21st August, 2014
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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines… Century of rice production celebrated at the RGA Annual Conference 2014 Rice Pre-Season Technical Meetings Reminder: California Rice Field Day August 27 National Rice Month Promotional Materials Now in Stock Rice Field Day this month RiceTec Field Day: Studies show hybrid rice offers sustainability benefits Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 21 Record harvest loss, food shortages hit dry Sri Lanka Weak monsoon: no impact on paddy; cotton, maize hit in Pb Indian monsoon to display lull as floods ease Accord signed to make hybrid rice research centre Plastic from Rice Waste? A Biodegradable Option Iraq issues tender for at least 15,000 T Indian rice -trade Nigeria’s shrinking imports data show policy gaining traction Rice price for Panama market still to be settled Innovative concepts: Setting up Pakistan’s first rice bran oil plant
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century of rice production celebrated at the RGA Annual Conference The Ricegrowers‟ Association of Australia Inc. (RGA) has enjoyed another very successful Annual Conference this year, celebrating 100 years since the first commercial rice crop was planted just outside Swan Hill, Victoria.Over 180 growers, government officials and industry experts attended the conference which was held on 7 and 8 August at the Swan Hill Town Hall.RGA President, Les Gordon, said the event was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the success of the rice industry over the last hundred years and is
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excited about the future. “Our two day Conference commenced with the unveiling of a new monument at the site where Jo Takasuka planted the first rice crops at Vinifera, around 20 kilometres north of Swan Hill. The local Nyah District Action Group approached Swan Hill Council to have the road where the rice monument stands renamed Takasuka Road, and this new sign was also presented to three of Jo Takasuka‟s grandchildren in recognition of their family‟s contribution to the rice industry and the area.”“Following this event, it was fitting our first speaker at the Town Hall was Dr Gary Lewis, author and historian, who presented a captivating account of the struggles of Jo Takasuka and his family in those early years, and the sheer perseverance that was needed to eventually achieve a successful rice crop,” Mr Gordon said.Other guest speakers were dairy farmer and Dairy Australia Chairman, Geoff Akers, and Senator Simon Birmingham, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment.Mr Akers spoke to the delegates about how to understand the key drivers to improve farm profitability using examples from the dairy industry.“Geoff addressed issues that face many agricultural industries and was a great example of how industries can learn from each other.” Mr Gordon said.“It was also a privilege to have Senator Birmingham join us at the conference and the growers enjoyed his acknowledgement of the importance of the rice industry to Australia and his recognition that the industry is well suited to Australia‟s climate” Mr Gordon said.Another highlight of the Conference was the launch of a new, fragrant rice variety, Topaz, by the Australian Rice Partnership. This variety will be available for growers to plant during the upcoming rice season. Photo: Unveiling the upgraded rice monument on the newly named, Takasuka Road. (L-R) Mr Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Embassy of Japan; RGA President, Les Gordon; Jo Takasuka’s grandchildren, Henry Watters, Murray Watters and Nona Ratcliffe; and Bill Maher, Chair of the Nyah District Action Group.
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2014 Rice Pre-Season Technical Meetings This yearâ€&#x;s Rice Pre-Season Technical Meetings will be held Monday 25 August to Thursday 28 August 2014. Meetings will be at the same six regional locations as last year and cover a broad range of relevant information on budgeting, technical and topical issues to help growers prepare for the C15 crop. Breakfast or light lunch will be provided. Click here for dates, times and venues.
Reminder: California Rice Field Day August 27 Last year's crowd
BIGGS, CA -- This year's California Rice Field Day will be held here on Wednesday, August 27, at the Rice Experiment Station. The annual event is sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation and the University of California. The general session begins at 8:30 a.m., followed by field tours where growers can learn about variety improvement, and disease, insect, and weed control. Rice researchers also will be on hand to discuss individual research projects and vendors will be there displaying the latest in rice farming equipment.The lead in to Field Day is a Farm Bill Grower meeting on Tuesday, August 26. Reece Langley, USA Rice Federation vice president of government affairs, and Dr. Joe Outlaw, from Texas A&M, will provide a briefing on farm bill enrollment and discuss online tools growers can use to make their program selection. The informational meeting will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Bonanza Inn in Yuba City.
Contact: Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444
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National Rice Month Promotional Materials Now in Stock We always do
ARLINGTON, VA -- With National Rice Month (NRM) quickly approaching, the USA Rice Federation online store has stocked up on premium items for use in promoting U.Sgrown rice. This year USA Rice is making use of the slogan "Reach for Rice" on t-shirts, foldaway shopper totes, aprons, magnetic shopping lists, and more. "Of course we're always working to promote U.S.-grown rice," said Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice's Domestic Promotion Committee, "but National Rice Month provides a great opportunity to jump start activities. Purchasing this branded merchandise and giving it to customers, sending it to your children's schools, handing an item to people in your community, or proudly using items yourself helps keep U.S.-grown rice top of mind."
With strong support from rice producers and millers, NRM has grown into a well-known national promotion educating consumers about the benefits of U.S.-grown rice and boosting U.S. rice sales nationwide. Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453
Rice Field Day this month Posted Aug. 2, 2014 @ 5:00 pm Updated Aug 2, 2014 at 5:50 PM The Annual California Rice Field Day at the Rice Experiment Station is always a very nice event sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice research Foundation and University of California. Displays and demonstrations are spread out and very informative and this year will be no different. There will be a rice
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equipment vendor display for participants to check out.The general session will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by field tours of rice research and lunch. While on the field tours growers will learn about variety improvement, disease insect and weed control. For more information visit http://www.crrf.org.
RiceTec Field Day: Studies show hybrid rice offers sustainability benefits Aug 20, 2014Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press RSS Sustainability is a term that has been a bit slow to catch on in the farming community. But it‟s becoming increasingly important for major food processors and retailers.As consumers demand to know more about where and how their food is produced, companies like General Mills and Kellogg‟s and Wal-Mart are seeking more information about topics such as greenhouse gas emissions from their suppliers.And farm organizations and farm input providers are beginning to respond with studies aimed at learning just what those emissions and the overall carbon footprint might be for their crops. RiceTec Inc., is one of the latest entities to do so.“Recent data out of the University of Arkansas has found that hybrid rice or Smart Rice is about a 30 percent more efficient user of water,” says Brian Ottis, marketing and client support manager for RiceTec. “It‟s about a 15 percent more efficient user of nitrogen and emits about 23 percent less greenhouse gas per pound of rice produced compared to conventional rice varieties.”Dr. Ottis‟ comments came during an interview at the conclusion of the RiceTec Arkansas Field Day at its Arkansas Business Center near Harrisburg in northeast Arkansas. Dr. Lanier Nalley, an agricultural economist from the University of Arkansas presented results from the study at the field day.“So we learned that Kellogg‟s made a big announcement yesterday about using Field to Market as their metrics for measuring sustainability in agriculture,” said Ottis. “And we feel that Smart Rice is positioned perfectly for this. If a company wants to source the most sustainable rice available, they have to get Smart Rice because it really does provide a higher yield with a lower greenhouse gas emission.”Ottis also recapped comments made during the field day about RiceTec‟s new herbicide-tolerant rice program.RiceTec plant breeders are looking at two different rice “mutants” that are tolerant to 1) a grass herbicide or 2) a broadleaf herbicide. The rice lines are not genetically modified or GMO rice, but have been selected through an exhaustive screening process to determine which naturally-occurring lines tolerate those herbicides.“One of these will target red rice and the other broadleaf weeds in rice,” he said. “So when you combine the two you really have a full-spectrum package of a weed control system that we hope to launch later this decade. We are doing a lot of work on it, and we feel like it will be something we can deliver to the customer, and they can rotate with Clearfield rice. It will be a nice fit.
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”RiceTec believes the new system will control any outcrosses or ALS herbicide-resistant red rice that might be problematic for the Clearfield system.”Ottis also discussed other hybrids RiceTec is developing that will offer other benefits, including a hybrid that is non-pubescent and has a smooth leaf and a smooth seed coat that will reduce the itch and have less wear and tear on harvesting equipment. “It has a very nice long grain length, and it is very low in chalk.“Of course with the weather we‟ve been having in the Mid-South and the Gulf Coast, we think the quality of this year‟s rice crop should be fantastic,” he said. “We‟ve had just perfect conditions during the flowering and the grain filling periods for rice, and we will have some great milling characteristics coming out of the field this year.” For more information about RiceTec, visit www.ricetec.com.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 21 Thu Aug 21, 2014 2:03pm IST Nagpur, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) firmed up again on increased buying support from local millers amid restricted arrival from producing belt. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses, no sign of monsoon revival and reported demand from Southbased millers also boosted prices, according to sources. * * * * FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw recovered in open market here on good demand from local traders amid thin supply from producing regions. TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply position. * Wheat varieties moved down in open market on poor demand from local traders amid increased supply from producing regions like Punjab and Haryana. * In Akola, Tuar - 5,000-5,200, Tuar dal - 6,900-7,100, Udid at 7,200-7,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 8,000-8,500, Moong - 7,200-7,600, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,700-9,400, Gram - 2,700-2,900, Gram Super best bold - 3,800-4,000 for 100 kg. * Rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
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FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,400-3,180 2,370-3,030 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 4,400-4,890 4,400-4,850 Moong Auction n.a. 5,200-5,500 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,550-3,650 3,550-3,650 Desi gram Raw 3,050-3,100 3,000-3,050 Gram Filter new 3,500-3,750 3,500-3,750 Gram Kabuli 8,000-9,500 8,000-9,500 Gram Pink 7,200-7,400 7,200-7,400 Tuar Fataka Best 7,400-7,600 7,400-7,600 Tuar Fataka Medium 7,000-7,100 7,000-7,100 Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,700-6,900 6,400-6,900 Tuar Dal Medium phod 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400 Tuar Gavarani 5,250-5,300 5,250-5,300 Tuar Karnataka 5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700 Tuar Black 8,200-8,500 8,200-8,500 Masoor dal best 6,400-6,500 6,400-6,500 Masoor dal medium 6,100-6,250 6,100-6,250 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 9,500-10,000 9,500-10,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 8,800-9,200 8,800-9,200 Moong dal super best 7,800-8,000 7,800-8,000 Moong dal Chilka 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 8,000-9,000 8,000-9,000 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-8,800 8,500-8,800 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,400-7,800 7,400-7,800 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,600 5,600-6,600 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,000-5,000 4,000-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,850-3,000 2,800-2,950 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,500 3,250-3,500 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,600 3,500-3,600 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,300 4,900-5,300 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,500 1,200-1,500 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,650-1,750
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Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,500 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-2,000 1,850-2,050 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,300 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,350 2,150-2,500 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,300 1,200-1,400 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,800 1,600-1,900 Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,600 2,300-2,600 Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,000 4,000-4,200 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,600 4,800-5,600 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,400-13,000 10,400-13,000 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,300-10,000 7,300-10,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,600 5,200-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 31.9 degree Celsius (89.4 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 24.0 degree Celsius (75.4 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - 91 per cent, lowest - 61 per cent. Rainfall : nil FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 32 and 24 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
Record harvest loss, food shortages hit dry Sri Lanka hoto: Amantha Perera/IRIN Traditional farming practices are difficult to change COLOMBO, 21 August 2014 (IRIN) - Sri Lanka's government is scrambling to ease the impact of record harvest losses on millions of farmers as the country enters its tenth month of an acute dry spell. “Itâ€&#x;s severe. In
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some areas in the North, North Central and Eastern Provinces, the water levels in the irrigation reservoirs will be sufficient only for drinking purposes and that, too, will be barely enough. No harvesting will be possible [until the next rains],” Lalith Weeratunga, secretary to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the country‟s top-ranked public official, told IRIN.According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1.8 million people (9 percent of the island‟s population of around 20 million) have been affected by the drought which is still ravaging 16 of the country‟s 25 districts. Weeratunga and other government officials said they had already put relief measures in place, including a US$10 million plan for cash-for-work programmes for drought-affected families. Finance secretary Punchi Banda Jayasundera said the plan aimed to repair and renovate irrigation reservoirs and canals using labour from the more than 111,000 affected families. One member from each family will be provided at least 12 days of work per month.“We realize that these are shortterm measures, but they are aimed at easing the most immediate impacts, [and] affected communities‟ income levels. We need to come up with long-term measures that will mitigate the impact of extreme weather events,” Weeratunga said.“Farmers will have an off season this time,” Jayasundera said, adding that the labour intervention aimed to benefit families that derive much of their income from agriculture, which makes up around 10 percent of the country‟s $60 billion GDP. Rice harvest busted The country‟s rice harvest is likely to be down about 17 percent from the 4 million tons recorded in 2013, which would make it the lowest in six years.“We need to set a value to resources like water, so that we conserve it when we have it. When we don’t do that, we see the results of that negligence” Jayasundera told IRIN that, in anticipation of price rises, the government eased restrictions on rice imports in late April. This year it plans to import at least 100,000 tons - around 2.5 percent of the 2013 harvest.“Rice
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imports will continue until the harvest picks up,” Jayasundera said.However, it appears unlikely that crop outputs will improve in the near future, and not only Sri Lankan consumers but also farmers themselves will rely more heavily on imported food as a result. “The South West Monsoon, which hits the island nation between May and September and brings the majority of annual rainfall, has been below average this year, prompting losses in „planted extent‟ [cultivated land area for 2014]”, explained J. D. M. K. Chandarasiri, director at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research Institute in Colombo. According to government statistics in eight districts severely affected by the drought (Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Puttalam, Mannar, Vauniya, Moneragala and Ampara), the planted extent was 42 percent below what was recorded in 2013. Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN Sri Lankan women dig a well to stave off parched harvests
“Losses are likely to mount because of lack of water,” Chandrasiri said, explaining that the mid-year planting season relies heavily on irrigated water and his office was already receiving reports indicating high losses. The next rains are not expected until mid-November.“We are likely to lose a major portion of the mid-year harvesting season,” secretary Weeratunga said. Long-term worries Finance Secretary Jayasundera said the government was receiving weekly drought updates from the provinces and was prepared to take further action such as increasing food imports if the need arose. But he also admitted that the impact of changing climate patterns was a major concern for long-term policy planning. “The impact on people‟s livelihoods is our primary concern,” he said. Extreme weather events are nothing new for Sri Lankan policymakers. Since 2009, the country has faced at least seven major floods and two major droughts.Weeratunga said the time had come to look beyond reactive measures to tackle natural disasters like drought and floods.“We need to set a value to resources like water, so that we conserve it when we have it. When we don‟t do that, we see the results of that negligence,” he said.Government interventions to mitigate the impact of fluctuating rainfall on the electricity sector could offer a roadmap for further long-term planning. According to Jayasundera, a 2012 drought led the government to spend a large amount of foreign exchange - in excess of $2 billion - to import furnace fuel to compensate for the loss of hydropower generation capacity.
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During years when the rainfall is on a par with average levels, the country derives 50 percent of its power needs from hydropower; when the rains fail (such as this year), that percentage falls. Government figures put current hydropower generation at just 34 percent. “We are looking into planning for future extreme weather events and their impact”
In the past, Sri Lanka had imported high-cost furnace fuel to supplement power generation. However, Jayasundera explained, Sri Lanka has increased its coal power generation capacity to compensate for unpredictable hydro-generation. August data, for example, showed the coal component in power generation at 31 percent. During the same period in 2012, coal power generation hovered around 15 percent. According to Weeratunga, planning needs to extend to areas such as agriculture. “We are looking into planning for future extreme weather events and their impact,” he said.Local challenges, including convincing rice farmers to shift to other crops such as onions and maze when the rains fail, remain daunting, experts say. According to Chandarasiri, the agrarian expert, Sri Lanka‟s rice crop relies on traditional practices handed down through generations that determined the type of seed, water levels and harvesting patterns. Harvesting patterns based on scientific research were taking time to gain acceptance.“We have tried to change behaviours, but it will take a lot more effort and convincing to get farmers to ditch traditional harvesting patterns.”ap/kk/cb Theme (s): Aid Policy, Disaster Risk Reduction, Environment, Food Security,Governance, [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Weak monsoon: no impact on paddy; cotton, maize hit in Pb Press Trust of India | Chandigarh August 21, 2014 Last Updated at 17:56 IST
Kharif crop- in Punjab and Haryana with sowing season getting over, even as the input cost of paddy growers went up significantly for watering the crop. Though crop sowing in Haryana almost remained insulated from "weak" monsoon, the sowing of cotton and maize was hit in Punjab in the wake of "lesser" rains. Punjab, which is a well-irrigated state, has witnessed 60 per cent deficient rains while Haryana observed 57 per cent lesser rains during Kharif sowing season so far, officials said here.
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Even as apprehensions were expressed over lesser area coverage under paddy because of "deficient" rains, the area under paddy crossed the targeted area to 28.20 lakh hectares in Punjab. "Area under paddy has finally reached 28.20 lakh hectares as crop sowing is over now," an official of Punjab Agriculture department said here today. A target of 26.50 lakh hectares was set for paddy during the current season as the state government had proposed to bring down area by 2 lakh hectares under "water guzzling" crop as part of crop diversification programme. However, that could not take place. Punjab paddy growers' cost is expected to increase by Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 per acre because of "deficient" rains as farmers had to spend extra money on diesel and deepening of tubewells for irrigating paddy in the wake of lesser rains. In neighbouring Haryana, a total of 11.36 lakh hectares was brought under paddy crop as against target of 11.50 lakh hectares, said an official of Haryana Agriculture department here. As far as other Kharif crops are concerned, cotton area in Punjab could not reach the targeted mark of 5.20 lakh hectares which will lead to lesser cotton output this year. Area under cotton could reach only 4.50 lakh hectares as against target of 5.20 lakh hectares," an official of Punjab Agriculture department said. Similarly, area under maize, which was being promoted by the Punjab government as an alternate crop to paddy, was also not up to the mark as a total of 1.63 lakh hectares could be brought under it as against the target of 2 lakh hectares. Farmers were not encouraged to bring more area under maize as they preferred to spend extra money on saving paddy crop which has an assured market, the official said. However, cotton area in Haryana zoomed to 6.42 lakh hectares, surpassing the target of 6 lakh hectares. Similarly, area under guar crop in the state also went up to 3.40 lakh hectares against the targeted area of 3 lakh hectares, official said here. Notably, Punjab government has been pressing for special central assistance of Rs 2,330 crore from the Centre in order to combat "deficient" rain conditions. Haryana government had sought financial assistance of Rs 850 crore from the Centre.
Indian monsoon to display lull as floods ease BY RATNAJYOTI DUTTA NEW DELHI Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:29am IST A man pulls a cycle rickshaw through a flooded street during a heavy monsoon rain shower in Agartala, capital of Tripura August 14, 2014. CREDIT: REUTERS/JAYANTA DEY (Reuters) - India's monsoon rains will be weak next week, weather officials said on Thursday, giving relief to cane- and rice-growing areas of northern and eastern regions that were recently hit by floods.The annual rains
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are vital, because over half of India's farmlands lack irrigation, and the farm sector accounts for 14 percent of the national economy.The monsoon is the leading determinant of rural spending on consumer goods ranging from lipstick to cars as two-thirds of its 1.2 billion people live in villages. In India, the monsoon has been weak for the past two weeks, but that is unlikely to cut output prospects for summer crops such as rice, corn, soybean, cane and cotton, because these crops have entered the germination stage, when less rain is required."Soybean has entered the initial growth stage when it does not need heavy rains, but requires intermittent rains for a healthy growth," S.K. Srivastava, head of the state-run Directorate of Soybean Research, told Reuters over the phone from Indore in central India.Soybean-growing areas of central India now need rain at intervals. "A prolonged dry spell until next week would be harmful for the planted soybean crop," Srivastava said.Most of the summer crops, except late-sown rice varieties in some parts of the northwest region, have entered the growing stage and need moderate rain to ensure good yields."Cane is still in good condition in Maharashtra despite the weak monsoon, except Marathwada belt where the crop has been hit by drought," said Raju Shetti, head of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, a farmers' lobby group from Maharashtra, the leading sugar producing state of India. WEAK PHASE Weather officials forecast less rain in flood-hit areas of North India next week, while the monsoon is expected to be poor over the cotton and oilseed belts of western region."The weak phase is expected to spill over to the next week," said D.S. Pai, the lead forecaster of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)."We expect a wet run from late August to early September," Pai said from the western city of Pune. FLOODS EASE Floods are expected to ease as the weather office forecast poor rain over the northern region until the middle of next week.Last week's heavy showers in the Himalayas inundated nearly 1,500 villages in northern India, killing 80 people and leaving thousands homeless, according to the latest official updates.An official at the
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National Disaster Management Authority said there had been 10 deaths in the eastern state of Bihar due to floods, caused by overflowing rivers in Nepal. On Friday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will make an aerial review of the flood situation in the worst affected areas of Uttar Pradesh, the top producer of cane in India, the world's second-biggest producer after Brazil.Experts said last week's flash floods over northern Uttar Pradesh state could affect growth of rice and cane crops in the Himalayan foothills.But sugar output is unlikely to decline drastically despite floods in the north and drought in western regions as production is expected to improve in South India. (Additional reporting by Sharat Pradhan in LUCKNOW; editing by Jane Baird)
Accord signed to make hybrid rice research centre Staff Report August 21, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Yuian Longping High-Teeh Agriculture Company Limited (YLHTACL) China and Guard Agricultural Research and Services (Private) Limited (GAR&SPL) Lahore have signed a Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) for the establishment of Hybrid Rice Research and Development Centre (HRRDC) in Lahore. All the organisations have decided to establish a joint Centre in Pakistan to develop fine grain rice hybrids to meet the market demand in Pakistan. The main purpose of the HRRDC is to breed elite high quality hybrid rice varieties by taking full advantage of the worldâ€&#x;s leading hybrid rice breeding technology of China and the elite rice germplasm of Pakistan, improve the hybrid rice breeding and innovation level of Pakistan and promote the rice productivity, as well as the food security in Pakistan. Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Chairman PARC, Lui Lin Hui incharge Hybrid Rice Project in Pakistan YLHTAC China and Dr Shahzad Ali Malik Chief Executive GAR&SPL signed this agreement.
Plastic from Rice Waste? A Biodegradable Option Aug 20, 2014 05:35 PM EDT
Researchers claim to have developed an inexpensive and eco-friendly bio-plastic that degrades at a more acceptable rate, compared to traditional plastics. The plastic, they say, is made from vegetable waste and the byproducts of rice and cocoa production, meaning that it will place no new demand on the Earth as well. (Photo : Reuters )
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Take a look at that plastic bottle sitting next to you. If that bottle was left there untouched, it would take an average of 450 years to fully disappear. If it were made with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) it might crack eventually, but it will never be fully gone from this world. Never.Even broken down micro-plastics are plaguing our oceans and contributing to the formation of rock-like plastic fossils that are even more resistant to the aging process. Experts have long suggested that when humanity is gone from this world, plastic waste will be our sole-surviving legacy. How much of that legacy we leave behind, however, could change.Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology claim to have developed an inexpensive and eco-friendly bio-plastic that degrades at a more acceptable rate, compared to traditional plastics. The plastic, they say, is made from vegetable waste and the byproducts of rice and cocoa production, meaning that it will place no new demand on the Earth as well."This opens up possibilities for replacing some of the non-degrading polymers with the present bioplastics obtained from agro-waste," the researchers said in a recent statement. (Photo : Bayer et al. 2014 American Chemical Society. DOI: 10.1021/ma500855)
The experimental process that makes this potentially world-changing polymer was detailed in a study recently published in the journal Macromolecules, an American Chemical Society (ACS) publication. According to the study, the researchers made use of an organic acid that occurs naturally and can process cellulose - the most abundant polymer in nature. This polymer is a key building component in plants, and can be extracted from stems, husks and pods using such an acid.The researchers quickly determined that various solutions using this polymer could form plastics with a wide range of traits, such as brittle, soft, and stretchy much like commercial plastics. What's best, is that these new plastics are biodegradable and are not doomed to last until the end of man. Still, more work needs to be done to determine the full potential of this new product. Tagsplastic,
polymer, Organics, plants
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Iraq issues tender for at least 15,000 T Indian rice -trade (Adds detail from paragraph 3) HAMBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Iraq's state grains buyer has issued an international tender to buy at least 15,000 tonnes of basmati rice to be sourced from India, European traders said on Thursday.The closing date for the tender is Sept. 1 and offers must be valid until Sept. 5.Traders said they believed the new tender may indicate Iraq made no purchase in a previous tender to buy at least 15,000 tonnes of Indian basmati rice which closed on July 21 with offers remaining valid until July 25. Volumes in Iraq's rice tenders are nominal and the country frequently buys more than it tenders for.On July 4, Iraq purchased 87,500 tonnes of basmati rice from India after also seeking offers for at least 15,000 tonnes.On Aug. 15, Iraq rejected offers in a separate international tender to buy at least 30,000 tonnes of rice from the United States, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Vietnam or Thailand, saying prices offered were too high. (Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by David Evans)
Nigeria’s shrinking imports data show policy gaining traction August 21, 2014 | Filed under: Exclusive,main story | Author: Edozie Ifebi Recent trends in Nigeria‟s import trade dynamics have seen import values shrink since the last quarter of 2013, indicating that government‟s policies to improve the country‟s terms of trade are gaining traction.These policies include the Agriculture Transformation Agenda, National Industrial Revolution Plan, backward integration programme, among others.Imports into Nigeria have been falling for the two most recent quarters for which data are available (Q4 2013 and Q1 2014).The National Bureau of Statistics‟ (NBS) import figures for Q4 2013 show that imports fell by 19 percent from Q3 2013, recording a trade surplus of 20.3 percent for the period. Nigerian exports in the first quarter of 2014 also rose by 14.2 percent from the previous quarter, while imports fell by 8.3 percent, resulting in a trade surplus of N2.4 trillion. Q1 2014 trade surplus rose to 35.4 percent, higher than the surplus for the previous quarter. Imports fell by 8.3 percent from Q4 2013, and 6.2 percent from the corresponding quarter of 2013.Nigeria‟s import figures have been falling markedly since the new Federal Government‟s policy on rice, sugar (initiated in February 2013, but took effect in June 2013), fish, and most recently, the new automotive policy.
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The policies, aimed at boosting the nation‟s agric sector, have seen food imports fall by N2.5 billion in the last three years, according to Akinwumi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, adding that Nigeria would surpass its target and produce 22 million tonnes of additional food by 2015.“When we started in 2011, our aim was to produce additional 20 million tonnes of food to the existing production. As at the end of 2013, 17 million tonnes of additional food had been produced since 2011, and by 2015, 22 million tonnes of additional food would be produced,” said Adesina.He said Nigeria was now the reference point for agriculture on the continent as the country was rapidly closing its food importation gap.The new policies have seen a significant fall in the volume of those goods imported. Since the Federal Government imposed the new levy in addition to the import duty on rice imports, the Nigerian Customs‟ rice-related annual revenues have fallen by at least 70 percent.Prior to the implementation of the policy, rice imports accounted for between 70 percent to 90 percent of the Apapa Area One Customs Command‟s monthly revenue. Revenue generated from rice levies dipped by 90.6 percent, from N125.3 billion to N11.8 billion.Charles Edike, Customs area controller, Apapa Area1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said in an interview that the new import policy affected the revenue collection of the command.“Fish, which used to be the second revenue source for the command, was also affected by the policy of government,” Edike said.The NBS‟ classification by section showed that the structure of Nigeria‟s import trade was dominated by boilers, machinery and appliances (23.7 percent) mineral products (16 percent), vehicles, aircraft and parts (13 percent), base metals and articles of base metals (9.5 percent), and chemical and allied industries (8.5 percent).At specific product level, motor spirit had the greatest value of imports, comprising 12.5 percent of total imports for Q1 2014, followed by spelt (common wheat) and meslin (a mixture of wheat/rye) at 3.5 percent, and machine tools at 3 percent of the total value of imports.Wheat and wheat-related products, accounting for the second largest import commodity by value, highlights the degree of food dependency of the Nigerian economy. This means that the Nigerian economy is still susceptible to fluctuations of food commodity prices on the international market. Increased wheat prices internationally will have knock-on effects for the FMCG industry and subsequently result in imported inflation.Classification by broad economic categories showed that industrial supplies comprised 28.2 percent of total imports, followed by capital goods (22.3 percent) and transport equipment and parts (14.4 percent).Nigeria‟s trade surplus figures have acted as a boosting factor to the country‟s macro-economic fundamentals. The value of the naira is expected to be stable in the near term, as demand for dollar eases, going by the analysis of the trade data. More accretion in the foreign reserves is also expected. Edozie Ifebi
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Rice price for Panama market still to be settled AUGUST 21, 2014 · BY PUSHPA BALGOBIN · 0 COMMENTS NEXT ARTICLE » For Full Access Login OR Subscribe Now - for as low as 25 cents a day With the recently announced sales deal with Panama, Guyana is hoping to cash in on the Central American country‟s rice shortage which is projected to carry over into 2015 but a price is still to be settled.Stabroek News understands that Guyana is hoping that packaged rice sales to Panama will be anywhere from US$500 to US$520 per tonne in the initial stages of the agreement. The commodity at the end of June averaged around US$414 per tonne, however since then world market prices for 25% broken rice have been as low as US$395 and as high as US$460. This newspaper was told that that Guyana will be exporting 20% broken rice to Panama under the new agreement signed last Thursday at the …..To continue reading, login or subscribe now.
Innovative concepts: Setting up Pakistan’s first rice bran oil plant 20.08.2014 When thinking of a business venture, some like to do it the old-fashioned way and invest in a tried and tested sector. But, there are those who like stepping into unexplored territory in hopes of becoming trend-setters.With this in mind, e2e Supply Chain Management Chief Executive Abid Butt belongs to the latter category. He has entered into a new joint venture to establish Pakistan‟s first rice bran oil plant, which is going to start operating from November this year.He set up e2e Supply Chain Management in 2006, making it one of the top logistics companies in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The company launched with only $20,000 of seed capital and eventually generated revenues of around $75 million in 2011. It was ranked number one in „All World‟ fastest growing companies of Pakistan and number three in „Arabia 500‟ survey (including North Africa and Turkey). The company has recently entered into the rice bran oil business, popular for its high spoke point of 232 °C (450 °F). It is extracted from the hard outer brown layer of rice after chaff (rice husk), is less sticky and due to its mild flavor, is used for high-temperature cooking methods like deep-frying.“It all began when I saw a rice field video, in which a powdery substance was being separated from the rice,” said Butt. “I was amazed to see the process, which I later learned produced very healthy cooking oil.”“The plant machinery cost me a little over Rs1 billion and has been imported from India — a leading country in rice bran oil technology. The production capacity of the plant is 10,000 tons.”Butt, who has majority stake in the project, intends selling the oil to edible
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oil companies which will blend it with their products.Rice bran oil is blended in many countries including India. According to American Heart Association, rice bran oil is the healthiest edible oil in the world. Its per litre cost is close to sunflower oil but it is comparatively healthier.“Pakistan can gradually improve the efficiency of rice bran oil technology. We would like to get the support of Pakistani universities to improve the efficiency of this technology,” Butt said.“Rice bran oil production is commercially viable. Even if we face problems in selling rice bran oil to edible oil companies, we have an alternative to brand the oil ourselves and sell it at premium. This way we will recover our investment in four to five years, which is viable by any world standard,” he stressed. Speaking on the advantages of rice bran oil production in Pakistan, he said Pakistan is a country that produces millions of tons of rice annually. Since the raw material is produced in the country in abundance, the government can easily reduce its edible oil import bills by millions of dollars, he said.Despite all the problems like energy crisis and security issues, Butt believes that Pakistan has huge potential to grow and improve its economy. “Pakistan can grow faster in coming years. But for that its business people have to continuously looking for new business ideas to diversify the country economy.”
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