

However the major challenge still remains infrastructure," he said.He commended the state government for having done quite well in the provision of link roads to the farms and mill but added that more can still be done in terms of providing power and water to the mills and farmlands.

Source with thanks: http://allafrica.com/stories/201412090651.html

Japanese Rice Cookers a Hot Commodity Among Chinese

By KOSAKU NARIOKA,CONNECT

Chinese tourists shop in the Akihabara district of Tokyo.

Wealthy Chinese, who have been snapping up luxury apartments in Tokyo this year, are turning their attention to another Japanese product: rice cookers.Profit at Zojirushi Corp., a Japanese maker of cooking and home appliances, is forecast to have more than doubled in the fiscal year ended Nov. 20, thanks partly to strong demand for its rice cookers, the company said.“The Chinese really like Japanese manufacturing, and they love the Japanese rice cooker,” Richard Whittall, portfolio manager at Gordian Capital Singapore, said on the sidelines of last week‟s Nomura Investment Forum in Tokyo.

Mr. Whittall said surging demand for rice cookers among Chinese tourists is one of the bright spots in the Japanese stock market.

Zojirushi‟s shares have more than doubled so far this year. The company expects profit to hit Y3.5 billion ($29 million) in the past fiscal year.“What I‟m thinking every morning is „What‟s the next popular product for inbound demand?,‟” he said.Japan has seen a big surge in foreign visitors as the yen has weakened against the U.S. dollar, with arrivals this year reaching 11 million as of the end of October, topping theprevious full-year record hit last year, according to Japan National Tourism Organization.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The number of Chinese visitors hit 2 million during the same time period–an 80% increase from the period a year earlier.Still, tourists account for only a portion of Zojirushi‟s improving profits, the company said. The growing popularity of its rice cookers in the Chinese market helped push overall sales of cooking appliances up 12% in the quarter ended Aug. 20, it said.

USA Rice Outlook Conference - 2014

slightly higher rice prices in U.S. rice are good in 2015.

Source with thanks: http: //deltafarmpress.com/rice/usa-rice-outlookconference-2014#slide-0-field_images-120011

Concerns about arsenic in food have grown in recent years with high concentrations found in rice, fruit juices and even baby food.

Dec 8, 2014 Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press

Wiesemeyer discusses changes in post-election Washington JIM WIESEMEYER, center, senior vice president, Informa Economics, Washington Bureau, answers questions at the USA Rice Outlook Conference's opening reception. Wiesemeyer was the lead-off speaker at the conference's general session.

The USA Rice Outlook Conference drew one of its largest crowds in several years to the State House Convention Center in Little Rock, Ark. Attendees heard the U.S. economy is showing signs of improving and that the prospects for more rice acres and

A naturally occurring element found in soil and water, arsenic has also been used as a pesticide, and is taken up by plants and can then enter the food chain.The issue has led to scientific work to investigate how plants deal with arsenic and research has identified that some plants are able to pump out the poison, but not how they do this.In a paper published today (December 8) in the journal PLOS Biology an international team led by the University of Aberdeen has identified a gene critical to this process – a finding which could be used to breed new varieties of crops that naturally accumulate less arsenic.

The research team, which includes scientists from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine and Rothamsted Research, found that the gene HAC1 is used by the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress) to control arsenic accumulation and that when it is removed, the concentration of arsenic in the plants increased 300-fold.Identification of this key gene in the easy to work with Mouse-ear cress now makes it simpler to identify the equivalent gene in crops that large populations depend on for food, such as rice and wheat.

Professor David E Salt from the University of Aberdeen led the study. He said: "Arsenic is a poison well known to be dangerous to animals, including humans and plants as it damages fundamental chemical processes in most living systems."It is mainly found in two forms in soil – as arsenite As (III) and its oxidised form arsenate As (V). Arsenate is dangerous for plants as chemically it is very similar to phosphate – needed to manage energy within cells – so they are unable to distinguish between a dangerous toxin and an element essential for life."In order to survive, the plants need to find a way to deal with the poison entering their roots and so they convert it from arsenate, the form in which it is absorbed, to arsenite which can then be effluxed or pumped out from the roots.

"Previous research has identified that this process was happening but not how it was happening and that is where we have taken an important step forward."The researchers were able to pinpoint the gene (HAC1) encoding an arsenate reductase that performs this conversion of As (V) to As (III) . They then conducted a series of experiments which proved that when the

HAC1 gene was removed, the plants could no longer pump arsenic from their roots and the concentration of arsenic in the plants increased dramatically.Professor Salt added: "This finding means that we now understand more fully the mechanism for arsenic tolerance in plants.

"Because we now know what gene we are looking for, it will speed up the process for detecting it in other plants."Particular crop varieties are often grown because they have a good yield or suit particular conditions but not because they have a high capacity to pump arsenic from their roots, meaning arsenic can accumulate in their edible parts."Now we know the identity of the gene we can use this information to breed new varieties of crops with a strong version of the arsenate reductase but which also keep their favourable agronomic properties.

Putting this into practice would mean you have a good crop without arsenic."

Photo: Identification of gene could pave way for low arsenic crops such as rice (pictured)

2015 Leadership Development Program Class Announced LITTLE ROCK, AR -- Members of the 2015 Rice Leadership Development Program class were announced yesterday during the annual Rice Awards Luncheon at the 2014 USA Rice

Outlook Conference. The class is comprised of five rice producers and two industryrelated professionals selected by a committee of agribusiness leaders."The rice industry enjoys strong leadership, and has a bright future. This program plays a critical

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine role thanks to the intensive training and the high caliber participants," said Rice Foundation Chairman Todd Burich.The new rice-producer class members are Nicole Creason, Jonesboro, AR; Hudgens Jeter, Stuttgart, AR; Paul Johnson, Welsh, LA; Nat McKnight, Cleveland, MS; and Greg Van Dyke, Pleasant Grove, CA. The new industry-related class members are Dustin Harrell of the LSU AgCenter, and Collin Holzhauer with Southern Rice & Cotton.The Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication training.

During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions that are designed to strengthen their leadership skills.John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity Company are sponsors of the Rice Leadership Development Program through a grant to The Rice Foundation, and the USA Rice Federation manages the program.

USA Rice Outlook Conference Day Two The Klein Report

LITTLE ROCK, AR -Today's general session opened with a briefing by USA Rice Federation Vice President of Marketing and Communications Michael Klein on consumer group research conducted earlier this year and how USA Rice is putting that research to work by translating what people told us into effective messaging.

Mario Solorzano, president of the Central American Rice Federation (FECARROZ), and a guest panel of FECARROZ representatives talked about the U.S. rice market in Central America. FECARROZ members include El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. They reminded the audience of the importance of the Central American market for U.S. rice

Contact: Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541 Photo :From left: Chris Crutchfield (American Commodity Co.), Todd Burich (The Rice Foundation), Greg Van Dyke, Dustin Harrell, Paul Johnson, Hudgens Jeter, Collin Holzhauer, Nat McKnight, Nicole Creason, and Chuck Wilson (USA Rice).

exports and their collective concern about the quality of U.S. rice being shipped into their region due to poor quality and discrepancies in product analysis.

Central American Rice Federation Panel

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine USA Rice COO Bob Cummings followed with a discussion on the outlook for trade issues and implications for the U.S. rice industry. U.S. government support for rice has reduced significantly over the last ten years while the level of global government support, particularly in China, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam, has increased sometimes as much as 100 percent. Cummings also noted that the International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting a study of factors influencing the global competitiveness of U.S. rice, and announced that the 2014 Colombia TRQ will contribute $8 million to rice research to be shared between the six rice-producing states.

United States Trade Representative Chief Agriculture Negotiator Darci L. Vetter was introduced and briefed attendees on the Obama administration's current work on TPP, T-TIP, and fast track authority. Vetter also thanked the USA Rice Federation for their continued cooperation and advice as the U.S. government works to increase market access for U.S. rice.

Contact: 1444

Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-

Japan Announces 9th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014 Announcement: Tender:

Offer details:

51,000 mt

Country NonNonSpecifie glutinou glutinou d or s milled s milled Global rice rice (mediu (long m grain) grain) U.S.A. 12,000 Thailand 14,000 Global 12,000 13,000 Tender TOTAL 24,000 27,000

TOTA L

12,000 14,000 25,000 51,000

Shipping period: (Medium grain) From 10 March 2015 to 20 April 2015 (Long grain) From 1 April 2015 to 10 May 2015

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for December 9

Month

Price

Net Change

January 2015

$12.290

+ $0.245

March 2015

$12.540

+ $0.245

May 2015

$12.790

+ $0.245

July 2015

$12.990

+ $0.245

September 2015

$12.265

+ $0.245

November 2015

$12.165

+ $0.245

January 2016

$12.165

+ $0.245

8 December 2014 12 December 2014

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