18th july ,2017 daily global regional & local rice e newsletter

Daily Global Rice

E-Newsletter

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July 18,2017 Vol 8 Issue VII

Today Rice News Headlines... o

Rice basmati weakens on easing demand

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Emergency import of 500,000 tons of rice Pakistan, Myanmar agree to provide 55,000 MT of rice immediately Flood Assistance Available for Louisiana Rice Producers Colored rice may brighten the menu for diabetics in the future Govt brushes off call to test the quality of rice stocks Fruit exporters move CCP against high freight charges Are China’s scientists more interested in cash than the search for truth?

Government to tap emergency rice fund to help corn farmers Global rice processing facility to come up in Mysuru Mannachanallur rice mills struggle to sustain operation Ganeden’s BC30 Probiotic Aids Plant Protein Digestion, Study Suggests Genetically Modified Rice Stacked With Antioxidants Bangladesh imports surge 11.83 pct in July-May period Rice price unlikely to drop despite import from Vietnam Tariff on imported rice among Ledac priority bills More bidders sought for rice imports Second batch of rice supply reaches Ctg Second shipment of imported Vietnam rice arrives in Chittagong Govt issues new tender to buy 50,000t rice Sri Lanka signs rice deal Kharif sowing picks up with monsoon Importers say 40% of rice in the market is imported Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 18, 2017 Iran, Vietnam keen to boost agricultural cooperation Nigeria won’t import rice next year – IFAD South Asia in urgent call for Thai rice Online Advertisement:mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 0321 369 2874 www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Monitor Latest Updates on www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

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News Detail...

Rice basmati weakens on easing demand Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,800-7,100, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,500-5,550, Permal raw Rs 2,225-2,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,8501,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs 1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,335-1,340, Barley Rs 1,450-1,460 New Delhi, Jul 15 Rice basmati prices were lower by Rs 100 per quintal in lacklustre trade at wholesale grains market today on fall in demand.

However, other grains moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and pegged at last levels.

Traders said easing demand against adequate stocks position, mainly led to the decline in rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati Pusa-1121 variety slipped to Rs 5,500-5,550 from previous level of Rs 5,600- 5,650 per quintal.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,760-1,765, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,765-1,770, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 975-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,010-1,020 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,035-1,040 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,800-7,100, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,500-5,550, Permal raw Rs 2,2252,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs 1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,335-1,340, Barley Rs 1,450-1,460. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/rice-basmati-weakens-on-easing-demand/1099669

Emergency import of 500,000 tons of rice The Government is to make an emergency import of 500,000 tons of rice to face a feared shortfall in local production due to adverse weather conditions. The state will import 300,000 tons whilst the private sector will be allowed to import the remaining 200,000 tons. Stocks will come mainly from Vietnam, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand. Officials have been tasked to visit these countries to assess prices and quality.

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The Cabinet Sub Committee on Cost of Living at recent a meeting presided over by President Maithripala Sirisena, discussed the crisis arising out of the drop in production. One of the immediate measures then was to remove the five rupee tax on imported rice and revise the Maximum Retail Price to match locally produced varieties in the market. The sub committee noted that adequate paddy stocks were also not available. It was observed that in India also rice prices had risen due to shortages.

President Sirisena has since been spearheading a diplomatic push to buy stocks from abroad. He has personally spoken on the telephone to those at Sri Lanka diplomatic missions abroad and leaders of rice producing countries in South Asia. The Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) is to import stocks on behalf of the Government. However, the CWE is in a financial crisis and is unable to pay the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) a staggering Rs 3.7 billion.

In what appears to be an irony, the PMB is repaying with interest loans obtained by the CWE from the Treasury and borrowings from the Bank of Ceylon and the People‘s Bank. Now, the Government has said the Treasury is free to take ―necessary steps to recover the amount‖.

Industry Commerce Ministry Secretary Chinthaka Lokuhetti said Pakistan and Myanmar had agreed to supply 25,000 tons each within two weeks.

He said Myanmar would confirm tomorrow whether to increase the amount up to 45,000 tons.

The recent drought and the flood hit both Yala and Maha seasons causing a drastic drop in the yield. Mr Lokuhetti said that by November about 300,000 tons of rice would be imported from Pakistan to be distributed through Lak Sathosa outlets and cooperatives. He added that rice varieties specially Nadu and White Raw rice would be imported while the Food Technologists and the local officials had checked and confirmed the quality and the taste of the rice to be imported.

Meanwhile, Lak Sathosa Chairman T.M.K.B. Tennekoon said 50,000 tons of paddy were available with Lak Sathosa and the stock would be enough for the next 4-5 months. He said that with the import of rice, a controlled price would be maintained. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170716/news/emergency-import-of-500000-tons-of-rice-250582.html

Pakistan, Myanmar agree to provide 55,000 MT of rice immediately Political & Current Affairs Pakistan and Myanmar have agreed to supply 55, 000 MT of rice to Sri Lanka immediately to overcome any possible rice shortage in the domestic market.

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The four-member team of officials that flew to Pakistan and Myanmar returned yesterday (14th July) and met the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen. The team was led by Secretary of Ministry of Industry and Commerce Chinthaka Lokuhetti. ―After this successful tour, it is clear that there will be no more rice shortages in the domestic markets-or even any likelihood of it. Some elements in the market are trying to create an artificial shortage‖, the Minister said. According to an official, Pakistan has agreed to supply 25000 MT immediately. No final price has been quoted yet but once the final price is agreed, they will be shipped from Pakistan in early August. Pakistan is also ready to supply some more rice quantity by September. Myanmar is ready to supply another 30,000 MT immediately and its final price too, to be agreed. https://www.news.lk/news/political-current-affairs/item/17423-pakistan-myanmar-agree-to-provide-55000-mt-of-rice-immediately

Flood Assistance Available for Louisiana Rice Producers

By Carrie Castille

WELSH, LA -- Louisiana rice producers affected by the 2016 floods attended several informational meetings last week hosted by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) to learn more about the 2016 Louisiana Farm Recovery Grant Program.

Awards of up to $100,000 will be offered to producers in the following parishes to help with 2017 replanting expenses: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Point Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

"The funding is part of the $1.6 billion congressional appropriation for Restore Louisiana program which was setup to help citizens recover from the flood events," said USA Rice's Kane Webb. "Unfortunately, several rice producing parishes affected by the 2016 floods did not

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qualify since funds for this program come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and not from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Eligibility is set by HUD which requires the parish to have been declared a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be eligible. Being declared a disaster area by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture does not qualify the parish."

The funds are part of a grant program rather than a combination of a loan and grant that does not have to be paid back. Rice producers with pre-storm annual gross farm revenue of at least $25,000 in the years 2014, 2015, or 2016 are eligible to apply. Crop loss must be at least $10,000 as calculated by the LSU AgCenter's crop loss calculator.

The 36-day application period begins July 26 and runs through August 30. Applications, supporting information, and the crop loss calculator are available here.

Colored rice may brighten the menu for diabetics in the future Jul 14, 2017

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Shown are purple, brown and red rice piles. ARS scientists found that colored rice bran extracts help mouse fat cells use glucose, or sugar. (Photo courtesy of ARS.)

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 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.

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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 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. http://www.hpj.com/crops/colored-rice-may-brighten-the-menu-for-diabetics-in-the/article_886f70c669e6-5361-881e-8ad662495416.html

Govt brushes off call to test the quality of rice stocks national July 17, 2017 01:00

By The Nation THE NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has brushed aside requests for a special order to open up warehouses to verify rice quality to see if it is still good for human consumption.

Col Winthai Suwaree, the NCPO spokesman, said the Commerce Ministry is responsible for responding to the Pheu Thai party‘s claims that the government had sold rice in its inventory for feedmill production at a low price.

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This has resulted in a heavy loss estimated to exceed Bt10 billion, according to Yuttapong Charassathien, a former Pheu Thai MP who doubted that the ongoing sale of 2.4 million tonnes of government-owned rice was implemented properly.

Winthai said Yuttapong should seek further information from the Commerce Ministry, which said it has reasons to justify its decision to sell the large quantity of rice at a relatively low price.

Earlier, Yuttapong, a former deputy agriculture minister, said he had evidence that the Commerce Ministry did not sell the rice to a company, named CPS Co, which offered to buy the government‘s stock at about Bt9,000 per tonne.

Instead, he said, the ministry later sold the same rice to other firms at a price of only Bt4,000 per tonne for use as feedmill rather than human consumption.

As a result, Yuttapong asked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to exercise his power under Article 44 of the interim charter to re-open warehouses for the public to help verify the quality of rice.

Duangporn Rodprayad, director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, said the selling price is not the only factor in managing the huge inventory that resulted from the previous Yingluck government‘s unlimited rice-pledging scheme. The government needed to take into account warehouse, interest and rice treatment expenses as well as impacts on human and animal health, Duangporn said.

The huge inventory was acquired under the previous government‘s rice-pledging scheme at a cost of Bt22,000-23,000 per tonne for white rice and Bt29,000-30,000 for Hom Mali rice.

According to the Commerce Ministry, the quality of rice had deteriorated due to an extended period of storage and was no longer suitable for human consumption, so it was sold to the feedmill industry at a lower price.

Yuttapong said CPS Co, the company previously contracted by the ministry, had insisted that the rice was still good for people‘s consumption so it should not be sold to the feedmill industry.

The former deputy agriculture ministry also urged Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn to attend to the verification process to see if the rice inventory was still good for human consumption.

Yuttapong also said CPS Co had twice sent letters to the Department of Foreign Trade seeking a review of the sale of rice at a low price.

When it took office more than three years ago, the Prayut government inherited a huge rice inventory of 18 million tonnes from the previous government‘s rice-pledging scheme. Over the past three years, 3.5-4 million tonnes of rice have been sold annually at a loss to ease the government‘s burden.

The last inventory of 2.87 million tonnes has been in the process of being sold, consisting of 167,000 tonnes of rice for people‘s consumption, 2.14 million tonnes for feedmill, and 568,000 tonnes for the energy sector. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30320919

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Fruit exporters move CCP against high freight charges 14-Jul-17 by agencies

KARACHI: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has decided to probe into higher air freight rates being charged by foreign airlines for export of perishable commodities in Pakistan, fruit exporters claimed Thursday.

The commission after examining complaints of horticultural exporters has decided to look into the issue by constituting a relevant committee. This development was reported after a detailed meeting of concerned stockholders with Director General of CCP in Islamabad. A four-member joint delegation of PFVEA & ACAAP, comprising of Waheed Ahmed Patron-in-chief and Shahzad Shaikh, also member Executive Committee of Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters Association PFVEA, along with Mohsin Abbas Dharsi, Chairman and Shujaat Ali Convener, FDSC of Air Cargo Agents Association of Pakistan ACAAP, were called upon by Shaista Bano, Director General, CCP. The meeting was summoned by Director General CCP, after a complaint registered by the associations before start of mango season 2017. They discussed the matters of higher freight rates being charged by foreign carriers on perishable commodities, especially mango shipments to European destinations, Middle East and USA. The delegation explained and clarified the contention with all the supportive documentary evidences.

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Their concerns are; the higher air freight rates being charged from on all "Pakistani perishable commodities" especially Mangoes Shipments to European, Middle Eastern and American destinations. Apart from other serious and unjustified conditions imposed by Airlines, the indemnity bond are take from the Exporters before the start of Mango Season. By virtue of this documents, the exporters cut their hands and in case of any mishandling, damage or loss of shipment, the Exporters cannot submit a claim. Although Pakistan's Exporters paying highest air freight rates among the Sub- continent Mango Exporters, yet their shipments are not given priority. Even by paying higher air freights Pakistani exporters are not able to compete in International market and on another side due to negligence and mishandling by airlines the exports consignments are being rejected which leads towards heavy revenue losses. Later the CCP officials assured the PFVA delegation about prompt investigation into the issue for which a committee would be constituted soon.

Published in Daily Times, July 14th , 2017 http://dailytimes.com.pk/business/14-Jul-17/fruit-exporters-move-ccp-against-high-freightcharges?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=google_plus&utm_source=socialnetwork

Are China‘s scientists more interested in cash than the search for truth?

New study suggests financial rewards for published papers are tarnishing the reputation of Chinese research PUBLISHED : Monday, 17 July, 2017, 8:33am UPDATED : Monday, 17 July, 2017, 11:00pm

Stephen Chen 9 A financial reward system for the publication of academic papers has been instrumental in raising China‘s profile in the global scientific community. However, a new study has questioned whether it also has resulted in scientists becoming more concerned about lining their pockets than checking the accuracy of their research.

The research, carried out by a team led by Chen Bikun, an associate professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology‘s School of Economics and Management, looked at the different reward policies adopted by 100 Chinese universities over the past 17 years.

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Released earlier this month, the study found that between 1999 and 2016, academics were paid between US$30 and US$165,000 for each paper they had published in an internationally recognised journal, with the mean payment rising noticeably over the past decade.The average reward for an article published in either Nature or Science, for instance, rose from US$26,212 in 2008 to US$43,783 last year, an increase of 67 per cent. The top figure equates to about 20 times a professor‘s annual salary, the study said.

China‘s cash-for-papers policy came under increased scrutiny last month when a research team

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was awarded US$2 million for a paper on a possible cure for rice fungus published in the scientific journal Cell.The payment was made to Professor Chen Xuewei and his colleagues at Sichuan Agricultural University for their breakthrough work that could help rice crops become resistant to a deadly fungus known as rice blast.

Despite the credibility of the team‘s work, the size of their reward – which equated to about double the amount last year‘s Nobel laureates received – made headlines around the world and raised questions about the ethics of paying scientists such large sums for their research.In China, the cash-for-papers system was introduced by Nanjing University in Jiangsu province about 1990, according to Chen Bikun‘s study.

Though the reward in those days was just US$25, the scheme led to a huge spike in the number of papers published by the university, which topped the national rankings for such for the whole of that decade. Other universities rapidly followed suit and launched their own reward schemes.According to figures from China‘s National Bureau of Statistics, the number of papers published outside the country increased 17-fold between 1996 and 2014, from 13,134 to 232,070.

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―Traditionally, financial incentives are used in business to reward employees for their excellent performance,‖ Chen Bikun said in the study.―[But now] Chinese universities are rewarding their scholars for their research performance,‖ he said.Despite the negative implications of the payment system, there can be no doubt that it has been instrumental in raising the profile of China‘s scientists on the world stage, the study said. ―The reward policy has been successful, as China has experienced exponential growth in the number of papers it has had published in international science publications over the past 20 years.‖ Chen could not be immediately reached for comment about his study – which is currently in draft form pending peer review – but it has already caught the attention of scientific journals overseas. ―This caused the odd raised eyebrow among Western scientists, for whom this kind of financial reward is an anathema,‖ said a commentary in MIT Technology Review last week. ―For them, science is venerated as a search for truth that is unaffected by self-interest,‖ it added.

In his research, Chen claimed that some Chinese scholars are ―driven to publish just for the monetary reward rather than disseminating knowledge and receiving the recognition‖.

He cited the example of a materials scientist at Heilongjiang University, who between 2004 and 2009 had more than 250 papers published in a single journal, for which he received ―more than half of the total cash rewards‖ given by the university in the northeastern province. He did not name the researcher.

According to other studies, last year there were 1,234 corrections made to academic works published by Chinese scientists. In 1996, the number was just two. The figures were released amid growing concerns about the scale of academic fraud in the country, which encompasses plagiarism, dishonesty, ghost written papers and fake peer reviews.

Not that China is the only guilty party, according to the article in the MIT Technology Review. ―The search for ‗truth‘ is not as pure as many would like to believe,‖ it said, though the events in China could ―tarnish it further‖.

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It added: ―If publication success can be improved by cash payments to scientists, how long before universities in other countries follow suit?‖ In contrast, a front page editorial in the July 5 issue of China Science Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, referred to the US$2 million award in Sichuan as a ―new beginning‖.

In the past, China‘s investment in research and development went mostly on the purchase or construction of large, sophisticated hardware and facilities, it said. Such spending was ―unfair‖ to the scientists, the majority of whom earn relatively modest salaries, it said.

Jason Chan, Asia spokesman for global publishing group Elsevier, said that controversy aside, it is clear that China‘s research might is growing, and not just in terms of the number of papers it has published. ―China still has some catching up to do in terms of quality of research output but the gap is closing fast,‖ he said. ―What‘s interesting is that the country is starting to be a serious innovation exporter, judging from the growing number of patent applications filed,‖ Chan said, adding that the figure had been rising by about 19 per cent a year, to 1.1 million in 2015 alone.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as:

Pay-for-papers policy ‘may undermine quest for truth’ http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2102869/are-chinas-scientists-more-interestedcash-search-truth

Government to tap emergency rice fund to help corn farmers Tue, 18 July 2017 Cheng Sokhorng

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A farmer plucks ripe corns in a field in Pailin province in 2012. Heng Chivoan

The government will use the untapped funds of an emergency rice loan package to support struggling corn farmers who have protested the low market prices for their crop this season, state officials said yesterday.

Kao Thach, CEO of the government-backed Rural Development Bank (RDB), said the bank will distribute the remaining funds from a $27 million rice loan package to corn traders so that they can offer higher prices on the corn they purchase from smallholder farmers. ―We will provide loans to corn traders so that they can collect the corn from farmers as well as to ensure better corn prices,‖ he said.

Thach said the loans would be provided using the same formula that RDB used for the rice sector, which offered loans at a low annual interest rate of 7 percent while requiring only rice paddy as collateral. ―The loans will be offered based on using corn in storage as collateral,‖ he said. ―However, the interest rate will be less than 7 percent – maybe from 5-6 percent.‖ Thach insisted that the disbursement of loans to corn traders would not interfere with the emergency loan package‘s original purpose. ―As the seasons of rice harvesting and corn harvesting are different, we can use this budget to help our corn industry, especially as rice millers have not utilised the full package.‖ He said just $3.5 million of the original $27 million package has been disbursed to rice millers, while another $50 million could be made available, if needed. ―The loans will be available following a board meeting tomorrow [Tuesday] to set the interest rate, which must then be finalised by the Ministry of Economy and Finance,‖ he said.

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Thach‘s announcement followed an emergency meeting yesterday between government and private sector representatives in response to protests in Battambang province over the weekend, where farmers blocked roads demanding that authorities help them to negotiate better prices for their harvested corn.

Kim Hout, director of Battambang province‘s commerce department, said the protests came after traders began offering 3 baht per kilo for corn (about $0.09), down from 3.9 baht just weeks earlier. He said the price decrease was due to the early harvest of corn, which resulted in an unusually high moisture content. ―The farmers harvested too early this year because of heavy rains, so the moisture content exceeded 30 percent, which led to lower prices,‖ he explained.

Thach said RDB‘s loan package would be sufficient to cover the main area of corn cultivation in northwestern Cambodia, which produces an estimated 1 million tonnes of corn a year. He said the loans would be suitable for long-term investments such as silos and warehouses, which require five to seven-year terms.

Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak said the availability of storage facilities was crucial to ensuring better prices. ―With the support of the RDB we can promote the building of silos and warehouses, which can be used to store corn when the price is low,‖ he said, encouraging the sector to develop more contract farming in the coming season.

Lao Sunchea, director of the Sala Krao Cassava Cooperative in Pailin province, which pools local smallholder farmer resources for cassava and corn production, said the RDB‘s loan package should help to improve the market for its members.―If the RDB issues loans to help corn traders I think farmers will be happy and it could resolve the problem as corn traders currently do not have sufficient budgets to buy corn from farmers,‖ he said http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/government-tap-emergency-rice-fund-help-cornfarmers

Global rice processing facility to come up in Mysuru Shankar Bennur JULY 18, 2017 00:37 IST KARNATAKA UPDATED: JULY 18, 2017 00:37 IST CFTRI setting up the centre on its campus to create skilled manpower for thisRice milling and processing may soon get a new dimension with the Mysuru-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), a premier CSIR laboratory, in the process of establishing a state-ofthe-art global rice processing facility on its premises here.It will be Asia‘s first institution where

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the best practices of rice milling with a focus on dealing with by-products, mainly bran, to prevent its waste, will be taught.

The institute aims to create skilled manpower in the area of rice processing with the new facility, which is similar to International School of Milling Technology (ISMT) that started functioning over three decades ago.

Annual training According to CFTRI, around 600 working professionals and entrepreneurs will be trained annually at the Global Rice Processing facility. Paddy growers will also be trained as part of Skilling India.

One of the key visions of the institute has been to create a sustainable agriculture sector through many innovative products and services by supporting the livelihood of marginal farmers and rural entrepreneurs in the country with the help of its expert faculty and over six decades of R and D efforts.

Ram Rajashekaran, director, CFTRI, told The Hindu that rice milling becomes unfinished if bran and other components are not utilised. Bran is rich in oil and fibre and our idea is to make bran industrially viable, imparting the know-how to the people in the milling industry, he explained.

Prof. Rajashekaran, who has been nominated as chairman of the South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO) which has its headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, described the effort on rice processing as an ‗academic‘ and ‗industrial‘ venture. SARSO is a Specialised Body of SAARC. After China, India is the second largest rice producer in the world with about 106 million tonnes of paddy produced annually. ―Imagine the volume of bran rice milling generated in the country with such a large production of paddy. If 10% of bran was processed, it will have generated a lot of revenue,‖ he explained.

Flour milling industry CFTRI hopes to develop the global rice processing centre along the lines of ISMT, which offers regular courses, and was established as a joint Indo-Swiss venture, and the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India project during 1981 to serve the needs of flour milling industry in India and other developing countries with regard to training in flour milling technology.

Qualitative change People from countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, have been

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trained at ISMT and many of them have served in various roller flour mills in India and also in their respective countries. ―There has been a qualitative change in the working of these mills as per the feedback received from the milling industry,‖ CFTRI sources said.

Mannachanallur rice mills struggle to sustain operation TIRUCHIRAPALLI JULY 17, 2017 20:23 IST UPDATED: JULY 17, 2017 20:23 IST SHARE ARTICLEPRINT AAA Declining paddy arrivals due to the drought conditions has caused a perceptible downslide in milling activities in Mannachanallur town that is famous for its Ponni variety of rice.

Most of the about 40 mills in the town witnessed manufacturing activities for only three to four months in a year during 2015 and 2016. Even to ensure this, the mills, according to local sources, were constrained to purchase paddy from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The predicament of the member units of Mannachanallur Rice Mill Owners‘ Association is not getting any better this year. Though the rice mills in the town have embraced modernisation over the last decade, the competition they face from the millers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is rather tough, members said.

Top quality paddy varieties produced in these States are procured by the mills there, and only the second quality is brought here for processing. The mills in the other States are also better placed in terms of operating efficiency. With capacities to process 50 to 60 tonnes a day, the mills are able to produce and sell the rice at lower prices when compared to the millers in Mannachanallur where the capacities of the manufacturing units have capacities are much lower in the range of 10 to 15 tonnes.

The industry is also labour-intensive, particularly in conventional rice mills where cleaning, drying, grading and polishing activities are carried out manually. Manpower requirement is rather high since the overall operation in rice milling unit encompass cleaning to remove impurities; separation of small stones from paddy; parboiling to improve nutritional quality; husk removal; husk aspiration; paddy separation; whitening by removal of bran layer; polishing the exterior of milled kernel; length grading of broken and full rice; and finally packaging it.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/rice/article19296912.ece

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Ganeden’s BC30 Probiotic Aids Plant Protein Digestion, Study Suggests July 17, 2017 | Digestive Health, Protein, Science

By Jennifer Prince

Diane Labombarbe

Probiotic supplier Ganeden Biotech Inc. (Cleveland) is ramping up its research on how its flagship Bacillus coagulans probiotic strain GanedenBC30 can enhance the absorption of protein. Last year, the company announced a new study indicating that GanedenBC30, when taken together with dairy protein casein, was more effective than casein alone at reducing muscle damage following exercise. Earlier company data hadsuggested that GanedenBC30 may help the body better absorb protein. Now, the company has announced a new study finding that GanedenBC30 may also enhance the absorption of plant protein.Alternative sources of protein are more popular than ever, but plant proteins are known to have lower digestibility than animal proteins. In a study published in Beneficial Microbes,1 researchers sought to determine whether GanedenBC30 has the potential to aid in the digestion of plant-based proteins. The in vitro study found that the presence of BC30 both increased plant-protein digestion uptake in the upper

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gastrointestinal tract and promoted a healthier environment in the colon by reducing the amount of excess undigested protein in the colon. According to the study authors, BC30 is the only Bacillus coagulans strain that has been shown to have an effect on protein utilization.

Researchers used three plant proteins—pea, soy, and rice—to test the potential benefits of BC30 in an in vitro model of the stomach and small intestine. They note that the experiment was carried out under the ―average physiological conditions as found in the human gastrointestinal tract for adults,‖ and average concentrations of electrolytes, enzymes, bile, and pancreatic juice were adjusted accordingly. In addition, the researchers simulated pancreatic output by secreting 10% pancreatin in a small intestinal electrolyte solution. The models that did not receive BC30 served as the control.

To create the test meals, researchers mixed 15 g of each plant protein with 45 mg of a salivaelectrolyte solution. They then added the gastric residue. Over a period of six hours, researchers collected samples from the jejunal, ileal dialysate, ileal efflux, and from the secretion fluids.

They measured concentrations of a-amino nitrogen and total nitrogen using a Cobas Mira Plus autoanalyzer and a Biuret assay, respectively. As the researchers explain, the amount of -amino nitrogen present following in vitro ―digestion‖ is used as a proxy indicator of the hydrolysis of free amino acids and short peptides, which overall indicates the degree of digestion that has taken place. As the study authors explain, the ratio of total nitrogen to a-amino nitrogen reflects the degree of protein digestion. A lower ratio, the researchers say, indicates a higher degree of digestion.

According to researchers, BC30 increased protein digestibility of all three plant proteins, with digestion increases highest for soy protein, followed by pea and then rice protein. The researchers did point out that these results are not necessarily indicative of the quality of the digested proteins. In addition, they noted, ―The ratio of TN/AAN indicated that for pea protein digestion was increased by BC30, but the degree of polymerization of the liberated small peptides and free amino acids was not changed. For soy and rice, however, BC30 showed a twofold reduction in the TN/AAN ratio, indicating that the liberated digestion products formed during digestion in the presence of BC30 were shorter peptides and more free amino acids, than those liberated in the absence of BC30.‖ The researchers suggest that BC30 can help the body in other ways related to protein digestion, too, besides simply improving amino acid bioavailability and uptake thanks to improved digestion. By improving protein digestion, BC30 has a secondary benefit of supporting colon health, they said. Excess protein that is not digested often reaches the colon, the study authors note, which can may be incorporated into the gut microbiota, or be fermented into toxic metabolites by the gut microbiota.

Given that BC30 was shown in the current study to improve digestibility of all three plant protein sources, researchers concluded that ―Thus, the enhanced protein digestion by BC30 showed a dual benefit: enhanced amino acid bioavailability from plant proteins in the upper GI tract, and a healthier environment in the colon,‖ they wrote.―Consumers want multifunctional foods and beverages with ingredients that provide a variety of health benefits,‖ said David Keller, vice president of scientific operations, Ganeden, in a press release. ―Using a probiotic strain like GanedenBC30 that supports the function of other ingredients is a win for both manufacturers and consumers.

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Genetically Modified Rice Stacked With Antioxidants Chinese researchers have developed a genetic engineering tool to generate antioxidant-rich purple rice.

AsianScientist (July 17, 2017) - Researchers in China have developed a genetic engineering approach to make purple rice that produces high levels of antioxidants. Their work is published in the journal Molecular Plant.

Rice is a staple food in Asia, making it a good agent for delivering micronutrients that are beneficial to health. However, not all micronutrients are produced in large quantities by rice.

To date, genetic engineering approaches have been used to develop rice enriched in betacarotene and folate (precursors of vitamins A and B), but not anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are

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natural antioxidants that have the potential to decrease the risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic disorders.

Although these health-promoting compounds are naturally abundant in some black and red rice varieties, they are absent in polished rice grains because the husk, bran and germ have been removed, leaving only the endosperm—the fleshy part at the center of the grain.

In this study, researchers developed a method to deliver many genes at once and used it to make rice endosperm produce high levels of anthocyanins. Previous attempts to engineer anthocyanin production in rice have failed because the underlying biosynthesis pathway is highly complex and it has been difficult to efficiently transfer many genes into plants.

To address this challenge, Professor Liu Yao-Guang and his colleagues at the South China Agricultural University first set out to identify the genes required to engineer anthocyanin production in the rice endosperm. To do so, they analyzed sequences of anthocyanin pathway genes in different rice varieties and pinpointed the defective genes in japonica and indica subspecies that do not produce anthocyanins.

Based on this analysis, they developed a transgene stacking strategy for expressing eight anthocyanin pathway genes specifically in the endosperm of the japonica and indica rice varieties. The resulting purple endosperm rice had high anthocyanin levels and antioxidant activity in the endosperm. ―We have developed a highly efficient, easy-to-use transgene stacking system called TransGene Stacking II that enables the assembly of a large number of genes in single vectors for plant transformation,‖ said Liu. ―This is the first demonstration of engineering such a complex

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metabolic pathway in plants. We envisage that this vector system will have many potential applications in this era of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.‖ In the future, this transgene stacking vector system could be used to develop plant bioreactors for the production of many other important nutrients and medicinal ingredients. The researchers plan to evaluate the safety of purple endosperm rice as biofortified food and they will also try to engineer the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in other crops to produce more purple endosperm cereals such as maize, wheat and barley.

The article can be found at: Zhu et al. (2017) Development of ―Purple Endosperm Rice‖ by Engineering Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in the Endosperm with a High-Efficiency Transgene Stacking System.

Source: Cell Press; Photo: Zhu Qinlong.

Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff. https://www.asianscientist.com/2017/07/in-the-lab/purple-rice-antioxidants-cancer/

Bangladesh imports surge 11.83 pct in July-May period Xinhua| 2017-07-17 18:57:20|Editor: Zhou Xin

by Naim-Ul-Karim DHAKA, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's imports surged 11.83 percent to some 41 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of the just concluded 2016-17 fiscal year (July 2016-June 2017) on increased importation of staple food, officials said Monday.

Quoting the Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, they said the settlement of letters of credit (LCs), generally known as actual imports, stood at 40,998.48 million dollars in the July-May period compared to 36,661.44 million dollars in the same period a year earlier.

Overall import orders also surged by 13.97 percent in the July-May period, showed the BB data.

The overall import orders, officially known as fresh opening of import letters of credit (LCs), increased to 44,118.71 million dollars in July-May against 38,711.89 million dollars in the same period of the last 2016-17 fiscal year, it showed.

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A BB official told Xinhua Monday that Bangladesh's imports will continue to rise as the government needs to procure food grains in large quantities due to devastating flooding in parts of Bangladesh.

"Increased importation of staple food specially in recent months continued to push up the over all import bills," said the central bank official who did not like to be named.

Officials say ongoing floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders have caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast areas of the country.

They said flash flood also struck the country's northeastern region in March, causing huge loss of winter rice.

In a bid to replenish reserves and rein in prices of rice, the Bangladeshi government in May announced importing 600,000 tons of staple food.

Also in a bid to rein the instability in prices of the staple food item in the domestic market, Bangladesh cut import duty on rice to 10 percent from 28 percent last month.

The Bangladeshi government on June 14 decided to import 250,000 tons of rice from Vietnam under a government-to-government agreement.

Price hike of food items particularly staple rice is a key concern for the Bangladeshi government as nearly 31.5 percent of its around 160 million people still live below the national poverty line and spend a large part of their incomes on food purchase. (1 U.S. dollar = 81 taka) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/17/c_136450547.htm

Rice price unlikely to drop despite import from Vietnam Rafikul Islam 01:12 AM July 18, 2017

The government reserves some 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of rice every year, while 3.4 million tonnes are needed to feed the country in a single year.Rice traders have warned of continued high prices of the staple food, saying fresh imports from Vietnam will have little effect ―any time soon‖ as they will not be distributed for Open Market Sale to the general public.

A total of 47,000 tonnes of rice have arrived at the Chittagong port in two consignments in the past week. The first batch of 20,000 tonnes arrived on July 13 and has already been unloaded, while the second shipment of 27,000 tonnes reached the port city on Monday.Asked about the

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destination of the imported rice, Md Zahirul Islam, controller, Movement and Storage, Chittagong Food Department, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government is yet to take any decision in this regard.―It is white rice, not the parboiled one so it could not be distributed only for open markets,‖ he said. ―It might go for rationing to the government employees, or to floodaffected people.‖

But after visiting different kitchen markets across the city on Monday, the Dhaka Tribune found rice prices remains high with traders not envisaging a drop for the next couple of months.Amirul Islam, proprietor of Chatkhil Rice Agency at Karwanbazar wholesale market in Dhaka, said there had been no change of rice price this week. ―I do not see the price come down soon; rather, we are worried over whether the price shoots up in coming days,‖ he said.―We sell coarse rice at Tk2,050, Minicate at Tk2,700, Paizom at Tk2,100 and Brri-28 at Tk2,500 and Najir Shail at Tk30,000 per 50kg sack.Amirul said the government cut in rice import duty to 18% from 28% had also failed to rein in prices since the Indian government increased its export price by Tk2-Tk3 per kg after the duty cut.

As the price of paddy has gone up in local market as well as India‘s hike in export price, there is hardly any possibility that the price will drop soon.Usually, the government reserves some 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of rice every year, while 3.4 million tonnes are needed to feed the country in a single year.A total of 165,000tonnes of rice are in reserve now. According to the Food Ministry, the private sector imported 133,000 tonnes between July 1, 2016 and June 30,

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2017, but the government did not make any imports during that time.Azad Mia, Azad Rice Agency, Mohammadpur, hailed the import from Vietnam, but cast doubt on a possible price decrease anytime soon.―Around 6 lakh tonnes of rice needs to be reserved for the country while the current amount is not enough,‖ he said. ―However, the imported rice is not available in the markets. We look forward to seeing when the price comes down (but) it will take at least six months.‖Bangladesh Rice Merchants Association Vice President Zakir Hossain Rony said he expects the price of coarse rice to reduce by Tk35 and fine ones by Tk45, ―but to no avail.‖In total the government has purchased 200,000 tonnes of white rice at $430 per tonne and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $470 per tonne from Vietnam to maintain immediate availability of stock in the market, as well as reserves, according to the Food Ministry proposal. http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2017/07/18/rice-price-unlikely-drop-despite-import-vietnam/

Tariff on imported rice among Ledac priority bills Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:31 AM July 17, 2017 The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) executive committee is pushing for a tariff on imported rice as well as comprehensive tax reform among the priority measures that Congress must act on once it resumes session next week.

In a statement on Sunday, the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the Ledac committee wanted the proposed amendment to Republic Act (RA) No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, to be approved or certified by President Duterte as urgent.

RA 8178 put in place the rice import quota, or quantitative restriction (QR).

Along with the first package of the Duterte administration‘s comprehensive tax reform program and 12 other measures, the Ledac committee wanted the tax on rice ―passed into law possibly within the year,‖ said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia. ―We need rice tariffication because the import QR allowed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) has already ended. This is to prevent uncertainty as to what the demands of the WTO members will be following the lapse of the QR,‖ said Pernia, who also chairs the Ledac executive committee.

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―Earnings from the proposed law [amendment to RA 8178] will also be used to improve the productivity of farmers and the agriculture sector as specified in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, which aims to expand economic opportunities in agriculture,‖ Pernia said.

In May, Mr. Duterte certified as urgent the passage of the first tax reform package aimed at slashing personal income tax rates while slapping new or higher taxes on consumption, Neda noted.

House Bill No. 5636 was approved by the House of Representatives before Congress went on sine die adjournment.

Besides imposing a tax on imported rice and tax reform, Neda identified the 12 other bills to be endorsed by the Ledac executive committee as urgent: • Amendments to the Anti-Cybercrime Act • Amendments to the National Irrigation Administration Charter • Amendments to the Public Service Act • Budget Reform Act • Ease of Doing Business Act/Fast Business Permit Act • Government Procurement Reform Act Amendments • National Land Use Act • National Transport Act • Rightsizing of the national government • Security of tenure bill • Unified National Identification System Act • Utilization of the coconut levy fund.

—Ben O. de Vera

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/914467/tariff-on-imported-rice-among-ledac-prioritybills#ixzz4nB95EtTi

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More bidders sought for rice imports July 15, 2017 MTNV Staff Contributor MANILA, Philippines – State-run National Food Authority (NFA) is eyeing more bidders for 250,000 metric tons (MT) of milled rice.

During the pre-bidding conference Thursday, only 11 bidders bought bid documents for the 250,000 MT rice.

Although the NFA did not set a target as to the total number of bidders to participate, the agency wanted to have as many as possible. ―We have eight lots and 11 bidders. We are not saying that it is not enough but we would want to have more and to open it up to as many bidders as possible,‖ said NFA special assistant to the administrator Rachel Miguel. ―The very purpose of the NFA Council is for more private participation and that the volume will not be from a single supplier only,‖ NFA deputy administrator Tomas Escarez said.

Of the 11 bidders, five came from Thailand namely Ponglarp Co. Ltd., Thai Hua Co. Ltd., Capital Cereals Co. Ltd., Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd. and Thai Granlux International Inc. Four came from Vietnam which include Vietnam Northern Food Corp., Vietnam Southern Food Corp. II, Gentraco, and Gia International Corp.

The remaining bidders are Olam International Ltd. from Singapore and Louis Dreyfus Co. from Netherlands.

The NFA will still accept bidders until the opening of bid documents on July 25.Of the total import volume, 100,000 MT will be discharged in the port of Manila, 30,000 MT in Batangas, 25,000 MT each in Tabaco, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, 20,000 MT in Poro Pt. in La Union, 15,000 MT in Davao and 10,000 MT in General Santos City.The imported volume is expected to arrive in August until September, the period of the lean season. The agency has allotted P5.6 billion for the procurement.

Current NFA inventory can only last for five days compared to its mandated buffer stock.

The NFA is mandated to maintain a food security reserve good for at least 15 days at any given time https://mtnvnews.com/more-bidders-sought-for-rice-imports/119590/

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Second batch of rice supply reaches Ctg

The second consignment containing 27,000 tonnes of rice imported from Vietnam reaches Chittagong port in Bangladesh in the morning on Monday, July 17, 2017. STAR file photo

Star Online Report

The second consignment containing 27,000 tonnes of rice imported from Vietnam reached Chittagong port in Bangladesh this morning.

A ship, MV Fax, reached the outer anchorage in Chittagong port around 10:00am, reports our Chittagong staff correspondent. ―The rice will be unloaded after a lab test to verify whether it was sent as per our requirement,‖ said Md Zahirul Islam, controller of movement and storage of Chittagong‘s food department.

The first consignment containing 20,000 tonnes of rice entered Bangladesh territory on July 13.

The government on June 14 decided to import 250,000 tonnes of rice at Tk 908.85 crore from Vietnam under a government-to-government agreement.

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As per the decision, the ministry will import 50,000 tonnes of boiled rice at Tk 195.05 crore (US$470 per tonne) and 200,000 tonnes of white rice at Tk 713.80 crore (US$430 per tonne). http://www.thedailystar.net/country/second-batch-rice-imported-from-vietnam-reaches-chittagongbangladesh-1434424

Second shipment of imported Vietnam rice arrives in Chittagong Chittagong Bureau, bdnews24.com Published: 2017-07-17 11:22:28.0 BdST Updated: 2017-07-17 18:15:18.0 BdST

The second shipment of rice from Vietnam has arrived at the Chittagong port.

The ship, MV Pax, arrived at the harbour carrying 27,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam on Monday morning, Food Directorate‘s Controller of the Movement, Storage and Silo Division Md Jahirul Islam told bdnews24.com.―The distribution of the first shipment of 20,000 tonnes has begun. The second shipment will also be distributed quickly once the necessary formalities are complete.‖ So far 47,000 of the 250,000 tonnes of rice the Bangladesh government bought from Vietnam arrived.

Food Directorate officials expect the third shipment on Jul 22.

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Bangladesh decided to import rice from the Southeast Asian country after floods destroyed crops in haor areas and depleted the government‘s rice reserves.

On Jun 14 this year, the government cleared the 9.08 billion procurement under a government-togovernment deal.

Bangladesh will buy 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice for around Tk 1.95 billion, or $470 a tonne and 200,000 tonnes of white rice for about Tk 7.14 billion at $430 a tonne, according to the agreement.Vietnam‘s state-run Vinafood 2 will supply 60 percent of shipments through Chittagong port and the rest through the Mongla port. http://bdnews24.com/business/2017/07/17/second-shipment-of-imported-vietnam-rice-arrives-inchittagong

Govt issues new tender to buy 50,000t rice Reuters . Hamburg | Update: 17:59, Jul 16, 2017 Bangladesh‘s state grains buyer has issued a new international tender to purchase 50,000 tonnes of rice, European traders said on Friday.The bidding deadline is July 27. Non-basmati parboiled rice is sought, they said.Rice from any origin will be accepted and shipment must take place within 40 days of contract signing.

Bangladesh, the world‘s fourth-biggest rice producer, could import as much as 1.2 million tonnes of rice this year in an effort to replenish reserves to combat high domestic prices.

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Bangladesh has been in talks about purchasing 200,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand in a government-to-government deal, an official said on Thursday.

Bangladesh on Friday issued a separate international tender to import 50,000 tonnes of wheat. http://en.prothom-alo.com/economy/news/153815/Govt-issues-new-tender-to-buy-50-000t-rice

Sri Lanka signs rice deal ttwin on Sun, 07/16/2017 - 17:46 Writer: Nilar

Workers loading rice on a ship at Pakokku jetty. (Photo-Thet Htein Win) Myanmar plans to export 0.2 million tonnes of parboiled rice and 0.3 million tonnes of white rice to Sri Lanka under a memorandum of understanding this year, according to Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).The National Food Authority of the Philippines has invited a bid for the contract to buy about 50,000 tonnes of rice, according to the Commerce Ministry.

Khin Maung Lwin, the assistant permanent secretary at the Commerce Ministry, said: ―The Philippines has proposed the lowest price. We will win the tender if the price is fair. The Myanmar Rice Federation has already discussed with rice exporters on tender conditions and the loading of rice.‖

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The MRF has sent tender prices to Manila. Myanmar can send 50,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines in October and November if it wins the tender.Currently, Myanmar is exporting rice to Africa, the EU and within Asean.Thanks to the expansion of new rice markets, it exported nearly 700,000 tonnes of rice and broken rice until the end of June this fiscal year.

Until July this financial year, the sector earned US$160 million from the export of 522,440 million tonnes of rice. The same period last year, the sector generated more than US$71 million from the export of more than 200,000 tonnes of rice, according to the Commerce Ministry http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/10577

Kharif sowing picks up with monsoon Vikas Vasudeva CHANDIGARH,JULY 15, 2017 21:11 IST

There is an increased in sowing of rice and pulsesthis year. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI;ARUN KULKARNI - Arun kulkarni

563.17 lakh hectares covered so far.With the monsoon covering most parts of the country, sowing of the summer (kharif) crop has gained momentum. A higher crop output is anticipated following increased sowing of rice and pulses when compared with the last season.

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The latest Union Agriculture department data showed that across the country, kharif crops have been planted on 563.17 lakh hectares till now, as against 521.80 lakh hectares in the corresponding period last year.

Increase in acreage With the sowing of crops apace during the past few days across the country, paddy (rice) has been sown in 125.77 lakh hectares in the current season till July 14, which is marginally higher than the 120.32 lakh hectares recorded in the 2016-17 season. The acreage under pulses has been recorded at 74.61 lakh hectares till now, as against the 60.28 lakh hectares of the corresponding period for the last season.

The sowing of coarse cereals is up as well, at 113.06 lakh hectares against the 98.79 lakh hectares of last year. But the total oilseeds sown has come down to 103.92 lakh hectares, when compared with 115.75 lakh hectares of last year.

Cotton acreage is up this season at 90.88 lakh hectares, against 73.93 lakh hectares last year in the corresponding period. Sugarcane, too, continues to see an increase in acreage and has been planted in 47.94 lakh hectares against the 45.22 lakh hectares last year. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), conditions are favourable for further advancement of the monsoon and overall rainfall activity is likely to be above normal over the next two weeks, from July 13 to July 26.

Favourable conditions ―Sowing of kharif crops has gained momentum during the past few days as the monsoon is progressing well. Paddy transplanting, though, has been a bit sluggish in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, but it is likely to pick up in the coming days. Sowing of pulses is apace in the key growing states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, which is an encouraging sign,‖ Anand Sharma, regional co-ordinator of the IMD‘s agricultural meteorology told, The Hindu. ―Apart from western parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, the monsoon rains have covered most parts of the country,‖ he added. The monsoon rain delivers about 70% of India‘s annual rainfall and is critical for millions of farmers as nearly half the country‘s farmland lacks irrigation and is dependent on rain. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/kharif-sowing-picks-up-withmonsoon/article19286138.ece

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Importers say 40% of rice in the market is imported Jul 16, 2017 Lahiru Fernando ,

The Rice Importers Association says that over 40 percent of rice available in the market at present is imported.Convenor of the Association, Hemaka Fernando, said that steps would be taken, before the end of October, to import another 220,000 tonnes of rice to the country. http://newsfirst.lk/english/2017/07/importers-say-40-rice-market-imported/170491

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 18, 2017 Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-July 18 Nagpur, July 18 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce andMarketing Committee (APMC) here on poor demand from local millers amid high moisture contentarrival. Easy condition in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and profit-taking selling by stockists also pulled down prices. Heavy rains since last evening here affected trading activity.

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About 750 of gram and 400 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources.

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw reported higher in open market on good seasonal demand from local traders. Good recovery on NCDEX also boosted sentiment.

TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor. * Lakhodi dal and Watana dal showed firm tendency in open market here on good seasonal demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. * In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-3,975, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,500-5,700, Udid Mogar (clean) – 7,200-8,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,500-7,200, Gram – 5,300-5,450, Gram Super best – 7,200-8,000 * Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 4,600-5,160 4,600-5,250 Gram Pink Auction n.a.

2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,450-3,800 3,450-3,850 Moong Auction n.a.

3,900-4,200 Udid Auction n.a.

4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a.

2,600-2,800 Wheat Mill quality Auction 1,550-1,690 1,550-1,674 Gram Super Best Bold 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000 Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a Gram Mill Quality 5,300-5,400 5,300-5,400 Desi gram Raw 5,500-5,600 5,450-5,550 Gram Yellow 7,100-8,100 7,100-8,100 Gram Kabuli 12,300-13,400 12,300-13,400 Tuar Fataka Best-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000 Tuar Fataka Medium-New 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600 Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500

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Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Tuar Gavarani New 3,950-4,050 3,950-4,050 Tuar Karnataka 4,000-4,100 4,000-4,100 Masoor dal best 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000 Masoor dal medium 4,600-4,700 4,600-4,700 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,800-7,500 6,800-7,500 Moong Mogar Medium 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500 Moong dal Chilka 5,500-6,300 5,500-6,300 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 6,500-7,500 6,500-7,500 Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,900 4,400-4,900 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,850-3,050 2,800-3,000 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 2,850-3,000 2,800-2,900 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,600 4,100-4,600 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000 Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300 Wheat Lokwan new (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,050 1,900-2,050 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,700 2,200-2,700 Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,300 2,800-3,400 Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,500 3,300-3,500 Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100 Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650 Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000 Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000 Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,300 4,100-4,300 Rice Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,500 4,800-5,500 Rice Shriram best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-6,800 6,500-6,800 Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,200 5,800-6,200 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 10,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500

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Rice Chinnor New(100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000 Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,900 1,800-1,900 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 29.5 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 23.2 degree Celsius Rainfall : 135 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with few spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimumtemperature would be around and 29 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices) http://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1K93CV

Iran, Vietnam keen to boost agricultural cooperation Xinhua| 2017-07-16 16:53:13|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

TEHRAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Vietnam have discussed boost of cooperation particularly in agriculture sector, Financial Tribune daily reported on Sunday.

The issue was raised during a meeting between Iranian Agriculture Minister, Mahmoud Hojjati, and his visiting Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, in the capital Tehran on Saturday.

Hojjati said that both countries have considerable potential in the agriculture and the two nations can benefit from trading agricultural products and seafood.

He also said that imports from Vietnam can solve Iran's 800,000-ton deficit in rice production while the latter's consumption for rice stands at 2.2 million tons per year.

"Sturgeon, trout, salmon and other types of fish produced in Iran are popular among Vietnamese and we are ready to import seafood from Iran," said the Vietnamese minister.

During Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Vietnam in Oct. 2016, both sides pledged to boost bilateral trade with a value of 2 billion U.S. dollars, a significant increase compared to 350 million U.S. dollars in the previous year.

Iran is also eager to export oil and gas technology to Vietnam in exchange for health and industry.

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Nigeria won’t import rice next year – IFAD Justina Asishana, Minna On: July 15, 2017

The International Fund for Agricultural Development Programme (IFAD) has expressed optimism that the nation would not import rice in 2018 as the nation is gradually moving toward self sufficiency in rice production.The IFAD Country Programme Officer in Nigeria, Dr. Odoemena Ben said that with the attention been paid by governments at all levels and international agencies on rice production, the sector has received a boost.

Ben who stated this during the 5th IFAD Supervision Mission to Niger state said, ―Nigeria is heading for self sufficiency of rice before the end of 2017. I am very sure that if the path of what we are doing continues, we will be self sufficient in rice production. By next year, Nigeria will be able to export rice .‖ He said that with the investment made in rice this year, the farmers across the country can produce more than three million metric tonnes of rice which would be more than enough until the next rice planting season. The state IFAD Project Coordinator, Dr. Ahmed Mathew said that over N83 million has been expended for infrastructures for Rural Farmers in Niger state to provide them with basic amenities and alleviate their sufferings.He said that the infrastructures were provided under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) under the programme adding that the projects will help in increasing the productivity of the farmers in the state.

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He said that Solar Powered boreholes was set up for N9.5 million, rehabilitation and construction of warehouses gulped N23 million while others cost N33 million..Ahmed further said that IFAD has helped the farmers in increasing their income while he stressed on the need for the state government to pay up its counterpart fund to enable them give the farmers more infrastructures http://thenationonlineng.net/nigeria-wont-import-rice-next-year-ifad/

South Asia in urgent call for Thai rice 17 Jul 2017 at 08:55 NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in talks with Thailand for an urgent purchase of 400,000 tonnes of

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rice to replenish their falling stocks, says the Commerce Ministry's Department of Foreign Trade (DFT).DFT deputy director-general Keerati Rushchano said the two countries have been hit by severe droughts and flooding in recent years, substantially damaging crop yields and forcing them to approach Thailand, which is not a regular supplier.

"The countries need to refill their stocks immediately so they are turning to Thailand, although it's been a long time since they've bought significant quantities of Thai rice," said Mr Keerati.

"Tentatively, they're asking for prompt deliveries, with all rice being transferred 60 days after the deals are sealed."

Each country is seeking 200,000 tonnes of rice -- mostly parboiled grade and common grade white rice.

The benchmark common grade 5% white rice was quoted at US$410 (13,870 baht) a tonne, while parboiled 100% grade white rice was $439 a tonne, said Thai Rice Exporters Association.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh normally grow rice for domestic consumption, primarily supplementing their stocks from neighbouring Pakistan and India when needed.

Sri Lanka imported 280 tonnes of Thai rice in 2016, while Bangladesh bought 151 tonnes, said the association.

Mr Keerati said the rice deals were expected to be secured through government-to-government (G-to-G) contracts.

But Thailand's state rice stocks are running low, as the Commerce Ministry has opened auctions to sell it off in recent years. There are only a few million tonnes left, down from a record high of more than 18 million tonnes.

With diminished state stocks, the G-to-G rice deals could mean private firms delivering the rice, he said. Traders said Bangladesh is also approaching private Thai exporters to secure the best price.

"Bangladesh asked for our rice price quotes, saying it would compare the prices offered by the government and private firms and choose the cheaper one," said a Bangkok-based rice trader who requested anonymity.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1288487/south-asia-in-urgent-call-for-thai-rice

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