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Researcher creates innovative paint from rice husks California’s agricultural community must adapt or face climate consequences, scientists say Scientists: National landmarks threatened by climate change Mekong Delta agriculture fails to live up to potential Drought takes heavy toll on Sacramento Valley rice PM Dung begins visit to Philippines Vietnam's Rice Exports Earn US$845 Million PDMO to quickly find banks willing to give loans to fund rice pledging scheme Farmers demand remaining rice scheme payments Paddy cultivation in kharif season down as farmers switch to vegetables Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-May 21 Mexico Market Under Attack - Part Two: Enhancing American Rice's Profile MAP and FMD Funding Approved by House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures TCEQ Proposal Could Mean More Dry Years for Rice Farmers. U.S. agriculture faces shortage of trained scientists
News Detail… Researcher creates innovative paint from rice husks VietNamNet Bridge – Dr Nguyen Thi Hoe is the foremost Vietnamese female scientist to successfully research and produce Kova paints using rice husk-derived nanomaterials to capture one of the hard-to-please Asian markets, Singapore. Hoe claimed that after more than 6 years, in 2012, her products were widely used in Singapore's supermarkets, 800-flat buildings, and airports.She recalled that more than 20 years ago, when she taught at the HCM City's Technology University, she alone left for the US in order to conduct research about paint."Despite all odds, I received great help from the US partners, such as a laboratory for me to research about paints. They also discussed with me about the technology on how to make paints," said Hoe.When she returned back home to continue teaching at the Technology University, Hoe started making paint.Initially, her items were packed in cans, but after she was conferred the Kovalevskaia Award (the award aimed to confer a female scientist and scientific organisations having outstanding research and application on technology, economy and culture to
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bring benefit for communities) in 1993, she branded her products as "Kova Paint" and started packaging them in barrels."I first heard about nanomaterials while studying in school, but it seemed very equivocal for me, until 30 years later, where the knowledge proved very useful for me to apply into the paint industry," Hoe said when questioned about nanomaterials. Hoe had successfully conducted research for over a decade on nanopaint and its applications in daily life, such as silica nano separated from rice husks to make her paint.She claimed that nano fireproofing paint made from rice husk can protect surfaces, such as concrete, steel, or wood following exposure to heat up to 1,300 degree Celsius for a period of 4 to 6 hours."I had tested my paint by exposing it to a 1,300-degree-Celsius heat from a special lamp of a welder for 5 hours. The result is that the wood proofed with my paint was able to withstand such high temperature."With such inspiring results, we are confident about showcasing our items to the world for approval and to prove that this nano fireproofing paint is number one," Hoe said."We focussed our research on nano fireproofing materials for protecting surfaces of houses, hospitals, schools, supermarkets, and plants as well as steel structures in high-rise buildings because if they are engulfed in a major fire, the steel piles will become soft, thereby causing the building to collapse. Thus, preventing steel structures from fire is very important," she said.In addition, Hoe also successfully conducted research on a bacterium-sterilised paint, which is specially used in kindergartens and hospitals. "My paint has been approved and has received certification in Singapore," she said.When questioned about her decision to choose rice husk, Hoe said that it is the waste derived from agriculture products, which is very cheap, but has high silica content.Since several years, Viet Nam has been a leading producer and exporter of rice. In the past, farmers only used rice husks as fuel or fertilisers."During field trips to rural areas across the country, I saw rice husks floating in canals and rivers. I thought of turning them into nano silica materials in order to produce paint, and after several years, my efforts paid off. I was successful," Hoe recalled."Hoe's products have helped the country save millions of dong from importing these paints from Europe," said Chairman of Viet Nam Associations of Science and Technology Prof Dr Dang Vu Minh. Hoe's paints have not only received recognition among domestic users, but also in foreign countries, such as Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Singapore.Apart from researching and conducting business, Hoe has set up a fund named "Kova" to grant scholarships for good, ethnic students from impoverished families who have excelled in studies and have a thought process of applying scientific research in daily life.Her Kova Fund also bestows scholarships to individuals and organisations having creative projects that bring high economical results for the communities."My fund always gives priority to ethnic female scientists in remote and isolated areas to encourage them to partake in scientific research," said Hoe. Over the past 10 years, the Kova Fund has granted more than VND10 billion to 90 outstanding individuals and organisations.Hoe was born in a very poor family in the central province of Nghe An's Nghi Loc District. Despite all hardships, she always remained an outstanding student during her school years.She cleared the exams to become a student of the Ha Noi University of Technology, and after graduating, she taught at the
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university till 1979, when she moved to teach at the Can Tho University where she began thinking about ways to beautify houses in her country.At that time, all good paints were imported at steep prices, but even then these paints failed to withstand the harsh tropical climate in Viet Nam, Hoe recalled.She began to research about how to make paints from available materials in the country, but at that time, the Can Tho University did not have adequate means to support her research. She moved to work at HCM City's University of Technology in 1986, intending to promote her research work, but it also lacked many things.Hoe said that she had to sell off her house in order to arrange finances for her research on emery and emulsion.Fortunately, her project was a success. She later received funding from the government to continue her work.As a youngster, she faced many difficulties because she had three children before joining the Ha Noi University of Technology. Besides studying, she had to do many odd jobs, such as raising pigs and growing vegetables, among others, in order to earn a living and to raise her children.After graduating from the university, Hoe had a passion to invest in scientific research, but her husband did not agree because he wanted her to stay at home as a housewife.Hoe didn't approve of her husband's decision, and they divorced later. This shows that she accepted a very hard life because she had to raise her children while carrying out her research. When questioned about why such a scientist with so little time could have successfully managed to raise her children, she said that during that period, she did not have much time to devote to her children, but mainly laid emphasis on their studies."I helped them to prepare lessons for their university exams," Hoe said.Hoe believes that despite old age, she will continue her research work to produce more products that can benefit the community."Now, I have 11 companies with several thousand workers producing paints for the domestic and export market. I also have the money to fund poor people, but I wish we could have many other scientists to joint in the efforts to make the country richer," she emphasised."I was impressed by Dr Hoe's unending devotion and will. In the past, when faced with difficulties, she tried her best to overcome them and accomplished many outstanding achievements in scientific research, many of which have brought effective benefits to the country's socio-economic development," noted former president Nguyen Thi Binh.Dr Rajeev Vaidya, the executive director of the DuPont Titanium Technologies in the US said that Hoe's works have inspired him and other scientists because she is an ideal model with a strong will to rise above the rest. Source: VNS Tags:Vietnamese female scientist,rice husks,Dr Nguyen Thi Hoe,Asian markets, Image:Research: Dr Nguyen Thi Hoe (centre) and her assistants at their laboratory. — VNS Photo
California’s agricultural community must adapt or face climate consequences, scientists say Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874
California’s agricultural community must adapt or face climate consequences, scientists say BY EDWARD ORTIZ eortiz@sacbee.com Dire consequences face the state’s powerhouse agricultural industry if it does not take steps to adapt to climate change, said a panel of 14 scientists, as well as Gov. Jerry Brown, at a conference on climate change Monday in Sacramento.The conference brought together economists, analysts, scientists and policymakers from the University of California and state government at the California Museum downtown.Members of the agricultural industry also attended. The conference sought to underscore that a troubling brew of warmer nighttime temperatures, drying soils, shrinking snowpack and drought must be addressed by farmers and society at large.Brown said Californians need to be able to support a series of moves over a long period of time because of climate change effects. ―This is something that has yet to fully capture the public imagination,‖ Brown said. ―There is still great denial.‖There was no such denial among scientists at the gathering, which was sponsored by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at the University of California. Experts who spoke accepted climate change as inevitable, but focused on the need to adapt. Farmers might have to change the type of crops they plant and when they are planted, they said. Some might go out of business. ―The expected temperature changes for the global mean are for (between) 4.5 and 8.5 degrees by 2100,‖ said Benjamin Santer, an atmospheric scientist from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. ―That’s a very different world.―California would be profoundly impacted by that.‖Santer was quoting from scientific projections from the recently released fifth report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of several hundred scientists whose findings are widely considered authoritative.Maximillian Auffhammer, a professor of environmental economics at UC Berkeley, called the effects of climate change a ―slow-moving process‖ that offers the agricultural industry a window of opportunity in dealing with climatic uncertainties. ―There are some sectors that are sensitive to climate change and some that aren’t – and agriculture, of course, is one of them,‖ Auffhammer said.Auffhammer said climate change will bring more extreme heat events – summertime periods of unusually high temperatures – to California, and some crops will be damaged more than others.―There are a lot of high-value crops that have very specific requirements in terms of nighttime temperatures and dew points (the temperature at which water vapor in cooling air starts to condense),‖ Auffhammer said. ―If weather changes in a way that is not favorable to these things in the ground, then you’re putting huge assets at risk.‖Scientists at the conference said that so far there has been no change in daytime temperatures or average daytime highs in the state, but the nighttime low temperature in both summer and winter has risen.
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―What happens in Napa Valley if that nice fog that rolls in goes away and moves 30 miles to the north and you have a degree change on average at nighttime?‖ said Aufhammer. ―These grapes … are incredibly sensitive to these small dimensions of weather.‖He said a small rise in temperatures at night could put the state’s whole wine industry at risk.Auffhammer also said that rising temperatures will have measurable impacts on farm worker productivity. ―Hot temperatures lead to lower economic output in measurable terms of gross domestic product, and one of the most affected by hot temperatures is the agricultural sector.‖Some scientists drove home the point that climate change issues need to be taken in a global context, since weather and economic factors are deeply interconnected. ―What you need to worry about is if climate change in China is such that almonds becomes an ideal crop for them –that’s the big regime change,‖ said Daniel Sumner, a resource economist at UC Davis. ―We can’t get too wrapped up in what the climate is doing here. It’s important to think about this in a market context, and that means a global context.‖Sumner said warmer winters already have resulted in higher winter wheat production in Yolo County.He said that, in simple terms, climate change may mean shifting weather patterns. Yolo County, for instance, could come to resemble Stanislaus County in terms of temperature patterns for growing crops. Call The Bee’s Edward Ortiz, (916) 321-1071. Follow him on Twitter @edwardortiz.
Scientists: National landmarks threatened by climate change DOYLE RICE / USA TODAY NWCN.com Posted on May 20, 2014 at 6:48 AM Updated yesterday at 7:20 PM Climate change is putting historic and cultural landmarks around the USA at risk, according to a report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a non-profit science advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C."Sea-level rise, coastal erosion, increased flooding, heavy rains and more frequent large wildfires are damaging archaeological resources, historic buildings and cultural landscapes across the nation," says the report, "National Landmarks at Risk."The report, which was not a peer-reviewed study, includes 30 atrisk locations, including places where the "first Americans" lived, the Spaniards ruled, English colonists landed, slavery rose and fell, and gold prospectors struck it rich.
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Locations include the Statue of Liberty; Jamestown, Va.; the Cape Hatteras (N.C.) Lighthouse; and the Kennedy Space Center."You can almost trace the history of the United States through these sites," says Adam Markham, director of climate impacts at UCS and report co-author.Sea levels already have risen 1-2 feet across portions of the East and Gulf Coast, USA TODAY reported last year, and global sea levels will rise about 1 foot to slightly more than 3 feet by 2100, according to this year's Fifth Assessment Report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Many at-risk sites are national parks, including Mesa Verde, Bandelier, Cape Hatteras and the Everglades. According to the National Park Service, 96% of park service land is in areas where global warming has been observed in the past century.Each year, millions of tourists visit national parks and other historic sites, benefiting local and national economies, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. National parks alone generate more than $27 billion in the economy, according to a USA TODAY analysis last year.According to the UCS report, one historic site — Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas —will likely be underwater by the end of the century.
The Kennedy Space Center and surrounding Cape Canaveral area in Florida, site of the Apollo launch, are threatened by storm surges that regularly breach dunes near the launch pads. Efforts to restore and protect the dunes have been undone by subsequent storms.In the West, climate change is increasing the risk of large wildfires in places such as California's Sierra Nevada, the report says. Across the region, wildfire season lasts two months longer than in the 1970s. Cultural resources in the Southwest have been hit by intense, large-scale wildfires that often are followed by flooding."During the last decade and a half, massive fires have swept through Mesa Verde National Park and Bandelier National Monument and other southwestern sites, damaging ancient pueblo masonry, petroglyphs and pottery," Markham says."This report certainly echoes findings from an array of different peer-review studies and is very consistent with the challenges confronting our national security installations," says J. Marshall Shepherd, a University of Georgia atmospheric scientist who was not involved in the report. "Remember, most naval facilities, like many of these national treasures, are at or below sea level," Shepherd says.However, some aren't convinced: "There is a tendency to confuse the impacts of climate with the impacts of human-caused climate change," according to Chip Knappenberger of the Cato Institute, a free-market think tank in Washington."This most certainly is taking place in the UCS report. Most of the examples in the report are located in areas where the extremes of the natural climate pose significant threats and expose
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vulnerabilities," said Knappenberger."The climate science is far from conclusive as to how the frequency, magnitude, or, importantly, track characteristics, of these storms will be impacted by human greenhouse gas emissions," he added.
Mekong Delta agriculture fails to live up to potential HCM CITY (VNS) — Thirty years of industrialisation and modernisation and some remarkable achievements notwithstanding, the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has failed to fulfil its agricultural potential, experts have said.Speaking at a seminar held in Can Tho city on Monday Le Van Banh, head of the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, said paddy output has increased from 4.2 million tonnes in 1976 to 25 million tonnes last year, but "farmers still have low incomes. ."The delta, one of the most fertile and largest in the world, produces more than 52 per cent of the country's rice, 58 per cent of the seafood, and 70 per cent of the fruits.Last year 76,000ha under the large-scale rice fields model saw fully mechanised agriculture.Yet, Vu Van Phuc, editor-in-chief of Tap Chi Cong San (Communist Review), said, the industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture and rural areas have not gone deep enough.The rural economy still relies mainly on small-scale agriculture, the household remains the driving force of the agricultural economy, and the scale of the household economy is mostly small, he said.Others said the delta's potential has not been tapped. The use of advanced techniques to create value-addition is not widespread and infrastructure, especially for transport and irrigation, is modest, they said.The rate of mechanisation of harvests has increased in recent years, but only to 40 per cent, they said.The processing industry is still anaemic, causing low productivity, quality, value addition, and competitiveness of many agricultural products, they said.Because of the lack of co-operation among farmers, scientists, the Government, and companies, and inadequate policies, the efficiency of cooperation in agriculture production is not high, some participants said.Farmers produce many kinds of products but cultivation areas are mostly small and scattered.There is no co-ordination among growers, processors, and sellers, leading to price declines in case of bumper harvests.Participants said the Government should have clear policies to attract investment in the delta's key produce like rice, seafood, and fruits. Nguyen Phong Quang, deputy head of the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region, said agricultural production should be rezoned in many areas and under the linking-areas model, which is based on supply -
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demand balance and improving the quality and value of agricultural products.The delta's provinces should create favourable conditions to strengthen co-operation within groups like companies and farmers between them to create a close link among production, processing, and sale, he added.Bui Chi Buu, former head of the Southern Institute of Agriculture Science and Technology, said the delta should step up the use of advanced techniques and technology in agricultural production to enhance productivity and quality.The delta's extent of post-harvest loss is 12-14 per cent. Participants said the Government should facilitate investment in infrastructure for rural development and agricultural production and outlets for farm produce.The seminar was organised by the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region, the Communist Review, and the Can Tho Party Committee. Photo:Farmers harvest and dry rice in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang's Vinh Thuan Tay Commune. The Delta has failed to fulfill its agricultural potential despite thirty years of industrialisation and modernisation, experts said.— VNA/VNS Photo Duy Khuong May 21, 2014, 5:55am PDT
Drought takes heavy toll on Sacramento Valley rice Allen Young Staff Writer-Sacramento Business Journa
The drought is expected to move 100,000 acres of rice out of production this year, a fifth of the industry’s total acreage in California. The hit to consumers nationwide won’t likely be felt by the average consumer, but Sacramento-area rice producers have already begun to implement layoffs.―Its important for us to convey to people that...the farmers in the Sacramento Valley are suffering,‖ said Jim Morris, a spokesman for California Rice CommissionA report released this week from theUniversity of California Davis said the drought could cost Central Valley farmers and farm communities $1.7 billion this year and may terminate more than 14,500 jobs. The toll will be heavily felt among capital region rice producers. Twenty percent of the nation’s rice comes from California, and 90 percent of that rice is grown in the Sacramento Valley.The market consumer price for rice is currently about $1 to $1.25 per pound. When news of the drought first broke, retail prices crept up between 10 percent and 15 percent.At the end of the calendar year, when the 2014 rice harvest is distributed, prices are expected to climb another 10 percent or so. But that’s a difference of just pennies per serving.
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The economic hit to farmers largely will come from importers who will replace California rice purchases with cheaper alternatives across the globe. Local producers will be forced to drop prices as they work to reclaim market share.―The long term effect is bad; you lose a market and have to work several years to get it back,‖ said Chris Crutchfield, president and CEO of American Commodity Co., a rice milling, packaging and distribution facility in Williams. Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal Tundra swans take off from the rice fields of the Rominger Bros. Farms in Winters in this 2013 photo. The drought is expected to move 100,000 acres of rice out of production this year, a fifth of the industry’s total acreage in Californi
PM Dung begins visit to Philippines Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation arrived in Manila on May 21 to begin a working visit to the Philippines at the invitation of President Benigno S. Aquino III. He laid a floral tribute at the Ho Chi Minh Statue at ASEAN park in Intramuros Manila before holding talks with President Aquino at the Presidential Palace.The two sides are expected to reach consensus on specific measures to strengthen bilateral cooperative ties, especially in the fields mentioned in the 2011-2016 action plan.Discussions will focus on bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, export of rice, electronic components and farm produce, education, culture, sports, security, national defence, ocean and maritime, as well as agro-forestry and fishery sector between Vietnam and the Philippines.PM Dung and the Filipino President will also exchange views on issues of mutual concern, including the complicated East Sea situation. VOV/VNN Tags:Philippines,nguyen tan dung,visit,
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Vietnam's Rice Exports Earn US$845 Million 21.05.2014
Vietnam exported 181,000 tonnes of rice in the first half of May worth US$79.87 million, lifting the shipment to date this year to 1.932 million tonnes worth US$845.38 million, Vietnam News agency (VNA) reported, citing data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).The association stated that the average price for export rice this month reached US$441.51 per tonne, down roughly US$21 per tonne against the same period last month.However, domestic rice prices were reported to have edged up in the week through May 15, versus a week ago.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated Vietnam's milled rice exports to increase to about 7.2 million tonnes this year, up about 8.0 per cent from about 6.7 million tonnes last year due to higher production and increased export demand from Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, China and the Philippines backed by low prices.FAO has estimated Vietnam's total paddy rice production at about 44.2 million tonnes (around 27.6 million tonnes of milled rice) in 2014, marginally higher than about 44 million tonnes (around 27.5 million tonnes of milled rice) produced in 2013.
The UN agency, however, forecasts Vietnam's paddy rice production from 2014 winter/spring crop at 20.3 million tonnes, similar to last year's production, despite shifting part of the rice fields to other crops, due to higher yields, favourable weather conditions and adequate water supplies.However, VFA last week lowered the country's 2014 rice export target to 6.2 million tonnes from the earlier target of 6.5-7 million tonnes due to heavy competition from India and Thailand.
PDMO to quickly find banks willing to give loans to fund rice pledging scheme Date : 21 พฤษภาคม 2557 BANGKOK, 21 May 2014, (NNT) -The Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) has said it is currently searching for financial institutions willing to give loans to fund the rice pledging program. Director of the Office, Jularat Suthethorn, said that the names of commercial banks interested in making loans to the Office would be made public at a later date, for fears of possible backlash from their customers and employees. According to her, the loans would be divided into 2 parts, one to pay for the pending 100 billion baht owed to farmers who already pledged their stocks, and the other to pay for the scheme’s other debts, which is part of the program’s debt management that had been approved by the administration
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before it dissolved the Lower House. The 100 billion baht worth of the older debts has already been paid, said the director, adding that the remaining debts of 20 billion baht will be paid as soon as the loan has been approved.
Farmers demand remaining rice scheme payments Date : 21 พฤษภาคม 2557 BANGKOK, 21 May 2014, (NNT) -The President of the Thai Agriculturists Association Vichien Puanglamjiak, advised the media after the army imposed Martial Law, that if a new government is installed, it must make paying off the remaining rice pledge debt to farmers, one of its top priorities. He also urged a new government to draft a policy to regulate the price of 2014 off season rice, leaving the decision of whether or not to continue the rice mortgage scheme, to the administration.
However Mr. Vichien said the price of rice should not fall below 11,000 baht per ton, citing the current production cost of 9,000 baht per ton. Mr. Vichien, claimed at the moment the price of rice is in the range of of 5,800 - 6,000 baht per ton. Meanwhile, Prasit Boonchouy, leader of the Thai Rice Farmers' Association, expressed his optimism regarding the possibility of a new government being established, saying that such a development would change the nation for the better. He shared Mr. Vichien’s opinion on the continuation of the rice pledging scheme, and suggested a new administration come up with measures to prevent the program affecting the rice market.
Bangkok rice FOB price Xinhua, May 21, 2014 The following are Bangkok Rice FOB Prices, as offered by the Rice Exporters Association of Thailand, for the week: Unit: U.S. dollar/Metric Ton This week Last week Jasmine Rice (Thai Hom Mali Rice) Grade A (crop year 2012/13) 1166 1164 Grade A (crop year 2013/14) 1023 1022 White Rice White Rice 100% Grade B 408 407 White Rice 25% 345 346 Endi
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Paddy cultivation in kharif season down as farmers switch to vegetables RAVIPRASAD KAMILA The HinduThe Agriculture Department has recommended mechanised transplanting, seed and soil treatment to increase productivity and reduce production cost. Challenge is to save existing acreage by increasing productivity, reducing cost Area of paddy cultivated in kharif season in Dakshina Kannada decreased by more than 17 per cent and in rabi by more than 15 per cent in the past decade and a half, according to the Department of Agriculture.Officials attributed this to farmers switching over to horticulture crops and converting the area under the food crop for various other activities.The district had 38,291 hectares under paddy in the 1999 kharif season. It came down to 31,646 hectares, a decrease by 6,645 hectares (17.35 per cent), in 2013 kharif season.The food crop under rabi season declined from 25,195 hectares in 19992000 to 21,201 hectares in 2012-13, a decline of 15.85 per cent.―Now the challenge is to save the existing area under paddy by increasing productivity and reducing production cost,‖ said H. Kempe Gowda, Joint Director of Agriculture, Dakshina Kannada. He said that now the department was recommending seed treatment, soil treatment and mechanised transplanting to increase productivity and reduce production cost.Mr. Gowda said that rice blast, is the main disease which affected the crop, coming in the way of productivity. Sowing the seeds after mixing it with carbon dizem powder and spraying it after transplanting helped in controlling the disease for over two months. It could save about half the crop.He said that heavy rains in Dakshina Kannada resulted in leaching out of nutrients in soil resulting in alkaline condition. Then it would lose the capacity to absorb fertilizers. Hence, to bring soil to neutral condition, the department recommended the application of agriculture lime for every alternate year.In addition, mechanised transplantation helped in increasing productivity. The department was providing seeds, chemical powder, agriculture lime and transplanting machine at 50 per cent subsidised rate to farmers.According to Prabhakara Mayya, a progressive farmer at Nada village, near Ujire, paddy saplings should not be planted deep as they did not have mother root. They should be just planted on the surface of the slush field for roots to spread. Under the manual method, workers, planted them at six-inch depth.When the machine is used, it plants the saplings just on the surface, with ideal spacing for the plants to breathe and spread roots. As a result, the plants grow healthy and yield more. Keywords: Agriculture Department, paddy cultivation in Karnataka,
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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-May 21 Wed May 21, 2014 2:54pm IST Nagpur, May 21 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) reported higher on increased buying support from local millers amid weak supply from producing regions because of unseasonal rains in parts of Vidarbha. Fresh rise on NCDEX and upward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses also boosted sentiment, according to sources. * * * * FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram varieties shot up in open market on good demand from local traders amid weak supply because of heavy unseasonal rains since past three days. TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply position. * Masoor and Moong varieties recovered strongly again on increased buying support from local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts. Unseasonal rains which lashed Vidarbha since past few days activated stockists. * In Akola, Tuar - 4,100-4,300, Tuar dal - 6,300-6,500, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,800-9,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 10,300-11,000, Gram - 2,400-2,600, Gram Super best bold - 3,300-3,600 for 100 kg. * Wheat, 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 FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,300-2,610 2,300-2,500 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,850-4,525 3,800-4,460 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 3,800-4,000 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,850-3,950 3,650-3,750 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,500-3,650 3,300-3,450
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Desi gram Raw 2,800-2,900 2,600-2,700 Gram Filter new 3,200-3,400 3,000-3,200 Gram Kabuli 8,500-10,500 8,500-10,500 Gram Pink 7,700-8,100 7,700-8,100 Tuar Fataka Best 6,600-6,800 6,500-7,000 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,400-6,500 6,300-6,700 Tuar Dal Best Phod 5,900-6,100 5,800-6,000 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,500-5,800 5,400-5,700 Tuar Gavarani 4,500-4,600 4,450-4,550 Tuar Karnataka 4,650-4,750 4,600-4,700 Tuar Black 7,800-8,000 7,700-7,900 Masoor dal best 6,400-6,400 6,000-6,200 Masoor dal medium 6,000-6,200 5,800-6,000 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 10,000-10,500 9,700-10,200 Moong Mogar Medium best 9,600-10,200 9,300-9,900 Moong dal super best 9,500-9,900 9,200-9,600 Moong dal Chilka 9,300-9,700 9,000-9,400 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 8,000-9,100 8,000-9,100 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,700-8,000 7,700-8,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,300-7,100 6,300-7,100 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,700-6,000 4,700-6,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,150 3,050-3,150 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,200 4,700-5,200 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,600 1,200-1,600 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,500 1,200-1,500 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,300 2,000-2,300 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,100 2,800-3,100 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,700 2,200-2,700 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,100-1,400 1,100-1,400 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-2,000 1,700-2,000 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,900 2,700-2,900 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800
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Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,300-5,200 4,300-5,200 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 10,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-9,500 7,000-9,500 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,000 5,600-6,000 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 42.0 degree Celsius (107.6 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.23.6 degree Celsius (74.5 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : 6.2 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 41 and 25 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
Mexico Market Under Attack - Part Two: Enhancing American Rice's Profile ARLINGTON, VA - For many years, the United States has been the rice supplier of choice for Mexico, benefiting from a logistical advantage, strong contract performances and the ability to promptly ship specific quantities of rice, including rough/paddy. However, the new reality in the Western Hemisphere is that none of our export markets are guaranteed, and as we reported earlier this week, Brazil has recently been cleared to begin exporting paddy rice into the U.S.'s number one market, Mexico. In order to maintain a dominant market share for both milled and paddy rice in the Western Hemisphere, U.S. rice must remain competitive, and competitiveness comes in many forms: quality, price, reliability, and efficiency.
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Coming this Fall The USA Rice Federation is positioning U.S.-grown rice as the premium product in the Mexican market with, among other things, the development of a packaging logo to help consumers identify U.S. origin rice and rice products. The approved logo, called the American Seal, is in the legal registration process in Mexico and should be available for use this Fall.The American Seal is available to rice milled and packed in the U.S.; shipped bulk as milled and packaged in Mexico; or, imported as rough rice and milled/packaged in Mexico. There are no restrictions on what entities can use the Seal, although they must sign the licensing agreement and abide by its terms.
Gluten free materials for Mexico
Promotional activities are another way USA Rice is increasing appreciation for U.S. rice in Mexico. A recent campaignwith the Association of Celiac Disease in Mexico reached a broader audience actively seeking a gluten-free lifestyle. This educational campaign came in response to Mexican consumers becoming more aware of celiac disease and being concerned about improving their diets, and included media placements in a variety of culinary magazines as well as up-todate information and rice recipes for print, radio, and television media.
Mehor chef!
USA Rice also produces original content television programs for the Mexican market targeting the country's foodservice sector, as well as consumers interested in high-end recipes, who want to learn how to include U.S. rice in their gourmet menus.One program, "Cocinando con," received an award from the chef association, Vatel Club MĂŠxico, for culinary excellence in showcasing gastronomy in Mexico. Last month, USA Rice conducted a total of twelve "Arroz Gourmet" TV shows on the national television station KW, where renowned chefs representing Mexico's most recognized restaurants, hotels, and culinary schools prepare dishes featured on their menus which use U.S.-grown rice as the main ingredient. "The popularity of original content programs has expanded exponentially," said Jim Guinn, USA Rice vice president of International Promotion.
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"In addition to the initial transmission, KW regularly rebroadcasts episodes and reports high interest from viewers. The programs are also available via a variety of social media sites, including YouTube and Facebook. Extensive media exposure like this drives awareness and increases demand for U.S.-grown rice in Mexico." Guinn says the recent potential entrance of Brazil into the paddy rice market in Mexico ("Mexico Market Under Attack - Part One: Brazilian Paddy Rice Cleared for Import" USA Rice Daily May 19, 2014) makes these outreach and branding efforts all the more important. He adds that USA Rice will continue and expand the successful programs as they actively seek to preserve the U.S.'s largest export market. Contact: Sarah Moran, (703) 236-1457
MAP and FMD Funding Approved by House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees WASHINGTON, DC -- The House and Senate So far, so good Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees both met yesterday and approved their respective versions of the fiscal year 2015 Agriculture Appropriations bill. As approved by both subcommittees, the legislation includes full funding of $200 million for the Market Access Program (MAP) and $34.5 million for Foreign Market Development (FMD), as authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. With approximately 50 percent of the U.S. crop bound for foreign markets each year, these programs are vital for a vibrant U.S. rice industry. Both House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations bills contain provisions that are important to the rice industry, including funding for MAP and FMD, as well as funding for the PL 480 Food for Peace Program, agriculture research initiatives, and the Women Infants and Children feeding program. "The USA Rice Federation signed a coalition letter in support of maintaining the 2014 Farm Bill authorized levels for MAP and FMD," said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Reece Langley. "In meetings with House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee members, the broad agriculture coalition emphasized that support for these programs spans all parts of the country." Contact: Lauren Echols, (703) 236-1440
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CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation todayannounced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2013 crop, which became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices decreased $0.13 per cwt for long grain and $0.12 per cwt for medium/short grain. MLG/LDP Rate
World Price Milled Value ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Long-Grain
17.52
11.50
0.00
Medium-/ShortGrain
17.18
11.76
0.00
Brokens
12.00
----
----
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates: U.S. Milling Yields Loan Rate Whole/Broken ($/cwt) (lbs/cwt) Long-Grain
57.94/11.23
6.65
Medium-/Short-Grain
63.26/7.45
6.58
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The next program announcement is scheduled for May 28.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 21
Month
Price
Net Change
July 2014
$15.270
- $0.030
September 2014
$14.465
+ $0.025
November 2014
$14.565
+ $0.005
January 2015
$14.730
- $0.015
March 2015
$14.780
- $0.135
May 2015
$14.780
- $0.135
July 2015
$14.780
- $0.135
TCEQ Proposal Could Mean More Dry Years for Rice Farmers by Neena Satija May 19, 2014 Gulf Coast rice farmers who have gone three years without water supplies from Central Texas' Highland Lakes could be in store for many more dry years, even if the current drought conditions improve.In the midst of an increasingly tense battle between urban and rural water users of the lower Colorado River, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued new recommendations on Friday that would make it considerably
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more difficult for the farmers to receive water for their crops during times of drought and even under normal conditions. The state agency's proposal to the Lower Colorado River Authority, which oversees use of the river water, is sure to draw fire from farmers but is already getting praise from others who say the water needs of Central Texas residents must be a higher priority. "As you can appreciate, the current persistent drought has caused us all to re-examine water management paradigms and take a new look at standard practices that worked well in the past," the TCEQ's executive director, Richard Hyde, wrote to the river authority's new general manager, Phil Wilson. In other words, the LCRA's proposed plan for managing the lower Colorado River basin — relied upon by more than a million Central Texas residents and rice farmers downstream — isn't good enough. According to the TCEQ recommendations, LCRA's plan doesn't cut off water to rice farmers soon enough, putting at risk the water supplies for upstream cities and manufacturers. In the future, the TCEQ said, the Highland Lakes should have much more water in them before the river authority delivers water to farmers. Farmers pay the LCRA a discounted rate for "interruptible" water, which means their water deliveries can be reduced or stopped during droughts. Cities pay a much higher rate for guaranteed water. Currently, the LCRA is operating under a temporary plan that allows farmers to receive water if the lakes are about 40 percent full. Today, the lakes are 36 percent full. Responding to the TCEQ recommendation on Monday, the LCRA said it would "conduct a thorough analysis of the material over the next two to three months."Hyde proposed a "significantly modified" plan that assumes more dire conditions for the Colorado River in the coming decades.
The recommendations define various conditions under which the LCRA could supply water to farmers: "extraordinary," "less severe" or "normal." In an "extraordinary" drought, rice farmers would receive no water from the Highland Lakes if they are less than 70 percent full. A drought would be considered extraordinary if more than 24 months had passed since the lakes were "completely full," a condition sure to be controversial among agricultural and environmental interests. ―That is not extraordinary drought," said Ronald Gertson, a rice farmer in Wharton County who is a regular at public hearings and stakeholder meetings on the issue. "That is quite normal, and occurs more often than not. Even in history before this more recent drought, it was not at all unusual to be more than 24 months since the Highland Lakes were filled.‖Even under "normal" conditions," in the TCEQ proposal, it would be harder for rice farmers to get water, because the trigger level that would allow for irrigation releases would be higher. TCEQ's proposal is sure to be a contentious issue for the river authority's board. It is made up of members from Central Texas and from Gulf Coast counties. They have clashed over setting trigger levels that the Highland Lakes must reach before allowing release to rice farmers. State legislators whose districts include
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cities in Central Texas agreed with the TCEQ, arguing that drinking water supplies for more than a million people are at risk. Several towns in the area take water directly from Lakes Travis and Buchanan, which have become so low that the towns have had to spend millions of dollars to lower their pipes. "It appears that the professionals at TCEQ get it," state Sens.
Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said in a joint statement. "It's critical that the LCRA seize this opportunity to correct past mistakes." They added, "It's amazing what can happen when experts who aren't influenced by a particular interest get the chance to weigh in." The statement was a veiled swipe at LCRA board members and staff, who have been accused of putting the interests of Gulf Coast-area rice farmers ahead of cities and residents around the Highland Lakes. The LCRA has maintained that it is simply following the current water management plan, which TCEQ approved in 2010.After getting the LCRA's input, the TCEQ's executive director plans to finalize his recommendations by late summer. The public will then have the opportunity to submit comments.
U.S. agriculture faces shortage of trained scientists May 20, 2014Olivia McClure, LSU AgCenter | Southeast Farm Press
AGRICULTURE SCIENTIST Bob Kemerait (left), a UGA peanut specialist, speaks with attendees at the 2013 Georgia Peanut Tour.
Demand for food and fiber is booming as world population grows at an exponential rate. Ironically, the United States – the No. 1 exporter of agriculture products – is facing critical shortages of agriculture workers.Leading domestic life science companies need to hire at least 1,000 trained ag scientists by 2015 to help meet changing global needs, according to a 2013 study by the Coalition for a Sustainable Agricultural Workforce. Nearly half of those hires need to hold doctoral degrees.Despite high demand for these scientists, not enough university students are being trained fast enough in disciplines such as plant science and crop breeding, said Rogers Leonard, LSU AgCenter associate vice chancellor for plant and soil science programs. Many students are simply unaware of these opportunities for employment, partly because of stereotypes of agriculture in
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popular culture.―A career in agriculture is not just about picking cotton or chopping weeds,‖ Leonard told a group of high schoolers at a recent youth field day. ―Science and technology drive the new agriculture today.‖Even among children who grow up on farms, however, there has been a degradation of students wanting to go into agriculture, he said. Longer lifespans mean American farmers have gotten older and older in recent decades – in Louisiana, the average age of a farmer is 58.5, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture.Because farmers don’t hand over the reins to the family business as soon as they once did, their children often look beyond agriculture to find employment, Leonard said.The ag industry is running short on human capital at a time it is under pressure to be more efficient, which requires scientific innovation. The CSAW study reports ―the pipeline of graduates … isn’t as full as it needs to be‖ and companies ―anticipate challenges in finding quality applicants.‖.Student recruitment at universities is part of fixing that problem. Incoming freshmen who are pondering majors need to know about the diverse opportunities available in agriculture, said Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture.The college has renewed its focus on recruitment this semester, with representatives traveling throughout Louisiana to reach as many students as possible.
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