16th february,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice E-Newsletter February 16 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I

Uruguayan rice: the secrets of a success story Written by Gonzalo Zorrilla.

Uruguay is a small country in the Southern Cone of South America, located in a corner between the RĂ­o de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean. Rolling hills, excellent natural grasslands, and temperate climate have made the country a perfect place for beef, wool, and dairy production, while typical temperate agriculture has been a tradition since the early period of the Spanish

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine colonization. The country’s traditional products are wheat, barley, sunflower, and maize, with soybean dominating the scene these days.

Rice is a relatively new crop. The first rice fields were recorded back in 1926. In less than 100 years, Uruguay developed an exportoriented rice production system that grew continuously on up to 180,000 hectares (Fig. 1). The country has attained high yields and a premium position in the international market. Having a tiny fraction of world rice production, it is seventh on the list of rice-exporting countries, behind only the big players.

Farmer-miller alliance How has this happened in the most intervened and protected grain market in the world?

Natural conditions favored rice production with good land, abundant water, and climatic conditions affecting high potential for an irrigated crop. But the key to the country having a competitive and successful position as a rice exporter was the private and public institutional array of support that was constructed over time.

Farmers and millers organized the Rice Farmers´ Association (ACA by its Spanish acronym) and the Rice Millers´ Association (GMA by its Spanish acronym) in the late 1940s. Since then, both organizations have been articulating all aspects of the rice agribusiness chain, knowing that each has specific needs and interests, but that both are in the same boat of the rice industry. The best example of this integration is a private rice price agreement, which is based on transparency between ACA and GMA in which, for more than 50 years, the final value the farmer receives depends on the total value of rice from one season (exported and sold internally), less the milling cost and a fixed millers’ gain.This farmer-miller alliance was reinforced with sound government policies that, without intervening in the markets or with prices, helped producers with roads, electricity for irrigation pumps, opening markets with country-to-country agreements, and farmer and miller loans, among other things.

Institutional innovations In 1970, Estación Experimental del Este (Eastern Experimental Station) was established, which started local research and innovation for rice. Since its early days, research has been highly integrated with ACA and GMA, thus ensuring well-oriented, demand-focused actions. In 1980, a government–rice sector agreement channeling private funds to Estación Experimental del Este started the research investment of farmers and millers in Uruguay. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Estación Experimental del Este became INIA Treinta y Tres, with the creation of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, INIA) in 1989. INIA was established as an institutional innovation that had its roots in the rice farmers’ experience, in which government and farmers’ funds come together. This is recognized in the Institute board, of which half of the members are elected by the Ministry and half by farmers’ associations.

In the last 40 years, a whole technological revolution based on local research took place, resulting in the highly competitive indicators today. Now, 90% of the area is planted with national varieties, which were developed by considering not only agronomic and high-yielding traits but also the highest standards of grain quality, and taking into account the markets to which Uruguay exports.All rice is planted in dry soils with minimum tillage and using no-till planters that are adapted for planting over levees.

The country’s rice production is extensively mechanized, with an average farm size of 300 hectares. Rice is planted in rotation with pastures, with a typical rotation of two years of rice and three years of grasses and legumes, which allow for highly productive cattle farming. This lowintensity rotation system improves sustainability because it reduces pest and disease pressure and maintains good soil conditions. This crop technology package is carefully followed by most farmers. The national average yield reached 8 tons per hectare in the last five years, with top farmers surpassing 10 tons per hectare (Fig. 2).

Well-organized farmers’ and millers’ groups, sound government policies, and an articulated research and innovation system brought the institutional framework to success. This has become possible even without any kind of subsidy, without a domestic market to rely on (Uruguay’s local market is only 5% of the rice it produces per year), and depending on highly volatile international markets (95% of the rice is exported).

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Competitiveness is the name of the game for Uruguayan rice farmers and the race is never over.

Now, they are figuring out how to profit with increasing production costs and weaker rice prices, and pressing for new technologies to further increase yield potential. _________________________________________ Mr. Zorrilla is the director of the National Research Program at the National Institute of Agricultural Research in Uruguay and a member of the Rice Today editorial board.

Courtesy: http://irri.org/rice-today/uruguayan-rice-the-secrets-of-a-successstory?utm_source=IRRI+email+subscriptions&utm_campaign=0c5f0976ecRiceToday_Weekly2_16_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c803adc7cf-0c5f0976ec-40925885

Unleashing the rice market Written by Lanie Reyes.

What is the true price of rice? Do we have enough rice to feed the growing population? Where will the rice in the future come from? What drives the global rice market? What are the game changers?

These were just some of the questions raised by economists and other participants at the 2014 Global Rice Market and Trade Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on 27-29 October.Government policies, climate change, increasing population, migration of farmers to cities, and the rising middle class are some of the game changers in the global rice market that echoed among the speakers during the Summit.

Climate change There was a note of concern on the projected impact of climate change on agriculture. Most agreed that rising sea levels, increasing soil salinity in farm areas, higher temperatures, and more frequent occurrence of floods and droughts will have great adverse effects on rice production.In Asia, large areas of rice are grown in low-lying deltas and coastal areas such as the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and the Ganges basin in Bangladesh and India. A 1-meter rise in sea level could wipe out these prime rice production areas.

With increasing sea levels, saltwater could penetrate more inland areas and contribute to soil salinity, thus radically reducing rice yields as most rice varieties are only moderately tolerant of salt.Increases in temperatures will also decrease rice output. A study at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) indicates that a rise in nighttime temperature by 1 degree Celsius could

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine reduce rice yields by about 10% while many varieties are sensitive to higher daytime temperature.

About 20 million hectares of the world’s rice-growing area are at risk of occasionally being flooded, particularly in major rice-producing countries such as India and Bangladesh.Although more research is needed to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, IRRI has already developed several climate-smart rice varieties that have made huge impacts in unfavorable environments in Asia and Africa. IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler said the second Green Revolution is benefiting the marginalized sector of society— the poorest of poor farmers—who live in areas most vulnerable to climate change (see Green revolutions 2.0 and 3.0: No farmer left behind).

Booming population There will be more mouths to feed in the future. The population is increasing, particularly in South Asia, where most of the world’s rice supply is grown. "Thirty percent of the global population growth in the next 5 years will be coming from this region," said Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng, a Thai economist and currently member of the IRRI Board of Trustees. In addition, the number of nontraditional rice eaters is rising, especially in African countries. With global rice demand estimated to increase from 439 million tons in 2010 to 555 million tons in 2035, rice production must be able to keep up if world market prices are to be stabilized at affordable levels for billions of rice consumers.

Rising urbanization The changing economic structure of Asia and the increasing number of its middle class will have an influence on the international rice market. "The higher the income of the people, the more diversified are their diets," said Dr. David Dawe, FAO senior economist. "This change will have an effect on the demand for rice."

And, 50% of this change is coming from India and China, according to Dr. Setboonsarng. China's economic progress will result in mass outmigration from farms to cities. The rural migration will be massive, according to Milo Hamilton, senior agricultural economist and co-founder ofFirstgrain. com. More than 250 million people in China will leave their farms and move into cities in the next 15 years. In China alone, 1 billion more people will live an urban life by 2030. This phenomenon is also occurring in other parts of Asia. Southeast Asian farmers are leaving rural areas for better wages in cities. For example, Cambodians in rural areas are migrating to the cities of Thailand to work in construction or in factories.

A worrisome question is who would be left on rice farms to feed the ever-growing cities that need increasing quantities of food, said Mr. Hamilton. "This is a double whammy on the rice www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine market—increase in urban consumption and reduction of rural food sector workers," added Dr. Setboonsarng.

Water and rice According to Dr. Setboonsarng, the expansion of urbanization in Asia is leading to an increase in domestic consumption of water, which will compete with the use of water for agricultural production, especially rice production. It is a fact that rice is the most water-intensive crop.

"Water, a limited resource, is diminishing," Dr. Setboonsarng said. "The groundwater used to irrigate rice in countries such as Bangladesh, India, and China is stressed because of the expansion of irrigation."

Mr. Hamilton said that rice production is more like water conversion. When one trades rice, one is also trading water. Samarendu Mohanty, IRRI senior economist, said that "when the government of India is subsidizing rice production, it is, in one way or another, subsidizing the water need of the country that buys the rice." It is said that China has the capacity to produce more rice if it wants to, but, unlike India, it is conserving its water by importing rice.

This goes back to the issue of finding the true value of rice. Mr. Hamilton said that water, itself, is not usually priced but what is priced is the cost of obtaining the water. How we put a price on rice is akin to how we put a price on water. Water scarcity will have an effect on where the rice is coming from in the future. According to Mr. Hamilton, rice will be coming from countries whose water resource has not yet been depleted.

A political commodity Since rice is the staple food of more than half of humanity, it is easy to understand that it is a political commodity. Governments will do everything possible to make rice available to their constituents. They have done a lot of things to control its price so their constituents or "voters" can still afford it, or buying from farmers at a higher price to encourage farmers to produce it.

When the price of rice spiked during 2007-08, riots erupted in different corners of the world and posed tremendous challenges to many governments.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Government policies The rice price crisis was a wake-up call for many governments. Many created policy interventions to prevent food crises from occurring again. For rice-importing countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the policy is selfsufficiency. The Philippines is doing its best to increase its rice production through its Food Staples Sufficiency Program, at the same time encouraging its citizens to diversify their diets by eating carbohydrate alternatives such as sweet potato and cassava. In addition, the Philippine government launched national campaigns discouraging consumers from wasting rice.

But, "government interventions in the form of rice policies often hide the true price of rice," said Dr. Mohanty. For example, the rice-pledging scheme of Thailand made the price of its rice less affordable—and less competitive—in the international rice market. India’s policy on rice subsidy makes rice production cheap for farmers so they can sell rice at a low price. With India’s low price, plus its bumper crop in 2013, it temporarily displaced Thailand as the top rice exporter in the world.

"The government intervention in rice policies is two-pronged," explained Dr. Setboonsarng.

"Most governments control the price of food, including rice, to keep the price low. At the same time, they subsidize the producer, especially the farmers to enable them to keep up with the production. And as a consequence, the indirect recipient of subsidies to farmers is, in fact, the rice consumer, not only in one’s own country but also in other countries. For the domestic rice market, low prices discourage innovation in the whole rice value chain—from production and marketing to storage and distribution."

And what does this mean to the international rice market? "As both the exporter and importer control the consumer price of rice and subsidize rice farmers, the supply curve of rice is shifted and lowers the price and quantity traded in the international market," Dr. Setboonsarng added.

"As a result, the world rice market becomes small and volatile. Moreover, the self-sufficiency policy of most rice-importing countries adds to the uncertainty."

Lack of transparency ―Another reason for uncertainty is the lack of reliable information,‖ said Bruce Tolentino, IRRI’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships. "Uncertainty in the global rice market leads to speculation, and speculation can lead to confusion and panic." He also emphasized the importance of transparency as a key to a stable global rice market.

"In fact, the root cause of the 160% price increase during the 2007-08 rice crisis was not the lack of supply but a lack of transparency," Dr. Zeigler pointed out. "And, those hundreds of millions of people who suffered are the poorest of the poor. That became the wake-up call for us.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine "For many, they think that the wake-up call was to pay attention to production technology," he continued "But for us, we needed to understand what was going on in the rice trade and what we could do to make a difference."

Over the years, IRRI has been focusing its expertise on what drives the global market and the kind of information required to attain a stable environment. The Institute has been gatheringdata and information on the socioeconomic aspects of rice: how much rice is needed, what it takes to grow a good crop, what a good rice crop is, and what consumers want."

The underlying foundation is that IRRI is viewed as an honest broker," said Dr. Zeigler. "We don’t have a dog in the fight in rice trade. This allows us to provide unbiased and accurate information on rice production."

IRRI has been developing state-of-the-art tools to provide timely and accurate estimates of rice production in Asia. "We have a suite of technologies on board," he said. "First, we have a much better way of estimating the realizable yield of the rice crop using a crop growth model, a technology that we have been developing for the last 25 years. We have an extraordinarily accurate assessment of what a rice paddy is going to do."

Dr. Zeigler added that, through satellite imagery, data can be gathered and processed in real time to obtain a good assessment of actual rice production. The real breakthrough is that IRRI now uses radar imagery, which can provide superior penetration capability through any type of weather condition, and this can be used in daytime or nighttime.

He explained that, unlike before, because most rice is produced during the monsoon season, all we got were beautiful pictures of clouds. With radar imagery, IRRI can obtain a very good assessment of rice distribution. It can collect data on soil, water, and temperature and even obtain a weekly estimate of rice area, and determine the time when rice was planted. And, combining all these with crop growth data, we can estimate the harvest. This timely and accurate information will remove much uncertainty around production.

"Rice demand can be determined by income growth and distribution, and government policy, among other data," Dr. Zeigler said. "As a rice research institute, IRRI can contribute in providing highly accurate information on the rice crop. Having a good understanding of both the supply and demand side of the equation is an important part of having a stable rice trade."

IRRI’s expanding role Indeed, IRRI has an important role to play in the development of rice policies. A number of interventions that governments have made, although reasonable in the short term, such as making sure that rice is available so that people will not have riots on the streets, have long-term adverse

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine impacts.

According to Dr. Zeigler, organizations such as IRRI and the International Food Policy Research Institute are well placed to help governments work through the implications of their policy choices. Those policy choices will have a dramatic impact on rice trade— locally, regionally, and in the overall global rice market.

"From our perspective, we see a transition from a strictly research orientation attending to the issues around how to produce more and better rice in a more sustainable way as a good starting point for moving to a much richer engagement with the global community," he said. "We think that it is increasingly important that we bring an unbiased point of view to the table to help provide the information that the global community needs for an open and transparent rice trade." _________________________________________ Ms. Reyes is the managing editor of Rice Today.

Source with thanks:http://irri.org/rice-today/unleashing-the-ricemarket?utm_source=IRRI+email+subscriptions&utm_campaign=0c5f0976ecRiceToday_Weekly2_16_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c803adc7cf-0c5f0976ec40925885

Rice serves up double measure of biofuel and fodder An inexpensive process developed in Japan will allow farmers to produce their own tractor fuel and cattle feed in one simple step.

Japanese researchers found that fermenting harvested whole rice plants with yeast and enzymes into bales wrapped in impermeable film could produce ethanol for fuel, while the bale still contained nourishing silage for cattle feed. Image: Shutterstock Climate News Network Friday 13 February 2015 Japanese scientists have found a potential answer to the biofuel dilemma that if you grow crops for energy, you have to sacrifice crops for food.They report that they can now ferment rice to deliver ethanol, while making silage for cattle feed –and that it can all be done on the farm without need for any expensive off-site processes.Mitsuo Horita, of the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues write in

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels that they used a process of solid-state fermentation known to temperate zone farmers everywhere: grass or cereal is harvested, compressed, sealed, and fermented in the absence of oxygen.

Pickled product The outcome is a pickled product that is both nourishing and palatable to cattle during the winter months − and a mix of liquid hydrocarbon products that must be disposed of in ways that won’t pollute water supplies or harm fish and wildlife. “ What we’ve now demonstrated is a complete and scaled-up system that shows its potential in a practical on-farm situation. Instead of a complicated process requiring special facilities, our system simply builds upon traditional processes already used by farmers for producing silage for animal feed.

Mitsuo Horita, scientist at the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences The Japanese research team packed harvested whole rice plants with yeast and enzymes into bales wrapped in impermeable film.Sugars and starch in the rice were converted by the yeast into ethanol, which could then be drained and distilled for fuel. And at the end of the process, the bale still contained nourishing silage.For each bale, after six months of fermentation, the researchers collected 12.4kg of pure ethanol, or alcohol − which is about 10 times more than anyone could expect from traditional silage fermentation.

The bales also leaked effluent ethanol at the rate of about 1.7kg a bale.Biofuels are often seen as a solution that creates more problems. Will increased ―green energy‖ mean high grain prices?

Will specialist biofuel crops escape from the farms and cause wider problems for the environment? Could biofuels be more efficiently made from waste, or from natural sources not for the moment of any commercial value? This new approach sidesteps some nagging questions.―Generally, the bottlenecks in second-generation biofuel production include the need for large facilities, bulky material transport, and complicated treatment processes, all of which are costly and consume a great deal of energy,‖ Horita says. ―What we’ve now demonstrated is a complete and scaled-up system that shows its potential in a practical on-farm situation. Instead of a complicated process requiring special facilities, our system simply builds upon traditional processes already used by farmers for producing silage for animal feed.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Zero waste ―It results in a high yield of ethanol, while producing good quality feed, with zero waste.‖In effect, the team has delivered fodder and tractor fuel in one step.Fermentation takes longer than usual, but no extra energy needs to be supplied for the process, and the alcohol drawn off contained no insoluble particles, and so would make it easier to handle.The researchers used a vacuum distiller to get at 86 per cent of the baled alcohol, but they concede they must do more to improve both the yield and the recovery of the ethanol.Meanwhile, they point out, they have shown the way to an on-farm fuel system that could help farmers in the developing world, and which exploits the same field for food and fuel at the same time.

Source with thanks:http://www.eco-business.com/news/rice-serves-double-measure-biofuel-and-

fodder/

Nigeria to benefit from N610bn rice grant

BY OUR REPORTER ON FEBRUARY 16, 2015BUSINESSWEEK

BY STEVE AGBOTA In order to attain self-sufficiency in food production, Nigeria has been selected to benefit from about N610.5 billion (about $3.3 million) granted by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the German Development Cooperation (BMZ), under the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project.Other three African countries included in the project are Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania .The project, which has been scheduled to end in 2017, was designed to reach about 120,000 small-scale rice producers, as well as rural service providers and rice millers as secondary beneficiaries.

The scheme, which is geared towards improving their sourcing capacity of quality supply, has implementing institutions selected as grant facilitators to include GIZ, Technoserve, the John A. Kufuor (JAK) and Kili Trust (KT).During the establishment of the Nigeria/ECOWAS Rice Sector Policy and Regulation Advocacy Platform in Abuja, CARI’s Project Coordinator, Mr. Stefan Kachelriess-Matthess, explained that the main instrument for the implementation of CARI across the four countries on the matching grant would be on the basis of Public Private Partnership (PPP).Kachel-Matthess added: ―The projects are implemented at two levels of support. We support up to 40 per cent of implementation cost and our Nigerian partners in the private sector have to provide 60 per cent of the implementation cost. ‖Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, who was represented by Mrs. Jael Kpatuwak expressed the hope that the CARI project will address coordination failures, create better linkages among rice value chain actors, the result which, she said, will lead to increase in www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine the economic returns for all stakeholders.According to her, the sector holds the key to getting Nigeria out of poverty as it provides food security, employment for the teeming population and creating the platform for a diversified economy towards an industrialisation revolution.Njeze said, ―this focus on rice commodity is most strategic for Nigeria and the West African subregion, which imports close to 50 per cent of rice from foreign countries outside the shores of the African continent. ―In the last couple of years, Nigeria spent approximately N1 billion daily on rice importation.

This has led to the export of our jobs and financial resources meant for the transformation of the domestic rice sector in order to achieve self-sufficiency and exports.‖She said the German Development Cooperation has been a major partner to NEPAD in the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), adding that GIZ had supported the organisation of Nigeria’s CAADP country team orientation workshop in 2011.

While speaking at the event, the ECOWAS Commissioner of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Lapodini Marc Atouga, represented by a Director at the commission, said rice consumption in the last two years in the sub-region had increased from 7 to 7.7 million tonnes, saying this clearly shows that production is not matching up with the consumption as it has to depend on international imports for 40 per cent of its rice supply with Thailand and Vietnam as the leading suppliers of the commodity to the region. http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=105028

Cluster programme helping small enterprises think big A platform for entrepreneurs to join hands Small and micro enterprises in Kerala have got a leg-up with the cluster development programme, introduced as part of the State industrial policy in 2003, providing a platform for entrepreneurs to join hands to develop their units into world class units. Industry Department sources said about 50 sectors had been initially identified for cluster development and about 40 of them were registered across the State.

The cluster development programme in Ernakulam district includes the Kalady Rice Millers’ Consortium, the plywood, plastic and furniture clusters in different parts of the district. Clusters have also been formed for food processing, printing, electronics, wood-based industries, rubber and general engineering.K.P. Raveendran of Kerala Furniture Consortium near Perumbavoor www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine said 33 units made use of the common facility centre for value addition. The centre has facilities for seasoning, treatment and finger-joining. New design development programmes were also on in collaboration with the National Institute of Design, he said.N.P. Antony of Kalady Rice Millers’ Consortium said the formation of the common facility centre for rice millers was helpful in diversifying product lines.

The common facility centre for rice millers is a rice bran oil refinery with a capacity of 50 tonnes per day.The establishment of the rice bran oil unit has helped the entrepreneurs expand the marketing of the rice bran oil, which, Mr. Antony claimed was a healthy and cheaper cooking medium. There are 38 units that make use of the common facility established at a cost of Rs. 7.5 crore.Sources in the Industries Department said Kerala had succeeded in having the largest number of projects sanctioned under the Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme of the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

The Ministry provides 70 per cent of the project cost as grant and the State government provides 20 per cent. The rest of the investment comes from the beneficiary units.The formation of clusters in the State is being overseen by the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP).The State has so far received approvals for 14 projects from the Union Ministry for establishing common facility centres in clusters involving a total investment of Rs. 86 crore. Seven of these projects have been commissioned and the rest are in various stages of completion.

Source with thanks:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/cluster-programme-helping-smallenterprises-think-big/article6900372.ece

The Foods That Will Survive the Disasters of the Future Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

When we think of the future of food, we think of crops that are bred to be stronger, more productive, and even more nutritious. But it turns out that these super-crops can have unexpected weaknesses— as one scientist realized after a cyclone hit eastern India in 2009.Over the past few years, we've heard a lot about what foods may not survive the changes our Earth is currently going through, from corn to coffee, and even about the labs where scientists are growing more resilient ones. But in some cases, it seems that we should actually looking back at foods from the past.In a fascinating story on Ensia, we meet Debal Deb, a scientist who runs his own rice seed bank.

After a cyclone hit the region in 2009, salt water from flooding ended up killing the remaining rice crops—most of which were "modern, high-yield" varieties designed to produce more food with fewer resources. But these wonder-rices weren't good at one thing: Surviving exposure to

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine salt in the soil.That posed a huge problem for inhabitants who depend on rice to live—and so Deb became an unlikely hero. Shreya Dasgupta explains: Most traditional rice varieties, including the ones Deb carried that day, are adapted to local climates and regions. But with the advent of modern high-yielding varieties of rice, local varieties became disused, and many were subsequently lost. Fortunately, a handful of rice conservationists in India have managed to save some of them.

Deb has spearheaded the effort to distribute these traditional—and salt-tolerant, thanks in part to his strategic cultivation—types of rice to farmers in the region, making them more resilient in the face of the ever-worsening storms and floods.Modern science and botany has given us the power to build better foods—but it turns out that nature is still a pretty damn good engineer, too. [Ensia; H/t Climate Central] Lead image: An aerial view of an isolated and marooned village is seen in the Gosaba area near Sundarbans, on, Wednesday, May 27, 2009, after Cyclone Aila pounded eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least 191 people. AP Photo/Indian Defense Ministry, HO Source with thanks:http://gizmodo.com/the-foods-that-will-survive-climate-disasters-1685867792

Grain diversion: role of Hassan rice mill being probed The investigation into the seizure of rice meant for distribution under Anna Bhagya scheme at Arkalgud has brought to light the alleged involvement of a Hassan-based rice mill in the illegal transportation of foodgrains meant for government schemes.The Arkalgud police had seized 450 bags of rice on Thursday, when it was allegedly being transported to Kerala by a truck. The police had found that the stock originated from Guru Rice Mill in Hassan. Two persons were arrested in this connection.

Interestingly, the same rice mill was in the news in 2013 for keeping a stock of 305 quintals of Anna Bhagya rice, illegally. The Food and Civil Supplies officials had conducted a raid on August 15, 2013 and seized the rice. A case had been booked against Krishna, owner of the rice mill, under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act. Later, the rice seized had been sold through auction and the matter is in court.―The accused got a bail in the case. The trial is going on,‖ said S.E. Mahadevappa, Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department.

In 2004 In fact, it was not the first time that the rice mill was in news for wrong reasons in August, 2013.

Mr. Krishna’s brother, Jagadish, was an accused in a major rice-scam involving misuse of foodgrains meant for drought-relief programme in 2004. It was Guru Binny Rice Mill, owned by the latter, from where over 12,000 tonnes of rice had been allegedly exported illegally to Mombasa in Kenya. Then, cases had been booked against 28 people, including Mr. Jagadish.

Many government officials faced charges in connection with the alleged misuse of 17,000 tonnes of rice. This matter is also in the court.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Mr. Mahadevappa alleged that proprietors of Guru Rice Mill were often involved in crimes of similar nature. ―The department has issued notices to the mill several times. We have requested the police to deal sternly with perpetrators,‖ he said.

Guru Rice Mill said to have been involved in a crime of similar nature in 2013 Police urged to deal sternly with those misusing foodgrains meant for public distribution system Source with thanks:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/grain-diversion-role-of-hassanrice-mill-being-probed/article6898047.ece

Nigeria on track for self-sufficiency in rice Inside AfricaNigeria Feb 14, 2015 Investment in production and the rollout of higher-yield strains are helping put Nigeria on track for self-sufficiency in rice, potentially opening the possibility for exports further down the line.unnamedOilrich Nigeria has long been dependent on staple imports to feed its 170m people, with a total bill of $4.3bn at the end of December 2013.

Nigeria has typically consumed around 6m tonnes of rice a year, importing almost half the amount to bridge its supply deficit.

However, a tighter fiscal environment – a result of declining oil revenues – alongside efforts to strengthen the agricultural sector, has prompted a state-led push to improve local staple crop production and sustainability. To that end, the government plans to ban all rice imports by the end of this year, saving some N360bn ($1.9bn) a year.The target is ambitious, but according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria has recently reached 80% self-sufficiency in paddy rice production, speaking in November at the Second Nigeria Rice Investment Forum.

Production increase According to government officials, the recent increase in production has been achieved through private sector investments as well as state support schemes for growers.Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina, said the introduction of new rice varieties – that meet international standards and allow for two plantings a year to generate additional yield – will boost output and quality as well as open up export opportunities in the future.We started a rapid process of replacing local varieties with these new varieties,‖ he told OBG. ―Within the last three years, we have reached 6m farmers who have expanded cultivated area by 2m hectares. These new varieties can be produced in both wet season and dry season, so for the first time in this country, we are doing dry season farming.‖

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―I expect within three years Nigeria will be a net exporter of rice just like Thailand and India,‖ he added.The new strains will be crucial but there is a broader package of measures currently being rolled out, including an upgrade of infrastructure and storage facilities, which is equally important.―Realistically Nigeria must get its infrastructure right, including roads, irrigation and storage facilities, along with co-operatives and efficiently sourced inputs,‖ said Mukul Mathur, the head of Nigeria Olam, which has invested N18bn ($111m) in an integrated farm and milling facility in Nasarawa State. ―Only then will the discussion be about higher yielding seeds,‖ Mathur told OBG. Private sector involvement Significant investments have also been ploughed into processing capacity, with the number of rice mills rising from one plant five years ago, to 24 at present, according to the Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors’ Association of Nigeria. Increased processing will enable Nigeria to reduce milled imports and boost the value-added in the production chain.One of the biggest investments in processing was made last year by Dangote Group. In August, the Nigerian conglomerate committed to spend more than N165bn ($1bn) in mills, farms and related infrastructure in a bid to support the country in its goal of becoming a net-exporter of rice. The group acquired farmland in five states, which will be used for the commercial production of rice paddy.

It will also set-up two rice mills with an installed capacity of 240,000 tonnes of rice per day.The expansion of downstream activity is crucial to ensuring that Nigeria’s rice sector is sustainable.

Countries that have been able to fully develop their agriculture sectors have done it through commercialisation, Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Industries Limited told OBG. ―Nigeria is already making strides to prioritise greater private sector participation in farming, since large commercial entities can introduce larger capital investments and productivityenhancing initiatives,‖ he added.

Imported rice destabilises market In addition to other initiatives, the Federal Government recently said it had concluded plans to establish and manage a rice levy fund to support local rice production and growers.Under the Backward Integration Programme scheme, introduced in 2013, approved investors who are developing rice processing facilities are allowed to import rice at reduced tariffs until their production capacity comes on line.The programme, which will end in 2017 when domestic production is expected to be sufficient to meet demand, is credited with having helped attract an estimated $1.6bn in private sector investments. However, it may also have caused distortions in the market and a drain on state funds with claims of increased smuggling of rice as a result of a government price hike on imports.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Cheap smuggled rice has toughened the competition for local growers, lowering the price they can attain on the market. At the same time, some companies may have obtained an import quota but have not made any investments in the rice sector, or have imported quantities of rice well about their quota, without paying the appropriate levies.In mid-January, the government announced it would pursue instances of under-payment or non compliance, with the N36.5bn ($195.7m) in estimated debts to the state, once collected, to be put into the newly established National Domestic Rice Production Fund.

Source with thanks: spyghana.com

Amira Nature Foods : ATTENTION AMIRA SHAREHOLDERS: Shareholder Rights Law Firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP is Investigating Potential Violations of the Federal Securities Laws by Amira Nature Foods Ltd and Certain Officers 02/13/2015 | 10:46pm US/Eastern

Shareholder Rights Law Firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP is investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws by Amira Nature Foods Ltd (NYSE: ANFI) and certain of its officers.

Amira is engaged in processing, distributing and marketing packaged specialty rice and other food products.On February 9, 2015, Prescience Point Research Group published a report alleging that Amira had overstated its India-produced Basmati rice revenue by at least 116.9% in 2014, citing Indian government reports on Basmati rice exports.

Prescience further alleged that Amira had engaged in material related-party transactions with its largest distributor, one of its largest suppliers and a company from which Amira intended to buy $30 million of land. Additionally, the report stated that Amira Chief Executive Officer Karan Chanana used Company resources for personal use, including paying salaries for household help.As a result of this news, Amira stock plummeted $3.45 per share to close at $9.95 per share on February 9, 2015, a one-day decline of nearly 26%, on volume of over 3.6 million shares.

If you are an Amira shareholder and are interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, or if you have any information that may assist us in our investigation, please contact Jim Baker (jimb@johnsonandweaver.com) at 619-814-4471. If you email, please include your phone number.

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Source with thanks: Courtesy 4-traders.com

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