11th july 2017 daily global regional & local rice e newsletter

Daily Global Rice

E-Newsletter

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July 10,2017 Vol 8 Issue VII

Today Rice News Headlines...  Philippines To Import 250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports  Lankan delegation arrives to finalize export of 300,000 tons rice  GST impact on rice: Facing 5 pct tax impost, branded suppliers protest zero rate for India Gate  Sri Lanka to procure 300,000MT rice from Pakistan  Rice price hikes in Mekong delta  Iran to import 1st rice cargo from Thailand after sanctions lifted  Sri Lanka to purchase 25,000 tonnes of rice  The Newspaper's Staff ReporterJuly 11, 2017  Rising consumerism and ever-increasing discounts  Bangladesh to showcase progress in agriculture during Sirisena visit  Off topic: Plastic rice, sliced bread, best smiles, what gave rise to frogs  COLORED RICE MAY BRIGHTEN THE MENU FOR DIABETICS IN THE FUTURE  Cambodia’s milled rice exports increase  Philippines To Import 250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports  MoCI Exonerates SWAT Of ‘Plastic Rice’ Sale On Liberian Market  Why we banned imported rice in Ebonyi —Gov Umahi  Cambodian Researchers Use Isotopic Technique to Help Farmers Increase Yields and Revenues  USA Rice Livens Up the Lunch Line  Indonesia blocks major artery in haze-causing Mega Rice canal network  Steve Linscombe honored for years of service to LSU, rice industry  Cambodia's rice export to China doubles in first half of 2017  Rice prices stay high despite imports coming through  Govt gets lowest offer of $430 per tonne in rice import tender  Kubota, Sumitomo Chem aim to lop 30% off rice-growing costs  Old Machinery Main Culprit of Agro Waste Online Advertisement:mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 0321 369 2874 www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Monitor www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

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News Detail...

Philippines To Import 250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports

By Yasir Zeb

According to news sources, Grain importers in Philippines have issued an international tender to purchase 250,000 tons of white rice on Thursday, the rice could be 25% broken. Government‘s running out stockpile of grains created the opportunity for rice exporters in the region to fill in the tender requirements.

According to National Food Authority (NFA), bids must be submitted before 25th of July, on that day sealed offers will be reviewed for final selection.

Philippines is one of the biggest rice importers in the world, the country usually buy rice from Thailand and Vietnam. But this time the tender is open for private suppliers of other countries including Pakistan and India.

India is the world‘s largest rice exporter with $5.3 billion of exports holding the market share of 28.9 percent of total rice exports in the world. Thailand is the second largest rice exporter with $4.4 billion in exports, holding 23.7 percent of total exports.

World Bank announced Women entrepreneur Loan program in developing countries United states and Vietnam are third and fourth in the top exporters list, having $1.9 billion and 10.4 percent, $1.4 billion and 7.4 percent respectively.

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3 Pakistan is the 5th largest rice exporter with $905.5 million and 4.9% of share in total exports.

In terms of both price and quality Pakistan produces rice cannot be found anywhere else, this creates greater opportunities for Pakistan to win the contract and boost their rice exports.

Manila used to buy rice under government deals, which is shifted now to private deals in order to ensure the competitive deals and transparency removing the concerns about accusations that some NFA officials were making money through the deals which NFA has denied reportedly.

Government stock of rice has dwindled significantly over the past few years, government currently is unable to meet national demands, but the prices remained largely stabled in the country due to abundance private sector.

The NFA has directed to maintain a 15 days buffer inventory at any given time and a minimum 30 days during the lean harvest season from July to September, in order to keep stable supply and demand in the country https://www.researchsnipers.com/philippines-import-250000-tons-rice-creates-opportunity-pakistan-riceexports/

Sri Lankan delegation arrives to finalize export of 300,000 tons rice

Muhammad Arshad

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Islamabad A delegation of Sri Lanka has arrived here to negotiate with the Pakistani team to finalize the issue of exporting 300,000 tons rice to Sri Lanka.A high level Sri Lankan delegation has started bilateral negotiations for reaching the final agreements to export non-basmati rice to Sri Lanka, Senior official of ministry of commerce told APP here on Monday.

A meeting in this regard would be held here Monday headed by Secretary Commerce Younas Dhaga in which the two side would discuss the modus operandi and procedure for exporting non-Basmati rice to Sri Lanka, he said.

Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually, and is leading the regional countries in production of Basmati and non Basmati rice,official said.

He said the government would support the Sri Lankan delegation for talks at government to government, and government to business level.

The official said that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and representative of local rice association were also participating in negotiation.

He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005.

He said under the FTA, both of the country have already agreed to offer preferential market access to each others‘ exports by way of granting tariff concessions. Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut.

Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market, including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods. https://pakobserver.net/sri-lankan-delegation-arrives-finalize-export-300000-tons-rice/

GST impact on rice: Facing 5 pct tax impost, branded suppliers protest zero rate for India Gate

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The fact that the country‘s largest selling rice brand, India Gate, is exempt from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular brand is not registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge between KRBL, which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders.

All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most branded rice firms are members, has written a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley, asking him to correct the anomaly in the relevant notification dated June 28. The fact that the country‘s largest selling rice brand, India Gate, is exempt from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular brand is not registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge between KRBL, which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders.

All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most branded rice firms are members, has written a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley, asking him to correct the anomaly in the relevant notification dated June 28, by stating essentially that a ―registered brand name‖ in this context need not be one registered under the Trade Marks Act. It is, however, unclear whether the Centre would accept the request as even in a clarification issued on July 7 on the said notification, the finance ministry maintained that ―…In this regard, Section 2 (w) read with Section 2 (t) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 provide that a registered trade mark means a trade mark which is actually on the Register of Trade Marks and remaining in force. Thus, unless the brand name or trade name is actually on the Register of Trade Marks and is in force under the Trade Marks Act, 1999, CGST rate of (2.5%) will not be applicable on the supply of such goods.

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6 ‖ ―There is a growing feeling among the members, with a fully registered brand name, of being at a comparative disadvantage specifically against companies with a popular brand name, but not registered or a company who‘s registration for trademark application is still in process,‖ Vijay Setia, president, AIREA, wrote in the letter to Jaitley. KEBL, interestingly, has been waging a legal battle for several years to get the India Gate trademark registered. Anil K Mittal, CMD of KRBL, did not respond to phone calls, email and SMS. ―There will be unhealthy competition in the trade, encouraging malpractices if the government does not provide clarification on GST taxation,‖ the AIREA letter stated. Incidentally, KRBL is also a member of AIREA. The relevant notification (no.1/2017-Central Tax (Rate) says the phrase ―registered brand name means brand name or trade name…… and which is registered under the Trade Marks Act, 1999‖. Owners of branded rice a divided lot AIREA‘s Setia said by changing the second phrase to ―or which is registered under…‖, the anomaly could be corrected. There is also the practice of corporate groups getting a brand registered under any one company and other group companies too capitalising on the brand value without actually having the brand registered in their favour. Industry sources said that ―unregistered brands‖ have a share of more than 90% of branded rice market. Mostly basmati and non-basmati varieties such Sona Masuri are sold under various brand names. However, the share of branded rice in total rice trade is just around 5%. As per the finace ministry statement on July 2, GST rate on staples such as rice, wheat and cereals is zero. http://www.financialexpress.com/economy/gst-impact-on-rice-facing-5-pct-tax-impost-branded-suppliersprotest-zero-rate-for-india-gate/758078/

Sri Lanka to procure 300,000MT rice from Pakistan ISLAMABAD - Sri Lanka has shown interest in procuring about 300,000 metric tons rice from Pakistan to meet its domestic shortfall because of drought in the country. A high-level Sri Lankan delegation, led by Sri Lanka‘s Ministry of Commerce and Industry Secretary Chinthaka S Lokuhetti, showed interest during a meeting with Commerce Secretary Mohammad Younus Dhaga.

Sri Lankan side is looking to procure rice on government-to-government basis because of drought in Sri Lanka. Dhaga informed his counterpart that considering it is the end of season, Pakistan will initially provide at least 25,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis. For the remaining quantities the trading arms of two countries ie Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka will discuss procurement schedule and price in September/October on the advent of new crop. Both sides also discussed about signing a Memorandum of Understanding between TCP and CWE - Sri Lanka counterpart in Sri Lanka for supply of other commodities as well such as sugar. The meeting was also attended by TCP Chairman Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh. http://nation.com.pk/business/11-Jul-2017/sri-lanka-to-procure-300-000mt-rice-from-pakistan

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Rice price hikes in Mekong delta Monday, July 10, 2017 10:58 Early July, prices of rice in the Mekong delta continued increasing, making local farmers are feeling exhilarated in their production.

Price of rice increase making farmers exhilarated (PHoto: SGGP)

High rice price has been remained unchanged in six months without the government‘s intervention.Farmer Tran Van Ngoan in Hau Giang Province‘s Long My Town said that he sold rice of 0.5 hectare with VND5,150 per kilogram, earning profit of VND10 million. As a result, his family continued the fall-winter crop early with the hope to sell at a high price.

With the productivity of 6 tons a hectare and the price of over VND5,000 a kilogram, farmers in Hau Giang net VND20 million per hectare.

So far, farmers in Hau Giang have harvested rice in 20,000ha of the summer-fall crop. 70 percent of rice paddy fields in the province are grown from high quality seeds because they would supply high quality rice for export. This is a positive sign when farmers take heed to high quality seed.

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The remaining areas are grown low quality for locals to make vermicelli for domestic markets, said director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Dong.

At present, farmers are harvesting 350,000ha of rice.

Moreover, rice export is showing good sign. The Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) said that traders offer to buy dry unhusked rice at the cost of VND5,400 - VND5.500 a kilogram and other variety at VND5,900 - VND6,000 kg.

Five-percent broken rice without package is quoted at VND8,300 – VND8,400 per kilogram and 15-percent broken rice is sold at VND8,100 – VND8,200 a kilogram and 25-percent broken rice fetch VND7,800 - VND7,900 a kilogram.

Early in 2017, VFA set a rice export target of 6.4 million tons, a year-on-year rise of 1.4 million tons. By the end of June, 2017 exporters sold nearly 3 million tons; accordingly, it is expected to be able to reach the 2017 target easily http://sggpnews.org.vn/business/rice-price-hikes-in-mekong-delta-67758.html

Iran to import 1st rice cargo from Thailand after sanctions lifted 10 July 2017 10:09 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 9

By Fatih Karimov– Trend: Iran will import first rice consignment from Thailand after 10 years, Secretary of Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq said.He said that the deal for importing the aforementioned cargo was actually signed before sanctions, but Thailand stopped export to Iran, after the Islamic Republic failed to pay the money due to sanctions, Alizadeh Shayeq said, Tasnim news agency reported July 9.

He further said that Iran needs to import about 800,000 to 1 million tons of rice per year from abroad.

International sanctions against Iran removed in January 2016, after the country signed a historic nuclear deal with the six world powers.

In the past, Iran used to import 700,000 to 1 million tons from foreign countries, about 300,000500,000 tons of which came from Thailand.With the easing situation in Iran, Thailand and Iran

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signed a memorandum of understanding in early 2016 to resume sales of 300,000 tons of rice worth 4.3 billion baht ($120 million).

The Iranian government bans rice import annually with only a few months of break to support domestic products.

The annual consumption of rice in Iran is 3 million tons. India, Pakistan and Uruguay are main supplier of rice to Iran https://en.trend.az/iran/business/2775521.html

Sri Lanka to purchase 25,000 tonnes of rice The Newspaper's Staff ReporterJuly 11, 2017

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday agreed to export 25,000 tonnes of rice on an urgent basis to Sri Lanka which aims to meet its domestic shortfall due to drought.The understanding was reached in a

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meeting between Secretary Commerce Younus Dhaga and his Sri Lankan counterpart Chinthaka S Lokuhetti.

An official statement issued after the meeting said Sri Lanka had requested to procure 300,000 tonnes rice from Pakistan on government-to-government basis.Mr Dhaga informed the Sri Lankan delegation that Pakistan will initially provide at least 25,000 tonnes. ―We cannot meet the whole demand in one go due to the end of season,‖ Mr Dhaga commented.

For the remaining quantities, the trading arms of two countries – Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka – will discuss procurement schedule and price in Sept/Oct on the advent of new crop.The two sides also discussed about signing a memorandum of understanding between TCP and CWE for supply of other commodities including sugar.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2017

https://www.dawn.com/news/1344520

Rising consumerism and ever-increasing discounts

By Syed Ali Sajjad July 10, 2017

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KARACHI: Our society is transforming into a consumer society. Citizens are largely seen as buying machines and are continually bombarded with noisy promotion messages.

These messages are numbing the intellectual capabilities of buyers and thus, they are committing the most fatal mistake; ignoring need analysis in buying decisions.

I was once having a discussion with Faizan Ghori – market leader in local branded rice and one of the premier rice exporters – regarding the Pakistani market. According to him, Pakistan is the largest, untapped, homogenous consumer market of the world. We have a burgeoning middle class that likes to spend. This is the new game. This explains why we have Royal FrieslandCampina acquiring Engro Foods, Arçelik acquiring Dawlance, Careem and Uber on our streets and so many car manufacturers lining up to establish plants in Pakistan.

Hence, it can be said that our market is the new hunting ground for the juiciest prey of capitalism – the consumers. This may explain why whenever our mobile rings; its a sales promotion SMS with a lucrative discount.

But what‘s the point? Sellers are getting an untapped consumer market, buyers are getting lucrative discounts. It is a win-win situation. Isn‘t it?

Who am I to suggest anything? Let me take you to one of the wisest financial wizards of all time, Warren Buffet, in regards to buying decisions. ―If you keep on buying things you don‘t need, soon will come a time when you will have to sell things you do need,‖ he says.

In the deafening noise of discounts and sales promotion, consumers are committing the most fatal mistake of buying things they don‘t need. Our need should be the fundamental driver or determinant of a buying decision and not the discount. You should buy things that you need.

You should not buy things just for the sake of discounts.

This Ramazan, I have seen people dining out just to take advantage of the discount on a particular outlet on a particular day. They didn‘t want to eat that food, they didn‘t even want to eat out but they did it because of a discount. When people told me they are going somewhere

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to eat because the outlet was offering a 50% discount, I suggested them to avail a 100% discount by not going there.

Similarly, I have observed people buying expensive electronic devices just to take advantage of the discounts. They are buying TVs and mobiles although their current TV and mobiles are perfectly fine.

This rampant consumerism has been imported from the US. It is synonymous with the American Dream. Like them we spend whatever we have and even what we don‘t have (credit cards). But we must bear in mind that this dream has not served them well. It has made them the most indebted nation in human history.

This buying behaviour is fundamentally against the basic principle of economics. We have scarce resources in this world and we must bring them to the most efficient use possible. Our extravagance has already harmed this planet in irreversible terms. So we must be cogniaant of the fact that buying things should be a serious decision and must be based on our needs.

Rising use of plastic money And yes how can I not unveil the greatest evil in this fiasco. Most of this buying extravaganza is financed. Most consumers are spending money they don‘t even have ie they are using credit cards and end up paying annualised interest of around 36%. There goes the discount as well.

All of us are consumers but we need to consider making budgets. Otherwise no store of wealth is good enough. Tony Robbins in his book ―Money: Master the Game‖ presents so many examples where fortunes were spent carelessly. Mike Tyson, one of the richest athletes, went broke and Michael Jackson was heavily indebted when he died.

Our wealth and financial security is not a function of our income streams only. It is largely dependent on our spending habits. We must wake up from this American Dream and make wise buying decisions before we also become the most indebted nation like the US.

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The writer is a corporate banker and teaches economics Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2017. https://tribune.com.pk/story/1454242/rising-consumerism-ever-increasing-discounts/

Bangladesh to showcase progress in agriculture during Sirisena visit 2017-07-11 00:04:38

Bangladesh will showcase the remarkable progress it has made in the agriculture sector when Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena visits the country between July 13 and 15, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Riaz Hamidullah said at an interview ahead of the presidential visit.

―President Sirisena will be visiting one of our agricultural research institutes. When former President Chandrika Kumaratunga visited Bangladesh in May, she showed great interest in innovative rice cultivation and visited our institutes,‖ the High Commissioner said.

President Sirisena‘s interest in agriculture, especially rice cultivation, is natural as he hails from the Polonnaruwa District in North Central Sri Lanka.

Like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh too experiences droughts and floods frequently. But Bangladesh has found several channels to overcome the challenges posed by natural disasters through what High Commissioner Hamidullah calls ‗climate adaptation techniques.‘ Bangladeshi farmers in

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flood-prone areas are now using a variety of rice which can remain submerged without getting damaged for as many as seven days.

They also use rice varieties which can withstand drought and salinity, he said.

"Bangladesh, which has reached selfsufficiency in rice, can sell rice to Sri Lanka.

But it has not been approached yet. However, it is ready to share its know-how on rice cultivation with Sri Lanka and has made an offer to the provincial administrations"

―Bangladesh‘s Northern Districts were once its rice bowl. But due to persistent drought conditions, the rice bowl has had to be shifted to Southern Districts. In the North, farmers have taken to non-water guzzling crops like maize. Besides being edible, maize is used to produce animal feed which sustains animal husbandry. However, all is not lost for rice cultivation in the North. We have been able to reduce the use of water in rice cultivation by half -- from 3,500 to 1, 800 litres per kilo. This technique can be used in the dry zones of Sri Lanka like in the Northern Province. However, the Southern Bangladeshi districts face another kind of problem which is salinity. To beat that, our scientists have developed a rice variety,‖ the envoy said.

Sri Lanka is short of rice and has to import this item frequently to meet its demands. After the failure of the recent Yala crop, the government is going in for an immediate import of 100,000MT of rice either from Pakistan, India or Myanmar, 100,000MT from Thailand and 100,000MT from Indian private traders. Bangladesh, which has reached self-sufficiency in rice and had supplied 40,000MT free-of-charge to Sri Lanka during the recent floods, can also sell rice to Sri Lanka.

But it has not been approached yet. However, it is ready to share its know-how on rice cultivation with Sri Lanka and has made an offer to the provincial administrations. ―Our offer has been seized by the Eastern Province Chief Minister,‖ the High Commissioner informed.

Feeding a galloping population Bangladesh‘s food production had increased from 10 million tons in 1972-73 to 39 million tons in 2015/16, although in the same period, arable land had decreased from 9.8 million to 8.27 million hectares due to urbanisation.

Since rice is the staple food of the Bangladeshis, the importance of rice production is greater than that of other food crops. The population of Bangladesh is increasing by two million a year, and to feed it in 2020, 27.26 million tons of rice will be required.

But production of this magnitude has to be achieved with less land than what is available now.

Hence, productivity has to go up from the current 3.47 tons per hectare to 3.74 tons/ha. To stepup production, Bangladeshi farmers are given subsidies for fertilizer, fuel and electricity. Agromachines are sold with a subsidy of 50% to 70%. Farmers are also entitled to relief and rehabilitation in case of crop loss due to natural disasters.

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Production of rice has galloped because of the adoption of High Yielding Varieties (HYV). But these require extensive irrigation and heavy input of chemical fertilizers. Irrigation has increased from 12.46% in 1980-81 to 78% in 2014-15. And the use of chemical fertilizers is high.

Sri Lanka however will face a snag in regard to the use of chemical fertilizers. There is opposition in the island to the use of chemical fertilizers, which are said to cause Chronic Kidney Disease in certain parts of the island, especially in President Sirisena‘s North Central Province.

Apart from rice, Bangladesh has excelled in the production of other crops too. According to the FAO, it is the 5th largest producer of horticultural items in the world, and the 4th largest in mango cultivation. In inland fisheries, it is 4th or 5th. There is much that Bangladesh can share with Sri Lanka in these fields, Hamidullah said.

Disaster preparedness ―Bangladesh is keen to share with Sri Lanka its disaster preparedness system, which it has assiduously and painstakingly worked out since 1990-92 through the trial and error method,‖ the High Commissioner said. ―We have been able to greatly reduce human and cattle loss by putting in an administrative structure which gets activated the moment disaster warnings are received. The structure, which exists in every district, comprises designated officials as well as identified and trained local volunteers. These swing into action as per very detailed Standing Orders. Bangladesh remains among the top 20 countries in the list of disaster-prone countries. Disasters cannot be stopped.

But we in Bangladesh have learned to live with them in a way that we lose the least,‖ he said. At the grassroots level, local volunteers are given a yellow jacket, bicycle and a torch, and each volunteer is assigned a certain number of households in a defined area to take charge of. The moment a cyclone of a certain intensity is announced, these volunteers fan out to their designated areas, and urge the people to evacuate to pre-built cyclone shelters with separate shelters for men and women. ―If someone refuses to move, the volunteers are allowed to beat them up to get them moving!‖ Hamidullah remarked to indicate the seriousness with which the task is viewed. ―The disaster preparedness system has worked so well that the last cyclone Mora resulted only in five deaths in place of the thousands who would perish earlier,‖ he added.

(P.K. Balachandran is a senior Colombo-based journalist writing on the countries of South Asia. He can be contacted on pkbalachandran11@gmail.com and P.K. Balachandran @pkbchandran on twitter) http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Bangladesh-to-showcase-progress-in-agriculture-duringSirisena-visit-132579.html

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Off topic: Plastic rice, sliced bread, best smiles, what gave rise to frogs

By Levi Sumagaysay / July 10, 2017 at 5:58

Bouncing

rice:

Hey,

if

there‘s

internet

video, fake rice must be real, right? A short history of sliced bread. Scientists study what supposedly are the best smiles, then say don‘t worry ―if your smile doesn‘t fall within the optimum window.‖ And new study shows that the rise of frogs came after the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/07/10/off-topic-plastic-rice-sliced-bread-best-smiles-gave-rise-frogs/

COLORED RICE MAY BRIGHTEN THE MENU FOR DIABETICS IN THE FUTURE

BY ARS | July 10, 2017

Purple, brown, and red rice. ARS scientists found that colored rice bran extracts help mouse fat cells use glucose (sugar).

When it comes to healthful foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains are some choices that come to mind. But how about rice—colored rice that is? Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are investigating the potential of brown, purple and red rice in managing diabetes.Rice bran contains bioactive compounds— extra nutrients that occur in small amounts in foods.

Studies have shown that these compounds have the potential to promote human health.A health issue of great concern is diabetes—a disease that affects how your body uses blood glucose (sugar). Today, nearly 30 million Americans and 422 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes.

ARS chemist Stephen Boue and his colleagues in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Stuttgart, Arkansas, examined the impact of brown, red and purple rice bran on mice fat cells as a model

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for developing methods to help with diabetes management. They studied the colored rice bran extracts‘ ability to stimulate glucose uptake in mice fat cells.

Glucose uptake is critical for people with diabetes, because their bodies are unable to produce enough insulin, which causes elevated glucose levels in the blood. Without proper medical care, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage.

The ARS study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed a significant increase in glucose uptake in mice fat cells exposed to colored bran extracts. Glucose uptake nearly tripled in mice fat cells exposed to red rice bran extracts and more than doubled with purple rice bran extracts, according to Boue, who works at ARS‘s Southern Regional Research Center.

While these results showed promise in using red and purple bran extracts to regulate glucose uptake in mice fat cells, Boue noted that additional research with humans is needed to verify the same positive effect.

Read more about this research in the July 2017 issue of AgResearch magazine.

For more information contact Sandra Avant, ARS Office of Communications.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific inhouse research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact. http://kticradio.com/agricultural/colored-rice-may-brighten-the-menu-for-diabetics-in-the-future/

Cambodia’s milled rice exports increase Cambodia is on track to meet its quota of exporting 200,000 tonnes of milled rice to China this year, while worldwide exports continue to increase as well.In the first half of 2017, Cambodia exported 94,720 tonnes of rice to China, setting the stage for the nation to meet its 200,000 quota by year‘s end. The total export figure of the country‘s milled rice to foreign markets was 288,562 tonnes thus far this year, up from 283,825 tonnes in the same period last year. China remains the biggest market, followed by France and Poland, with 37,321 and 25,639 tonnes respectively, a report from secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality showed.

The 94,720 tonnes exported to China this year marks a step rise from 2016, when just 47,024 tonnes of rice were exported in the first six months.The Chinese government expects to increase its Cambodian rice imports again in 2018, to 300,000 tonnes.The report also noted that Cambodia exported milled rice to 56 countries in the first half of 2017.Hean Vanhan, directorgeneral of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries‘ General Directorate of Agriculture, said the trend of rising exports is expected to continue as Cambodia seeks to expand its reach. ―We have a target of 1 million tonnes to export so we have to seek and open more markets,‖ he said. ―We cannot depend on only China‘s market alone.‖

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Based on current growth, Cambodia will reach 600,000 tonnes of exported milled rice for 2017, Mr. Vanhan said, noting China will be the top buyer.Hun Lak, vice-president of the Cambodian Rice Federation, echoed Mr. Vanhan‘s remarks. ―The figure [200,000 tonnes to China] will be reached,‖ he said. ―It may even be over the set quota, because from July on is the rainy season and rice harvests and prices will increase which will benefit farmers and rice millers.‖However, a shortage of loans for farmers to buy paddy rice, and build warehouses and kilns, are issues that still need to be addressed, Mr Lak said.―These issues still remain,‖ he said. ―We need to strengthen paddy rice warehouses, kilns, and capital for buying paddy rice,‖ Mr Lak said. Last year, Cambodia exported 542,144 tonnes of milled rice. http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/40154/cambodia---s-milled-rice-exports-increase/

Philippines To Import 250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports

By Yasir Zeb Jul 10, 2017

According to news sources, Grain importers in Philippines have issued an international tender to purchase 250,000 tons of white rice on Thursday, the rice could be 25% broken. Government‘s running out stockpile of grains created the opportunity for rice exporters in the region to fill in

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the tender requirements. According to National Food Authority (NFA), bids must be submitted before 25th of July, on that day sealed offers will be reviewed for final selection.Philippines is one of the biggest rice importers in the world, the country usually buy rice from Thailand and Vietnam. But this time the tender is open for private suppliers of other countries including Pakistan and India.

India is the world‘s largest rice exporter with $5.3 billion of exports holding the market share of 28.9 percent of total rice exports in the world. Thailand is the second largest rice exporter with $4.4 billion in exports, holding 23.7 percent of total exports.World Bank announced Women entrepreneur Loan program in developing countries United states and Vietnam are third and fourth in the top exporters list, having $1.9 billion and 10.4 percent, $1.4 billion and 7.4 percent respectively.

Pakistan is the 5th largest rice exporter with $905.5 million and 4.9% of share in total exports.

In terms of both price and quality Pakistan produces rice cannot be found anywhere else, this creates greater opportunities for Pakistan to win the contract and boost their rice exports.

Manila used to buy rice under government deals, which is shifted now to private deals in order to ensure the competitive deals and transparency removing the concerns about accusations that some NFA officials were making money through the deals which NFA has denied reportedly.

Government stock of rice has dwindled significantly over the past few years, government currently is unable to meet national demands, but the prices remained largely stabled in the country due to abundance private sector.

The NFA has directed to maintain a 15 days buffer inventory at any given time and a minimum 30 days during the lean harvest season from July to September, in order to keep stable supply and demand in the country. https://www.researchsnipers.com/philippines-import-250000-tons-rice-creates-opportunitypakistan-rice

MoCI Exonerates SWAT Of ‗Plastic Rice‘ Sale On Liberian Market Online Advertisement:mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 0321 369 2874 www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com

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July 10, 2017 Following several publications on social media that a local rice importer in the Country has engaged in the importation of what is perceived by the authors of these publications as ‗Plastic Rice‘, has finally been put to rest after a test was conducted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).

The Ministry of Commerce Industry after the alarm was raised, immediately conducted a test was conducted through its National Standard Laboratory located on the premises of the Ministry of Public Works and Industry to verify the alleged imported ‗Plastic Rice‘.

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After series of tests performed by the National Standard Laboratory at the Ministry, it was at last realized that the rice in question which was imported from China was proven to real rice, considered by many Liberians as ‗Butter Rice‘ and not ‗Plastic Rice‘.

This issue created controversies in the public following these negative publicity that it was a plastic rice, and now realized as the Butter Brand rice which is imported in the country by its regular importer, the Supplying West Africa Trading Incorporated (SWAT) situated on the Bushrod Island.

Recently, some aggrieved consumers of the rice mainly in Monrovia complained to local media that the rice bought from a local rice dealer was not real, instead was what they called as plastic rice being imported in the Country.As the news of the plastic rice on the Liberian market intensified, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) dispatched a team to SWAT – the supplier on Tuesday morning to collect a sample of the rice for testing.

According to report, three quality tests were conducted in the presence of journalists to ascertain as to whether the product was indeed rice or another substance.The rice passed the combustion, floating in hot oil and sinking in water tests.With the combustion test, sample of the butter brand rice was placed in a special microwave at a temperature of 550 degrees Celsius. Rice, would burn and turn to ashes during this test while plastic would melt and become compact.

During the oil floating method, sample of the butter brand rice was placed in oil heated at a temperature of 200 degree Celsius with the expectation that it would sink and float on the oil which it did to show it is actual rice. Plastic would have melted on top of the oil without sinking.

The rice is made in China and has a validity period of five years.

Rice is the staple food in Liberia with an annual import of 1.3 metric tons; it also has a history of brewing conflicts among Liberians whenever the product is completely out of site. http://gnnliberia.com/2017/07/10/moci-exonerates-swat-plastic-rice-sale-liberian-market/-exports/

Why we banned imported rice in Ebonyi —Gov Umahi Collins Nnabuife Agriculture

Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, in this interview with COLLINS NNABUIFE who recently visited the state, explained why he banned the sale of imported rice in the state. He also advised the government on how to stop rice importation in the country.

What inspired you to embark on this rice revolution in your state?

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22 We are known for agriculture and solid mineral, since we don‘t have other means of raising our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) other than agriculture and solid mineral and of course export of human resources, so these are the reasons why we decided to focus on some of these areas that we have comparative advantage.

What have you achieved in the last two years on rice production?

I must commend the minister of agriculture and rural development very highly for his programmes of course initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari. He has done very well in terms of agricultural programmes for the state and for the nation at large.

Let me point out that the programme in agriculture have brought down the forex, before now we imported a lot of food items into the country, and you won‘t forget that the dollar was rising to a dollar for N560 to N600, but when the programme in agriculture started, the dollar started falling.

I also commend the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance and the Chief of Staff, they have put their programmes together and the states are very well positioned to do better in agriculture.

I can say that in the area of rice production with the assistance of the Federal Government, their encouragement and their initiative, we have done quite well, we have been able to encourage farmers. We have been able to demonstrate that having one hectare of land for rice is better than being a local government councilor, so we launched One Man One Hectare in Ebonyi State, and that has really encouraged our people, we also borrowed N2 billion, N5 billion and another N3 billion from the federal government.

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23 We want to domesticate rice production in the state, we are going beyond individual production, we are now beginning to see how we can institute rice mega cities in each local government, whereby we have 5000 hectares of land dedicated for rice production in each of our local government areas.

Already we have four mega rice mills in operation and of course you also see the private people milling with their traditional machines, we have imported another three sets of rice mills which we will install in the next three months. The idea is that before the middle of next year, we will be able to have one rice mill in each local government in the state, we have also introduced the system of standardization in terms of pricing and quality, so that when you have paddy to sell, you have to come to our buying center at the local government, so we will be able to weigh the rice and know how much you will be paid. We have prices for the different types of rice, for a particular quality of milled rice, we have a uniform price, we should also be able to monitor the quality of our rice, we are known all over the world for Abakaliki rice, we are very proud of that and we want to ensure that we maintain that standard and that rating.

What structure are you putting in place to ensure sustainability of some of these programmes that you have introduced on rice?

Like the rice mega cities, it is not going to be run by the government, it could be powered by the government, we are trying to establish a law now, if you want to take the 5000 hectares of land to farm as an investor, the law permits the owners of the land to come up with cooperative societies, then each farm owner will become a shareholder by reason of the percentage of farmland he contributed to make up the 5000 hectares.

So, we want to see if we can mechanize agriculture, so the traditional means of rice farming and harvesting, we want to see if we can improve on that, and then the law will be such that the owners will have for example 10 per cent equity of the investment, they have nothing else to invest other than being the owner of the land and the state will also have about 10 per cent.

Then these cooperative societies will also work in the farm, so you will not see the place of government, it will not be controlled by the government, they will pay taxes to government, so it is not dependent on who comes in as governor.

What is your target for rice production in the state?

We are targeting 100,000 hectares of rice within the next two years, using an average of four tons per hectares, we will be talking about 400,000 metric tons of paddy. But when we are mechanized, we could get as much as five to 7 tons per hectare.

Are you thinking of going into the international market?

We are already out of our market, some people eat Abakaliki rice and call us on phone and say it is special, somehow Ebonyi rice is salted, it has a different taste, if you take it you will not wish to eat any other rice.

But the local consumption in other neighboring West African countries is an issue, because they come here in there number to buy this rice.

How has the ban on selling of foreign rice impacted on the economy of the state?

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24 We banned the foreign rice here, and if you want to import, we will have to see your import license, evidence of payment of duties, the source and ensure it is not plastic rice, these are the issues and every state has the right to ask those questions.

So, since there is no chaff they bring in as foreign rice, our people are encouraged of course through the programmes of the federal government, the farmers get more money, the farmers have confidence in the system, they produce the rice and it is bought, so they are more engaged in doing that, this is important for us.

What is your suggestion to the federal government in tackling rice smuggling into the country?

I don‘t believe that this is a problem, sometimes the federal government doesn‘t want to act. What is the problem of sitting in one place and have CCTV cameras at some of the border locations, you can even install a CCTV that people will hardly know, it can be a wireless one and then it is fixed on a tree.

Also, get the Customs officials that have retired and form them into a committee to man these borders, they will do very well, so it is question of interest, that is why we still have smuggled rice, but the Customs can also go into the market and verify the duties paid on rice by the importers.

Unless we are not able to feed our people, when this argument came up because am a member of the Zero Hunger, I am also a member of the Presidential Task Force on Food, so the issue came up and we were being lobbied to allow importation of rice of a certain percentage and we said no, they said there is no rice in the state. I told them to send the security people to the rice mills, let us find out whether there is any particular day that we have more customers than supply and nobody have been able to prove that which means that what we produce is able to sustain the nation.

So, there shouldn‘t be smuggling, and then you begin to find out that Nigeria is one of the few countries that have parboiled rice and when you have your rice that is not parboiled the highest it will stay is about six months it will now become chaff and become equally dangerous, and you can see the increase in cancer, kidney failure, liver problems and other diseases as a result of all these importation, we have proven that some rice are plastic rice, so these are dangerous things that are impacting negatively on our health.http://tribuneonlineng.com/banned-imported-rice-ebonyi-gov-umahi/

Cambodian Researchers Use Isotopic Technique to Help Farmers Increase Yields and Revenues Miklos Gaspar, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication Farmer Borey Thai has seen her rice yields increase by 20% as a result of using more manure and less inorganic fertilizer. She has also saved a third of the money she used to spend on fertilizer. (Photo: M. Gaspar/IAEA) Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Poorer farmers who cannot afford to buy enough fertilizer can achieve high yields by using more manure and compost and planting alternative crops between rice growing seasons, Cambodia‘s agricultural researchers have found. Their recommendations are the result of research supported by the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the

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United Nations (FAO), using nuclear-related techniques to measure fertilizer and water uptake by rice and other crops.

Cambodia is among a growing number of countries using such techniques to increase crop yields, optimize fertilizer use and evaluate varieties of rice, cereals and vegetables for their efficiency in making the best use of fertilizers. (See Labelled nitrogen isotope for more) Currently, scientists from over 60 countries are benefiting from assistance in this area.

Blending organic and inorganic Experiments conducted by scientists at the Cambodia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) found that replacing half of the recommended amount of chemical fertilizer with organic materials when inorganic fertilizer is either not accessible or too expensive increases rice yields. This has various benefits, explained Sarith Hin, Head of Soil and Water Science at CARDI: farmers save money on chemical fertilizer, and at the same time they can achieve higher yields. ―The results demonstrate that even poorer farmers, who cannot afford to buy much fertilizer, can increase yields,‖ Hin said. In the case of peanuts, a legume cash crop, replacing half of the chemical fertilizers with a mix of cattle manure and rice straw more than doubled yields (see graph). For rice, the use of a reduced amount of chemical fertilizer with organic manure led to yields comparable to the use of chemical fertilizers only.

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Agriculture accounts for 27% of Cambodia‘s economy, and provides the livelihood of 60% of the population. Many of the country‘s poor are subsistence farmers working on small plots of land, so increasing the productivity of their land is key to achieving higher income and escaping poverty. Historically, fertilizer use in Cambodia is neglected by farmers.

Borey Thai, a farmer with 1.5 hectares of land in Kampong Speu province south of Phnom Penh, replaced half of the chemical fertilizer with a mix of manure and farmyard waste in this year‘s growing season – and has saved a third of the money she used to spend on fertilizer. ―It is much cheaper, but is more work,‖ she said. ―But what matters is that I can use the savings to renovate my house.‖ She expects her yield to be around 20% higher this year compared to the previous year, thanks to the use of mixed fertilizer.

One challenge her neighbours face, she added, is to find good quality manure. ―If we could find more manure, more of us would switch to organic.‖ Alternative crops Using the fields for the production of other crops in between rice growing seasons is another way for farmers to increase their income, found researchers of the country‘s Ministry of Agriculture.

Historically, farmers have used their fields only during the rainy season, when there is enough rain water to grow rice. During the dry season, lands are left idle.

Researchers have found that conditions during the dry season are optimal for other crops, particularly legumes such as beans and lentils. ―These would not only provide farmers with additional income, but legumes add nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil and, in addition,

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decomposing bean plants also increase the quality of the soil, leading to higher rice yields in the following rice season,‖ said Phirum. They used the nitrogen-15 isotopic technique to study the amount of fertilizer absorbed by the plants from the soil, fixed from the atmosphere, in addition to quantifying the efficiency of fertilizer applied.

The research teams received various forms of support under the IAEA‘s technical cooperation programme. They learned the use of nuclear-related and other techniques in workshops and through participation in fellowships in neighbouring countries. They received equipment and materials to conduct the experiments, and advice from experts at the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture in interpreting the results.

A researcher experimenting with rice, using stable nitrogen-15 (15N) to monitor the nitrogen uptake by the plants. (Photo: Cambodia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)) THE SCIENCE Labelled nitrogen isotope Nitrogen plays an important role in plant growth and photosynthesis, the process through which plants convert energy from sunlight into chemical energy. Nitrogen is often added to soil in the form of fertilizer. Using fertilizers labelled with nitrogen-15 (15N) stable isotopes — an atom with an extra neutron compared with ‗normal‘ nitrogen — scientists can track the pathway and determine how effectively the crops are taking up the fertilizer. The technique helps to determine the optimal amount of fertilizer to use.

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―Isotopic techniques have an important role to play, particularly for farmers working on poorer soil,‖ said Lee Kheng Heng, Head of the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Section at the Joint FAO/IAEA Division. ―The work of our Cambodian colleagues is testimony to how nuclear science contributes to development in agriculture.‖ https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/cambodian-researchers-use-isotopic-technique-to-help-farmersincrease-yields-and-revenues

USA Rice Livens Up the Lunch Line

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- To get young minds headed in the rice direction, USA Rice created four eye-catching posters presenting nutrition and farm facts that are perfect for decorating the walls of school cafeterias around the country. The four posters will be unveiled at the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Conference in Atlanta this week, and distributed just in time for lunchrooms everywhere to start sprucing up before school starts.

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"Based on USA Rice's past conversations with school menu planners, we learned that schools need and will use posters for the cafeteria lunch line," said John Hasbrook, USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee Chairman. "So this year, USA Rice designed two posters for K-6th grade and two posters for 7th-12th grade."

The posters designed for younger students are full of fun graphics promoting the whole grain goodness of brown rice and a U.S. map highlighting the six rice-producing states. Messaging for older students emphasizes the local, sustainable U.S. rice story, and reminds them to "power up your plate" by adding rice to protein and vegetables to build a quick one-dish, energy-boosting meal.

"We all know from experience with our own families, that if you expose children to healthy, nutritious foods early on, it helps them form good eating habits," said Hasbrook. "These posters capitalize on that concept and get a captive audience waiting in line for food thinking about U.S.grown rice instead of homework.

Indonesia blocks major artery in haze-causing Mega Rice canal network 9 July 2017 / Indra Nugraha & Hans Nicholas Jong The world‘s largest peat swamp restoration effort is underway in the Southeast Asian nation.

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The Ministry of Public Works and Housing is narrowing and installing dams in one of the largest canals built as part of the failed Mega Rice Project in the mid-1990s.

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Authorities are negotiating with local residents who rely on some of the canals for transportation through the peat swamps of Central Kalimantan.

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

Officials say that to really solve the problem of dried out and flammable peat, not just the largest canals but the smaller ones too will have to be blocked.

PALANGKARAYA, Indonesia and JAKARTA — One of the largest drainage canals ever dug through Indonesia‘s peat swamps is being blocked in Kalimantan, the archipelago country‘s portion of Borneo island, part of President Joko Widodo‘s efforts to rewet some 2 million hectares of peat damaged in the great fires of 2015.

The canal in question is one of the main branches in a giant, treelike canal network that stretches from the Java Sea to the outskirts of Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan province, some 150 kilometers away.

The network was built in the mid-1990s, when former strongman President Suharto launched the Mega Rice Project in a bid to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the nation then home to around 200 million people. To make up for the widespread conversion of paddy fields on Indonesia‘s mostpopulous island of Java, the five-star army general sought to carve out 1 million hectares of agricultural land from Kalimantan‘s peat swamps. Thousands of excavators and tens of thousands of workers were deployed.

The megaproject was an unmitigated disaster, with not a single blade of productive rice ever grown. The nutrient-poor peat soil proved too unforgiving for Java-style rice cultivation. Jakarta

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ultimately abandoned it, leaving behind a dried-out wasteland that burns on a large scale almost every year.

In 2015, peat fires across the country sickened half a million people and spewed more carbon into the atmosphere than the entire U.S. economy during the same two-month period. Central Kalimantan was the worst hit.

A peat fire in 2015, on Indonesia‘s main western island of Sumatra. Oil palm and pulpwood plantation firms are the biggest peatland drainers. Photo by Rhett A Butler/Mongabay.

The most enormous canals in the Mega Rice network are some 30 meters wide. Smaller arteries branch out from those, and yet smaller ones from those. The whole thing zigs and zags over a total of around 4,600 kilometers.

The Ministry of Public Works and Housing is focusing on the biggest canal in Block C of the network, which lies in Pulang Pisau district, narrowing the canal and installing dozens of dams which can be used to manage water levels. The project was approved by the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), set up in the wake of the 2015 fires. ―This location routinely catches fire because the canal is so wide and dries out the peat,‖ said local resident Ahmat Suriadi, 32, as he drove a motorboat down the waterway.

At the site last month, workers were stacking sandbags and logs to block the canal, which had been thinned down to around 5-7 meters. Enough water still flowed so that people could traverse it by boat, a common mode of transportation here.

Usnun, 40, worker, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said he and his companions had been laboring to block the canal for two months, installing dams every 500 meters. So far they had blocked 16 out of a planned 150 spots. Each spot can take four days.

The canal being blocked in Pulang Pisau. Photo by Indra Nugraha for Mongabay-Indonesia.

In approving the project, the BRG recommended that authorities first obtain the approval of local residents whose livelihoods it might affect, in line with the principle of ―free, prior and informed consent,‖ or FPIC. Watson, the head of Garung village, said most residents had agreed to the project, with only a few unsure due to concerns over closing a waterway they rely on to get around.

The United States Agency for International Development‘s (USAID) LESTARI project is helping authorities mediate the project with villages in the area, according to Rosenda Chandra Kasih, coordinator for the project in Central Kalimantan.

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―We conduct FPIC on paper,‖ she said. ―So there are signatures from the local people, the land owners around the canals and the users of the canals to make sure that they agree and have no objection on the construction of dams at the sites.‖ Edi Pratowo, the head of Pulang Pisau, applauded the project, calling it crucial to maintain the wetness of the peat to prevent fires, while emphasizing the importance of securing local people‘s approval since they use the canals for transportation. ―It‘s important for people to know why [the canals] have to be blocked and they also have to understand that the blocking will make revegetation possible,‖ he said.

Damming the canal is the right move if the government wants to avoid another peat fire disaster, said Dimas Hartono, director of the Central Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), an NGO. ―But what needs to be thought about is public access,‖ he said. ―Will the canal blocking limit public access to agriculture or farming? Of course this is a complex issue which begs for a wise solution.‖

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An excavator at work on the canal in Pulang Pisau. Photo by Indra Nugraha for MongabayIndonesia.

To really solve the problem of dried-out peatlands, the project must be expanded to the entire network, officials say.

Yakobson, the public works ministry official overseeing the project, pointed out that even if Jakarta closes the primary canal network, many smaller canals owned by provincial and local administrations remain. ―If we only close the primary canal network, it‘s like a bowl with many holes still left in it,‖ Yakobson said in an interview. Doing so, he added, would only solve a third of the problem. ―I prefer to refer the project as canal management, rather than canal closure,‖ he said. ―What we can do is to control the system so that the water is retained in accordance with local people‘s needs.‖ The entire project is expected to be finished by 2019, with the ministry having completed roughly 40 percent of the first stage of the canal closure.

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Banner image: A canal near Palangkaraya. Photo by Indra Nugraha for Mongabay-Indonesia.

This story was reported in part by Mongabay’s Indonesia team, with an earlier version published on our Indonesian site on June 17, 2017.

Disclosure: Mongabay-Indonesia receives funding for this series via a subgrant from Yayasan Rekam Jejak Alam Nusantara, which is in part funded by USAID Lestari. USAID has no editorial influence over our content. https://news.mongabay.com/2017/07/indonesia-blocks-major-artery-in-haze-causing-mega-rice-canalnetwork/

Steve Linscombe honored for years of service to LSU, rice industry LSU Rice Research Station staff goes to great lengths to honor leader, coworker.

For more than two decades Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, and Steve Linscombe, resident director of the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, have greeted each other warmly at the start of the station‘s annual field day.

This year was different. Dr. Linscombe, who also is the rice breeder for the LSU AgCenter and director of its Southwest Region, based in Crowley, La., walked up to Dr. Richardson and said ―I want you to know I didn‘t approve this.‖ This was the cover of the program the Rice Research Station distributes at its annual Rice Field Day. Instead of the cover Linscombe thought he had approved, the station‘s staff substituted one with a smiling photo of Linscombe standing in a rice plot, probably planted to one of the 33 varieties he developed during his 35 years of service to LSU and the rice industry. ―The last thing he wanted today was any recognition,‖ said Dr. Richardson, speaking at the indoor portion of the Rice Field Day. ―This program was real sneaky. We hoped he wouldn‘t see it, and he came walking up to the table, grabbed a copy and came over and said ‗I did not approve this.‘ ―The staff sneaked one in on him, and the one he approved never got published.‖

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LSU recognition policy Dr. Richard said trying to find a fitting recognition for ―someone who has dedicated his entire life to building one of the best rice breeding programs in the country is next to impossible. ―LSU policy is you can‘t name a building for someone until they‘ve been dead for two years.

That created a little problem,‖ he said, as Dr. Linscombe responded that he would pass on the honor because of the qualification.

Instead, LSU officials plan to rename the Conference Room in the Rice Research Station Building on the Crowley Campus for Dr. Linscombe, which Dr. Richardson called a ―very fitting thing.‖ Dr. Rogers Leonard, associate vice president for plants, soils and water resources at the LSU AgCenter, noted Dr. Linscombe originally applied for a forage breeding position with LSU after he received his Ph.D. in agronomy from Mississippi State University. He was not chosen for that job, but later became Extension rice specialist for Louisiana. ―I can‘t imagine what would have happened without him as a rice breeder,‖ Leonard said. ―It‘s been a pleasure to work with someone who expects so much from himself and his employees.‖ More than 1,000 presentations Clarence Berken, a rice producer and vice chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, said Linscombe has received 14 awards in 21 years, developed 33 new rice varieties, obtained $17 million in grants and made more than 1,000 presentations around the world. Berken presented him with a certificate of recognition signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

After those comments, Dr. Linscombe assured the audience none of what he had accomplished could have been done without the assistance of the many staff members at the Rice Research Station who had served with him through the years.

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―This has been a very good place to work because of the people at the station and the people I‘ve worked with throughout the years,‖ he said. ―It has been an honor to work for the LSU AgCenter and for the rice industry.

I‘ll miss it. I won‘t miss walking in the rice fields when it‘s 100 degrees and 110 percent relative humidity for three or four or five or six hours at a time, but I‘ll miss the people and the connections,‖ he noted.

Dr. Linscombe recognized another soon-to-be retiree, Bill Leonard, who has served as station superintendent for more than 40 years. ―We get a lot of credit for the way the rice plots and the station look on days like this, our 108th field day,‖ he noted. ―I promise you much of that would not be possible without the dedication of Mr. Leonards.‖ For more information on Dr. Linscombe‘s research, visit http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/provisia-rice-better-weed-control-higher-quality.

http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/steve-linscombe-honored-years-service-lsu-riceindustry

Cambodia's rice export to China doubles in first half of 2017 Xinhua | Updated: 2017-07-08 13:23 PHNOM PENH - Cambodia exported 94,720 tons of milled rice to China in the first six months of 2017, up 101 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a government report on Friday.

China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France, Poland, Britain and the Netherlands, said the report compiled by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.

According to the report, Cambodia exported a total of 288,562 tons of milled rice to 56 countries and regions during the January-June period this year, up 7.6 percent over the same period last year.

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The Southeast Asian country produced over 9 million tons of paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has more than 3 million tons of milled rice left over for annual export, according to the Agriculture Ministry. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2017-07/08/content_30041524.htm

Rice prices stay high despite imports coming through Rafikul Islam 01:06 PM July 10, 2017

File photo- Imported rice at a wholesaler's outlet in DhakaDhaka Tribune Rice prices in India have risen as result of a revival in demand After the duty on rice import was cut by 18% recently to cope with the pressures caused by crop shortfalls, prices were expected to fall in domestic markets.But the price of different varieties of rice have only changed slightly. Importers say the prices have gone up in India from where they import, leaving them unable to lower prices.The government on June 20 cut the import duty of rice by 18% from 28% to keep rice prices affordable in the retail markets. Now the importers have to pay 10% duty.

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On the other hand, rice prices in India have risen as result of a revival in demand from Asian and African buyers, though markets in Thailand and Vietnam, two other major importers, have remained stable.According to local rice importers, they were purchasing rice from India at Rs 27,300 per tonne previously, but now they have to buy at Rs 27,950- 28,275. So, after adding other expenses with the purchase price, per kilogramme coarse rice is now between Tk 39-42 when it reaches Dhaka.

Rice prices shot up in the local markets during last couple of months due to recent flash floods in the Haor areas of north-eastern region of the country. The floods damaged over 200,000 hectares of Boro paddy.Bangladesh Rice Merchants Association Vice President Zakir Hossain Rony said: ―The rice price hike in Indian market would have impact on our markets, no matter how much import duty the government cuts. ―We expected the price of coarse rice to come down to Tk35 and Miniket to Tk45. But coarse rice including Miniket and Paizam were sold at Tk54 to Tk56 per kg in Dhaka last week after prices witnessed a fall by Tk2 to 5 per kg for different rice verities.‖Mamun Ur Rashid, member of Bangladesh Rice Exporters Association, said: ―As India has increased price, it will definitely have an impact on our markets. But right now we are yet to calculate the volume of the possible impact.‖―I sold coarse rice at between Tk46 to Tk52 per kg which was Tk50 to Tk56 a week ago and fine rice between Tk54 and Tk60 per kg which was Tk58 to Tk65,‖ said Tawhidul Alom, a retailer at Dhaka‘s Kolabagan.

Rezaul Karim, a wholesaler at Kawran Bazar said: ―We sell 50-kg sack of coarse rice at Tk2,000 to Tk2,200, Paizam at Tk2,300, Miniket at Tk2,700, Najirshal at Tk2,950 and Chinigura at Tk3,750-4,000.‖After the import duty was cut, prices came down by Tk150 to Tk200 for every 50-kg sack.―But we have to face pressure as India has increased rice price,‖ he added.

The private sector imported 1,33,000 tonnes of rice between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 but the government did not import any rice in that time.

According to the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh which tracks the prices of daily necessities, the price of coarse rice was Tk30-34 and fine rice was sold at Tk44-55 last year.

Bangladesh is set to buy 250,000 tonnes of white and parboiled rice from Vietnam to maintain immediate availability of stock in the market, as well as reserves.According to a Food Ministry proposal, the government will be importing 200,000 tonnes of white rice at $430 per tonne, though the price per tonne was $380 in the last month.The ministry is also planning on procuring 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at a cost of $470 per tonne, while the price had been less than $450 just a week ago. http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2017/07/10/rice-prices-stay-high-despite-imports-coming/

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Govt gets lowest offer of $430 per tonne in rice import tender Reuters . Dhaka | Update: 09:56, Jul 10, 2017

Bangladesh received a lowest offer of $430 tonne CIF liner out from Phoenix in a tender that opened on Sunday to import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice, officials at the state grains buyer said.Bangladesh is stepping up imports due to depleted stocks and record local prices following flash floods.

Six traders competed for Sunday's tender, the fourth issued since May by the Directorate General of Food.

Growing demand from Bangladesh should stoke Asian prices that have already hit multi-year highs in recent months.

The rice is to be shipped within 40 days of contract signing.

Last week, a Bangladeshi delegation visited Thailand to finalise imports of rice in a governmentto-government deal, officials said.

Bangladesh is buying 200,000 tonnes of Vietnamese white rice at $430 a tonne and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $470 a tonne in a state-to-state deal - at rates much higher than in the tenders.

"We don't have any other option but to speed up imports," said a senior food ministry official.

"This time we won't be able to achieve our local procurement target. We are going for state-tostate deals even if it is costlier, as importing via tenders is a lengthy process."

The state grains buyer bought 50,000 tonnes of white rice at $406.48 a tonne and 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $427.85 and $445.11 a tonne in three previous tenders.

It is also in talks with India, and private traders have started importing rice from the neighbour after the government cut import duties late last month. http://en.prothom-alo.com/economy/news/153293/Govt-gets-lowest-offer-of-430-per-tonne-in-rice

Kubota, Sumitomo Chem aim to lop 30% off ricegrowing costs Japanese tractor, chemical giants to help themselves by helping farmers

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OSAKA -- Kubota and Sumitomo Chemical have teamed up on a farming technique that should make rice around one-third less expensive to grow, pooling their expertise to lighten workloads and secure future demand for their own agricultural machinery and chemical products.

Japan's biggest agricultural machinery builder and top agrochemical producer aim to make the practice of direct seeding cheaper and easier, with a target date of 2020.

Direct seeding involves planting seed rice directly into fields, rather than transplanting seedlings previously sprouted elsewhere into standing water. Raising and transplanting the seedlings under the conventional approach can take one-third or more of the year's working hours -- work rendered obsolete with direct seeding. But with many growers uneasy about altering longstanding practices, for example, the method has been slow to spread.

Osaka-based Kubota is developing technology to coat seed rice using iron powder, as well as specialized equipment for direct seeding. Planting the seeds at a certain depth can help ensure more stable harvests. Sumitomo Chemical will contribute seeds engineered to grow shorter plants that are harder to knock down, as well as agrochemicals. Rice yields per 1,000 sq. meters should increase by about 30%.

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A 60kg haul of rice is said to cost most farmers more than 9,000 yen ($78) to grow, excluding land costs. The improved yield from the special seeds and reduced labor costs from direct seeding are seen bringing production costs down 20-30% altogether. Kubota and Sumitomo Chemical began cultivating the crop with their new techniques on an experimental basis this year and aim to have proven results by 2020, then to market equipment and other products to growers including large-scale farmers.

Even as Japan's rice consumption falls, a long-running government program of reducing rice production is set to end next year. In 2013, the government adopted a goal of cutting production costs for the crop by 40% over a decade.

Some estimates show the number of farmworkers in Japan falling by 16-22% over the 15 years through 2025. In order to secure long-term demand for themselves, agricultural equipment and chemical makers also need to support farmers' operating health and help make them more competitive.

(Nikkei) http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/Kubota-Sumitomo-Chem-aim-to-lop-30-off-rice-growing-costs

Old Machinery Main Culprit of Agro Waste Tuesday, July 11, 2017 Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran‘s economy over $5 billion per annum.

Last year (March 2016-17), 14 million tons of wheat were produced, 10% of which were wasted only because of machinery and amounted to 20 trillion rials ($528 million) The volume of agricultural waste in Iran is twice the global average. Currently, up to 30% of agro products go to waste in the country during the stages of pre-harvest, harvest, post-harvest and supply.Old machinery used in this sector is the main culprit contributing to the wastage, IRNA reported.

Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran‘s economy over $5 billion per annum.According to Kambiz Abbasi, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture, between 25% and 30% of Iran‘s agricultural machinery have been repaired or renovated since the beginning of Hassan Rouhani‘s presidency in August 2013. ―Thanks to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, last year, renowned brands of rice planting machinery, heavy tractors, combines and orchard tractors have been imported,‖ he was quoted as saying by IRNA.

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Most of the imports came from Germany, Italy, France, South Korea and Japan.―The excessive use of seeds during the pre-harvest stage, using old technology to fight pest and diseases during the harvest stage and the inappropriate transport of agricultural goods in the chain of distribution, market and consumption are among other reasons,‖ vice chairman of Iran‘s Agriculture Guild, Behrouz Bazli, said. ―Last year (March 2016-17), 14 million tons of wheat were produced, 10% (1-1.5 million tons) of which were wasted only because of machinery. This waste, considering the guaranteed purchase price, amounts to 20 trillion rials ($528 million).‖ Bazli noted that poor management is another issue exacerbating the problem.

According to Food and Agricultural Organization, 1.3 billion tons of food, mainly fruit, vegetables, fish and grains, are wasted globally every year and Iran is responsible for 2.7% of it, equal to about 35 million tons of the total sum.

Iranians mostly waste bread, fruit, vegetables and rice.

There are two patterns of food waste throughout the world. In developing countries, food waste happens mostly between the harvest and processing stages while in developed countries, the retailing system and customers are the main culprits.

According to Abbasi, about 95% of Iran‘s agricultural machinery need are met by domestic producers and the rest pertains to modern machinery used in rice paddy fields.

Experts say the canning industry is among the most important processing industries that can help minimize agricultural waste.

The canning industry is a strategic sector, originally set up to prevent food wastage and feed people in times of crisis such as war or earthquakes.

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However, using canned food nowadays is not limited to the time of crisis. Currently, with the development of modern society and population growth, more and more people are using canned food and demand is growing.

Mohammad Javad Soroush, director of the Water and Soil Office at the Department of Environment, says poor management of agricultural waste is depriving Iran of the means to improve soil fertility.

He describes agricultural waste as an ―important resource‖ whose value must be acknowledged by the Ministry of Agriculture.

This type of waste is often converted into organic fertilizer and energy in countries with advanced farming techniques, but this is not a common practice in Iran where even irrigation systems are outdated and wasteful. ―The vast extent of our soil lacks sufficient organic material, which can be redressed by using compost derived from agricultural waste,‖ he has been quoted as saying by ISNA. According to Soroush, the sector produces around 170 million tons of waste every year, most of which can be reused as compost.

Agricultural waste management is based on the principles of four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.

Waste disposal is only a last resort option in the developed world. https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-business-and-markets/68085/old-machinery-main-culpritof-agro-waste

‫چبول اببلٌے کے بعذ اى کب پبًی پھیٌکئے ہرگس ًہیں بلکہ اش کبم کیلئے اضتعوبل‬ ‫کریں تو آپ ہر هبٍ ہساروں روپے بچبضکتے ہیں‬ 08 05:47( 7102 ‫)جوالئی‬

‫توبم لوگوں ببلخصوؼ خواتیي کی خواہع ہوتی ہے کہ اى کے چہرے پر جھریبں )لٌذى(ًیوزڈیطک‬ ‫چھبئیبں اور کیل هہبضے پیذا ًہ ہوں اور اش هقصذ کے لئے کریووں پر ہر هبٍ ہساروں روپے بھی‬، ‫لگبتی ہیں لیکي اگر آپ چبولوں کے پبًی کب اضتعوبل کریں تو آپ اى هصٌوعی کریووں ضے بچ ضکتے‬ ‫هٌٹ ہلکی آًچ پر اببلٌے کے بعذ اش کب پبًی پھیٌکٌے کی بجبئے اضے بوتل هیں‬02 ‫ہیں۔چبولوں کو‬ ‫رکھ لیں۔آئیے آپ کو اش کے هختلف اضتعوبل بتبتے ہیں۔‬ ‫جلذ کی غبدابی‬ ‫اگر آپ اپٌی جلذ کو تروتبزٍ رکھٌب چبہتے ہیں تو اش پر چبولوں کب پبًی لگبئیں۔اش کی وجہ ضے جلذ پر‬ ‫هوجود هردٍ خلیے ختن ہوں گے اور ضبتھ ہی ًئی جلذ پیذا ہوگی۔ چہرٍ دھوًے کے بعذ روئی کے گبلے‬ Online Advertisement:mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 0321 369 2874 www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com

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‫پر چبولوں کب پبًی لگبئیں اور اضے چہرے پر هطبج کریں۔‬

‫کیل هہبضوں کب عالج‬ ‫اگر جلذ پر کیل هہبضے بٌ​ٌے لگیں تو اش پر چبولوں کب پبًی لگبًے ضے جلذ ٹھیک ہوجبئے گی اور آپ‬ ‫بغیر کوئی کرین لگبئے کیل هہبضوں ضے ًجبت پبلیں گے۔‬ ‫کٌڈیػٌر‬ ‫ضر دھوًے کے لئے کوئی کٌڈیػٌر اضتعوبل کرًے کی بجبئے ببلوں کو چبولوں کے پبًی ضے دھوئیں‬ ‫اور کچھ دیر اًتظبر کے بعذ ًین گرم پبًی ضے ببل دھوئیں۔اش ٹوٹکے کیب چھی ببت اش کی وجہ ضے ًہ‬ ‫صرف ببل ًرم و هالئن ہوں گے بلکہ اضے ہفتے هیں تیي ببر دہرایب بھی جبضکتب ہے۔‬ ‫ایگسیوب کب عالج‬ ‫جي افراد کو جلذی بیوبری ایگسیوب کی غکبیت ہواًہیں چبہیے کہ کوئی کرین لگبًے کی بجبئے چبولوں‬ ‫کے پبًی کباضتعوبل کرے۔جي افراد کو یہ هطئلہ درپیع ہوتب ہے اًہیں جلذ پر خبرظ‪ ،‬چبھي اور جلي کی‬ ‫غکبیت ہوتی ہے۔ایطے لوگوں کو چبہئے کہ جطن کے جص حصے پر یہ تکلیف ہووہبں چبولوں کب پبًی‬ ‫دى هیں دو ضے تیي ببرلگبئیں۔‬ ‫‪http://dailypakistan.com.pk/daily-bites/08-Jul-2017/605475‬‬

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