Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
20th October, 2014
News Headlines…
Radical way of planting rice unveiled Rice imports from Thailand Finland envoy asks traders to benefit from GSP Plus status Japan's 'sacred' rice farms rotting from inside Rice millers in hot water Jute sector battling downhill trends Vistas of national rice breeding and the myth of traditional rice History of rice improvement Hungry for new flavors and some roadtrip adventure?Go to Isabela Eat rice to sleep well
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News Detail….
Radical way of planting rice unveiled
because the polykem — which contains acrylic acid, acrylimide and potassium — makes the rice plants healthy.
Ibrahim M. Alalim.
Rice imports from Thailand
RIYADH: RODOLFO C. ESTIMO JR. Published — Saturday 18 October 2014 Last update 18 October 2014 12:03 am
A revolutionary way of planting rice for higher yields has been unveiled by the Saudi engineer — 70-year-old Ibrahim M. Alalim — who invented polymer which is used in agricultural water conservation.―With the use of polymer, the seeds germinate and sprout fast, growing to about 13 cm in three days’ time of planting,‖ he said.He added that it will also make the rice stalks grow faster than rice seedlings planted in an ordinary soil without polymer. ―For this reason, transplantation is much faster in the Kingdom’s agricultural areas like Hofuf and Jazan,‖ Alalim added.He noted that popularizing rice production in the Kingdom’s agriculture areas with the use of polymer is one way of further developing Saudi Arabia’s downstream industry.The polymer — called Polykem Hydrogel PagriSAP — looks like pieces of salt and absorbs large quantities of water. When mixed in soil, it will absorb 600 times its own weight of water. He also said that there would be more harvest yield
our correspondent Saturday, October 18, 2014 From Print Edition KARACHI: A leading rice trader has started importing the grain from Thailand to cater to its growing demand in Pakistan. ―High-end consumer rice is being imported from Thailand for the first time,‖ said a statement issued by Matco Rice on Friday.The rice will be sold under the flagship brand of Falak Basmati, it said. The name of the brand will be Falak Jasmine Rice. Thailand is famous for its Thai Jasmine fragrance rice, which is used in Thai, Japanese, Chinese and eastern rice cuisine, it said.Matco has a total annual production capacity of around 150,000 tons of raw rice, exporting rice to more than 65 countries.
Finland envoy asks traders to benefit from GSP Plus status October 16, 2014 RAWALPINDI (INP): The ambassador of Finland H.E Rauli Suikkanen has said that his
country is keen to enhance bilateral trade relations with Pakistan. Pakistan must take advantages of GSP Plus status awarded by the European Union to enhance trading activities with Finland. Finnish Embassy has successfully reactivated Finland-Pakistan Trade Council that will help to boost mutual relation between two countries.He was exchanging these views with President RCCI Syed Asad Mashadi during his visits to the Chamber on Thursday. Senior Vice President Mian Humayun Parvez, former president, members’ executive committee and other member of the Chamber were also present on the occasion. Ambassador said that two mega events were organized under Finland-Pakistan Trade Council one in Islamabad and the second in Helsinki, Finland to promote trading activities between two countries. He said that Pakistani products especially textiles are very much liked in Finland. He ensured his full cooperation to the President RCCI.Speaking on the occasion , Asad Mashadi said that Pakistan has many investment opportunities and Finnish businessmen community must explore Pakistani market. He said that trade volume between two countries is around $126.6 million and Pakistan’s major exports are rice, fruits & vegetables, leather, cotton yarn and chemical while imports are electric motors, generators and machinery items. He stressed the need of enhancement of bilateral trade relations.
Japan's 'sacred' rice farms rotting from inside
19 Oct4:50 PM
Ryugasaki Shuichi Yokota may be the future of Japan's struggling rice industry.The 38-year-old is about half the age of most growers and he relies on cutting-edge technology to cultivate vast paddy fields that eclipse the bulk of the country's rice plots.And Mr Yokota doesn't fear opening up to foreign competition - taboo in a place where rice is a sacred cow that is protected by subsidies and massive tariffs.
Rice millers in hot water Several small-time rice millers around the country are dismantling their machines to sell them as scrap at Rs. 42 per kilo. Gamini Kumarasinghe, Co-Chairman and Media Spokesman of the Rice Millers’ Association said that shortage of paddy, high prices of paddy and the Government’s move to import rice have forced many millers to take the drastic decision to sell their machines. Pics by Karunaratna Gamage.
Jute sector battling downhill trends Abu Bakar Siddique The export of raw jute has also experienced a decline in recent years
The country’s jute sector is currently undergoing a depression as the result of a gradual decrease in raw jute production, with farmers failing to meet their production costs because of a downhill demand in the domestic and international markets.Over the last four years, the country’s raw jute production decreased by 10 lakh bales, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). In 2013-14 fiscal, raw jute production at farmers’ level was 74.36 lakh bales while in 2010-11 it was 84.60 lakh bales. Golam Mohammad, deputy director (jute production) of the DAE, said this year’s gross raw jute production would also be less than the previous year as the government
had failed to cover the desired demonstrated acreage.―The farmers are losing their interest to cultivate jute in recent years as they have not been getting fair price of their production because of lessened demand in the market,‖ he said, adding that diminished demands also resulted in farmers often not being able to sell off their production. ―I usually cultivated jute in my two and a half acres of land each year. However, this year I just cultivated one acre of land and kept the rest of it idle as I counted huge losses last year,‖ said Sajjad Hossain, a farmer from Dinajpur.Quazi Shahabuddin, a professional fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), blamed the crisis on the government’s failure to
timely and appropriately promote the jute sector.
operate
and
The jute mills of state owned-Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) and private owners’ body Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association are the major consumers of raw jute in the country. But most of the mills did not procure any raw jute from the market in recent years as they remained idle during the time. Less export demand The export of raw jute has also experienced a decline in recent years.According to the Export Promotions Bureau, the export volume came down from $1.11493bn to $824.49m between 2010-11 and 2013-14 fiscal year.Market insiders said the downtrend was caused as the popularity of plastic and other synthetic-made products was outweighing the demand for jute-made products worldwide. Badrul Alam, the chief executive of exporting company Sartaz Trade International, said foreign buyers including major players like China had stopped procuring raw jute and jute-made products from the local market in recent years.BJMC sources also claimed that Middle Eastern countries like Syria, Iran, Egypt and Iraq – which were major buyers of jute products from Bangladesh – had stopped buying finished jute or jute products because of the political turmoil and instability in their respective countries. Inefficiency in the mills Regarding the local demand of jute, BJMC Director (marketing) Babul Chandra Roy
said the government-owned mills have been facing huge fund crunch as well as system loss in operating their daily activities.As an example, the BJMC director said it was a burden to pay Tk450 in daily remuneration to the seven lakh labourers at the government-owned mills. In addition, those mills also suffered further losses for using old machineries that had low production capacity. ―We could improve the production level from the existing 680 tonnes of daily jute products to 900 tonne by adding new equipment,‖ Babul said.Many of the private jute mills were also hurt by the recent downtrend in the market.However, Sheikh Basir Uddin, managing director of Akij Jute Mill Ltd which is the largest in Bangladesh, claimed that they have made a profit in recent years even though the global situation was bad.Blaming inefficiency for the losses at government-owned mills, Basir said the Akij factory alone could produce around 250 tonnes of jute products each day, while all the 27 mills of the BJMC produced only around 50 tonne of daily jute goods combined. Government initiative To promote the jute sector, the government this January enacted the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 – under which all kinds of packaging in the country’s business sector have to be made by jute. But the act is yet to be properly enforced.BJMC sources claimed that the jute sector would regain it strengths overnight, if only the act could be enforced in even 20% of the business sectors.Citing an example of the rice-producing sector, Babul Chandra Roy said the rice millers alone used around 14 lakh sacks annually as
packages for their production. If only jute sacks instead of polythene sacks were used in this single sector, the whole situation would change, he claimed. However, Nirod Baran Saha, convener of Naogaon Rice Millers Association, said the price of rice would climb if they tried to use jute sacks, as the jute sacks for 50kg capacity cost around Tk30 more than the polythene sacks that were currently being used by the millers.Meanwhile, in 2010, the government also discovered the genome sequencing of jute which would help develop jute fibre, production of new jute seeds to curb diseases and develop jute industry.
types of alternative jute products to create new markets and generate demand in both home and abroad.
Vistas of national rice breeding and the myth of traditional rice October
19,
2014,
12:00
pm
A new improved variety showing short statured plants resistant to lodging and erect leaves A traditional rice variety showing lodging which affects yield and milling quality of grain
Alternative Hope A good number of countries including members of the European Union have recently introduced restrictions on plastic and other synthetic-made products.According to the UK-based Daily Mail Online, European MPs have voted in favour of strict new targets that forced each country to reduce plastic bag use by 80% before 2019. Economist Quazi Shahabuddin said the government could seize this opportunity to create a market for jute products in the countries which imposed restrictions on synthetic-made products.―We could create alternative markets instead of sitting idle waiting for the Middle East countries,‖ Shahabuddin said, adding that the government has to take initiative to create multi-dimensional jute products to capture the market and ensure profit for all parties concerned.Akij Jute Mill MD Sheikh Basir Uddin also recommended developing new
By Dr Parakrama Waidyanatha
The media rhas ecently reported that the government is to embark on a major drive to promote production and consumption of traditional rice. Some 60, 000 ha (150,000 ac.) are to be cultivated this Maha season, that is, nearly 7.5% of the Maha rice extent. To date there is only less than 0.4% of this extent (3000 ha) under traditional rice.
Is there adequate amounts of seeds of these
said to be afflicted by it. Two of the
varieties for cultivation of such a large
recommendations
extent? Equally importantly, will there be
apparently to combat the disease, as
consumer demand for such large quantities
reported in the media, are promotion of
given the fact that the price, on average, is
"kola
double the common rice brands and many
consumption of traditional rice!
kanda"
of
this
among
Taskforce,
children
and
of the varieties are low palatibility. Some cursory
enquiries
from
supermarkets
indicated that the demand is low. However, some traditional rice varieties may be in demand for diabetic patients and the like because of the high anti-glycation property.
It is also purported that this rice is to be grown organically without the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides as they are implicated by some in the causation of CKDU. Acceptable scientific evidence for this implication, however, is
There are, however, high yielding new red
yet to come. Be that as it may, can such
rice varieties with similar attributes (see
large quantities of organic fertilizer be
Table below), and hence there is no
found in the cultivation areas? If they are to
justification to promote traditional varieties.
be transported from outside, what are the
Moreover, increase in the extent under
costs? Think before leaping! It is also
traditional
necessarily
argued that anaemia is on the rise in local
cause a concomitant decrease in the total
populations, and traditional rice with higher
national rice output as the traditional
levels of iron than in the modern varieties is
varieties yield on average about half that of
an answer to it.
varieties
should
newly improved varieties (NIVs). The negative repercussions are obvious.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is said is to embark on re-cultivating abandoned
To expand the extent under traditional rice
paddy tracts in the Wet Zone, most of
is apparently a decision of the Presidential
which had been left out because of low
Taskforce on the Prevention of the Chronic
productivity
Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology
traditional
(CKDU) that is plaguing the Rajarata and
toxicity, and greater propensity for iron
some adjoining areas, killing 13 people, on
accumulation in the grain. Aren’t there new
average, a day and some 60, 000 people are
varieties with similar attributes and much
and varieties
iron
toxicity,
resistant
to
with iron
higher yields? Are rice scientists of the
about 0.65 t/ha (13 bushels/ac) and over the
Department of Agriculture consulted in
ensuing 100 years, rice scientists have been
these matters?
able to increase it over 7 fold. In fact, there are now rice varieties with potential yields
History of rice improvement
exceeding 11t/ha and the national average yield is now approaching 5t/ha.
The promoters of traditional rice should do well to glean a little into the history of rice
In the early 20th century, the government
breeding and selection and the potential of
gave priority to plantation crops to the
new
before
neglect of rice research and development.
retrogression into traditional rice! Rice
However, in about 1920 initial pure line
breeding is an unprecedented success story
selection, that is selection of individual
in the annals of research in Sri Lanka on
plants from populations of traditional
account of highly dedicated rice breeders
varieties for grain yield and other desirable
and other rice scientists that has made the
attributes, gave only a 15% increase in
country self-sufficient in rice. Had we
yield. The rice researchers soon realised
continued with traditional varieties we
that the quickest way of increasing yield
would not have produced today even a
was
quarter of the national demand! Perhaps a
fertilizer. This was by then practised
PhD
elsewhere, particularly in Europe.
improved
study
varieties(NIVs)
(Niranjan,
2004)
at
the
through
application
of
chemical
Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, Sri Lanka tells it in a nutshell. This study on return on investment for the 40 year period, 1959 to 1999 on rice breeding and varietal selection reveals that a 1% increase in research investment increased national rice production by 0.37%.
However, there was a problem in Sri Lanka. Most indigenous varieties were susceptible
to
lodging
and
diseases,
especially the blast disease, and the susceptibility to both these conditions were aggravated by application of nitrogen fertilizer.
Some
resistant
varieties,
The benefit cost ratio and the internal rate
unfortunately, were not responsive to
of return were remarkable, being 2311 and
fertilizer.
174% respectively. The average yield of
Murungakayan 302, a popular variety then,
traditional rice varieties in about 1900 was
with resistance to leaf blast disease was
A
pure
line
selection
also reasonably responsive to nitrogen
lodging leading to crop losses and poor
fertilizer, but because of its excessive
milling quality of grain.
vegetative growth ,was susceptible to lodging. In general, therefore, these weaknesses of
Hungry for new flavors and some roadtrip adventure? Go to Isabela
the traditional varieties, susceptibility to lodging and diseases and poor response to chemical fertilizer, necessitated breeding new varieties devoid of these weaknesses.
I never thought Isabela would be home to varying and wonderful collection of culinary delights but I discovered it is. My recent trip filled my head with new and happy memories.
Such varieties, namely, the H series emerged in the mid 1950s with the breeding
Getting there
efforts that commenced in the late 1940s.
Going to Isabela is easier these days. Daily flights are available and from the airport in Cauayan City you can be in the heart of Isabela in less than an hour. Or you can take the cheaper way by bus from Manila (which I did) which will take about eight hours. A first-class ticket from Victory Liner costs P660 and you get a bus with reclining seats and its own comfort room. My ride from Pasay City began at 6:30 pm and I arrived in Cauayan City at 4 a.m. I slept through the entire trip and woke up just as we stopped in front of our hotel.
The H varieties were characterised by resistance to leaf blast and good response to applied chemical fertilizer. The H 4 variety , which later became very popular recorded the highest experimental yield of 7.1 t/ha as against the pure lines of traditional
varieties
of
Murungakayan
(M302) and Vellaiperumal (VP 2874) with maximum yields of 4.0 and 3.6 t/ha
The Tour Isabela has the atmosphere of a genteel provincial town. I turned nostalgic. It reminded me of my mom’s hometown of Sta, Rosa, Laguna. History buffs will definitely love Isabela’s old churches with their unique brick facades and ornate designs. Homemade croissant crusted pizza
respectively. However, with heavy fertilizer use even H varieties were susceptible to
Rice farming and milling are an integral part of the Isabelinos’ commerce and culture. Visit the Philippine Rice Research Institute
in San Mateo to support and learn more about their advocacies in developing new strains of more productive, higher yielding rice. Go to Ilagan to see the world’s largest butaka. Narra sourced from surrounding towns was used to make this giant testament to Filipino craftsmanship and ingenuity. Ilagan is dubbed the ―Furniture Capital‖ of the province. Its most famous attraction is a butaka that stands more than 11 feet high and weighs a massive 2,368 kilos- a true testament to Filipino artistry. You get the feel of a town once you taste its food. Isabela’s towns have a diverse range of new and old food establishments too many to explore in just a few days. Where there are people and development, there will be SM SM has opened a mall in this remote area of the Philippines, the first in Region II. It has a very unique al fresco feel that is environment-friendly, unlike the usual ―boxy‖ mall designs of other SM branches. The open design means little electri power is consumed for air conditioning and light. It has brightly colored louvers which also act as sun shades. People from nearby Cagayan, Nueva Viscaya and Quirino travel all the way to Cauayan City to shop at SM for a complete shopping experience: SM Cinemas, SM Department Store, SM Supermarket, ACE Hardware and SM Appliance. It even has Cyberzone for the kids. Coffee impressarios in Manila better watch out; the Isabelinos take their coffee very seriously. SM City Cauayan plays host to the region’s most well-known coffee and foodie stops: Yah! Coffee The brainchild of Carlo Raphael Diokno, a nephew of the cafe owner Edith Cabang, Yah! Coffee (or ―Yet Another House of
Coffee‖) is a uniquely designed and conceptualized coffee store. Authentic coffee beans used are from Sagada and appeal to the growing tastes of the Isabelinos’ youth culture. The only coffee shop in my book which also serves beer and sisig, Yah! Coffee was conceptualized when Diokno was still a student in Manila. He noted how friends emerging from a night of drinking would go to the nearest coffee shop for snacks and coffee. This inspired Cabang to open a coffee shop that also serves popular bar/grill food. Yah! Coffee already has three branches in Isabela, proof that this unique concept of coffee shop/pub grill is a smash. Café Isabela The first Café Isabela opened on Dec. 22, 2009 in Roxas St., Cauayan City. Couple Raymond and Donna Tan initially thought of a cafe with an intimate ambience where families and friends could meet and have good food and coffee.
Cafe Isabela Interior
Their shared passion for coffee and food pushed them to look for a place where friends could unwind. This led to the creation of the now famous Café Isabela that brings a Manila-esque café feel to Isabelinos. The name itself is a homage to the province where the couple grew up. The café offers cheese steak burritos and native
Isabela delicacies like moriecos (a sticky rice cake stuffed with latik), coconut milk curds steamed and wrapped in banana leaf, malunggay calamansi juice and bignay juice indigenous to Isabela.
The menu includes salad, wine-soaked braised beef and salmon sashimi. With space for business meetings and a boutique hotel coming up, the owners of Marco Paulo Café have high hopes for their hotel and restaurant business.
Chocolate Coffeeline SaLido Restaurant Baristas here take their craft seriously and the best have already won the first and second runner-up titles in this year’s Philippines Barista Challenge. Order their carefully ―cupped‖ and selected blends of coffee beans and see the baristas prepare your unique and customized cup right at your table. Be it ―siphon brewed,‖ aeropressed or traditionally dripped down a carafe, the Coffeeline baristas brew their special blend while you watch. Restaurant hopping With a fine mix of new and old restaurants in Cauayan City and neighboring towns, you’ll never spend a day without tasting something new. The Marco Paulo Café and SaLido Restaurant offer fine Manila dining to locals and exacting travelers who demand more familiar food. Kabayan’s Grill and Restaurant offers grilled food and beer. Aling Luring’s Gotohan and Serkele is a veritable institution famous for these fare. Aling Kikay’s Pancit Cabagan is the best place for authentic eats and a healthy dose of cholesterol. Marco Paulo Cafe interiorsMarco Paulo Café Taste its authentic Shabu Shabu. The very modern ambiance evokes luxury and class.
SaLido is a town favorite and is packed at all hours of the day. It has quality Chinese food that uses locally sourced ingredients. The owner is working on pairing his restaurant with a boutique hotel. Kabayan’s Grill and Restaurant Traditional all-around Filipino grilling goodness means kare-kare, sinigang na baboy, sisig and perfectly grilled chicken and pork liempo. Kabayan’s Grill and Restaurant uses modern red volcanic rock technology for its grills and was awarded by the health department as the ―Best Healthy Eating Place in Region 2″. Grilling with volcanic rocks is believed to deter cancercausing chemicals from entering food. Aling Luring’s Gotohan and Serkele Serkele is a traditional blood stew dish in Isabela. Think of an all-innard dinuguan. Locally sourced and fresh, it is the tastiest blood stew I have ever had. The owners take pride in checking the quality of their ingredients daily. Former president Joseph Estrada frequently stops over Aling Luring’s whenever he visits Isabela. And the Serkele is his favorite dish. The goto with its distinct bright yellow color is another must-try. Other delicacies such as puto, okoy and fried lumpia complete this Isabelino institution. Aling Kikay’s Pancit Cabagan
Never leave Isabela without tasting Aling Kikay’s pancit Cabagan. The noodles are freshly made every day and the thick sauce has a distinct salty-sweet, umami taste. The toppings of chicharon, carbeef and eggs and onions provide a perfect balance. Another dish called Batil Patong is basically a ―soupier‖ version of the original pancit Cabagan. Chef Cocoy Ventura and Corlyn Gardens. Gentleman farmer and chef extraordinaire .Chef Cocoy Ventura served Al Pacino, Sharon Stone and President Barrack Obama while working in the US. Chef Cocoy also worked at the Rubicon Estate, Francis Ford Coppola’s winery. Aling Kikay herself, still helping out in the kitchen
and serving them to us in his special dinner event, Chef Cocoy was able to create the best Isabela has to offer. Different varieties of rice, seasonings and vegetables used were all grown in their family farm, including the cocoa beans used for our hot cocoa. The culmination of the dinner was native brewed coffee and great conversations. Expect Chef Cocoy to rock the culinary world with his future creations. Going home? Bring a piece of Isabela back Drop by Pasalubong Center in San Mateo, Isabela, for its unique all-monggo creations. Known as the monggo capital of the Philippines, San Mateo’s Pasalubong Center has all the popular pasalubong made from monggo, considered the town’s ―black gold.‖ The Pasalubong Center sells monggo flour, monggo grits, monggo noodles, monggo coffee, monggo polvoron and monggo chips. A rare homemade treat Look for Aling Francing’s homemade moriecos available in most shops. Aling Francing’s Moriecos started as a family business. The pastry is suman made with galapong (ground glutinous rice mixed with water) with a latik sweet filling.
Eat rice to sleep well
Chef Cocoy has always rooted for Filipino dishes during his stint abroad and returned to Isabela with a dream to showcase all the native dishes of Isabela and the Philippines. He uses organic ingredients harvested from Corlyn Farms. Corlyn Farm’s private dining service was a great treat and definitely the highest point of our trip. Chef Cocoy’s exquisite five-course meal was the perfect end of our Isabela tour. By gathering all the native ingredients on his farm
Last updated: Saturday, October 18, 2014 6:43 PM With regard to the article "40% of residents in Kingdom have trouble sleeping" (Oct. 17), if you can't sleep at night, it might be worth changing what you have for dinner. Scientists have discovered that eating lots of rice can trigger a deep slumber, while pasta and noodles can actually hinder sleep. The Japanese researchers also found that eating bread products – including white bread, pancakes and pizza – had no effect on the quality of sleep. They say eating food high on the glycemic Index (GI) – such as rice – was found to be associated with a good quality sleep.Abu Sabri, Online response