October,22 ,2018 Vol 9 ,Issue 10
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Growing Rice With Seawater Could Feed ‗Entire Arab McKinley Corbley -, 2018
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A successful experiment in the deserts of Dubai may promise to curb hunger around the world.A team of Chinese scientists has managed to develop a specific strain of rice that grows in saltwater. Not only that, it yields far more rice than the average freshwater-dependent strains. Back in January, the researchers were invited by representatives of the United Arab Emirates to plant some of the salt-tolerant rice in different patches of the desert where water is too precious to waste on crops that depend on such intense hydration. After five months of growth, severals strains of the modified rice yielded as much as 7.8 tons of food per hectare. For comparison, the global average stands at 3.3 tons per hectare.
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The researchers from the Qingdao Saltwater Rice Research and Development Center are continuing the project by launching an experimental 100-hectare saltwater rice farm in 2019 that will evaluate the costs of production and different farming techniques. They hope to then accelerate their rate of production by 2020. Their longterm goal is to cover up to 10% of the UAE with the saltwater rice paddies – and if the technology proves to be consistently successful in Dubai‘s harsh agricultural climate, then the farms could ―feed the entire Arab world.‖ According to Yuan Longping, the ―father of hybrid rice‖ and leader of the research institute, there are over 386,000 square miles (1 million kilometers) of land in China that is currently going unused due to the high salt content of the soil. By planting his specially developed saltwater rice on just one-tenth of this land, it would boost the nation‘s food production by 20% – which is enough to feed over 200 million people https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-growing-rice-with-seawater-could-feed-entirearab-world/
Scientists develop improved variety of Mologolukulu rice Improved rice variety of NLR 3186 in field trails. Nellore: In an ambitious move to restore the past glory of the most sought after Nellore Mologolukulu rice variety, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture Research Station in Nellore has been paying special attention to develop the variety further. It is no hyperbole to state that Nellore became very popular for rice because of the Mologolukulu variety which was cultivated in a big way a few decades back. The reasons for the entire farming community opting for this variety in the past were its quality, taste and nutrition value. However, the long duration of the crop, requirement of huge quantity of water, and people‘s preference for slender varieties of rice pushed Molagolukulu to the backyard over the years. Most of the farming community across the district also opted out of this variety as it became prone to blast disease (aggi tegulu).
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In this backdrop, Nellore Agriculture Research Station started developing the variety with focus on eliminating its weak points. They came out with a Molagolukulu variety known as NLR 3186 last year. The scientists are buoyed over the field trials carried out all over the state during the last Kharif season.
The duration of the 3186 crop was brought down to 150 days as against 170 days in the past. Scientists also rectified its lodging nature and made it blast tolerant without tip sterility, unlike previous varieties of Molagolukulu. "The cooking quality of the medium slender grain culture is as good as its predecessors,‖ said D. Kodandarami Reddy, principal scientist of the Agriculture Research Station. "It is suitable for the Kharif season and farmers got good yields when they raised the variety last year," said Ms. Sri Lakshmi, ARS scientist. She said farmers were also coming forward to raise another rice culture known as NLR 3217 developed in their research station. It is a short duration rice culture with medium slender grain having resistance to blast, tolerance to sheath blight, sheath rot, brown spot and Tungro disease. Superior varieties fall prey to malpractices by millers Popular rice varieties developed at the agriculture research station are hit by the malpractices of the rice millers. Instead of marketing the variety with its number or name christened by the Agriculture Research Station at Nellore, the millers and traders have been mixing them in costly varieties after buying them for a meagre price to make a fast buck.
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For instance, an excellent variety developed and released under the name NLR 34449 (Nellore Mashuri) is high yielding, fine grain, blast resistant and responsive to high applied nitrogen and the yields are to the extent of 8 to 10 tonnes/hectare. The area under this variety is increasing year after year and it is estimated that this variety occupies about 6 lakh hectares in the state. However, the variety is largely used by traders and millers for mixing with another most sought after rice type, BPT 5204. One of the reasons for this is similarities between the appearance of the grain as well as cost difference. While the cost of BPT 5204 is around Rs 19,000 for putti (850 kg), the cost of NLR 34449 is around Rs 15,000, which means Rs 4000 is pocketed for every putti without any hassles. The traders use a steaming process at parboiled rice mills to prevent consumers from identifying the mixing. The technique also helps them to market the recently harvested grains as one or two year old rice. When contacted, president of Nellore Rice Millers and Traders Association, Nagireddy Subhramanyam Reddy, said some traders and few small time rice millers had been adopting such malpractices because of competition in the market and deceiving the consumers. He added that those marketing branded rice would not follow such deceptive practices. "Though everyone concerned is aware of the wrongdoings, no one takes any action because it is very difficult to prove the mixing carried out with the steaming technique" an official of Agriculture Research Station said. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/211018/scientists-develop-improved-variety-ofmologolukulu-rice.html
Day after clash with farmers, rice millers continue strike Want case registered against paddy growers too Archit Watts Tribune News Service Malout, October 20 A day after a clash between some farmers and rice mills‘ executives at the local grain market, the latter on Saturday continued their strike seeking action against the former.Agitated over the registration of a case against two rice millers and over 15 unidentified persons, they announced to continue their strike till the farmers were booked.
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Notably, the rice millers of Malout on Friday had suspended the unloading of paddy at their mills. Meanwhile on Saturday, they met the Deputy Commissioner, the SSP and the SDM seeking action against the farmers. Prem Kumar Goyal, president, Rice Millers‘ Association, Malout, said, ―We have sought action against the farmers who started the scuffle. The SSP and the district administration have assured us that an inquiry into the case registered against us would be marked. Further, the farmers will be booked on the complaint of our executives.‖ Notably, the clash took place on Friday at the grain market when some farmers allegedly misbehaved with the purchaser of a rice mill, passed casteist remarks and thrashed him. On the other hand, farmers said the rice millers had rejected the paddy procured by a government agency citing high moisture content and ordered unloading of bags, which led to an altercation and the turban of one of them was also tossed in the air. The local police have booked Prem Kumar Goyal, Amritpal Singh Dhillon and over 15 unidentified persons under Sections 451, 341, 323, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC on the complaint of Lakhwinder Singh of Enakhera village near here. Local MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti on Friday marked a probe into the incident to the SDM and the SP. If the unloading of paddy remained suspended till Monday, it may lead to a glut in the mandis as this is the peak season and farmers are bringing their produce in large numbers daily. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bathinda/day-after-clash-with-farmers-rice-millers-continuestrike/671227.html
Moisture high, farmers find it hard to sell paddy Oct 21, 2018, 1:41 AM; last updated: Oct 21, 2018, 1:41 AM (IST)
Mansa growers allege meters faulty; many selling their produce in Haryana markets
Perneet Singh Tribune News Service Bathinda, October 20
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Farmers are having a tough time in the region‘s grain markets due to high moisture content in their paddy produce while they allege that moisture meters of the purchase agencies have only added to their woes. Talking to The Tribune, Darshan Singh, a farmer from Jassi Pauwali village, said, ―I have been waiting for the purchase of my paddy for the last five days, but the agencies are saying its moisture content is high. The procurement agency and rice sheller representatives, armed with separate moisture meters, had come to purchase it a couple of days ago. However, both the meters were showing different readings. While one of them showed moisture content at 22, the other put the figure at 26. I am clueless what to do now.‖ He said he had been drying up his paddy in the sunlight for the last four days and it seemed completely dry to him. He was now waiting for the moisture content to dip to the permissible limit of 17. Harpreet Singh, another farmer, said his paddy, too, had high moisture content. He also echoed similar sentiments regarding two moisture meters showing varied readings. When contacted, Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Praneet said the farmers should only go by the moisture meter reading of the government agency official. He said he was not aware of the rice sheller representatives also checking moisture content in the grain market.
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Meanwhile, there are reports that Punjab farmers from areas bordering Haryana are selling their paddy produce in the neighbouring state (Haryana), where they find the scenario a bit lenient when it comes to procuring paddy with high moisture content. Sources said farmers from Mansa district were heading with their paddy to Haryana‘s purchase centres like Brahmanwala, Ladhuwas, Babbanpur and Mahindoke, which were close to the interstate border. The BKU Ekta Ugrahan Mansa district president, Ram Singh Bhainibagha, also confirmed the trend. He said they had even resorted to protest recently after paddy with high moisture content was not allowed to be unloaded at the Bareta grain market in Mansa. He warned that more paddy from Punjab would be sold in Haryana, if the state government did not relax the norms regarding the moisture content. On the other hand, Mansa Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait said she had asked the SSP to enhance vigil at the nakas and ensure that paddy-laden trolleys from Punjab were not allowed to cross over to Haryana. Besides, she said, they had also taken up the matter with the Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner, urging him to look into the matter and also initiate action against the arhtiyas who were indulging in these practices.
Farmers protest poor facilities in mandis Muktsar: Irate over the ―poor arrangements‖ in grain markets, farmers on Saturday lodged a protest near Jhabelwali village by blocking the Muktsar-Kotkapura highway for over two hours. They said the state had not made adequate arrangements for stubble management. They said the rice millers were not lifting paddy citing high moisture content. tns https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/moisture-high-farmers-find-it-hard-to-sell-paddy/671280.html
Dangerous levels of arsenic found in SEVEN baby rice products amid fears it could affect young children's growth
Tests on 26 baby rice foods revealed that almost a quarter broke EU safety rules
Parents should restrict baby rice feeds to 30 grams a day an expert said He told The Mail on Sunday: 'I would not feed young children rice at all'
By JAKE HURFURT FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY : 00:02 BST, 21 October 2018 | UPDATED: 01:14 BST, 21 October 2018
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Dangerous levels of arsenic have been found in seven popular baby rice products sold in supermarkets. Tests on 26 baby rice foods for Channel 4's Food Unwrapped programme revealed that almost a quarter broke EU safety rules. Food research expert Professor Andy Meharg told the programme that parents should restrict baby rice feeds to 30 grams a day – about three tablespoons. But he told The Mail on Sunday: 'I would not feed young children rice at all. 'As a parent I would want to take problematic things out. I would not want to take a risk with it.'
+1Tests on 26 baby rice foods for Channel 4's Food Unwrapped programme revealed that almost a quarter broke EU safety rules Prof Meharg, of Queen's University Belfast, said even small concentrations of arsenic could have a severe effect on young children's immune development, growth and IQ. He called for much clearer information on packaging.
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Many foods contain low levels of naturally occurring arsenic, but rice has high levels because it is grown in flooded fields where traces are higher and are absorbed more easily. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6298939/Dangerous-levels-arsenic-SEVEN-baby-riceproducts.html
Rice imports hurt booming Mwea trade Oct. 20, 2018, 12:00 am By AGATHA NGOTHO @agathangotho
Supervisor Henry Mwaura and Lucy Wambui at the Mwea Rice Mills, Kirinyaga, on Thursday /AGATHA NGOTHO
Rice farmers in Mwea are losing up Sh4, 000 due to flooded cheap rice from Asia. John Kihonge, Mwea Rice Mills manager said farmers in Mwea are having to compete with cheap rice imports which are selling three time less than the local rice.
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He said while the local pishori rice is selling at Sh6,500, imported rice from Asia is selling between Sh2,000 to Sh2,500 per 50kg bag. ―Farmers from Mwea area in Kirinyaga County provide 80 percent of the rice consumed locally, but they are losing out and not benefiting much due to the imported rice which is three times cheap than the local rice. This is despite the fact that Kenya's pishori rice is of good quality unlike the imported one,‖ he said. Kihonge said the cost of electricity for milling rice is high and milling a kilo of rice costs about five shillings. ―Our electricity bill is at Sh800,000 a month and we have a milling capacity of 40 tonnes per day and we mill for nine to ten hours daily,‖ said Kihonge. According to the ministry of agriculture, in 2017 the country produced 102, 400 metric tonnes of rice against a demand of 538,370 mts, while the deficit is at 425, 570 mts. Innocent Ariemba, Mwea Rice Scheme manager said the expected harvest this year is about 115,000 mts due to the good rains. "Total rice production from Mwea is 80,000 metric tonnes and 26,000 acres of land is currently under rice production in the area," he said. The Economic Survey 2018, showed that an additional 7,363 hectares of land was placed under rice irrigation in 2017, representing a 50 per cent increase. This was largely attributable to the expansion of acreage in the out grower areas within the Mwea irrigation scheme. ―Similarly, the number of plot holders practicing irrigation rose by 25.1 per cent to 16,326 in 2017. Despite the increase in the area cropped and the increase in the number of plot holders, the volume of total paddy declined by 20.0 per cent from 90.7 thousand tonnes to 81.2 thousand tonnes in 2017.This resulted to a 22.5 per cent decrease in gross value of output from all scheme areas to Sh4.4 billion in the review period,‖ the survey stated. But despite the poor rice prices, the once sleepy town of Mwea is now a thriving town eking Sh7 billion annually, thanks to the booming rice business. Statistics from the National Irrigation Board shows that rice business in Mwea is valued at Sh7 billion, with farmers earning Sh5 billion annually from the sale of paddy. Ariemba said the trade for hay which began two years ago is now big business in Kirinyaga County and is valued at Sh400 million. ―Broken rice and other byproducts including rice husks are worth Sh1.5 billion annually. In total, about Sh7 billion circulates within Mwea town annually,‖ said Ariemba while speaking to the media during a field visit to the Mwea Rice Scheme, which benefits more than 7,000 farmers in Kirinyaga County.. He said rice farming has also led to the upsurge of small rice mills. In 1969, there was only the Mwea Rice Mill but today, there are about 15 rice mills.
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New dam to double income Ariemba said once the Sh20 billion Mwea Thiba Dam is complete, farmers will be able to double rice production from the current 80,000 mt to 160,000 mt. ―It will also increase the income from Sh7 bullion to Sh14 billion annually,‖ he said. Eng Stephen Mutinda, Thiba Dam project manager said construction of the dam commenced in March this year and so far they have been able to mobilise equipment and staff with majority being locals. ―We have also done 99 percent of compensation to the residents that were moved to pave way for the dam. The dam should be complete within three years,‖ he said. About 70 percent of construction of the camp and office building have been complete. In December 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Sh20 billion dam aimed at doubling production of rive in the Mwea irrigation Scheme which provides 80 percent of the locally produce rice in Kenya.
‗Rice prices slowly going down‘
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - October 20, 2018 - 12:00am
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In its regular update on palay (unhusked rice), rice and corn prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the average wholesale price of well-milled rice on a weekly basis decreased by 1.24 percent to P45.45 per kilo during the first week of this month. Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — After several months of increase, the prices of rice and sugar are slowly going down, following the arrival of imports and the peak of harvest season, agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday noted. In its regular update on palay (unhusked rice), rice and corn prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the average wholesale price of well-milled rice on a weekly basis decreased by 1.24 percent to P45.45 per kilo during the first week of this month. But this is still 16 percent higher than the P39.24 per kilo level in the same period last year. Its weekly average retail price also decreased by a percentage to P49 per kilo, but year-on-year price is up 16 percent. The wholesale price of regular-milled rice was P42.64 per kilo, 1.2 percent below the previous week. Its average retail price also decreased one percent to P45.87 per kilo. The average price of palay went down to P21.86 per kilo. Prices are expected to further go down as the DA will start enforcing a suggested retail price (SRP) for both imported and local rice starting Oct. 23. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piùol said rice sold will only be classified as regular milled, well-milled, premium and special rice. For imported regular milled rice, SRP is P37 per kilo while imported well-milled rice is at P40 per kilo. For local rice, regular milled is at P39 per kilo and well-milled at P44 per kilo. SRP for premium rice will still be discussed while there will be no SRP for special rice. The SRPs will initially apply to Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Central and South Luzon. The SRPs for Northern Luzon, Bicol, the Visayas and Mindanao will be set by the interagency National Food Authority (NFA) Council on Oct. 23. Also expected to be decided on will be the SRPs for supermarkets.
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NFA said more farmers are selling their palay to the grains agency following the buffer stocking incentive of P3 per kilo. NFA said the extra P3 per kilo incentive is over and above the agency‘s buying price, bringing the agency‘s buying price for clean and dry palay to P20.40 per kilo for individual farmers and P20.70 per kilo for farmer-cooperatives. Meanwhile, as sugar imports start arriving, farm gate price of the commodity has now dropped by nearly 20 percent, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) reported. SRA administrator Hermenegildo Serafica said farm gate price is now at the P1,600-level after breaching the P2,000 per 50-kilogram mark, or 18 percent lower from prices at the end of milling season in July. ―Since the start of the milling season on Sept. 1 and the issuance of the order on sugar imports, prices of sugar have been on a downward trend,‖ Serafica said. To date, 64,475 metric tons out of the 150,000 MT will start entering the country. ―SRA continues to monitor prices in the supermarkets and wet markets and those selling higher than prevailing prices are asked to explain,‖ Serafica added. The DA-attached agency has already started linking supermarkets with mills and refineries for the direct order of sugar at lower cost. ―I have been speaking to planters‘ associations, planters‘ federations and millers and they have agreed to make their sugar available at their offices to sell directly to the ordinary consumers at P50 for refined, P45 for washed and P41 for raw,‖ Serafica said. SRA is also encouraging planters‘ associations to sell directly to the local groceries in their area. SRA has proposed to impose SRP on sugar at P55 per kilo, as some markets still sell at a high of P65 per kilo. Riding out inflation Malacañang yesterday assured the public that the country will be able to weather the impact of 6.2 percent inflation in the third quarter of this year. President Duterte has been updated about the inflation rates and he has directed the country‘s economic managers to ensure that rising prices of goods are addressed to ensure food on every table for the Filipinos, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said. ―(Duterte‘s) marching order to concerned members of his Cabinet is to ensure that there is food on every Filipino family‘s table,‖ Panelo said.
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Panelo reiterated that the President has issued orders to temper the prices of goods by removing non-tariff rates on importations. ―Together with the Filipino people, we look forward to seeing the results of this decisive action by our Chief Executive,‖ Panelo said. ―We are confident that a disinflationary trend, as per our economic mangers, is about to begin and be felt by our countrymen this month,‖ Panelo added, adopting the position of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Panelo said Malacañang supports the BSP and the Department of Finance in addressing the issue. ―We agree on the measures it has undertaken relative to inflation. On our part, the departments concerned have pushed for measures that cushion the impact of inflation,‖ Panelo said. ―The President ordered the liberalization on importation of rice and food supply including fish as well as chicken by the private sector. By such measure the prices of rice and other food items have started to taper down and favorable and adequate supply is assured,‖ Panelo added. He noted that the President has also ordered the formation of composite teams of DA, Department of Trade and Industry, farmers groups and law enforcement agencies to prevent the diversion of rice and other food imports from the ports to warehouses. ―Subsidies for oil and gasoline purchases by the transport sector are also expected to moderate fares,‖ Panelo said. ―All told, the monetary and non-monetary measures undertaken are producing the desired effects.‖ – With Christina Mendez
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/10/20/1861633/rice-prices-slowly-goingdown#DV20h82O6jZlCSob.99
Labor sector bucks rice importation Instead of rice importation, Sancho said that government should give subsidy to rice farmers like what the governments of Vietnam and China are doing to sustain the production of our staple food and for the farmers to survive. The National Food Authority (NFA) Council approved the standby importation of one million metric tons (MT) of rice for 2019. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who now serves as the NFA Council head, also announced the entry of an additional 750,000 MT of rice imports for this year.
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The move aims to tame the soaring prices of commercial rice in the market. It is also a stern warning for rice hoarders, according to Piñol. (TDE) https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1770080
Imported Indian rice force closure of 600 Naogaon rice mills
UNB NEWS
PUBLISH DATE - OCTOBER 20, 2018, 01:38 PM ASADUR RAHMAN JOY - UNB NAOGAON CORRESPONDENT
UPDATE DATE - OCTOBER 20, 2018, 07:09 PM
Rafiqul Islam, president of Naogaon district Rice Mills Owners’ Association. File photo Naogaon, Oct 20 (UNB) – With the rice imported from neighbouring India selling at lower prices, the demand for the local varieties is on the decline, pushing 600 rice mills into closure in the district, said rice mills owners. The millers had taken loan of around Tk 500 crore from different banks and financial institutions for their businesses, but could not repay the loans due to unwanted fall demand of local variety rice, they said.
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Talking to UNB, millers said there are a total of 1,800 rice mills in the district. Of them, some 600 have already been closed and 300 facing shotdown. The leaders of district Rice Mills Owners Association gave a memorandum to the Commerce Minister through the deputy commissioner of the district after organising a press conference in Alupotti area in the district town recently. At the press conference, the millers disclosed the information and narrated their sufferings blaming the ‗unnecessary import‘ of rice from the neighbouring country. The millers urged the authorities concerned to immediately stop rice import to save the industry. They also requested the banks and financial institutions to bring down the interest rate of land to nine percent in accordance with the government decision. Rafiqul Islam, president of district Rice Mills Owners‘ Association, said the country experienced food shortage due to natural disaster last year. ―Then the government slashed the rice import duty to only two percent from 10 percent, opening up doors for the importers to bring huge quantity of rice,‖ he said. The government fixed nine percent bank interest for loans for industries, but the local banks are still charging 12 to 14 percent interest from the rice mill owners, the millers alleged.. Although the farmers across the country have achieved a bumper yield of rice this year and have been able to stock enough rice, the government is still continuing rice import from India, said Rafiqul Islam. As a result, around 80 percent of rice mills have already been closed here, causing huge losses to rice mills owners and employees, he said. ―Rice growers are also incurring losses due to decline in demand of locally produced rice,‖ the leader added.
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When contacted, district food officer Md Abdus Salam said the information over closure of 80 percent mills is not accurate. ―Except the automatic rice mills, a section of mill owners do seasonal businesses and keep their mills closed other time,‖ he added. http://unb.com.bd/category/Special/imported-indian-rice-force-closure-of-600-naogaon-ricemills/4610
Seizing opportunities for Vietnam’s rice exports Friday, 2018-10-19 16:18:59
Vietnam is one of the three largest rice exporters in the world. |
NDO – The Vietnamese Government and agencies concerned have made positive moves to create a favourable and clear legal corridor and open new opportunities and markets for rice exports. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the rice cultivation area accounts for around 60% of the total area of annual crops and rice production is an important source of income for roughly nine million rural households in Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the three largest rice exporters in the world, with an annual shipment of 5-6 million tonnes to 150 countries and territories worldwide, bringing in US$2.5 billion. However, many economic experts have stated that Vietnam‘s rice exports still have many shortcomings. Despite a high export volume, the quality of rice has yet to met market demands; therefore the export value has been too low.
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Under the Strategy on Vietnam Rice Export Market Development for 2017-2020, with orientation to 2030, the country will gradually improve the quality of its exported rice. The annual rice export volume will be reduced to four million tonnes per year, while the export turnover will increase US$2.3 billion – US$2.5 billion. In order to implement the strategy, the Government issued Decree No.107/2018/ND-CP on rice export businesses and a specific strategy on the development of the rice export market, to replace Decree No.109/2010/ND-CP. On October 11, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in collaboration with The Rice Trader Magazine, held the 10th World Rice Conference, with the participation of representatives from hundreds of rice producers, exporters and importers from 30 countries around the world. The event demonstrated Vietnam‘s important role in coordinating with its foreign counterparts. In addition, the rice sector should provide many types of delicious rice that the markets needs instead of the existing varieties. Therefore, Vietnamese rice export enterprises need to study, build and promote the brand of high quality and aromatic rice. It is also crucial to clarify information and market prices as well as take measures to promote the export of high quality rice to major markets. Localities should proactively plan and build high
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quality rice production regions and sub-regions, while applying scientific and technological advances, to serve the fastidious market and take opportunities, contributing to improving the position of Vietnamese rice in the world http://en.nhandan.org.vn/business/item/6739302-seizing-opportunities-forvietnam%E2%80%99s-rice-exports.html
Sustainability plays crucial role at Two Brooks Rice Farm Sustainability is a crucial factor in Two Brooks Farm management. Abbey, 24, and Lawrence Wagner,25, siblings, checking rice harvest at Two Brooks Farm in Sumner, Miss. The farm practices sustainability and offers specialty, Eco-Farm rice. Ron Smith | Oct 19, 2018
Two Brooks Rice Farm in Sumner, Miss., embraces sustainability.The process includes more than basic conservation on the rice and soybean farm (though those efforts are numerous and
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effective) and involves working with conservation groups and food industry representatives and marketing specialty rice through retail and food distributors. Abbey Wagner, 24, and her brother Lawrence, 25, representing the eleventh generation of the family farm, have taken on key management roles on the farm their father, Mike, started in 1992. The operation includes about 2,000 acres of rice and 1,000 acres of soybeans. The rice operation includes conventionally grown long-grain rice as well as acreage devoted to ―Eco-Farming rice.‖ They also produce specialty rice varieties — Missimati (Mississippi Basmati), Jasmine and red and black rice. The specialty rice is processed through the Two Brooks mill and marketed through a few retail outlets and food distributors. Abbey explains that their father grew up on a farm in Missouri, wanted to continue farming, but his dad said the land there was no longer profitable. He moved to Mississippi and rented acreage in Bolivar County until he could find land close to home. He bought the 3,000-acre Two Brooks farm in 1992. ―It is lucky to find that much acreage in one unit,‖ explains Abbey. She also explains that Mike always wanted to add specialty rice and a marketing opportunity to the operation. ―He wanted to do that for ten years,‖ she says. ―He saved up money to build the mill.‖
Siblings Abbey and Lawrence Wagner show ecologically grown black rice they process and sell at Two Brooks Farm.
They built the mill in 2014. ―Dad had planned for about ten years to add more varieties. That‘s been Lawrence‘s project,‖ Abbey says. ―When he graduated from college (Mississippi State University, business and ag economics), he started working in our rice mill. We mill about 15 percent of the rice we grow.‖
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―We run all of our specialty rice through our mill,‖ says Lawrence.‖ ―We‘re running the mill every other week,‖ says Abbey. ―We hope to run it full-time as demand increases.‖ They say markets have been good for Basmati, Jasmine and the red and black rice varieties. ―The black rice has as many anti-oxidants as a handful of blueberries,‖ Abbey says. She handles marketing, making use of her marketing degree from Delta State University. The operation began as a typical rice farm, long-grain rice (2,000 acres) and soybeans (about 1,000 acres), and some Basmati rice. They added Jasmine and then black and red rice.
Rice flour is one of the specialty products Two Brooks Farm offers through their rice mill. Abbey Wagner pulls a handful from the flour mill.
―The bulk of our acreage is still long-grain rice and soybeans,‖ Abbey says. Soybeans are nonGMO and typically bring a premium. ―We have 1,000 acres of conventional rice,‖ adds Lawrence. ―We have another 1,000 acres of Eco-Farming rice. Eco rice is not totally organic,‖ he explains. They use zero grade fields for eco rice and rarely put equipment on the land. They also maintain water on those fields year-round, except for harvest. Following harvest, they don‘t pump water back onto the fields but allow them to flood with rainfall. ―We see ducks and geese in greater numbers because of the eco fields,‖ he says. The waterfowl are good for the rice. ―We found that those fields had too much nitrogen,‖ he explains. ―We had some lodging issues, so we cut nitrogen back by about half.‖ He says ducks and geese also eat weed seeds, reducing the amount of herbicide they need. 22 | w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m , mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
―We see a lot of wildlife on the eco fields.‖ They fly on seed and herbicide in the eco-farmed fields. ―We had to use a ground rig some this year,‖ Lawrence says, because of a late start. ―It stayed cold too long. If we put rice seed into cold water, it doesn‘t do well. We put on a little herbicide early in the season to control small weeds until the crop forms a canopy.‖ He says 500-acre zero grade blocks have three levels. They pull water from the Quiver River and the flood moves from one block and into the other two until all three are flooded. It stays flooded until harvest. Some years, according to the Two Brooks website (https://www.twobrooksfarm.com/), natural rainfall is all that‘s necessary, saving water and the energy to pump it. ―We reuse tailwater, using a lift pump to get surface water to other parts of the farm,‖ Lawrence says. They preserve the aquifer, relying on surface water and rainfall. Saving Water Lawrence says the eco farming practice uses significantly less water than conventional or straight levee production. Conventional practices will use 36 acre-inches of water. Straight levees use 22 acre-inches. ―The zero grade uses from 16 to 18 acre-inches. Sometimes we use no more than 6 to 12 acre-inches.‖ They have worked with Ducks Unlimited and Mississippi State University to enhance waterfowl habitat and to improve the soil. ―Mississippi State works with organic matter,‖ Lawrence says. ―Eco farming versus conventional shows a 6 percent improvement in organic matter.‖ He says recommendations from Ducks Unlimited include ―stuff we were doing already. It fits in naturally.‖
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Water conservation plays a significant role in Two Brooks Farm‘s sustainability program. The farm also works with Ducks Unlimited to enhance waterfowl habitat.
He says the eco practices include fields that have been in rice continuously for 10 to 20 years. ―We are able to maintain yields.‖ He says eco-farm yields are comparable to conventional. ―We typically cut from 160 to 170 bushels per acre, on a par with conventional.‖ The Two Brooks website also notes that continuous rice also acts as a filter to limit runoff and to ―make sure the water that leaves the field is at least as clean as it was when it entered, especially free of silt and fertilizer.‖ Specialty rice (single estate rice) yields are also comparable. They grow 40 acres each of red and black rice but plant two plots each, ―just in case we lose one. We harvest at separate times.‖ Lawrence says the specialty rice can make life ―miserable,‖ because they must prevent cross contamination. ―We have to clean planters, combines, grain carts, and every nook and cranny in the mill after each variety,‖ he says. ―We spend a half day cleaning after we combine one variety and before we start on another.‖ Keeping weedy red rice out of the specialty red rice is hard, hot work, says Abbey. ―I‘ve helped rogue it out by hand.‖ Sustainability Message:Abbey says the eco-farming operation and the specialty rice markets fit into their sustainability message. ―A lot of consumers now want different products,‖ she says. ―And many want to know where their food comes from and how it was grown.‖
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She brings in a group of chefs, mostly from the South, but has had interest from New York, to see the operation, sample different rice products and enjoy the rural setting, including a duck hunt. ―We do that twice a year,‖ she says. They have a few retail customers in nearby towns and are working with several food distributors. ―We hope to get more distributors,‖ Lawrence says. ―We also hope to capture some of the market from imports, such as imported Basmati rice.‖ He says the Basmati they grow, ―Missimati‖, is an American Basmati but has the same aroma and taste as Indian Basmati rice.
Lawrence Wagner checks controls in the Two Brooks Farm rice mill, where they process specialty rice, including red, black, Basmati and Jasmine varieties.
They also hope to expand their specialty rice market. ―We have some things to do first,‖ Abbey says. ―We need to work on sanitation issues and just learn what other regulations we need to know to expand the market.‖ Lawrence says transportation from the remote farm location is an issue to work through. ―We want to produce a larger volume of our own milled rice,‖ he says. ―We are working toward that.‖ Lawrence and Abbey say Two Brooks is dedicated to the mission spelled out on their website. ―Our family believes you should not have to choose between the needs of nature and those of mankind, and our unique rice cultivation system conscientiously attends each by balancing nature with needs.‖
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To learn more about the conservation, marketing and charitable aspects of Two Brooks Rice Farm, visit their website https://www.twobrooksfarm.com/. https://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/sustainability-plays-crucial-role-two-brooks-rice-farm
Why Indian cooks are embracing the Instant Pot Originally published October 20, 2018 at 6:00 am
Shrimp biryani made in an Instant Pot. The Instant Pot, an electric pressure cooker, is well suited for many Indian dishes. (Andrew Scrivani / The New York Times)
Want to make a complex, fragrant biryani in under half an hour on a weeknight? The Instant Pot, which is gaining a huge audience among Indian home cooks, might be your answer. By MELISSA CLARK The New York Times
When cookbook author and food editor Chandra Ram was a child visiting relatives in India, the sounds coming from the kitchen would make her jump.
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There she‘d be in the sitting room, snuggled up with a Hanuman comic book, ―and it would come out of nowhere, this high-pitched shriek,‖ she said — a periodic wail like an oncoming train crossed with a gym teacher‘s whistle and a mating cat. This was the sound of the traditional stovetop pressure cooker, a fixture in Indian kitchens for decades. The electric pressure cooker Ram was using on a recent evening to sauté onions and green chile in her Chicago apartment, on the other hand, would be a much calmer experience. It cooks more evenly and efficiently, without the stovetop pot‘s noisy need to let off steam. Ram was making shrimp biryani. After the rice and shrimp had cooked for a mere three minutes, Ram twisted the vent, which sent forth a rush of spicy vapor with a companionable whoosh. Scented with turmeric, ginger and fresh curry leaves, the biryani was far more complex and fragrant than anything you might ever hope to make in under half an hour on a weeknight. And yet she had. The recipe is from Ram‘s forthcoming book, ―The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook‖ (Robert Rose, 2018). Hers is one of nearly a dozen Indian cookbooks geared toward the electric pressure cooker that have appeared in the last year. The first one, ―Indian Instant Pot‖ by Urvashi Pitre (creator of a viral butter chicken recipe), has sold more than 100,000 copies. Of all the genres of electric pressure-cooker cookbooks, there are more for Indian food than for any other cuisine. More than keto. More than paleo. More than vegan. There are six separate Indian Instant Pot Facebook groups with a combined membership of almost 200,000. And, according to Yi Qin, vice president of products at Instant Brands, across all of the million-plus member Instant Pot Facebook communities, Indian users are among the most active about posting recipes and images. Kormas, biryanis, dals and curries are particularly well suited to the moist environment of a pressurized pot, and Indian home cooks have made use of the stovetop cooker for generations. The electric version makes cooking these dishes even more convenient, streamlining the process and often eliminating the need for several different pots and pans. And without the whistle, it‘s quieter. Indian electric pressure-cooker books are so popular that even Knopf Doubleday — a publishing house not generally known for appliance cookbooks — is releasing one by author and actor Madhur Jaffrey: ―Madhur Jaffrey‘s Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook‖ (coming in May 2019). ADVERTISING
―It‘s an interesting moment for Knopf,‖ the book‘s editor, Lexy Bloom, said, ―It‘s our first Instant Pot cookbook, and we are marketing it to several communities. There are people who are
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already familiar with the Instant Pot and want to go deeper, the people who love Indian food but are looking for easier, faster recipes, and then fans of Madhur.‖ Jaffrey had never used an electric pressure cooker before writing the book, but, like most cooks from India, where the Instant Pot has not officially been rolled out, she was well versed in the whistling stovetop kind. ―I do not know when pressure cookers found such wide usage in India, but they have been firmly entrenched in Indian kitchens for at least 40 years,‖ she wrote in an email. ―When people give you a recipe they say: ‗Cook it for two whistles,‘ or ‗Cook it for three whistles,‘ and everyone understands what they mean.‖ For example, a typical recipe for rajma, spiced red kidney beans, will call for soaking the beans overnight, then cooking them for three or four whistles. In an electric pressure cooker, that translates to 30 minutes, no soaking. It took some trial and error to convert Jaffrey‘s classic Indian recipes to an electric pressure cooker — even those she was already making in a stovetop model — and figure out which settings (pressure, steam, sauté, slow cook) worked best for each particular recipe. ―This is an Instant Pot,‖ she wrote. ―It is not a Magic Pot. It will make food for you but, rather like a computer, you have to create the programming that gives you the perfect dish.‖ When Pitre was writing her cookbook, her goal was to make the recipes faster, simpler and more accessible to a wide variety of cooks. ―I wanted to use the science behind pressure cooking to make Indian food easier,‖ she said. She tested and retested, taking out steps to see if the dishes ended up tasting just as good without them. Now she rarely browns her onions or her meats before pressure-cooking them. And instead of creating a custom spice blend for many recipes, she substitutes garam masala, which is easy to find in any large supermarket. ―My audience is non-Indians who love Indian food, and second-generation Indians who want to cook Indian food but are intimidated,‖ she said, adding: ―The Indian audience has been my hardest audience to crack. They look at the recipes and say, that‘s not traditional.‖ For some second-generation Indian cooks, the notion of using a stovetop pressure cooker as their parents and grandparents did was a barrier to cooking Indian food. Riya Patel, a 22-year-old research lead for a tech accelerator in Washington, D.C., was given an Instant Pot when she graduated from college. ―All of my Indian friends who graduated got one from their moms, so they would cook more Indian food,‖ she said, adding that she would never use a stovetop cooker.
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―I was in charge of counting the whistles,‖ she said. ―It was one of the worst sounds of my childhood. It still freaks me out.‖ Now with her Instant Pot, she cooks dishes like rajma, lamb keema, and biryani much more often because, she said, ―What used to take four hours now takes five minutes, and I don‘t need to supervise it.‖ For Ram, who grew up in Kentucky and never felt Indian enough when she visited her family in Visakhapatnam, on the Bay of Bengal, not owning a stovetop pressure cooker was yet another thing that separated her from her cousins. ―I always thought pressure cookers were unreliable,‖ she said. ―I‘ve seen one explode, so there was an element of danger. Even though my cousins thought they were perfectly normal and used them all the time.‖ Her Instant Pot changed all that, encouraging her to delve deeper into the recipes her family in India would cook and to adapt them to her own, Indian-American tastes. In her cookbook, there are very personal recipes like corn ki subzi (think Southern-style creamed corn with Gujarati spices) alongside traditional dishes like rogan josh (lamb stewed with yogurt and spices) and dal makhani (creamy spiced lentils). ―The Instant Pot made this big part of my culture accessible to me,‖ she said. ―Before I got my Instant Pot, I felt like I was cooking dumbed-down Indian food. Now I feel like I‘m doing the real thing.‖
Pressure Cooker Shrimp Biryani 6 servings Ingredients: 2 cups basmati rice 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 1 Serrano chile, minced 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons kosher salt
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1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 10 fresh curry leaves, torn into pieces 1 1/2 cups boiling water 1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 or fewer per pound, see note), peeled and deveined 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more wedges for serving 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro Steps: 1. Place the rice in a bowl and cover with 2 cups water. Let stand for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse. 2. Heat oil in the pot of an electric pressure cooker with the sauté function set on high, until oil is shimmering. Add onion; cook for about 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in Serrano chile, ginger, garlic, salt, chile powder, turmeric, paprika and curry leaves; cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. 3. Stir in boiling water; using a wooden spoon, stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Stir in soaked rice, shrimp and tomatoes (with juice). 4. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick-release the pressure, stir lime juice into the rice, then cover the pressure cooker with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 5 minutes. 5. Give rice a stir, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Transfer to a platter, garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges on the side. Note: Make sure to use jumbo shrimp or larger for this recipe. Look for “16/20” or “U/15” on the package; this indicates how many shrimp there are per pound. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/why-indian-cooks-are-embracing-the-instant-pot/
You could cut the calories in your rice in half with one simple trick, study says Laura Abernethy 30 | w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
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Sunday 21 Oct 2018 4:08 pm Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messenger 24 SHARES (Picture: Maximilian Stock Ltd/Getty Images) Rice can be the perfect accompaniment to many dishes – but it‘s not exactly the healthiest choice. Scientists, however, are developing a way to cut the calorie content by half. A normal cup of rice contains around 240 calories but by adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the water before cooking it and then refrigerating the food for 12 hours after cooking, you can cut that. Starch can be digestible or indigestible, also known as resistant starch. The researchers reasoned that if they could transform digestible starch into resistant starch, then that could lower the number of usable calories of the rice. Unlike digestible types of starch, resistant starch is not broken down in the small intestine, where carbohydrates normally are metabolised into glucose and other simple sugars and absorbed into the bloodstream. The research, which was presented in 2015 at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), involved looking at 38 different rice from Sri Lanka. (Picture: Izumi T/Getty Images) By adding the oil to the water, before adding half a cup of rice, simmering for 40 minutes and then refrigerating for 12 hours, they found there was 10 times more resistant starch, compared to normal rice. ‗Because obesity is a growing health problem, especially in many developing countries, we wanted to find food-based solutions,‖ says team leader Sudhair A. James, who is at the College of Chemical Sciences, Colombo, Western, Sri Lanka. ‗We discovered that increasing rice resistant starch (RS) concentrations was a novel way to approach the problem.‘ ‗After your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, any leftover fuel gets converted into a polysaccharide carbohydrate called glycogen,‘ he explains. ‗Your liver and muscles store glycogen for energy and quickly turn it back into glucose as needed. The issue is that the excess glucose that doesn‘t get converted to glycogen ends up turning into fat, which can lead to excessive weight or obesity.‘ (Picture: Maximilian Stock Ltd/Getty Images) As the oil enters the starch granules during cooking, changing its architecture so that it becomes resistant to the action of digestive enzymes. This means that fewer calories ultimately get absorbed into the body. MORE: FOOD Asian fast food sensation Jollibee arrives in London but does it live up to the hype? Walkers launches pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts and cheese and cranberry flavours M&S launches Porn Star Martini in a can ‗The cooling is essential because amylose, the soluble part of the starch, leaves the granules during gelatinization,‘ explains James. ‗Cooling for 12 hours will lead to formation of hydrogen bonds between the amylose molecules outside the rice grains which also turns it into a resistant starch.‘
http://manilastandard.net/lgu/luzon/278542/family-farms-take-centerstage-at-searca-gab.html
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Family farms take centerstage at Searca gab posted October 21, 2018 at 09:20 pm by Brenda Jocson
Los Baños, Laguna—“Family farms account for more than 90 percent of all farms worldwide and as such they play a critical role in food production.” Thus, said Senator Cynthia Villar who chairs the Philippine Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food during the recently held 2nd National Small and Family Farmers/New and Beginning Farmers Conference. “Family farms are truly key players for inclusive growth and rural development, as well as to our food-secure future,” Villar said. Held in partnership with MoCA Family Farm and RLearning Center, a leading member of the Pamilyang Filipino Farmers, the conference was hosted and co-organized by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. The conference aims to promote the creation of systems of farming capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to the community with a theme which centered on how to mobilize small and family farmers as well as new farmers for food security, sustainable tourism, and rural development. Villar said the national forum puts importance and priority to small and family farmers, whose contributions to society should not be belittled. She noted that the agriculture sector supports two-thirds of the country’s economy. “With the surging population, there is strong pressure in the agriculture sector to produce more food [and] therefore, small and family farms have important roles to play in ensuring the country’s food security,” Villar said encouraging the participants not to leave their farms because the future generations depend on them for food Villar mentioned several major legislations that have been passed in the Senate to help farmers which included the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act which creates the coconut levy trust fund that would provide interventions for the coconut industry’s development.
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Another legislation she outlined is the Free Irrigation Service to Small Farmers Act which gives free irrigation to farmers who own land not larger than eight hectares and condones unpaid irrigation fees and writing off of loans of farmers who own the same size of land. Villar also mentioned the Farm Tourism Development Act which seeks to promote environment-friendly, efficient, and sustainable farm practices. “[This] provides alternative recreation facilities and farm tourism activities for families, students, and other clientele; as well as promotes health and wellness with high-quality farm-produced food,” she said. Lastly, the Rice Tariffication Bill which she said provides for the removal of the prescribed rice import volume and rice imports can eventually be opened to private rice traders who can import additional volumes of the crop from Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam with a 35 percent tariff. The collected tariffs will be used to fund mass irrigation, warehousing and rice research, she said. Villar said she made sure that in all the bills she authored there is adequate funds to provide research and development and further training of farmers and guarantees that family farmers will be the center of agricultural policies and programs. Meanwhile, SEARCA said one of its priorities is focused on promoting the greater and more competitive participation of smallholder farmers in the growing agricultural food markets. “This is to ensure their maximum benefit while contributing to the larger objective of addressing food security and poverty alleviation in the rural countryside,” said Fernando Sanchez Jr., country representative of the Philippines to SEARCA’s Governing Board and Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Sanchez noted that “this new trend of family farming makes agriculture literally closer to home and to the young people and other non-faming sectors as well.” The conference was highlighted by stories of farmer “heroes,” millennial and Generation-Z farmers, and challenges of family farming. There were also presentations on seed technology and the organization of the Pamilyang Filipino Farmers Agricultural Cooperative. http://manilastandard.net/lgu/luzon/278542/family-farms-take-centerstage-at-searca-gab.html
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