11th april ,2017 daily globa regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice

E-Newsletter

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April 11,2017 Vol 8 Issue IV Today Rice News Headlines...                  

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An Intern Reports: Finding a Seat at the Table Jet Airways Premiere business class: review The price of rice Single mom cooks her way to victory NFA pegs deficit in govt rice stocks at 490,800 MT AS BUFFER: Duterte orders NFA to buy local rice President orders more purchases of local rice Assam rice production projected at 75 lakh mt this year: Atul Bora WTO told: PHL can’t convert QR into tariff yet Eyes glued to Pacific, for monsoon clues Customs restricts exit of rice from free trade zones Paddy rice price may drop to N6000’ Why an effective ban on cow slaughter may soon banish the cow itself PM: Do more for rice sector Why is rice market jittery?

No more rice through Free Trade Zones - Customs Customs warns against rice smuggling via FTZs Assam rice production projected at 75 lakh mt this year: Atul Bora Atul Bora appeals scientists to improve local rice varieties Scientists Uncover New Antiviral Defense Mechanism In Rice West Bengal: Overproduction of potato, rice lead to sharp drop in prices Rice traders need govt support to arrest declining exports

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News Detail...

An Intern Reports: Finding a Seat at the Table

By William Mencer WASHINGTON, DC -- My fondest memories from days on the family farm in southeast Arkansas were sharing conversations with my father and grandfather over breakfast and lunch each day, discussing things such as weather, jobs that needed to be done on the farm that day, commodity prices, and current events. From a young age, I can remember having a keen interest in how the farm operated but also how legislation, regulation, and world events affected my father and grandfather's day-to-day decisions for the farm.

I decided to pursue that interest in agriculture and policy by studying agriculture economics, law, and political science as a student at Mississippi State University. My education made me aware of my obligation as a citizen of the United States, and as a farmer therein, to do something, to be involved, and make a contribution to the greater farming community.

I was fortunate in getting the opportunity to intern at USA Rice, an organization with a mission to promote and protect the interests of the U.S. rice industry. Having grown up on a rice farm, I have seen the results of the work done at USA Rice first-hand and I felt it would be an appropriate way to give back to an industry that has provided my family with the life we share today.

Working at USA Rice, I have gained invaluable policy experience attending farm bill conferences, accompanying staff as they met with legislators on Capitol Hill to talk about important issues specific to the rice industry, attending Congressional hearings, and getting to know the team at USA Rice.

Living on the farm, it is easy to sit back and assume that our livelihood and way of life will always be there. However, this experience has taught me the importance of showing up and making your case. As they say here in Washington, "If you don't have a seat at the table, you may find yourself on the menu."

I very much look forward to taking the lessons I've learned here back to my community and applying them to the next chapter in my life: law school. I know the insights I've gained into the federal process will be of great benefit no matter where this life takes me. One thing I know for certain: I'll never forget where I came from, and that's rice country.

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Jet Airways Premiere business class: review A Jet Airways Boeing 777 John O'Ceallaigh 10 APRIL 2017 • 12:52PM

Serving 65 destinations throughout India and worldwide, Jet Airways flies to London Heathrow from Delhi and its hub in Mumbai. This is a review of the experience aboard a daytime Premiere (or businessclass) flight from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport to London Heathrow aboard a Boeing 777300ER. Pre-departure: Jet Airways international flights from Delhi depart from Terminal 3 and all passengers should ensure they have a print-out of their ticket to hand in order to efficiently bypass security personnel at the building‘s entrance and proceed to check-in. After gaining entry I was promptly attended to by staff at the dedicated Premiere counter, and cleared immigration via the fast-track channel reserved for business- and first-class passengers; the entire process took about 15 minutes.

Despite its stature as India‘s second biggest airline, Jet Airways is surprisingly without its own lounge in Delhi. I was instead granted access to the Plaza Premium Lounge (also used by BA and Virgin Atlantic passengers, among others). It‘s an indistinct but fully adequate space with ample seating, showering facilities, bar and a fair range of hot Indian and international dishes on offer.

A Jet Airways Premiere business-class seat

The seat: Premiere passengers aboard Jet Airways Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-200 aircraft are seated in a 1x2x1 herringbone layout – solo passengers should appreciate the sense of isolation this provides; couples can choose to sit facing each other from across the aisle or with one partner seated in front of the other.

The seat itself extends to a 180-degree, 73‖ flat bed, offers hip dimensions of 33.1‖ and includes a massage function. Passengers of unremarkable proportions should consider the space completely comfortable, though I found storage space didn‘t meet my needs. Populated with my wash bag (Jet Airways doesn‘t provide an amenity kit on daytime flights), stockpile of

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magazines and laptop, my surrounds felt somewhat cramped.

The Jet Airways Premiere business-class cabin

Entertainment: Displayed on a 15.4-inch touchscreen, the carrier‘s in-flight entertainment system JetScreen offers a choice of approximately 180 on-demand films, 249 TV programmes and nearly 1,000 audio CDs.

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That impressive breadth is skewed towards the airline‘s primary market, however, with masses of Bollywood and Indian region features among the film selection but very few notable recent Hollywood, European or international releases apparent. Unable to catch up on some new blockbuster as I had hoped, I instead unearthed a vast catalogue of TED talks.

Passengers can also while away time by exploring a virtual library of audio books and e-books displayed on screen, or even attempt to learn a language with integrated Berlitz World Traveller software. Wi-Fi isn‘t available on flights - as I‘m too frequently online on the ground this is something I always appreciate personally - but text messages and emails can be sent from the air for an additional charge.

Indian cuisine served aboard the flight

Food & drink: Premiere‘s Dine Anytime menu invites passengers to eat as and when the wish, with options divided more or less evenly between Indian dishes (devised by Kensington‘s Bombay Brasserie, which is part of India‘s high-end Taj hotels group) and international cuisine (overseen by Michelin-starred Belgian chef Yves Mattagne).

Wine options are limited, with two European reds and whites apiece on offer during my flight, alongside Bollinger Special Cuvee champagne, which was served from a dainty 375ml bottle (some flights instead serve Billecart – Salmon Brut). Cocktails are available, however, and tea options are extensive, with a comprehensive Sky Chai menu offering a range of excellent international blends from a Kashmiri Kahwa to a Masala tea to a Japanese Sencha.

To eat, I chose a fair beetroot, orange and sesame seed salad to start and, as a mains, an enjoyable, flavoursome Murgh Biryani. A dish of pastry-encased marinated chicken with

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basmati rice, mint and yoghurt it came, like all Indian dishes served in Premiere, with spiced okra and black lentils. Far more popular than Western options includinga vegetable canneloni and a a roast corn-fed chicken with pumpkin-potato mash, an array of colourful, attractively presented Indian dishes were ordered by neighbouring passengers. My dessert, a white chocolate and raspberry cheese mousse, was an indistinct finale.

A lighter course

Prior to landing we were able to order from a ‗light menu‘ offering either raj kachori – deep-fried flour shells stuffed with spiced potatoes and chickpeas – or a stolid chicken tikka burger with potato wedges. Cheese, Indian breads, popcorn and other snacks were also available during the flight.

Service:Staff were relaxed and friendly, though as I had noted on my earlier flight from London, sometimes forgetful and occasionally slow.

Post-departure: Premiere passengers are provided with fast-track forms for immigration.

Getting through Heathrow at about 6.30pm on the weeknight of my arrival was entirely painless.

Price: Jet Airways flies daily from London Heathrow to Delhi and twice daily to Mumbai, and operates a large number of domestic routes throughout India. Return fares from London Heathrow to Delhi cost from £1,647 in Premiere business class or £510 in economy class. To book visit jetairways.com or call 0808 101 1199. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/jet-airways-premiere-business-class-review/

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The price of rice DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 10, 2017 12:00am I grew up in an area of Paco, Manila that‘s a few blocks away from what was then the office of the forerunner of the NFA. I think it was called the National Grains Authority or NGA, and before that, Rice and Corn Administration or RCA.This is where I saw long lines of people trying to buy rice during a rice supply crisis. Every president knows rice is a political commodity that influences election outcomes.

The problem is rather complicated because of competing interests. On the one hand are the farmers, and on the other hand are the consumers. Then there are the politically influential traders.Because the government has never really been able to provide adequate support services to our farmers, wealthy traders have stepped in. They provide everything from seeds to fertilizers and enough credit to see a farmer through a planting season to harvesting.

Because of the political nature of rice, our staple food, every administration proudly declares a rice self sufficiency goal upon assumption of office. This isn‘t easy to achieve because of our geography.

We don‘t have the large river systems of mainland Southeast Asia to feed the rice fields. We have to put up expensive irrigation systems to have more than one crop season. Our yields per hectare pale compared to Thailand‘s and Vietnam‘s.

In other words, we should really be planting other crops that will bring our farmers better incomes. But our farmers have been planting rice for centuries and few are daring enough to try new crops that do not require a lot of water.Our bureaucrats at the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority also have big personal incentives to maintain our outdated and inappropriate rice policies. Economists have been saying that aiming for self sufficiency in rice is a no-win gambit.

It is a simple application of the principle of comparative advantage… doing something that you can do better and cheaper than anyone else. Obviously, we have no comparative advantage in growing rice to the point of ―self sufficiency.‖ We have some areas where rice can be competitively grown (specially with new hybrids). These are fertile areas where the irrigation system is working well to enable growing several crops a year.

But for areas that are essentially rain-fed, soil analysis should be done to determine what crops can be more profitably grown. After all, we don‘t live on rice alone. We need vegetables and fruits for domestic consumption and for export.

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More should also be done to help farmers grow potatoes, onions and other farm produce used by food processors. Jollibee, San Miguel and Nestle are good examples of companies with programs to support farmers who grow farm products they need.

I know for sure that President Duterte had good intentions when he declared last week that he is banning rice imports to support the farm gate price of rice. That was why he fired one undersecretary said to have shown special interest in advancing importation by private entities.

Two issues are involved: import rice now for buffer stock or later. If we import now, the National Food Authority Council or NFAC that should control NFA wants to let the private sector do the importation.

But the NFA management wants a government to government transaction. The secretary of agriculture, however, wants to ban imports for now because he claims we have good harvests.

The undersecretary explained she had been merely implementing a decision already reached by the NFA to let private sector do the importation. This will save government from borrowing P24 billion to cover the one million metric tons of rice NFA‘s Aquino wants to import. NFA already has a ―legacy debt‖ of P211 billion from past such imports.

If this is so, the fired undersecretary was doing the right thing. We ought to get the government out of the rice importation business.

Government to government importation deals do not guarantee we get the best price. It is exempted from the Procurement Law. One loophole is the choice of ―logistics provider‖ or the company that will transport the rice from boats to trucks. This is where big money is made even as it raises the costs of logistics.

Opening up the importation of rice to everyone should make the system more honest because there is incentive to import at the least cost and at the right time. Because their money is at stake, private importers will import only as much as the market can take. Anything more will mean losses on their part.

Apparently the undersecretary was working under the instruction of Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco. As reported by The Star last week, documents it obtained show Evasco, as NFA council chairman, sent two memos to NFA officials asking them to immediately submit to him for his signature importation permits for private traders.

The memos, dated four days apart, were marked ―Extremely Urgent.‖ Evasco furnished NFA administrator Jason Aquino copies of his two memos, which were printed on the letterhead of the Office of the President. The memos were ignored.

However, the NFA officials got to talk to the President first and convinced him Evasco‘s undersecretary was up to no good. Apparently, the President didn‘t bother to ask Evasco.

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It is interesting to note that even before the NFA policy conflict erupted, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia had noted that inflation in rice and meat has accelerated. Sec. Pernia thinks importation constraints imposed by the government as the likely explanation.

Many economists have been pointing out the folly of protecting our domestic markets at the expense of the consuming public. Economists insist there are better ways to assist our farmers without causing food prices to rise.

High food costs make our labor cost uncompetitive and aggravate social unrest. But those who have profited greatly from the old system always manage to get their way.

The total ban on imports preferred by the President and his agriculture secretary may prove risky.

I am not sure how good our agricultural statistics are, but if it is just the usual ―puede na,‖ we have problems.

They may grossly overestimate production and end up with a politically dangerous shortage. By the time we realize we need to import, it may be too late or too costly. It happened during PNoy‘s watch when agriculture officials gave a rosy production report to look good but turned out not true.

We don‘t even need a shortage that requires people to line up for their daily quota, as I witnessed during my growing up years, to generate unrest. A significant price rise in the public markets could potentially destabilize government.

As for the assumption of the President that a ban on rice imports means more money for our farmers, that may also not happen. Rice traders have always managed to corner most of the profits that can be made from the growing and selling of rice. Farmers get barely enough to support their earthly existence.

Having experienced the extremes of El Niño and La Niña over the past few years, our officials ought to err on the side of safety. It is not enough for the President to say he saw verdant rice fields in his helicopter ride over Mindoro to conclude we will have enough stocks to avert a supply and price crisis.

For the sake of our people, we can only hope and pray the President and his agriculture secretary know what they are doing. They will pay dearly in terms of political capital if they are wrong, but our people would have already suffered on account of their mistake.

Boo Chanco‘s e-mail address is bchanco@gmail.com http://www.philstar.com/business/2017/04/10/1689309/price-rice

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Single mom cooks her way to victory

By Sowetan LIVE | 2017-04-10 16:28:50.0 Mayenziwe Nombela, a single mother from Durban KZN became the first person to win the “aha Tastes: Designed to Delight competition.

The competition which took place on 1 April 2017 at aha Lesedi in Gauteng saw 5 finalists take part in cook-out for a chance to win a holiday valued at R30k.

The ―aha Tastes: Designed to Delight‖ competition ran from 20 March 2017 to 24 March 2017. Every day for the duration of the competition, a number of surprise ingredients were announced - either via radio, or via Facebook. To enter, you had to use those ingredients to create and submit a recipe within the timeframes provided.Group Executive Chef Renzo Bico then evaluated these recipes and chose a daily winner. Daily winners won a cash prize and competition entrants were placed in line to be selected as one of six finalists to partake in the final cook-off.

According to Chef Renzo, selecting an overall winner at the final cook-off was no small feat though. ―We were generally in awe of the culinary artistry that our entrants displayed and the other finalists all delivered an impressive performance at the cook-off,‖ he enthuses. But ultimately it was Mayenziwe‘s take on an impala goulash that tipped the scales in her favour.‖ Nombela entered via Facebook with a recipe of Impala goulash, Basmati rice, Cabbage and carrot salad with grilled fennel bulb with a mango salsa on the side. ―I always see these things on TV, I didn‘t know it was going to happen to me one day. I‘m just delighted,‖ said Nombela.

She won herself a 4-night stay for two at the spectacular aha Makalali Private Game Lodge and 2 nights at aha Casa Do Sol Hotel & Resort www.sowetanlive.co.za/goodlife/2017/04/10/single-mom-cooks-her-way-to-

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NFA pegs deficit in govt rice stocks at 490,800 MT

By Jasper Y. Arcalas APRIL 10, 2017

THE National Food Authority (NFA) has again appealed to the NFA Council (NFAC) to allow the importation of rice, as the deficit in its buffer stock stands at 9.8 million bags, equivalent to 490,800 metric tons (MT).Sans imports, NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said the food agency will be hard-pressed to comply with the 30-day buffer stock mandated by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) for the lean months of July to September.

The Ledac requires the NFA to maintain a buffer rice stock good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the calamity-prone lean months, based on the daily consumption requirement of 32,150 MT.

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―At present, the NFA needs an additional 490,800 MT of rice to meet the mandated volumes for food security. Much as we would want this additional stock to come from local produce, we cannot compete with the private traders who are offering prices much higher than the government‘s P17-per-kilogram support price,‖ Aquino said.Citing data obtained from the NFA‘s field monitoring, he noted that traders are buying paddy rice from the summer harvest an average of P18 to P20 per kg across the country.

At this point, Aquino said the only way the NFA can fill the deficit in its rice buffer-stock requirement is through importation.―If the government does not possess the right volume of stocks when the lean months come, who would provide for the needs of calamity victims?

Surely, not the private businessmen who will never transact business at a loss,‖ he said.

Initially, the NFA is seeking approval from the NFAC for the immediate government-togovernment importation of the balance of 250,000 MT out of the 500,000 MT rice imports approved for 2016.

Ideally, Aquino said the entire volume should arrive in the country within April to allow the NFA to preposition the stocks, especially in calamity-prone areas in the Philippines. ―The additional government rice imports will not be released into the market to compete with commercial stocks. These are intended mainly for buffer stocking. This is the difference between our stockpile and those imported by the private sector, which they sell at a profit,‖ he said.

Aquino noted that, when Supertyphoon Yolanda battered Tacloban and the rest of Region 8 in 2013, it was the NFA that mainly supplied the rice requirements of the victims. ―Our country is composed of many islands, and most of these islands are prone to natural calamities. In Batanes, for example, the NFA supplies 80 percent of the people‘s rice requirement,‖ Aquino said.

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Other Philippine islands prone to calamities where NFA maintains rice buffer stock include Camiguin, Catanduanes, Marinduque, Romblon, Polillo, Siquijor, Guimaras, Palanan in Isabela, Bantayan and Santa Fe in Cebu, and Camotes Island.

As of March 1, the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the country‘s rice inventory dropped by nearly 19 percent to 2.18 million MT, from 2.67 MMT recorded a year ago.Data from the PSA also showed that total rice inventory during the period was also 5.23 percent lower than the 2.3 MMT posted in February.Despite the decline in stocks, the PSA said the total rice inventory is sufficient to meet the rice-consumption requirement of Filipinos for 64 days. ―Stocks in the households would be enough for 34 days, those in commercial warehouses for 18 days, and those in NFA depositories for 12 days,‖ the PSA said in its monthly report, titled ―Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory February 2017‖, published over the weekend.The PSA said 52.95 percent of rice stocks were with the households, 28.81 percent were in commercial warehouses, while 18.24 percent were in NFA depositories. Almost 78 percent of NFA stocks consisted of imported rice.

PSA data showed that NFA stocks during the period reached 396,970 MT, while commercial warehouses accounted for 626,930 MT. Rice in households reached 1.15 MMT. ―Compared with the previous year, rice stocks in the households grew by 30.03 percent. Stocks in commercial warehouses and in NFA depositories dropped by 11.25 percent and 63.30 percent, respectively,‖ the report read. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/nfa-pegs-deficit-in-govt-rice-stocks-at-490800-mt/

AS BUFFER: Duterte orders NFA to buy local rice

By JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR April 11, 2017

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President Duterte yesterday ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to start buying the rice harvested by local farmers to augment the country‘s buffer stock.

The President, during the send off ceremony for his state visit to the Middle East held in Davao City yesterday, said the country posted a good harvest in the first quarter and there is enough rice supply at the moment to forego any need for importation.

Duterte said flooding the market with imported rice would affect the income of farmers. ―So I am ordering (NFA administrator) Jason Aquino to start buying if funds are available. You buy rice from the local producers first if you want a buffer. If there is a shortfall you might decide to import.... but imports should not compete with local farmers‘ produce,‖ Duterte said.

The President said that during his visit to Nueva Ecija last week, he was informed rice production per hectare in the first quarter was at least thrice the volume of what had been harvested last year.

Duterte reiterated he does not favor importation of rice at this time.

He said under the procedures, the Cabinet cluster should have submitted its recommendations to him about the importation and left the decision of approving or rejecting the importation to him.

He said the decision on the importation stemmed from an appeal filed by a private company which seeks to overturn an initial decision of the NFA to reject commercial importation.

The President denied there is infighting among his appointees following conflicting stands of the proposed rice importation at the moment. ―There is no in-fight, there is no ruckus there, there is no trouble there,‖ he said.

Reports said the National Food Council that included Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco and dismissed OP Undersecretary Halmen Valdez wanted commercial importation of rice, while Aquino wanted to just extend exiting rice importation contracts to beef upthe supply.Valdes, over the weekend accused Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol and the NFA of conniving to come up a rice shortage scenario.

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Pinol denied the statement adding that he is against rice importation at the moment due to the availability of newly harvested rice.The NFA had sought approval from the NFA Council for the immediate importation of 250,000 tons of rice under a government-to-government arrangement.

The balance of 240,800 tons could be purchased from local farmers or also imported.

A report from Reuters said major rice suppliers Vietnam and Thailand are keeping an eye on any fresh demand from the Philippines, one of the world‘s biggest buyers, but the NFA Council composed of the country‘s economic managers has yet to approve any purchase.The NFA, the government‘s food security watchdog, is required to maintain a rice stockpile good to last for 15 days at any given time and for 30 days at the onset of the lean months. Its stocks were good for only 14 days as of February.

But the NFA said it cannot compete with the private traders who are offering prices much higher than the government‘s P17 per kilogram support price.The agency‘s field monitoring shows that traders are buying palay from the summer harvest at an average of P18 to P20 per kg across the country. http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/buffer-duterte-orders-nfa-buy-local-rice

President orders more purchases of local rice April 11, 2017

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered stepped-up purchases of locally-produced rice, intervening in the sensitive issue of whether dwindling buffer stocks should be replenished with imports.

Workers inside the NFA rice warehouse in Visayas Ave. Quezon City, Photo taken on September 11, 2014.In a briefing Monday, the President said imports should only be resorted to if there is a ―shortfall‖ in local supply. ―I am ordering [National Food Authority (NFA) chief] Jason [Laureano Y.] Aquino... if there are funds, start buying. You buy the rice of local producers if you really want a buffer,‖ Mr. Duterte said in Filipino during a news conference in Davao City. ―Let us buy locally first, then if there is a shortfall, you might decide to import,‖ he added.

The President also made it clear that there is ―no infighting‖ within the government after he fired some government officials last week on suspicion of corruption. The firings involved an undersecretary who pressed for rice imports.

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―There‘s no ruckus. I just don‘t like people who are corrupt,‖ he said.

Mr. Duterte recently sacked Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Reina A. Valdez after she clashed with Mr. Aquino over the issue of private-sector rice imports.

Mr. Duterte said he placed a call to Malacañang before his helicopter landed in Nueva Ecija that day to order the relief of Ms. Valdez.

Ms. Valdez denied the allegations, saying in a statement that OCS appears to be ―under attack‖ by ―some officials who have free access to the President.‖ The NFA‘s Mr. Aquino is himself facing disciplinary sanctions, which could result in his removal from office, after allegedly refusing to carry out orders of the governing body, the NFA Council, to extend the arrival schedule of rice imports for the private sector.

Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr., also the ex-officio chairman of the NFA Council, said that Mr. Aquino‘s defiance of the Council‘s decision to extend the rice import deadline for private traders to March 31 from Feb. 28 may affect the country‘s food security.

The NFA is one of the 12 agencies under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

The NFA, as member of the NFA Council, was the lone dissenting vote when the Council approved the extension of private-sector rice imports under the minimum access volume scheme.

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In a statement, Mr. Aquino estimated the purchases needed to maintain mandatory buffer levels at 490,800 metric tons (MT) during the lean months.

However, he said the NFA is finding it difficult to purchase rice in competition with private traders, who can offer better prices than the NFA‘s support prices, which are intended to guarantee farmers an income for their product. ―Much as we would want this additional stock to come from local produce, we cannot compete with the private traders who are offering prices much higher than the government‘s P17/kilogram support price,‖ Mr. Aquino said Monday.

NFA‘s field monitoring shows that traders are buying palay, or unhusked rice, from the summer harvest at an average of P18-P20/kg across the country.

The law mandates a rice buffer stock sufficient for 15 days at any given time and 30 days at the onset of the lean months which run from July to September.

The country‘s daily consumption requirement is 32,150 MT or 643,000 bags, according to the NFA. ―[Mr.] Aquino stressed that at this point, the only way NFA can fill the deficit in its rice buffer,‖ the statement added but did not say whether the agency will endorse importation. ―It‘s always better to be safe than sorry especially when dealing with our people‘s basic staple. If the government does not possess the right volume of stocks when the lean months come, who would provide for the needs of calamity victims? Surely not the private businessmen who will never transact business at a loss,‖ he explained.

The NFA, since late last year, has been seeking approval from the NFA Council for the immediate government-to-government importation of the balance of 250,000 MT out of the 500,000 MT rice imports approved for 2016.

The NFA Council rejected the proposal citing the lack of endorsement from the National Food Security Committee, the recommending body that raises the need for rice imports.

Mr. Duterte has rejected any rice importation moves at a time when farmers are harvesting as inbound shipments may disrupt local supply and dampen prices of domestic rice stocks.

Mr. Aquino, however, assured that rice imported under the government-to-government scheme will not disrupt the market.

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―The additional government rice imports will not be released into the market to compete with commercial stocks. These are intended mainly for buffer stocking so that we will have a ready supply to be released to victims of calamities,‖ Mr. Aquino said. ―This is the difference between our stockpile and those imported by the private sector which they sell at a profit.‖ Rice prices are a sensitive political issue, with the potential to push inflation higher because food comprises a significant portion of the inflation basket of goods. The Philippines is a leading importer of the grain and its moves are closely watched by regional neighbors like Vietnam and Thailand, which have exportable surpluses. -Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral and Janina C. Lim http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=president-orders-morepurchases-of-local-rice&id=143598

Assam rice production projected at 75 lakh mt this year: Atul Bora Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director general (crop Science) Dr JS Sandhu called upon rice scientists to find out a technology so that farmers could get maximum productivity using minimum water.

By: PTI | Jorhat | Published: April 10, 2017 7:15 PM

Assam is expected to have a rice harvest of 75 lakh MT this year. (PTI) Assam is expected to have a rice harvest of 75 lakh MT this year, 23 lakh MT more than previous year‘s production, state Agriculture Minister Atul Bora has said. ―Rice production of Assam was 52 lakh MT last year and this year our expectation is to have a harvest of around 75 lakh MT,‖ Bora said at the 52nd Annual Rice Group Meeting. ―Our production curve is on upward trend despite the attack of caterpillar at initial stage,‖ he said here. Production was not affected by the caterpillar attack due to prompt measures taken by the state government as well as favourable environment, Bora said at the meeting yesterday.

Also watch:

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He said that the government wanted to employ organic farming system for which a foolproof organic rice production package was required. ―We are also into a programme of doubling the income of paddy farmers in our state,‖ Bora said adding that research bodies needed to contribute in a big way for this.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director general (crop Science) Dr JS Sandhu called upon rice scientists to find out a technology so that farmers could get maximum productivity using minimum water. The Annual Rice Group Meeting, held in Assam for the first time, was organised by ICAR–Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat http://www.financialexpress.com/economy/assam-rice-production-projected-at-75-lakh-mt-thisyear-atul-bora/622899/

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WTO told: PHL can’t convert QR into tariff yet

By Jasper Y. Arcalas APRIL 9, 2017

Manila has informed the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the Philippines may not be able to convert the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice into tariff by July 1 due to the delay in the amendment of a domestic law.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo R. Serrano said Noel Padre, director of the Department of Agriculture‘s (DA) Policy Research Service, was given the task of informing the WTO. ―I sent Padre to Geneva, Switzerland, to explain the initiatives the government is undertaking so we will be predictable to [the WTO]. [My marching order] was to report that the legislative

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process is something we can‘t control,‖ Serrano told reporters on the sidelines of a recent news briefing. ―But there are things we are currently doing, that there are already bills filed to amend [Republic Act (RA) 8178] and while we are not able to comply we are maintaining our concessions [under the waiver],‖ he added.Serrano said extending the concessions under the Philippines‘s waiver on the special treatment on rice is an option to avoid disputes with other WTO member-countries.

Former President Benigno S. Aquino III had to issue Executive Order (EO) 190, which outlined the concessions that allowed the Philippines to continue implementing the QR on rice. Under EO 190, the concessions will expire on July 1.―As a gesture of goodwill and to avoid disputes, the Philippines would maintain the concessions while RA 8178 has not yet been amended,‖ Serrano said.On July 24, 2014, the WTO General Council approved the Philippines‘s waiver on the special treatment on rice, allowing Manila to keep its QR on rice until June 30.

However, the WTO General Council approved the waiver on the condition that the Philippines will subject its rice imports to ordinary custom duties by July 1.―At the expiration of this waiver, and no later than June 30, 2017, the importation of rice shall be subject to ordinary customs duties in accordance with paragraph 10 of Annex 5, Section B, of the Agreement on Agriculture,‖ the WTO General Council decision read.

One of the concessions made by Manila in securing the waiver was to lower the tariff on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) to 5 percent, from 40 percent. Under EO 190, the tariffs on MDM would revert to its original rate on July 1.The WTO General Council also noted that the concessions made by the Philippines in securing the waiver would cease to exist upon the expiration of the waiver.

To allow the conversion of the QR into tariffs, Serrano said RA 8178 must be amended. Under RA 8178, rice is the only agricultural commodity with QR and the law did not specify a termination date for it, according to Serrano.However, Serrano said retaining the concessions

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while RA 8178 is being amended is not an assurance that trading partners will not file a complaint before the WTO against the Philippines for not converting the QR. ―It‘s not a guarantee. What we are saying to interested parties, our trading partners, is that the Executive branch cannot intervene in the enactment of a law. That‘s the domain of the Legislative branch, which has its own process,‖ he said.

Even if the waiver expires on June 30, Serrano said the government will continue to implement the QR on rice as mandated by RA 8178. ―That‘s a no-brainer because you have to implement the law. Besides, it‘s not the DA that is implementing the law on QR, it‘s the NFA [National Food Authority],‖ he said.

A source privy to the meeting in Switzerland said there was no ―substantive‖ discussion regarding the Philippines‘s statement during the WTO Committee on Agriculture (COA) meeting on March 27 in Geneva.

Another source disclosed that the Philippines had bilateral talks with the United States after the WTO COA meeting. ―The US was concerned about the concessions.‖ Meanwhile, other trading partners, like Vietnam and Thailand, initiated ―informal‖ talks with the Philippines concerning their rice-import quotas, the source said. ―Thailand was concerned on what will happen with their quota, given that they have a huge riceimport quota. They wanted to increase their quota, but there‘s no formal talk yet,‖ the source added. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/wto-told-phl-cant-convert-qr-into-tariff-yet/

Eyes glued to Pacific, for monsoon clues VINSON KURIAN

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Indications suggest that it could be a ‗moderate-to-strong‘ El Nino this year An extended ‗El Nino‘ phase in the Pacific Ocean, which began in OctoberNovember-December of 2014, ran through all of 2015 and held sway until April-May-June 2016. During this spell, it masterminded two deficit-monsoon years on the trot (2014 and 2015) in India. This may re-emphasise the link, however tenuous, between the periodic abnormal warming of waters in the East and Equatorial Pacific that lie spread out over thousands of km across the country‘s international boundary, and the South-West monsoon, the lifeline of its farm economy.

Pacific, the leveller Now, why should something that happens in the Pacific be of concern to India and its monsoon at all? The answer lies in the size, scale and enormity of climatic systems that this vast water body fathers and which respects no geographical boundaries as they move around wherever they wish over land or seas/oceans to stamp their firm imprint on local/regional weather/climate.

At 165.25 million square km in area, the Pacific forms the largest division of the World Ocean. It covers about 46 per cent of the planet‘s water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth‘s land area combined.

Periodic anomalous warming of its eastern flanks creates lower atmospheric pressure, setting off evaporation and cloud building, which combine to build storms/cyclones/typhoons packing heavy rain and high winds.

In comparison, the western part of the ocean (which lies closer to India) cools, brings higher atmospheric pressure into play, suppresses cloud formation and rain, and generates dry conditions. This is called the El Nino (or, in Spanish, ‗little boy‘).

Exactly the reverse happens in a La Nina (‗little girl‘) phase when the warmth of the Pacific Ocean migrates to the western part and vice versa. As is usually the case in April (and pre-

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monsoon in India), the focus has once again shifted to the Pacific for signs of what it might ‗deliver‘ this year.

‘Neutral’ for now Currently, the Pacific is in a ‗neutral‘ phase as it emerges from a weak La Nina phase that set in the latter part of 2016, which also helped engineer the near-normal monsoon for India (though not so in South India).

Latest updates suggest that this weak La Nina phase has ended and the Pacific has started warming yet again. Available indications suggest that it could deliver a ‗little boy‘ yet again.

What he grows into is the million-dollar question. For instance, the Application Laboratory of Jamstec, the Japanese national forecaster, says it could be a ‗moderate-to-strong‘ event, which puts it next in intensity only to the ‗strong‘ event of 2015.

Droughts on trot As already mentioned, before receiving average rains in 2016, India suffered back-to-back drought years for only the fourth time in over a century, hurting incomes and driving some farmers to suicide.

But even in 2016, the South of the country was denied its share thanks to a strong unfavourable (negative) phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which mimics El Nino-La Nina phase in its backyard. The forecast so far for the Indian Ocean this year tends to suggest a positive IOD phase, which favours a concurrent monsoon. What bears watching is whether this can help

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neutralise the impact of an El Nino in the Pacific just as it did in 1997, a strong El Nino year, as also in 2006.

El Nino is known to affect kharif output as 55-60 per cent of the country‘s sown area is still rainfed. In oilseeds, soyabean, groundnut and castor seeds may take a hit while among pulses, tur, urad and moong may be the worst affected. Sugarcane, cotton and rice also are likely to be affected.

Impact on crops The sowing of castor seed takes place in June-September and harvesting in November-March. El Nino can lower production of castor and lead to a rise in prices. The weather in Brazil, a big contributor to the global production, is another factor to watch out for. India and China are other major producers. With China consuming most of the castor seed it produces, India is a major exporter. Well-distributed rainfall from June to September is required for good growth of the cane crop. But an El Nino could cut down the production of sugarcane.

Sowing of cotton starts from June, and the progress of monsoon is critical in determining the short- to medium-term price trends. Late arrival, if any, of the monsoon could delay sowing and lower productivity.

An El Nino could bring about a fall in soyabean yield, which will lead to lower availability, in turn leading to a rise in prices of refined soya oil. Prices will also take cue from factors such as the onset of monsoon, sowing progress as well as condition of the soyabean crop and withdrawal of monsoon.

El Nino may hit rains in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world‘s two-largest palm oil producers.

Production and yield could take a hit, leading to a price spiral http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/portfolio/real-assets/eyes-glued-to-pacific-for-monsoonclues/article9625544.ece

Customs restricts exit of rice from free trade zones ON APRIL 10, 201712:48 PMIN NEWSCOMMENTS Abuja – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has restricted the exit of rice from Free Trade Zones (FTZs ) in the country to ensure total compliance to the ban on the importation of rice. Mr Joseph Attah, the Public Relations Officer of NSC said in Abuja, that the Service has taken its war against rice smuggling to the FTZs. Attah said that due to the high level of security along the border lines, some Nigerians were taking advantage of the status of the FTZ to smuggle rice into the country. ―Just last week the

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Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali, issued a directive that no rice should exit from FTZ into the country.

We know that the FTZ enjoys special status under the law. ―It is known as a country within a country. That is why some items that are not allowed in the country are allowed by law to be imported into the country by the operators in the FTZ . ―However, the NSC has discovered that some operators are taking advantage of the status of the FTZ. They now circumvent the law restricting rice importation through the land borders. ―So if we block the land borders and allow operators of FTZ to bring in rice through the seaport into the FTZ and then exit into Nigeria, our efforts at the land borders will be in vain,‘‘ Attah said He explained that the FTZ was a land of its own, as such the law that apply to the land border should also be apply to the FTZ because it is a land, and ―between the two borders, there is no seaport.‖ http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/customs-restricts-exit-rice-free-trade-zones/

Paddy rice price may drop to N6000’ Posted By: Daniel Essieton: April 10, 2017

THE price of paddy rice may drop to N6000 in the next six months., the President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) , Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, has said

Goronyo, who dropped the hint at the weekend, said in some northern states, paddies now go for as low as N10,000, adding that the demand and consumption of locally produced rice have increased tremendously in recent time, just as farmers are smiling to the bank due to the patronage they are enjoying.

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He said there is increased productivity as more northerners were keying into the Central Bank of Nigeria‘s (CBN‘s) Anchor Borrowers Programme to start rice farming in earnest.

Besides, he said his association was mobilising rice farmers to take advantage of the CBN window nationwide to get involved in rice production. ―We are going to assist the Federal Government to produce more than enough rice. It is part of the plan to bring down the price of rice.There are several efforts that we are making to see that in no distant time, this price of rice will come down for Nigerians to have access to affordable milled rice,‘‘ Goronyo assured. The strategy,according to him, entails expansion of areas under rain fed farming and irrigation, reduction of post-harvest losses through mechanisation, improved seed production systems and market development improvement among others,Goronyo expressed optimism that the price crash would continue as the prices of inputs continue to fall http://thenationonlineng.net/paddy-rice-price-may-drop-n6000/

Why an effective ban on cow slaughter may soon banish the cow itself

BY KIRIT PARIKH, TOI CONTRIBUTOR | UPDATED: APR 10, 2017, 12.34 PM IST

From 1997 to 2012 the number of cows has increased from 103 million to 117 million. Over the same time the number of male cattle has gone down from 96 million to 66 million.Love visual aspect of news?:

The economic consequences of banning cow slaughter can be significant. It is quite likely that over time cows may disappear from India. A look at the data from livestock census, which is carried out every five years, is revealing. From 1997 to 2012 the number of cows has increased from 103 million to 117 million. Over the same time the number of male cattle has gone down from 96 million to 66 million.This is because tractors are replacing bullocks. The number of male cattle should be more or less the same as the number of cows if there is no slaughter. One could surmise that a large number of male cattle is being slaughtered or exported. The number of cows in milk has increased from 33 million to 42 million in this period. The proportion of crossbreed

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or exotic cows has increased from 15% to 25%. Thus the growth rate in milk production has been higher than that in the number of cows in milk.

A cow gives milk after it has given birth to a calf. Thus the number of calves less than one-yearold should be equal to the number of cows in milk. One would expect that half of these would be females and half males as the probability of birth is roughly equal. As expected the number of female calves less than one year is around 50% of cows in milk. However the number of male calves is much smaller at around 35%. Presumably a significant number of male calves are either slaughtered or allowed to die soon after birth.

Also a cow gives milk from age 3 to 10 years but lives for 20 to 25 years.Once a cow becomes unproductive, farmers sell it. Presumably the one who buys it slaughters it. This is seen in the number of cows that are not in productive age or calves. They constitute around 1-3% of the total number of cows. The number of male cattle above age 10 is around 2% of total male cattle. In the absence of slaughtering, their numbers should be around 50%.

The ban on cow slaughter will affect the economics of the dairy industry. If the milk producer cannot get rid of an unproductive cow, she will have to feed it for the rest of her life. Since the unproductive cows will be as many as productive ones, the amount and cost of feed will double.

This will increase the price of milk. In fact milk price will increase even more as the demand for feed will double and its price will be pushed up.This will also divert land to fodder production and less of other agricultural commodities will be produced. Their prices will also go up.

In 2012, there were around 180 million heads of cattle. If the ban is effectively implemented all over the country, the number of cattle heads by 2027 will be around 360 to 400 million.They will put an enormous strain on the resources of the country. What however is likely to happen is that milk production from cows will be no longer competitive with milk production from buffaloes.

No one would want to keep cows.Even bullocks used in farm operations will become expensive and would be replaced by tractors or working buffaloes. The ban on cow slaughter will result in a ban on cows. They may disappear from India. Of course if the government provides gaushalas for the unproductive cattle the dairy industry could still use cows for milk. But the price effect will still be there.

If cow vigilantes continue to terrorise and murder people without any fear of punishment, as happened in Rajasthan on April 5, one can be sure that no one will want to keep any cows. Cows will be banished from India. In any case buffaloes produce more milk than cows. In 2013-14, of the 138 million tonnes of milk produced in the country 51% was from buffaloes, 20% from indigenous cows and 25% from exotic cross bred cows.

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The lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq by vigilantes for alleged consumption of beef at Dadri in 2015 also suggests that the ban on cow slaughter will affect India's meat production and meat and leather goods exports. While statistics for export of cattle beef is not available, data for export of beef including buffalo meat is. In FY2015 India exported 2.4 million tonnes of beef and veal according to the US Department of Agriculture, which classifies buffalo meat also as beef. India is the world's largest exporter of beef including buffalo meat.

India's buffalo meat exports have been growing at an average of nearly 14% each year since 2011, fetching India as much as $4.8 billion in 2014.India now earns more from beef export than from export of basmati rice. t is thus very important that the ban on cow slaughter is carefully implemented in a way that does not discourage slaughter of buffaloes.

(The writer is a former member of the Planning Commission) http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/why-an-effective-ban-on-cow-slaughtermay-soon-banish-the-cow-itself/articleshow/58103569.cms

PM: Do more for rice sector Prime Minister Hun Sen warned millers not to mix high-quality Cambodian rice with cheaper rice.

KT/Chor Sokunthea

Image:Prime Minister Hun Sen warned millers not to mix high-quality Cambodian rice with cheaper rice. KT/Chor Sokunthea Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday urged more to be done to help the country‘s beleaguered rice sector and called on public and private enterprises to develop climate-resistant high yielding rice varieties, find more export markets and invest in value-added agro-industries.

Mr. Hun Sen made the call at the closing ceremony of the annual meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the Peace Palace. ―Cambodia‘s milled rice exports are facing difficulties in international markets and we have in stock more than three million [metric] tons,‖ said Mr. Hun Sen.The premier also warned millers not to mix high-quality Cambodian rice with cheaper rice. ―Maintaining the quality of rice has to be a priority so that we do not lose our export markets,‖ he added.Mr. Hun Sen called on both the public and private sectors to work together to develop new high-yielding rice varieties that are also able to survive extreme climatic events. ―We must be able to develop our own rice-seed varieties that suit climate patterns here in Cambodia and to meet current market demand,‖ he said.

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In calling for new export markets for milled rice, Mr. Hun Sen said: ―There is room in both the established and new markets for greater export growth. There is also room for improvement in the production, packaging, and marketing of Cambodia‘s rice.‖ Mr. Hun Sen said quality services and reliable products will serve the rice industry better over time.―We have to promote investment from the private sector in all value-added processing chains in agro-industries that are in special economic zones in order to export agricultural products,‖ he added.

Cambodia‘s milled rice exports only grew by a dismal 0.7 percent last year compared with 2015 and this was the lowest since 2014, according to government figures released in January. ―Last year Cambodia only exported 542,144 tons of milled rice and the lowest exports were in the first quarter of the year and December,‖ said Hean Vanhan, director-general of the agriculture department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

In the first quarter of last year, a severe drought affected rice production and through the year rice millers had been complaining of the flow of low-grade cheaper rice into the country from Vietnam.

Last March, rice millers and exporters wrote to the government urging intervention due to stiff competition in export markets as well as domestic ones. In the letter, they said they were facing a

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cash crunch due to a flood of low-grade rice from Vietnam while stressing that bankruptcy was widespread among farmers, millers and exporters alike.

In late September, the government responded by making a $27 million loan to rice millers to purchase paddy rice from farmers, in a bid to prevent rice prices from falling further.

Last month, the EU commission announced that Cambodia‘s milled rice industry must eradicate the use of the fungicide Tricyclazole by June and that exports of Cambodian rice must not contain more than 0.01 milligrams of the chemical per kilogram this year or face bans.

The EU is the biggest market for Cambodia‘s milled rice exports.http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37410/pm--do-more-for-rice-sector/

Why is rice market jittery?

In a situation where international rice market is stable and domestic production of the staple remains satisfactory, there should be no valid reason for domestic rice market to be volatile, writes Shamsul Huq Zahid That rice growers were not getting fair price for their produce very often used to hit the newspaper headlines for the last couple of years. Farmers were truly frustrated that they were not being able even recoup their cost of production. The government could do nothing to help them.

But as far as rice price is concerned, the situation, of late, has changed radically. The price of the main staple is now ten-year high. The minimum price of coarse variety of rice is Tk 38 a kilogram (kg) and the fine variety now costs on an average Tk 60 a kg.The hike in rice prices, however, is not benefitting the rice growers. The post-harvest price of Aman price this year was higher compared to the previous season. Farmers did not have much to complain about the price.

But it is the rice millers who are the real beneficiaries. Rice market insiders say that the millers built large stock of rice following the harvest of Aman rice. Now they are raising the rice price under different pretexts.

In fact there is no earthly reason for the price of rice to increase by about 30 per cent, on an average, over a period of a few months. The production during last Aman season was excellent as there was no natural calamity or pest attack. The production of rice in the preceding seasons was also very good. Moreover, the private importers taking advantage of lower international prices had imported enough rice during the years 2013 and 2014.

But they lowered the amount of import in 2015 and 2016 when the government levied 20 per cent duty---10 per cent customs duty and 10 per cent regulatory duty. In the budget for the current fiscal the duty rate was raised by another 5.0 per cent to 25 per cent following demand from the rice millers to this effect.

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With their stocks full to the brim, the millers are now taking full advantage of the lower import of rice during the past two years. Through various mechanism they have been raising the prices of rice in the domestic market in recent months despite the fact that rice has become cheaper in the international market. A tonne of rice in the international market now costs around US $ 350.

The price of the staple had peaked to over US $600 in 2012. The international rice market has been more or less stable during the past three years.

In a situation where international rice market is stable and domestic production of the staple remains satisfactory, there should be no valid reason for domestic rice market to be volatile. Yet it is happening and the government appears to be unconcerned. This is, however, a common phenomenon in this part of the world.

The hike in rice prices does not matter much in the case of living costs of the middle class and the affluent section of society. The spending on rice constitutes a small part of their daily consumption costs. Other consumable items are far more expensive.

But the situation is not the same for the poor people. The increase in rice price hurts them, financially. The expenditure on rice constitutes a substantial part of their daily spending on food items. Even marginal farmers who usually sell most part of their produce during the harvesting season do suffer if the price of the main staple goes up.

The government's intervention mechanism to help the poor consumers is not working at this time of rice market volatility. The limited open market sale of rice in major cities through mobile trucks is apparently encountering problems. The trucks are in most cases selling flour, not rice at a rate of Tk 15 a kg.

Traders are hopeful that the rice prices would start declining as soon as Boro rice harvest begins.

But the prices are unlikely to go down to the previous level.

The consumers do need to know the reasons for the ongoing unreasonable hike in rice prices and what the government has been doing to address the issue. Should the profit-hungry traders, not the market factors, decide the price of a commodity, always?

The holy month of Ramadan begins next month. The consumers are worried about the price situation ahead of the holy month. In most cases, they would see hike in prices of some selected essential items and the ministry of commerce will be holding meaningless meetings with the traders with a view to keeping the prices of essentials 'stable'. Traders would assure the government of their all-out cooperation. But once they are out of the meeting, they would forget their promises made at the meeting and engage in the task of fleecing the poor consumers. http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/04/09/66367/Why-is-rice-market-jittery

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No more rice through Free Trade Zones - Customs

By Simon Echewofun Sunday | Publish Date: Apr 10 2017 4:00AM

The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has directed a restriction on the exit of rice from the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) into the country‘s market as Customs tackled smuggling through the land borders.

NCS spokesman, Mr. Joseph Attah, in an interview with the Daily Trust also said this year, Customs seized 136,506 50kg bags of rice. ―In the last one year, we have made a seizure of 250,825 bags with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1 billion on just rice alone. Again, in the last three months alone, the Compliance Team led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Musa Jalo, made a seizure of 921 bags,‖ he revealed.The Daily Trust reports that the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) approved 32 of such zones where imported items can be reproduced, repackaged and exported.

While 14 are operational, 18 are under construction or yet to be developed, information from NEPZA site shows. Some of the operational zones include, Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), Banki Border Free Zone (BBFZ) - Borno, Calabar Free Trade Zone (CFTZ), and Kano Free Trade Zone (KFTZ). Attah who condemned smuggling activities said people must consider it as a national crime, while urging rice millers and other stakeholders to provide more intelligence of smugglers‘ activities, desist from patronising smuggled items, and help Customs men in apprehending culprits. https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/business/no-more-rice-through-free-trade-zonescustoms/192807.html

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Customs warns against rice smuggling via FTZs Apr 10, 2017 From Uche Usim, Abuja The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (retd), has warned operators of Free Trade Zones (FTZ), to avoid making their domains a conduit for rice smugglers.He spoke at the weekend in Abuja through the Public Relations Officer of Customs, Joseph Attah, saying desperate smugglers would latch on any loophole in the system, especially as the land borders have been closed.

He revealed that 250,825 bags of 50kg bags of rice were seized in the last 12 months.―In the last one year, we have made a seizure of 250,825 bags with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1billion on just rice alone.―Again, in the last three months alone, the Compliance Team led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Musa Jalo made a seizure of 921 bags with a DPV of over N1billion. ―We have taken our rice smuggling fight to there. The Nigeria Customs Services (NCS), restricts exit of rice from the FTZs. This is because we have discovered that some operators are taking advantage of the status of the FTZ which allows them to import quantity of rice to the places, and then, they now circumvent the law restricting importation of rice through the land borders,‖ he disclosed.

So if we block the land borders and allow operators of FTZ to bring in rice through the seaports, and then exit it into Nigeria, our efforts at the land border will be in vain. It is to ensure total compliance by all that this new directive is issued,‖ he said.He said people must consider smuggling as a national crime, urging rice millers and other stakeholders to provide more intelligence of smugglers‘ activities, desist from patronising smuggled items, and help Customs men in apprehending culprits. https://www.nigeriatoday.ng/2017/04/customs-warns-against-rice-smuggling-via-ftzs/

Assam rice production projected at 75 lakh mt this year: Atul Bora Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director general (crop Science) Dr JS Sandhu called upon rice scientists to find out a technology so that farmers could get maximum productivity using minimum water.

By: PTI | Jorhat | Published: April 10, 2017 7:15 PM

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Assam is expected to have a rice harvest of 75 lakh MT this year. (PTI)

Assam is expected to have a rice harvest of 75 lakh MT this year, 23 lakh MT more than previous year‘s production, state Agriculture Minister Atul Bora has said. ―Rice production of Assam was 52 lakh MT last year and this year our expectation is to have a harvest of around 75 lakh MT,‖ Bora said at the 52nd Annual Rice Group Meeting. ―Our production curve is on upward trend despite the attack of caterpillar at initial stage,‖ he said here. Production was not affected by the caterpillar attack due to prompt measures taken by the state government as well as favourable environment, Bora said at the meeting yesterday.

Also watch: He said that the government wanted to employ organic farming system for which a foolproof organic rice production package was required. ―We are also into a programme of doubling the income of paddy farmers in our state,‖ Bora said adding that research bodies needed to contribute in a big way for this.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy director general (crop Science) Dr JS Sandhu called upon rice scientists to find out a technology so that farmers could get

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maximum productivity using minimum water. The Annual Rice Group Meeting, held in Assam for the first time, was organised by ICAR–Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat http://www.financialexpress.com/economy/assam-rice-production-projected-at-75-lakh-mt-this-year-atulbora/622899/

Atul Bora appeals scientists to improve local rice varieties JORHAT, April 9 - Participating in the 52nd annual rice group meeting at the Jorhat-based Assam Agricultural University (AAU), State Agriculture Minister Atul Bora on Sunday appealed to the agricultural scientists of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Indian Institute of Rice Research and the university to conduct extensive research for the value addition of the local varieties of rice including aromatic Joha rice and black rice.

Several scientists and researchers of different rice research institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and agricultural universities and many other officials of the Central government‘s Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) participated in the annual rice group meeting, which was held for the first time in the State since the All India Rice Improvement Project was launched in 1965.

Pointing out the significance of such a symposium in the State, minister Bora said that extensive research, analysis and series of discussions by the ever-curious minds on the local varieties of rice will definitely help in the improvement of quality of the varieties of rice from which the farmers of the State will reap more economic benefit in future. ―I am happy to inform you that our State is one of the top 10 rice producing States of the nation.

Last year, we produced 52 lakh metric tonnes of rice and this year our expectation is to have a paddy harvest of around 75 lakh metric tonnes,‖ said Bora.

He also said that despite the massive attacks by swarming caterpillars in the paddy fields of the State, the farmers could harvest a considerable quantity because of the prompt action by the government in the nook and corners of the State.

As one farmer of the State namely Upendra Rabha of Goalpara district has already set example of earning better profit from black rice cultivation, the Agriculture Minister specifically mentioned his success story which could encourage many other farmers of his locality.

It is to be mentioned that the ICAR felicitated five farmers of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur and one woman farmer of the State Nabanita Das for their exemplary farming patterns and innovative skills for promoting low-cost cultivation.

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Nabanita Das of Jorhat has already encouraged many women and unskilled youths of rural pockets like Potiagaon of the district to start organic farming for economic benefits.

As the scientists of the Regional Research Station (Titabor) of the Assam Agricultural University has made commendable progress in the improvement of many submergence tolerant rice varieties, the vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Kamal Malla Bujarbaruah, applauded their scientific efforts for the common benefit of farming community http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=apr1017/state053

Scientists Uncover New Antiviral Defense Mechanism In Rice

Chinese researchers have revealed a new antiviral mechanism in rice, a discovery that could boost control against viral epidemics and guarantee food security. Asian Scientist Newsroom | April 10, 2017 | In the Lab AsianScientist (Apr. 10, 2017) - A decoy protein could be the secret to enhancing the antiviral response in rice.

These findings, published in Nature Plants, could help to ensure food security by aiding the development of virus-resistant rice strains. Rice stripe virus (RSV) is one of the most destructive pathogens for rice plants, and has been implicated in numerous epidemics since it was first identified in Japan in 1897. Understanding the mechanisms of anti-RSV defense in rice will help to control viral epidemics and guarantee food security. Over the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as key players in plant-microbe interactions. When incorporated into RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs), miRNAs promote the slicing or translational

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repression of their corresponding target transcripts. In RSV-infected rice, it is known that certain miRNAs are bound to a protein called AGO18. Therefore, understanding the roles that miRNAs and AGO18 play in anti-RSV defense are indispensable for engineering virus-resistant crops. To understand the anti-RSV response in plants, researchers from Professor Cao Xiaofeng‘s group at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor Li Yi‘s group at Peking University studied the levels of both miR-528 and AGO18 during the course of an RSV infection.

They found that miR-528 negatively regulates viral resistance in rice through association with AGO1-containing RISCs, cleaving L-ascorbate oxidase messenger RNA and thereby reducing ascorbate oxidase-mediated accumulation of reactive oxygen species. In rice infected with RSV, miR-528 is suppressed by AGO18, leading to the release of ascorbate oxidase and higher basal reactive oxygen species. Credit: Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In addition, they found that miR-528 could be specifically recruited by AGO18 after RSV infection. Intriguingly, AGO18 is a decoy AGO protein and is incapable of slicing target transcripts.

They further showed that AGO18 competes with AGO1 for miR528, thereby releasing the target of miR-528 target from slicing or translational repression. Taken together, the results show that miR-528 is preferentially sequestered by cleavage-defective AGO18 during viral infection. This in turn leads to elevated ascorbate oxidase activity and higher basal reactive oxygen species accumulation, ultimately enhancing the antiviral response. This study has unearthed an antiviral defense mechanism that is boosted through suppression of a miRNA that negatively regulates viral resistance.

This mechanism could be manipulated by plant breeders to develop virus-resistant crops, the researchers suggest. The article can be found at: Wu et al. (2017) ROS Accumulation and Antiviral Defense Control by MicroRNA528 in Rice Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: https://www.asianscientist.com/2017/04/in-the-lab/rice-antiviral-defense-mechanism/ https://www.asianscientist.com/2017/04/in-the-lab/rice-antiviral-defense-mechanism/

West Bengal: Overproduction of potato, rice lead to sharp drop in prices

BY SUTANUKA GHOSAL, ET BUREAU | UPDATED: APR 09, 2017, 10.16 AM IST Bengal‘s potato consumption is not more than 5.5 million tonnes. It generally sends about 4.5 million tonnes to neighbouring states.

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Unlike farmers of Uttar Pradesh, 45-year-old Tapan Samui, a potato farmer in West Bengal, has no hopes pinned on a loan waiver. Samui didn‘t borrow from a bank. He had sown the potato crop in 40 kattha of land (roughly twothirds of an acre) last December.

Demonetisation was announced a month before that and Samui had no access to cash and bank deposits at the time. He borrowed Rs30,000 from a local moneylender to buy seeds.

The state‘s potato harvest this year (the tuber harvest typically begins in end-January and continues through February) has seen a 22% jump in production to 11 million tonnes, leading to a price crash. At least four potato farmers have committed suicide so far. The state has started a small procurement of 28,000 tonnes (at Rs 4.60 a kilo) that has helped shore up prices and improved market sentiment, but it may be too little too late. In 2016, the prices at the farm ranged between Rs 6 and Rs 8 a kilo.

Bengal Agriculture Minister Purnendu Basu says potato farmers must share part of the blame for the situation. ―Time and again we have advised farmers to shift to other crops. As they got better prices for potato last year, theyagain took to potato cultivation in a big way.‖ No Cash, Only Potatoes With a harvest of 6,500 kg, Samui, based in Hooghly district‘s Baikunthapur, 80 km west of Kolkata, is sitting on a huge loss. Here is his economics in his own words: ―The cost of production of a kilo of potato was between Rs3.80 and Rs 4.20. But I had to sell some of the crop at a throwaway price of Rs1.80-1.90 per kilo as there were few takers.‖ Samui now has the moneylender breathing down his neck. But he is not alone.

Barring a handful of rich farmers in the three districts of West Midnapore, Burdwan and Hooghly, who can afford to hold on to their crop, rent space in a cold storage and pay to transport the crop, all farmers in the state share Samui‘s predicament. Smaller farmers mostly sell their produce to middlemen.

Once sold, the potato crop actually becomes a trade of paper slips, informally known as ―aloo bond‖ (potato bond). The bonds sell at a premium in a bad year and their prices fall after a good harvest. An ideal temperature of 8-14 degree Celsius when the potato was sown and an absence

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of late blight disease resulted in the bumper crop of 11 million tonnes as against 9 million tonnes in 2016.

Bengal‘s potato consumption is not more than 5.5 million tonnes. It generally sends about 4.5 million tonnes to neighbouring states. This meant, at 11 million tonnes, the state had an excess of 1 million tonnes. Cold storage space in West Bengal for only 6.5 million tonnes leaves little leeway. What compounded the problem this year was last year‘s stock. ―Nearly 35% of potatoes in cold storages were still to be unloaded when demonetisation was announced. Inter-state trade that happens through cash transaction came to a halt and prices dropped to Rs 200 per quintal (Rs 2 per kilo),‖ says Patit Paban De, president, West Bengal Cold Storage Association.

Basu cites demonetisation as a major blow to the farming community: ―We have started procuring potatoes from farmers directly. Our aim is to help small and marginal farmers.‖ Apart from selling to neighbouring states like Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand, the government has explored exports to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. ―We are trying to convince farmers to

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produce potato seeds in a portion of their land. This can help create alternative earnings and also reduce our dependence on Jalandhar-based potato seed supply,‖ says Basu.

Rice to the Occasion While potato continues to be a headache, the state seems to have managed well with the kharif paddy harvest in 2016 — it was harvested from end of October till the third week of November — and also saw overproduction in the state. West Bengal produced 16.2 million tonnes of rice in kharif 2016, higher by 2.5% compared with 2015. The Food Corporation of India, the central agency, has so far procured 1.2 lakh tonnes of paddy for the marketing season 2016-17. West Bengal‘s food and supplies department also plans to procure 52 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers at Rs 20 more than the central purchase price of Rs 1,470 per quintal.

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(The state seems to have managed well with the kharif paddy harvest) Kerala too saved the day by emerging as a major buyer as rice prices surged in the southern state.

Kerala State Cooperative Consumers‘ Federation Limited is procuring rice on behalf of the government. Its managing director M Ramanunny says: ―We have already bought 500 tonnes of swarna masuri rice from Bengal. We may go for long-term ties with Bengal for rice procurement.‖ Meanwhile the potato market sentiment improved last week as the government-announced procurement started at Rs 4.60 per kilo leading to a price rise of Rs1-1.50 a kilo across varieties of potatoes. Possibly, Samui of Baikunthapur can sell the remainder of his crop now to cut his losses. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/west-bengal-overproduction-of-potatorice-lead-to-sharp-drop-in-prices/articleshow/58086750.cms

Rice traders need govt support to arrest declining exports

KARACHI: Basmati rice exporters are in dire of government‘s support in form of incentives or rebate as the country‘s premier commodity is fast loosing its global market share to neighbouring India, said an industry official.

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―Annual Basmati rice exports, which stood at one billion dollars four years back, have now shrunk to $550 million (a year) as the commodity is becoming uncompetitive against Indian and Bangladesh products,‖ Tariq Ghori, director of Matco Foods, marketing rice under brand name Falak, told The News.

Matco Foods is a leading agribusiness and its basmati rice exports amounted to $80 million so far during the fiscal year.

Rice exports fell 15 percent to $1.033 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. Particularly, Basmati exports decreased 17 percent to $249 million in the July-February period of 2016/17.

Ghori, during the 14th My Karachi Exhibition at Expo Centre, said the government announced incentive package to boost basmati rice exports, but it is not yet implemented.

He said government also announced credit risk insurance four years ago and it is also on paper. ―Governments of India and Bangladesh greatly support their exporters and producers,‖ Ghori said. ―Indian government provides credit risk insurance to their basmati exporters.‖ Matco Foods is showcasing its wide range of products at the exhibition along with its flagship brand Falak. The brand launched in 1999 with a vision to make it the premier rice brand in Pakistan. Falak basmati rice is also available in 45 countries.

Ghori said Pakistani rupee has not depreciated since long, while currencies of neighbouring countries lost value against the dollar.

Rupee devaluation is in benefit of exporters as they earn good value for their exports.

Appreciative rupee, he added, rendered Pakistani commodity uncompetitive against the competitors.

The industry official is, however, not in favour of rupee depreciation to arrest exports decline. ―Pakistan‘s imports are more than double than the exports and devaluation of rupee is not recommended,‖ he said. ―However, if government provides four to five rupees a dollar rebate on basmati rice exports, it would have a quick positive impact.‖ https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/197411-Rice-traders-need-govt-support-to-arrest-declining-exports

Duterte hits Valdez, says local farmers should be prioritized DAVAO CITY—President Duterte on Monday denied that there was infighting among the members of his Cabinet in the face of the recent sacking of several government officials.―There is no infighting, no trouble there. I just don‘t like people who are corrupt,‖ the President said shortly before flying to the Middle East. Mr. Duterte said the officials were removed for alleged involvement in corruption, citing the case of former Cabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara Valdez, who had approved the order to extend the importation of rice even without authority to do so. ―Besides, it‘s harvest time. The harvest is good. Per hectare it‘s three times the original output. Why would we import rice?‖ Mr. Duterte said.

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The President said standard procedure was not followed when Valdez signed and approved the recommendation to import rice. He said his office should have the final say since the National Food Authority (NFA) was now under the Office of the President.Mr. Duterte said importation during harvest time would kill the local farmers.

He said he had directed NFA administrator Jason Aquino to buy the staple from local farmers for a possible ―buffer‖ and only allow importation in case of a supply shortfall.The President said the government should put the local farmers‘ welfare first.Valdez‘s dismissal came in the heels of the sacking of two other members of the Cabinet, former National Irrigation Administration chief Peter Laviña and former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan proposed on Monday that Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez serve as mediator between Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. and Aquino so the government could have a clear policy on handling the country‘s rice supply.Pangilinan said he hoped both Evasco, as chair of the NFA council, and Aquino could ―set aside policy differences, sit down and thresh matters out amongst themselves.‖ ―Perhaps Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, also a former Agriculture Secretary, can mediate between the two considering that tens of billions of pesos worth of government funds are at stake should this matter remain unresolved,‖ Pangilinan said in text messages.

He underscored the need for the government to decide immediately whether it would push for rice importation ―because it takes about six to eight weeks to secure our supplies from elsewhere and the lean months are upon us in six to eight weeks.‖―It isn‘t too late to lay down a clearer policy direction on the matter but the Department of Finance, Office of the President, CABSEC (Cabinet Secretaries), the Department of Agriculture and the NFA should sit down and firm up a common position,‖ he said.Under PD 4, only the NFA through the NFA Council could authorize the importation of rice whether by the government or the private sector, he said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/888215/duterte-i-have-final-say-on-rice-imports

Nigeria Customs Bans Rice Imports Through Free Trade Zones Discussion in 'Metro News' started by Lequte, Yesterday at 8:04 AM. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has placed a ban on the importation of rice into the country through free trade zones. Customs PRO Mr. Joseph Attah, said the ban was needed as some people were taking undue advantage of the trade zone, which allows them to import some quantity of rice.―So, if we block the land borders and allow operators of free trade zone to bring in rice through the seaports, then our efforts at the land borders will be in vain,‖ he said.He added that the service is improving its anti-smuggling operations. https://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/nigeria-customs-bans-rice-imports-through-free-tradezones.236733/

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Atul Bora appeals scientists to improve local rice varieties JORHAT, April 9 - Participating in the 52nd annual rice group meeting at the Jorhat-based Assam Agricultural University (AAU), State Agriculture Minister Atul Bora on Sunday appealed to the agricultural scientists of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Indian Institute of Rice Research and the university to conduct extensive research for the value addition of the local varieties of rice including aromatic Joha rice and black rice.

Several scientists and researchers of different rice research institutes of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and agricultural universities and many other officials of the Central government‘s Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) participated in the annual rice group meeting, which was held for the first time in the State since the All India Rice Improvement Project was launched in 1965.

Pointing out the significance of such a symposium in the State, minister Bora said that extensive research, analysis and series of discussions by the ever-curious minds on the local varieties of rice will definitely help in the improvement of quality of the varieties of rice from which the farmers of the State will reap more economic benefit in future. ―I am happy to inform you that our State is one of the top 10 rice producing States of the nation.

Last year, we produced 52 lakh metric tonnes of rice and this year our expectation is to have a paddy harvest of around 75 lakh metric tonnes,‖ said Bora.

He also said that despite the massive attacks by swarming caterpillars in the paddy fields of the State, the farmers could harvest a considerable quantity because of the prompt action by the government in the nook and corners of the State.As one farmer of the State namely Upendra Rabha of Goalpara district has already set example of earning better profit from black rice cultivation, the Agriculture Minister specifically mentioned his success story which could encourage many other farmers of his locality.

It is to be mentioned that the ICAR felicitated five farmers of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur and one woman farmer of the State Nabanita Das for their exemplary farming patterns and innovative skills for promoting low-cost cultivation.

Nabanita Das of Jorhat has already encouraged many women and unskilled youths of rural pockets like Potiagaon of the district to start organic farming for economic benefits.

As the scientists of the Regional Research Station (Titabor) of the Assam Agricultural University has made commendable progress in the improvement of many submergence tolerant rice varieties, the vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Kamal Malla Bujarbaruah, applauded their scientific efforts for the common benefit of farming community. http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=apr1017/state053

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