23rd October,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

October 23 ,2018 Vol 9 ,Issue 10

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Of Basmati exports BR ResearchOctober 22, 2018

The global basmati rice market stood at $10.5 billion in 2017 and is growing at a CAGR of 11 percent. By 2022, the market is anticipated to be worth $18 billion. Since it has originated in the subcontinent, Pakistan and India are the main growers of basmati rice but Pakistan‘s exports last year were half a billion dollars compared to India‘s nearly $4 billion. Why? One reason is Iran‘s market for Basmati rice which is amongst the biggest in the world. The pseudo barter system that India set up with Iran allowed the former to buy oil on easy credit terms and pay in part through rice. This gave India access to Iran‘s $1 billion rice market of which Pakistan‘s share was $2 million in FY17.Regardless of India‘s blustering to the contrary, Trump‘s sanctions on Iran‘s oil imports will greatly curtail this market. One could hope that the recently created Pak-Iran trade committee will identify the opportunity and find a way to circumvent banking challenges but we all know that is not going to happen.

Even if Pakistan ―reserves the right to pursue legitimate economic and commercial interests‖ with Iran, pre-Trump bilateral trade was languishing at $18 million in FY18. Despite the bold words, Pakistan will not risk losing US as its biggest export market nor provoke further American ire which is why trade has dwindled to nearly zero in recent months.

On the flip side, if India cannot export basmati rice to Iran, it will have a surplus on hand which will put downward pressure on basmati rice. If anything, Pakistan‘s exports globally may face more competition on price from India once Trump‘s sanctions are implemented.

The other big consumers of basmati rice are the GCC countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and UAE. While the oil producing bloc is the biggest consumer of Pakistan‘s basmati rice, the country‘s total exports are about a quarter of the 2 million ton demand of GCC countries. This has allowed India to capture the lion‘s share, especially since there are several allegations of Pakistani rice being branded as Indian and being sold at higher prices via Dubai.

Pakistan does have a significant share in the EU. However, this has more to do with EU‘s restrictions on the level of fungicide present in Indian basmati rice which will take a few crop cycles to weed out than on Pakistan‘s ability to compete successfully internationally.

While a big market for basmati rice exists globally and Pakistan is one of the two exporters, its share is limited. Lack of ability to penetrate markets is one end of the equation. Given that India‘s land under rice cultivation is 16 times that of Pakistan, and that Indian brands are household names while Pakistan‘s branding of rice remains an issue, it is no wonder that India‘s exports are eight times more than Pakistan‘s. https://www.brecorder.com/2018/10/22/448428/of-basmati-exports/

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By Hussain Zaidi

Pakistan needs to go for high value-added export basket October 22, 2018

Capital inflows in form of export receipts are less than outflows in shape of import payments.

PHOTO: REUTERS ISLAMABAD: Pakistan‘s terms of trade, which measure the ratio of export to import prices, have not only been adverse, but have also deteriorated over the years, which has adversely impacted the economy in terms of growth and balance of payments.

If an economy‘s terms of trade are less than 100%, they are regarded as adverse. This signifies that capital inflows into the economy in the form of export receipts are less than capital outflows in the form of import payments.

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In the case of Pakistan, like most other non-oil exporting developing countries, both trade balance and terms of trade have remained adverse, which shows that not only we import more than we export, but on balance our exports are much cheaper than imports.

This is hardly surprising, because Pakistan is essentially an exporter of primary products, such as rice, and low-technology goods, which are derived from products such as textile and leather articles. On the other hand, our imports comprise largely fuels, such as crude oil, consumer products, and capital goods and machinery.

Prices of non-oil primary products are generally much lower and prices of low-technology goods are less than those of machinery and equipment (the high and medium-technology products).

Pakistan‘s terms of trade problem is compounded by the fact that commodity-based products that it exports are also low-priced because they have low value addition and technology content, lack product upgrade and sophistication, are labour-intensive (unskilled) and are sold to the low end of the market.

In the case of developing countries, which depend on non-oil primary products for export earnings, the terms of trade tend to deteriorate over time. In the last one decade from fiscal year 2008 to 2017 – full-year data for FY18 is not yet available, Pakistan recorded the overall annual average terms of trade of 55.82%. However, in the preceding decade (FY1998-2007), the average terms of trade were 88.26%, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The data shows a sharp deterioration in the terms of trade over the years. In FY17, Pakistan‘s terms of trade stood at 57.17%, which suggests that Pakistan‘s average export prices are nearly half the import prices. When a country faces a gap so large between its export and import prices, the only way it can avoid a substantial trade deficit is to drastically increase the quantity of exports.

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However, this requires a large exportable surplus, which Pakistan does not have. Besides, an increase in export supplies tends to depress their prices. Hence, it has not been possible for Pakistan to compensate for low export prices by increasing export supplies.

On a disaggregate level, it is only in the primary sectors, such as food and fuels, that Pakistan‘s terms of trade have been mostly more than 100% each. In the value-added sector, notably manufactures, and machinery and transport equipment, the terms of trade have been mostly adverse.

The fact that Pakistan has had favourable terms in case of primary products and adverse terms in case of value-added products seems to be a paradox. It only shows that primary products Pakistan exports on average carry a higher price than primary products it imports.

Conversely, chemicals, manufactured goods and capital and transport equipment that Pakistan imports on average carry a much higher price than that for the products of the same categories it exports.

Better trade terms Favourable or improved terms of trade enable a country to buy a larger quantity of goods in exchange for a smaller quantity of exports. Since exports raise prices in the domestic market due to reduced supply of goods, they reduce consumer welfare and enhance producer welfare.

On the other hand, imports increase consumer welfare and reduce producer welfare. A country‘s overall welfare is a function of both consumer and producer welfare.

The favourable terms of trade, which allow a country to earn high export revenues by selling a smaller quantity of products to foreigners, thus increase overall welfare in an economy. The exchange of relatively small quantities of exports for relatively large quantities of imports also allows a country to raise the living standards of the people.

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The terms of trade also bear upon economic growth and development. Being a developing country, Pakistan needs to import machinery, equipment and intermediate goods in sufficient quantities to maintain the growth momentum. Oil and other petroleum products are necessary to keep the wheels of the economy moving.

Since exports are the principal source of earning foreign exchange, adverse terms of trade have constrained the ability to import industrial goods and raw material in sufficient quantities, which have slowed down the growth momentum.

A high trade deficit, which is underpinned by both high import prices relative to export prices and import quantities, is politically disturbing for the government, which is forced to adopt measures such as regulatory duties and restricting imports including those which are needed by the domestic industry. At any rate, the increase in import prices hits the consumer hard.

Besides, export revenue is an important source of savings. When businesses earn low revenue per unit of exports, they are deficient in the funds required for capital formation, which discourages private-sector investment. Adverse terms of trade may also cause balance of payments problems.

Countries, which rely on primary products for exports or otherwise have a high export concentration ratio, are especially vulnerable to terms of trade-induced balance of payments shocks.

In the case of Pakistan, a fall in world commodity prices often worsens the terms of trade and exacerbates the trade imbalance, thus leading to balance of payments problems. In order to improve the terms, the country needs to move towards a high value-added and rich technology content export basket.

The writer is an Islamabad-based columnist:Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2018.https://tribune.com.pk/story/1831008/2-pakistan-needs-go-high-value-added-export-basket/

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Pak food products showcased at world’s biggest fair in Paris

PARIS: A purpose-build Pakistan Pavilion at the Global International Food Products Exhibition (SIAL) held in Paris from October 21-25, 2018 attracted many buyers from around the world, says a press release received from Paris here today.

Over forty-five renowned Pakistani companies exhibited a variety of food products including rice, pickles, dry fruits, beverages, spices and processed food.

Buyers from many countries including France who visited the Pakistan stalls showed keen interest in Pakistani products.

Pakistan‘s Ambassador Paris Moin ul Haque visited the Pakistani Pavilion and appreciated the active participation of the Pakistani companies in the exhibition.

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In his interaction with the exhibitors, he emphasized the importance of quality control, competitive pricing, innovative marketing strategies and strong business ethics to compete at the international level.

The ambassador noted with satisfaction that as result of the combined efforts of the Embassy and TDAP which included promotional activities and participation in the food related fairs and exhibitions, was bringing promising results.

The exports of Pakistani food to France has registered unprecedented increase of 18.8% in the year 2017-18 compare to the year 2016-17.

The exports of Pakistani Basmati rice reached to Rs.678 million in 2017-18 compared to Rs.192 million of 2016-17 and Husked Brown Rice exports reached to Rs.1 billion in 2017-18 compared to Rs.726 million in 2016-17.

Over 7,020 companies from 109 countries are showcasing their products in the Global International Food Products Exhibition (SIAL). https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/384167-pak-food-products-showcased-at-worlds-biggestfair-in-paris

The potential of China's import market for Pakistan

By Daniel Hyatt China.org.cn, October 22, 2018 File photo shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the venue of the 2018 China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east China. [Photo/Xinhua]

The grand event manifesting China's commitment to trade liberalization and economic globalization is right around the corner. Starting from Nov. 5, the China International Import Expo (CIIE) will open the country's market further to the world as many exporters, including those from Pakistan, plan to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

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A look at China's market reveals that it is the world's biggest destination for agricultural products including grains, cotton, sugar, meat, and milk – and Pakistan produces almost all of these in abundance. Connecting the agro potential of Pakistan with China's opening up measures like CIIE will help in exploring new trade avenues.

One-third of Pakistan's total agricultural export is rice. Just a few years back, China was the second largest buyer of Pakistan's non-basmati type rice but the continuously evolving arrangements have changed the scenario. Nonetheless, traders and governments from both countries have recently shown a willingness to resume their high-volume trade. After a positive response from the Chinese side to Pakistan's request for preferential treatment during Free Trade Agreement (FTA) discussions, it is expected that the commodity's export to China will increase.

Pakistan is the world's fourth largest producer of cotton and has Asia's third largest spinning capacity. Several factors, including higher competitiveness of products and the U.S. dollar's surge against the local currency, boosted its textile exports to around 9 percent in the last financial year.

Fruits also form a strong part of Pakistan's export base. Most prominent among these is a citrus variant known as kinnow which hit record high export figures of 370,000 tons in the 2017-18 season. Experts believe that Pakistan has an immediate capacity of exporting 50 to 80 thousand tons of kinnow to China in the next three years.

Mangoes, revered as the king of fruits in Pakistan, are another of its major exports. Shipping starts in the month of May but is mostly headed to Europe. This year's increased queries from Chinese buyers, however, will lead to an expanded share in China.

China has been investing extensively in its partner countries' agricultural sectors, primarily for two reasons. First, augmented farm produce will help resolve their local food security issues, and second, they will be able to export the surplus to China.

One such partnership among agriculturalists of Pakistan and China has been in the production of hybrid wheat. Around 150 Chinese experts from Sinochem Group Agriculture Division, China's biggest agricultural inputs company, have recently visited 20 cities in Pakistan and taught modern methods to local farmers. China's hybrid wheat, using the two-line hybrid technique, has been successfully harvested on a large scale in Pakistan; and data from a subsequent study by Pakistan's Guard Agricultural Research depicts that production in central regions rose by 45 percent.

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Pakistan and China have also been working together on farming hybrid rice. Chinese scientists made a month-long visit to Pakistan last year after Pakistan requested help in introducing hybrid rice in all of its four ecological zones. A training program was carried out for Pakistani researchers, scientists and farmers in the production of hybrid rice, with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) anticipating a high yielding harvest.

Another ambitious project launched by China is the "Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League." In a ceremony held in Beijing this year, the University of Sargodha became the first public sector university from Pakistan to join the initiative. In addition to advancing cooperation on technical application, policy dialogue and talent cultivation, the league will promote agricultural research among participating countries.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of the BRI, will play an important role in stepping up agricultural trade between the two countries. Although road connectivity exists in the form of the Karakoram Highway, it is limited only to the northern areas of Pakistan. With CPEC extending to the extreme southern end, it will be possible to transport agricultural products to enhance bilateral trade.

China is modernizing Pakistan's railway network as well. Several projects have been started on the ML-1 line and are progressing fast despite Pakistan's recent elections. After their completion,

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the freight capacity will further improve the transportation of agricultural produce from Karachi to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xinjiang will benefit most from these connectivity projects because it serves as the first stop for goods arriving from Pakistan. Furthermore, the Chinese government's efforts to make the province agriculturally self-sufficient will be augmented by the Pakistani imports.

Cooperation in agricultural research and trade forms a part of several joint ventures undertaken

by China and Pakistan to provide the best products for their people. It is an area which has a tremendous capacity for expansion. If stakeholders from both countries put more focus in this direction, profits can be assured for importers and exporters alike.

Daniel Hyatt is a Pakistan-based freelance journalist and commentator.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2018-10/22/content_66488878.htm

Farmers resort to distress sale K.M. Dayashankar KARIMNAGAR, OCTOBER 22, 2018 00:00 IST Government fails to procure paddy and open IKP centres Farmers are resorting to distress sale of paddy produce even though they had secured bumper harvest and the Union government increased the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy from this kharif season. Reason? The State government had failed to open Indira Kranthi Pathakam (IKP) procurement centres, primary agricultural cooperative societies or DCMS centres in the district, and hasn‘t even started procuring paddy at agricultural market yards.

Heaps of paddy crop are drying up in the fields. Private millers and traders are directly visiting villages with their vehicles and weighing machines and procuring paddy from farmers paying them less than the MSP. When the government increased MSP of paddy from Rs. 1,510 per quintal for A grade variety to Rs. 1,770 and from Rs. 1,470 per quintal for ordinary variety to Rs. 1,750, farmers were forced to resort to distress sale from Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 1,500 a quintal.

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Rythu Ikya Vedika district president Muduganti Venkat Reddy alleged officials have colluded with private rice millers and were not opening procurement centres.

However, officials said the centres would open in three to four days in all https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-telangana/farmers-resort-to-distresssale/article25283335.ece

Commission agents, Cong leader in war of words Oct 22, 2018, 12:44 AM; last updated: Oct 22, 2018, 12:44 AM (IST Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, October 21 Farmers are facing problem in selling their paddy crop due to the high moisture content and the issue is also leading to incidents of tension between them and commission agents, rice-millers and officials of procurement agencies in the area.

Rice-millers and commission agents in Kotkapura on Sunday accused a Congress leader of making unreasonable comments.

The commission agents and rice-millers are furious after the Congress leader alleged that farmers were being forced to sell their high moisture paddy produce by offering deduction of 5 kg per quintal.

Accusing Dhanjit Virk, secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, of playing politics in the hour of crisis, commission agents and rice-millers alleged that for his narrow political gains, the Congress leader was inspecting the paddy brought in mandis and inciting the farmers for agitation against them.

Though there is no case in which a farmer was asked to sell his produce at reduced price or at a deduction of 5 kg per quintal for the reason of paddy having moisture content higher than the permissible limit of 17 per cent, after his visit to Kotkapura mandi, the Congress leader alleged that there was fleecing of the farmers in the name of high moisture content in paddy.

Threatening to start an agitation against the alleged fleecing of farmers, the Congress leader said there were many complaints of the farmers falling victim to the alleged nexus between the commission agents and rice-millers.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee alleged that rice-millers were bargaining for larger deductions citing high moisture content in the grain.

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Refuting the allegations, the commission agents and rice millers in Kotkapura alleged that the Congress leader was making unsubstantiated and wild allegations for political gains.

These allegations are aimed at creating a rift between the farmers and commission agents, said Sohan Singh Bargari, president, Kotkapura Commission Agents‘ Association.

While Virk alleged that the meter to evaluate moisture in the paddy were faulty and it was showing the moisture content at higher side to exploit the farmers, Udham Singh Aulakh, district president of the commission agents‘ association said the moisture measuring meters were at the command of employees of the Market Committee and Procurement Agencies.

The farmers have to dry their crop to bring down the moisture content, he said.

However the Congress leader said on the pretext of high moisture content, the farmers were forced to sell his produce at the ―mercy and will‖ of the commission agents and rice-millers. ―I will raise the matter with the Chief Minister,‖ he said. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bathinda/commission-agents-cong-leader-in-war-ofwords/671541.html

INLD delegation calls on Khattar; demands compensation for farmers Press Trust of India | Chandigarh Last Updated at October 22, 2018 19:40 IST A delegation of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Monday called on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and demanded compensation for farmers who suffered damage to their crops due to recent rains and hailstorm in the state.

The delegation was led by Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala.

This year, the farmers have faced double misfortune in the form of damaged crops, particularly paddy, and the flooding of the fields has posed a threat to the forthcoming rabi sowing season unless these are drained out in time, the opposition delegation apprised Khattar.

The INLD has also demanded that the Haryana government provide pumps at its own cost to drain out the water-logged fields, Chautala told reporters here.

He said the delegation also pointed out that "farmers are short-changed in the grain markets in the name of moisture content of paddy, suffer short weighing and ruse of discoloration of paddy due to rains".

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"Using these tools, the government agencies, in connivance with the rice-millers, impose heavy cuts on the farmers thereby forcing them to sell their produce much below the minimum support price (MSP), announced with so much fanfare by the BJP government," he said.

"Even the producers of bajra have not been spared since the procurement agencies deliberately keep away from the markets when the farmers bring their produce so that they are forced to sell it at throw away prices to the private buyers.

"This practice has been going on for the past few years and has been repeated again this year. In this manner, a systematic loot and exploitation of the farmers has been going on, but the government has remained indifferent to their fate," he alleged.

The INLD also advocated the cause of sugarcane producers who are suffering because of the alleged non-payment of dues even after the sugar mills stopped purchase of sugarcane six months ago.

In view of these serious challenges faced by the farmers, the INLD has demanded that 'special girdawari' or revenue survey be held immediately and compensation of at least Rs 25,000 per acre be paid to them.

It also demanded pumps for draining out water from fields, putting an end to the practice of exploitation of the farmers in the grain markets, purchase of bajra at the MSP announced by the government and payment of dues of sugarcane producers.

"If the government fails to meet these genuine demands then the INLD will be forced to launch an agitation, the consequences of which will squarely lie with the government," Chautala said.

The INLD also demanded that cases of stubble burning registered against farmers be withdrawn and the party sought financial and technical assistance and support for farmers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/inld-delegation-calls-on-khattar-demandscompensation-for-farmers-118102201069_1.html

Grain pain: Japan's aging rice farmers face uncertain future

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Farms all over Japan are dying as farmers age

Oct. 21 04:05 pm JST By Natsuko Fukue KAZO, Saitama A crop once deemed so important it served as a form of currency, Japanese rice has fallen out of favor with younger, Westernised consumers, in a shift that has left aging farmers struggling for survival.

Rice consumption has nearly halved over the past 50 years, and as the older generation of farmers and consumers dies out, some fear the industry will be unable to hold its own in a competitive global market.

Kazuo Ogura, a 66-year-old farmer, is one of the lucky ones. His son Yuichi decided to follow him into the family business.

Ogura senior looks on proudly as his 38-year-old son uses a specially designed machine to plant this year's harvest, splashing through golden paddy fields that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Surviving in this tough environment is all about "producing quality food at a reasonable price" and harnessing economies provided by large-scale production, Ogura told AFP.

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The future of his establishment in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, some 50 kilometers north of Tokyo, looks assured as Yuichi follows in his muddy footsteps but farms all over Japan are dying as farmers age -- the average age of a rice farmer is now 67.

"I was the only one out of 220 students at my local school who went into farming," Yuichi said.

"There are not many people in their 20s who go into farming."

Even existing farms have been forced to close when their machinery breaks down because farmers cannot afford to replace the costly equipment.

"Machines get more expensive every year. To replace them requires a certain level of profit but that's difficult when you are farming a small plot," Yuichi said.

The Oguras have managed to stay competitive so far by joining forces with two other families to farm around 100 hectares of rice fields -- nearly 100 times the size of the average plot.

They sell their rice -- which belongs to the leading Koshihikari variety -- at 300 yen per kilogram.

Although rice consumption in Japan has been falling for more than half a century, the crop's exalted status in Japanese culture -- where it even serves a religious purpose in Shinto rituals -has ensured its survival until now.

Generous subsidies aimed at controlling supplies and prices have made rice farming one of Japan's most protected industries, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government scrapped the policy this year, urging farmers to become more competitive.

Japanese agriculture is "at a turning point", Ken Saito, who was farm minister until a reshuffle this month, told reporters.

"Farmers have to think about producing food that sells. More than ever, they have to be attuned to the market," he added.

And as Abe prepares for potential trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump, analysts say he may have to concede some ground on agriculture -- which could include Japan's customary high tariffs on imported rice -- in order to avoid getting whacked with U.S. duties on automobiles and other key exports.

But even a surge in cheaper imported varieties of rice is unlikely to shift the palates of Japanese consumers, who generally prefer their home-grown, short-grain variety to foreign versions.

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Fewer Japanese people are eating rice in general, with annual per capita consumption dropping to 54.6 kilograms in 2015, less than half of its 1963 peak of 118.3 kilograms, according to the farm ministry.

Mitsuyoshi Ando, an agriculture expert at the University of Tokyo, said there was "no bright future" for the industry.

"Rice farmers need to improve their competitiveness. Large-scale production is also necessary," Ando told AFP. But it is difficult to achieve economies of scale in mountainous areas -- where 40 percent of farming takes place -- because of geographical limitations preventing farmers from expanding their plots, he added.

And with subsidies set to wind down, "the number of farmers who can survive will be limited as rice consumption will never increase again." https://japantoday.com/category/national/grain-pain-japan's-ageing-rice-farmers-face-uncertain-future

High-quality rice attracts gourmets to Icheon amid harvest season 2018/10/22 Article View 17:11 Option PrintEnlargeReduce SNS Share FacebookTwittergoogle plusPinterestLinked inTumblrRedditFacebook MessengerMore ICHEON, South Korea, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The city of Icheon in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province is worth a visit to many people fond of high-quality rice amid the harvest season around this time of the year.

Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, has been famous for what is called the best rice in the country.

The Icheon municipal government held an annual festival, themed for the production of its rice and steamed rice, which lasted until Sunday.

People take part in the production of 600-meter-long "garaetteok," a Korean rice cake stick, during the Icheon Rice Culture Festival in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Yonhap) This year's Icheon Rice Culture Festival provided visitors with opportunities to not only savor the rice but also to experience the local agricultural practices.

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During the festival, they also took part in a variety of events aimed at understanding what Korean traditional culture in an agricultural society is like.

A volunteer dressed in traditional Korean dress poses for a photo during the Icheon Rice Culture Festival in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Yonhap) Historians say that rice farming in Korea dates back to the Bronze Age and that an increase in yields of the grain following the Three Kingdoms (57 B.C.-A.D. 668) helped it become a main staple for Koreans.

The city is endowed with natural surroundings appropriate for the growth of rice, coupled with a good proportion of clay and sand mixes in paddies that contribute to the rice absorbing nutrients.

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Longer hours of sunlight in the fall than other regions and a huge daily temperature range also help rice fully ripen.

Icheon rice was highly thought of in the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty so that it used to be served to the dynasty's kings.

King Seongjong, the ninth monarch of the dynasty, has been known to be a big lover of Icheon rice. Historical records say the king ate Icheon rice with gusto on his way back to Seoul after visiting Yeongneung, the tomb of King Sejong, the fourth king of the dynasty, in what is now Yeoju, the neighboring town, and had it included in his everyday diet.

The rice that suited the king's palate was "Jachae Rice," a rice variety grown around the Bokha Stream in the city.

This photo shows a dish of steamed rice on a hot pot, served alongside a variety of Korean side dishes, at a restaurant in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap) In the city are 30 big-time restaurants that feature steamed rice dining. A visit to one of them enables a visitor to enjoy steamed rice served on a hot pot and about 20 kinds of side dishes, including Korean "bulgogi" barbecue; "japchae," a dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables; and "jeon" pancakes. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/10/22/0200000000AEN20181022008100315.html

Vinafood 1, 2 win bid to supply rice to Philippines Update: October, 22/2018 - 15:15Vinafood 1 and Vinafood 2 offered prices of slightly under US$428 per tonne.— VNA/VNS Photo

Viet Nam News

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HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1) and Việt Nam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) won a bid last week to sell 14,000 tonnes and 15,000 tonnes of rice, respectively, to the Philippines.

The information was released by Judy Carol Dansal, head of the Philippines‘ National Food Authority (NFA).

Both companies offered prices of slightly under US$428 per tonne.

Thai Capital Crops Co Ltd will also export 18,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines for $426.3 per tonne.

In the last week‘s rice import tender, the NFA accepted offers for only 47,000 tonnes from three suppliers, well below a planned purchase of 250,000 tonnes, Most of the offers from 13 international suppliers exceeded the state-run NFA‘s approved budget of $428.18 per tonne. ―We will reopen the tender for the volume that was not taken,‖ said Dansal.

The Philippines is on a rice buying spree this year, after President Rodrigo Duterte lifted a 20year restriction on rice imports as inflation accelerated. The NFA has been approved to import 2.4 million tonnes, just below the record 2.45 million tonnes bought in 2010 when rising global food prices stoked shortage fears. — VNS

http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/468325/vinafood-1-2-win-bid-to-supply-rice-tophilippines.html#tSsBFc0XuJPZtWjX.99

Rice prices continue downward trend By: Karl R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:02 AM October 22, 2018 Prices of rice in the market continued to decline in the first week of October, government data showed.

Based on the latest price monitoring report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), both wholesale and retail prices of rice have gone down for the fourth consecutive week and the trend is expected to continue until the last week of the month.

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On average, a kilo of regular-milled and well-milled rice were sold at P42.64 and P45.45, respectively—down 1.2 percent and 1.24 percent from a week ago. However, these were still higher by 19.84 percent and 15.84 percent compared with prices a year ago.

Retail prices of these rice variants in the market also went down, although at a slower pace.

Regular-milled and well-milled rice were sold at P45.87 and P49 a kilo, respectively—down 0.50 percent and 0.73 percent from a year ago.

President of PHL Confederation of Grains Association Inc. Jojie Co said in a phone interview that they expected prices to go down even further as the week progressed, in part due to the beginning of the harvest season.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he was banking on the government‘s latest imposition of suggested retail prices (SRPs) on rice variants to keep prices in check.

Rice prices in the market were seen as one of the major drivers of the country‘s inflation rate this year, which reached a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in September.

Economic managers have been urging lawmakers to prioritize the passage of the Rice Tariffication Bill, which will finally liberalize rice imports in the country. This is expected to lower rice prices in the market by as much as P6 a kilo. https://business.inquirer.net/259306/rice-prices-continue-downward-trend#ixzz5UkF7z5TW

Rice prices continue downward trend By: Karl R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:02 AM October 22, 2018 Prices of rice in the market continued to decline in the first week of October, government data showed.

Based on the latest price monitoring report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), both wholesale and retail prices of rice have gone down for the fourth consecutive week and the trend is expected to continue until the last week of the month.

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On average, a kilo of regular-milled and well-milled rice were sold at P42.64 and P45.45, respectively—down 1.2 percent and 1.24 percent from a week ago. However, these were still higher by 19.84 percent and 15.84 percent compared with prices a year ago.

Retail prices of these rice variants in the market also went down, although at a slower pace.

Regular-milled and well-milled rice were sold at P45.87 and P49 a kilo, respectively—down 0.50 percent and 0.73 percent from a year ago.

President of PHL Confederation of Grains Association Inc. Jojie Co said in a phone interview that they expected prices to go down even further as the week progressed, in part due to the beginning of the harvest season.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he was banking on the government‘s latest imposition of suggested retail prices (SRPs) on rice variants to keep prices in check.

Rice prices in the market were seen as one of the major drivers of the country‘s inflation rate this year, which reached a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in September.

Economic managers have been urging lawmakers to prioritize the passage of the Rice Tariffication Bill, which will finally liberalize rice imports in the country. This is expected to lower rice prices in the market by as much as P6 a kilo.

https://business.inquirer.net/259306/rice-prices-continue-downwardtrend#ixzz5UkGEQPOH

INDONESIA 2018 RICE OUTPUT SEEN AT 32.4 MLN TONNES, LOWER THEN PVS ESTIMATE 10/22/2018 JAKARTA, Oct 22 (Reuters) * Indonesia's statistic bureau estimated 32.4 million tonnes of rice production this year, chief economic minister Darmin Nasution told reporters on Monday. * It is lower than Agriculture Ministry estimate earlier this month of 48.3 million tonnes of output in 2018. * Domestic rice consumption this year is estimated at 29.6 million tonnes, Nasution said.

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* Indonesia has imported 1.8 million tonnes of rice this year. Nasution said no decision has been made yet on imports next year. (Reporting by Maikel Jefriando, Bernadette Christina Munthe; editing by David Evans) https://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/indonesia-2018-rice-output-seen-at-324-mln-tonneslower-then-pvs-estimate

Economy in brief: Bulog blames output for low absorption The Jakarta Post Jakarta | Mon, October 22 2018 | 03:14 am State-owned logistics company Bulog has attributed the decline of its rice absorption to the ending of the harvest season and the damage to facilities caused by the Central Sulawesi earthquake, both of which occurred last month.Bulog operations and public service director Tri Wahyudi Saleh said the end of the rice harvest season signalled reduced domestic rice output, while the Central Sulawesi ea... http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/10/22/economy-brief-bulog-blames-output-lowabsorption.html

Southern region hits target for rice harvest Update: October, 22/2018 - 09:00 Farmers harvest the 2018 summer- autumn rice in Kiên Giang Province‘s Hòn Đất District. – VNA/VNS Photo Lê Huy Hải Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The southern region estimates that it will produce more than 26 million tonnes of paddy this year, up 1.1 million tonnes against last year, meeting its target for the year.

The region, the country‘s rice granary, has planted more than 4.4 million hectares of rice this year, down by 63,500ha against last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development‘s (MARD) Plant Cultivation Department.

However, the yield has been 5.95 tonnes per hectare a crop, up 338 kilogrammes against last year.

Farmers have also shifted many rice areas to higher-value crops like vegetables and fruits, according to representatives of the region‘s 17 provinces and two major cities (Cần Thơ and HCM City).

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Speaking at a seminar held in the Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang last week, Nguyễn Chí Thiện, deputy director of the Long An Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province was reducing the number of rice areas and shifting them to other crops.

This year, about 7,000ha of rice areas were shifted to fruit tree cultivation in Long An. The province has developed 94 large rice fields with a total of 16,538ha this year, meeting 33 per cent of its target, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The region has been developing large rice fields to secure outlets and higher profits for farmers, but the rate remains low, according to MARD‘s Plant Cultivation Department.

The department in co-operation with MARD‘s plant protection department has improved food safety and hygiene standards for export.

This year the rate of certified rice seeds accounts for 78 per cent of the region‘s total sowed seeds.

The region has also used more specialty fragrant rice and high-quality rice varieties, and most of the rice is now being planted and harvested with machinery.

Lê Quốc Doanh, Deputy Minister of MARD, said the southern region‘s production of key products like rice, fish and fruit achieved good results.

In the 2018-19 winter-spring crop, the southern region will grow 1.65 million hectares of rice, including 1.57 million ha in the Mekong Delta.

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MARD‘s departments will give guidance to localities about planting schedules, disease control, and market demands. – VNS

https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/468133/southern-region-hits-target-for-riceharvest.html#Xs6jeYSQKK3Ez0j0.97

Plentiful rice on the plate Bangladesh now fourth largest food grains producer as rice yield breaks all records ANISUR RAHMAN KHAN

Bangladesh‘s farmers have been able to produce record amount of rice this year, harvesting around 3.63 crore metric tonnes of the staple food against the annual demand of 2.91 crore tonnes, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has said. ―Bangladesh has produced a surplus rice of some 71.79 lakh metric tonnes this year to ensure the country is a food-sufficient country.

Bangladesh couldn‘t produce such a huge amount of rice after its independence in 1972,‖ Dr Md Abdus Salam, additional director (extension and coordination) of the DAE‘s field wing, told The Independent yesterday.

With this production, Bangladesh has become the fourth largest food-grain-producing country, he said, adding that it would be able to export rice to different rice-consuming countries after

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fulfilling the local demand. In 2014, Bangladesh exported around 25,000mt coarse rice to Sri Lanka. The stocks of food-grains in the country‘s government warehouses now exceed 14.90 lakh metric tonnes.

According to the DAE officials, Bangladesh has produced some 3.63 crore metric tonnes of rice against the local demand of 2.91 crore metric tonnes for its 16.64 crore people. During the same period, it has also produced 11.53 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, 38.93 lakh tonnes of maize, 1.03 crore tonnes of potatoes, 10.31 lakh tonnes of lentils (‗dal‘), 9.70 lakh tonnes of oilseeds and 1.60 lakh tonnes of vegetables. In 2016, the country could produce only 2.62 lakh tonnes of food-grains locally.

According to the agriculture ministry and DAE officials, the record amount of food-grains could be produced becauseof the government‘s initiative to grow three to four crops on each farmland instead of single crops. It has also taken steps to produce salinity-, drought- and drench-tolerant crops.

Regarding the success in producing such a huge amount of crops locally, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told this correspondent that the government has increased the limit of incentives, providing supports like supplies of fertilisers, seeds and fuels to the farmers for growing more crops.

In the past nine years—from the 2009¬–10 fiscal year to the 2017–18 FY, it has given support worth around Tk. 65,447 crore to the farmers as assistance. ―More than 2.08 crore farmers have received such support under the government‘s agriculture-friendly programmes. They have received the support through agriculture assistance cards. Thanks to such support, food-grain production is increasing in the country‖, the minister added. Agronomist Dr Jahangir Alam, the vice-chancellor of the University of Global Village, said Bangladesh currently has an annual demand for 2.91 crore metric tonnes of rice for its 16.64 crore people.

As the country‘s farmers are now producing more and more, the government should now turn its attention to growing nutritious food-grains to fulfill the people‘s demands, he observed. http://m.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/171242

Imported Indian rice force closure of 600 Naogaon rice mills United News of Bangladesh . Naogaon | Published: 14:16, Oct 20,2018 | Updated: 23:29, Oct 20,2018 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 in demand for local varieties of rice, they said.

Talking to UNB, millers said there were a total of 1,800 rice mills in the district. Of them, some

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600 have already been closed and 300 are facing shutdown.

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 lending to nine per cent 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 per cent from 10 per cent, opening up doors for the importers to bring huge quantity of rice,‘ he said.

The government set nine per cent bank interest for loans for industries, but the local banks are still charging 12 to 14 per cent 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 per cent 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 for locally produced rice,‘ the leader added.

When contacted, district food officer Md Abdus Salam said the information over closure of 80 per cent mills was 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://www.newagebd.net/article/53651/imported-indian-rice-force-closure-of-600-naogaon-rice-mills

Rice Prices as on : 23-10-2018 12:31:47 PM Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

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Arrivals Current

Price % change

Season cumulative

Modal

Prev.

Modal

Prev.Yr %change

Rice Cachar(ASM)

60.00

-25

4842.00

2400

2400

9.09

Vishalpur(UP)

34.00

65.85

521.00

2425

2510

-

Kaliaganj(WB)

20.00

NC

410.00

3450

3400

30.19

Ghatal(WB)

16.00

-8.57

267.00

2530

2530

3.27

Paliakala(UP)

15.00

15.38

1035.10

2255

2260

-

Jiaganj(WB)

12.50

-6.72

63.00

2890

2800

20.92

Lalbagh(WB)

12.40

-1.59

61.50

2900

2750

21.59

Ahirora(UP)

11.00

-47.62

212.95

2300

2300

10.05

Mugrabaadshahpur(UP)

9.00

NC

174.30

2300

2280

-

Dibrugarh(ASM)

8.10

35

707.10

2920

2920

29.78

Tamkuhi Road(UP)

4.00

-20

942.00

2140

2160

-

Tundla(UP)

3.50

45.83

168.30

2480

2550

-

Mirzapur(UP)

3.00

-25

862.00

2240

2245

-

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Sehjanwa(UP)

3.00

NC

150.50

2160

2160

-

Anandnagar(UP)

2.00

-50

62.00

2200

2200

-

Jagnair(UP)

0.60

-14.29

74.60

2560

2560

0.79

October 23, 2018 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article25294951.ece

Rice Prices as on : 22-10-2018 02:25:41 PM Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals Current

Price % change

Season cumulative

Modal

Prev.

Modal

Prev.Yr %change

Rice Naugarh(UP)

18.00

-10

748.20

2225

2255

7.23

Dibrugarh(ASM)

6.00

114.29

690.90

2920

2920

29.78

Mirzapur(UP)

4.00

33.33

856.00

2245

2260

-

Balarampur(WB)

1.80

NC

80.75

2660

2650

13.19

Jagnair(UP)

0.70

-12.5

73.40

2560

2560

0.79

Khairagarh(UP)

0.70

-12.5

107.40

2560

2560

1.59

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Achnera(UP)

0.60

-14.29

16.60

2560

2560

Published on October 22, 2018 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article25285336.ece

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0.39

Trading Office Hours for Field Time in Louisiana Rice Country

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By Asiha Grigsby

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CROWLEY, LA -- Earlier this month, I embarked on an ambitious tour of farms, mills, and coops in southern Louisiana with Kane Webb, USA Rice Louisiana field specialist, as my guide.

The week-long adventure was an educational experience, and with ratoon cutting season in full swing, there was no shortage of action on and off the field.

My farm tour began in Perry with George Segrera, a third generation rice and crawfish farmer.

George let me take a ride on a combine while he cut his second crop during a rare sunny moment in the unseasonably rainy weather. I also visited with Allen McClain in Abbeville who talked about the challenges and benefits of rice farming, as well as his experience as a graduate of the 2016/2018 Rice Development Leadership Class. The Zaunbrecher brothers from Duson gave a tutorial on their farming methods, and then I toured Christian Richard's immaculate shop on his farm in Kaplan where he often hosts receptions for USA Rice-sponsored events.

Mill tours included stops at Falcon Rice and Supreme Rice, both in Crowley, as well as Farmers Rice Milling Company in Lake Charles. We also made a special detour to visit the Louisiana State University Rice Research Station where I learned about the facility's history and the evolution of crop technology.

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I also toured the Port of Lake Charles where U.S. rice is currently being staged and loaded onto vessels headed for Iraq. This is the first of two major shipments that will be processed in Louisiana providing an economic boost to the state's rice industry. Rice production and processing is big business in Louisiana generating annual economic activity of almost $200 million and accounting for thousands of jobs.

The week culminated with the Second Annual Louisiana Rice Ball hosted by the Louisiana Rice Political Action Committee at the historic Grand Opera House in Crowley. The event was a grand celebration with great food, lively music, and special words of gratitude from Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain.

I am truly grateful that so many Louisiana members took time out of their busy schedules to share their expertise with me. I now have a deeper appreciation and understanding of what it takes to bring the crop from the field to the table and feel I am even better positioned to represent the industry.

Port of Lake Charles readies shipment to Iraq USA Rice Daily

81st International Rice Festival Queen talks about her reign By: Sylvia Masters Oct 19, 2018 07:42 PM CDT Updated: Oct 19, 2018 07:42 PM CDT

A big part of the International Rice Festival is the royalty.

She sat down with the queen to see what it's like to reign over the oldest and largest agricultural festival in the state.

Kathryn Shea Duncan is the 81st International Rice Festival Queen. She was crowned last October and what a year she has had.

"I was crowned last October on October 20th at 10 AM. I can remember the exact moments," says Duncan.

Kathryn's family is fourth generation rice farmers in Acadia Parish. They are very involved in the rice industry. Her great aunt was a Junior Rice Festival Queen in 1951.

"I wouldn't say I always thought I would be the Rice Festival Queen because growing up I was really shy and timid so I really didn't think that I would be capable of becoming queen, but I gave it a shot and here we are," adds Duncan.

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Since being crowned, Kathryn has traveled across the country. In her words, she has had the opportunity to simply "take the crown and run with it."

"I've traveled to over 83 events across the United States this year. I've been to West Virginia for the USA Rice Millers Association Convention. I went to Washington D.C. for the Mystic Crew of Louisianians Mardi Gras Ball,‖ explains Duncan. ―I went to San Antonio for the USA Rice Outlook Conference and then to Winnie for the Texas Rice Festival."

Reigning along with the International Rice Festival Queen is the Junior King and Queen.

Each elementary school in Acadia Parish sends two representatives, a boy and a girl, to the pageant Friday morning where they compete for the titles.

News Ten reports, "Coming up Saturday morning, you're going to be crowning your next successor. What would you say to her?

Duncan says, "I would definitely tell them stop whatever you're doing. This is a once-in-alifetime opportunity. You will never get this chance again, so seize the moment and do the most that you can and just enjoy every moment."

Kathryn says through the interview process for the pageant, which took place this afternoon, the contestants are questioned on the rice industry and how they will represent the festival. https://www.klfy.com/news/local/81st-international-rice-festival-queen-talks-about-her-reign/1536685280

Rice harvest slow and steady Moving grain to market Karen Binder AgriNews Publications Oct 19, 2018 Updated Oct 19, 2018 Alexander County Farmer Blake Gerard uses Bayer‘s Climate FieldView in his combine to monitor the rice harvest this fall.

AgriNews photos/Karen Binder

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. — Alexander County farmer Blake Gerard has been driving his combine mostly at 3 mph with this particular rice field. He likes to ensure the fingers on the reel comb in as much grain possible. ―I‘m greedy that way. If it‘s there I want it,‖ Gerard said with a grin.

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He‘s closely monitoring the yield, noting the marginal areas with Bayer‘s Climate FieldView for later review.

He started harvesting his rice fields in late September and will likely stay busy with the task through the end of October. First out of his fields were the acres of Cahokia Rice, a high-protein rice he‘s produced for wholesale and retail sales.

He‘s currently working on long-grain rice for River Bend Rice and seed rice for Gerard Family Farms.

Rice in 2017 was valued at $2.2 billion, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. The 20182019 U.S. rice production forecast was increased 8.6 million hundredweight to 219.5 million hundredweight because of a higher area estimate and a slightly stronger yield. Production is up 23 percent from a year earlier.

The four Illinois rice farmers associate themselves with the Missouri rice industry, just across the Mississippi River. The USDA reported in September that the harvested area in Missouri is forecast at 219,000 acres, an increase of 37 percent from a year earlier, with long grain accounting for all of the increase and the bulk of the state‘s rice production.

So Far, So Good ―I‘m happy with the Cahokia Rice harvest. It‘s not a high-yielding variety so it was about what we expected,‖ he said. ―Everything else is falling into place.‖ On average, Gerard said long-grain rice yields about 160 bushels an acre. Good rice is 180 bushels, while 140 bushels is ―not good.‖ The moisture content tends to fall at 14 percent, but he has harvested it at 22 percent, depending on conditions. Drying rice is trickier than other commodity grains because it‘s a field-to-table staple requiring conscientious care not to break the grains. ―Otherwise, it goes for dog food,‖ Gerard said.

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Each rice variety performs differently in the field, beginning with maturity rates. As with wheat, Gerard keeps a close eye on the flag leaves and when they begin to yellow.

Post Harvest After harvest and the fields dry out, they are burned. A chain harrow is pulled across the fields to knock down the stubble and allowed to dry a few days. Then they are set on fire.

Rice will not die until a frost. It‘s a ratoon crop that it will propagate from the harvest stubble, and continue to grow rapidly because of the established root system. In the south where the warm temperatures last longer, some farmers can get in second rice harvests.

As much as 60 percent of remaining organic matter is destroyed by the fire, with some fields needing two burns, Gerard said.

This process prepares the fields for the next crop. Occasionally, a field lends itself to seeding soybeans into the rice stubble, depending on the rotation. The burning does not disturb the soil‘s phosphorous and nitrogen content and the carbon loss is about the same as tilling.

Gerard prefers burning over tilling for plenty of reasons — tilling takes six passes instead of one with the chain harrow and tilling releases more carbon and introduces more oxygen into the soil.

Burning also offers a better view of any erosion issues.

Then when fields need reshaping and the soil moisture is gooey enough, he gets out the ―snake killer.‖ ―It‘s about the craziest looking roller. You use it when there‘s still a little bit of water in the fields, but not too much. Then you see why it‘s called a snake killer,‖ Gerard said.

The industry name for it is a stubble roller.

Marketing Rice

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Depending on the farmer, there are myriad ways to market rice. For Gerard, some of it is already sold under contract, some is seed rice and some will be stored until he‘s ready to start moving it to the rice mill in January.

His is generally all sold by July, well before the next year‘s crop.

Girard‘s rice goes in several directions — Cahokia Rice to Missouri for milling, packaging and back to Illinois for cold storage awaiting wholesale sales. The long-grain rice either goes to River Bend Rice‘s facility in Cairo or to Riceland Foods in New Madrid, Missouri, about an hour south. ―We hope that Cahokia Rice gets large enough that we‘ll have our own mill,‖ Gerard said.

Until then, he and his staff are exploring wholesale and retail routes. Exhibiting at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago has led to sales to university food services. This includes the University of Illinois and Illinois State University, and soon, Northwestern University. It‘s an attractive protein option for vegetarian menus, Gerard said.

Also in the coming year will be work to select distributors to help sell and place the product in retail locations. There‘s also another food show where Gerard will present Cahokia as a wholesale product for rebranding or ingredient use. ―Luckily with rice, the volume is no problem. We‘ve already got the ability to mill it, handle it and deliver it to the distributor. Now we just need to see what happens next,‖ Gerard said.

Karen Binder can be reached at 6418-534-0614 or kbinder@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Binder.

In a similar manner as with wheat, this header — a FD70 FlexDraper — is specially designed as a ―straight cut‖ header, and is equipped to work well in all straight cut conditions, whether cutting on or above the ground, utilizing a three-piece flexible frame to closely follow ground contours.

+4

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An average rice harvest is 160 bushels an acre, but the range between great and bad harvests is only 40 bushels — 180 bushels for great and 140 bushels for low. +4 The flag leaf on this variety of rice turns yellow when it‘s time to harvest.

http://www.agrinews-pubs.com/news/rice-harvest-slow-and-steady/article_5384efbf-5231-52d8-8a13a689f8d7b9d2.html

U of A Researchers Lead Consortium Studying Genetics of Heat-Tolerant Rice Oct. 22, 2018

Russell Cothren

Research associate Sara Yingling (left) and graduate student Yheni Dwiningsih (right) gather rice to study its genetics.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – U of A researchers are working to identify the natural genetic variation in rice that allows the plant to produce high-quality grain in an environment of rising temperatures.

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The U of A leads a consortium of four universities that recently received $4.65 million from the National Science Foundation to support their work. The team is studying the genetics of more than 400 rice varieties collected from around the world. ―Environmental stresses such as high temperatures that occur seasonally or increase annually limit cereal crop production, the stability of which is important for global food production,‖ said Andy Pereira, professor of crop, soil and environmental science in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. ―The major emerging environmental stress to U.S. rice production is the increase in night temperatures, which reduces grain yield and quality and decreases market value.‖ To address this issue, the team of researchers, led by Pereira, are studying the characteristics and genetics of the different rice varieties. Working with colleagues at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Oklahoma State University and Louisiana State University, the researchers will compare the yield and quality of two groups of rice, one grown grown under heat stress and the other under ambient temperature.

By comparing the two groups of plants, the researchers will be able to identify varieties of rice that produce high quality grains in spite of increased temperatures. This information will be used to map the genomes of these varieties in order to identify the gene sequences and expressions that give the plants this heat tolerance advantage. The researchers will also use gene-editing techniques to validate their findings. With this information, they can make specific recommendations to plant breeders and farmers to help them.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences:Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.improve the rice crop.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities.

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.

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https://news.uark.edu/articles/45195/u-of-a-researchers-lead-consortium-studying-genetics-ofheat-tolerant-rice

How To Remove Starch From Rice? Cut Calories in Rice with This Simple Trick to Reduce Weight HEALTH WELLNESS Team Latestly Oct 22, 2018 11:06 AM IST

How to reduce calories from rice with a simple trick. (Photo Credits: Pixabay) Who doesn‘t love rice? Rice in any form tastes yummy. In India, rice is the staple grain and is prepared daily in some households. But nowadays people are more health conscious than ever and are avoiding rice because we all know that rice can contribute to high amounts of fat and lead to obesity, if consumed in excess. But a new study shows that one can cut the calorie content in rice with a simple trick or hack as we may call it. Menopause Could be Caused by Eating Rice.

A normal cup of rice contains around 240 calories. And scientists are developing a way to cut the calorie content by half. How? Just by adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the water and then refrigerating the food for 12 hours after cooking, you can cut that. The research was presented in 2015 at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society involved looking at 38 different rice from Sri Lanka, as reported by Metro. Starch can be digestible or indigestible, also known as resistant starch. The researchers reasoned that if they could transform digestible starch into resistant starch, the that could lower the number of usable calories of the rice. Weight Loss Tips: 12 Harmless Habits That Are Making You Fat! 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

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normal 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.

Team leader Sudhair A James, College of Chemical Sciences, Sri Lanka, says, ―Because obesity is a growing health problem, especially in many developing countries, we wanted to find foodbased solutions. We discovered that increasing rice resistant starch (RS) concentrations was a novel way to approach the problem.‖ He further explains, ―After your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, any leftover fuel gets converted into a polysaccharide carbohydrate called glycogen. Your liver and muscles store glycogen for energy and quickly turn it back into glucose as needed.‖ But he explains that the problem is the excess glucose that doesn‘t get converted to glycogen ends up turning into fat, which can lead to excessive weight or obesity. As the oil enters the starch granules during cooking, changing its architecture so that it becomes resistant to the action of digestive enzymes. James says, ―The cooling is essential because amylose, the soluble part of the starch, leaves the granules during gelatinization. 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.‖ This means that fewer calories ultimately get absorbed into the body. https://www.latestly.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/how-to-remove-starch-from-rice-cut-caloriesin-rice-with-this-simple-trick-to-reduce-weight-448021.html

You could cut the calories in your rice in half with one simple trick study says Laura AbernethySunday 21 Oct 2018 4:08 pm Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messenger 47 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

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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. https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/21/you-could-cut-the-calories-in-your-rice-in-half-with-one-simple-trick8060411/

We’re eating bits of plastic, study finds Published: October 22, 2018 Updated: October 22, 2018 at 07:21 PM

In the next 60 seconds, people around the world will purchase 1 million plastic bottles and 2 million plastic bags. By the end of the year, we will produce enough Bubble Wrap to encircle the equator 10 times.

Though it will take more than 1,000 years for most of these items to degrade, many will soon break apart into tiny shards known as microplastics, trillions of which have been showing up in the oceans, fish, tap water and even table salt.

Now, we can add one more microplastic repository to the list: the human gut.

In a pilot study with a small sample size, researchers looked for microplastics in stool samples of eight people from Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria. To their surprise, every single sample tested positive for the presence of a variety of microplastics.

"This is the first study of its kind, so we did a pilot trial to see if there are any microplastics detectable at all," said Philipp Schwabl, a gastroenterologist at the Medical University of Vienna and lead author of the study. "The results were astonishing."

There are no certain health implications for their findings, and they hope to complete a broader study with the methods they have developed.

Microplastics — defined as pieces less than .02 inches long, roughly the size of a grain of rice — have become a major concern for environmental researchers during the past decade.

Several studies have found high levels of microplastics in marine life, and last year, microplastics were detected in 83 percent of tap water samples around the world (the highest

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contamination rate belonged to the United States, where 94 percent of samples were contaminated).

Most microplastics are the unintended result of larger plastics breaking apart, and the United States, Canada and other countries have banned the use of tiny plastic beads in beauty products.

Researchers have long suspected microplastics would eventually be found in the human gut.

One study estimated that people who regularly eat shellfish may be consuming as much as 11,000 plastic pieces per year.

The new paper, which was presented Monday at a gastroenterology conference in Vienna, could provide support for marine biologists who have long warned of the dangers posed by microplastics in our oceans. But the paper suggests that microplastics are entering our bodies through other means, as well.

"The fact that so many different polymers were measured suggests a wide range of contamination sources," said Stephanie Wright, an environmental health scientist at Kings College London who was not involved in the study. Two of the eight participants do not consume seafood.

To conduct the study, they selected volunteers from each country who kept food diaries for a week and provided stool samples. Schwabl and his colleagues analyzed the samples with a spectrometer.

Up to nine different kinds of plastics were detected, ranging in size from .002 to .02 inches.

The most common plastics detected were polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate — both major components of plastic bottles and caps.

Whether microplastics pose a health risk to humans is largely unknown, though they have been found to cause some damage in fish and other animals. Additionally, the microplastics detected in the current study are too large to be a serious threat, Wright said. https://www.tampabay.com/news/We-re-eating-bits-of-plastic-study-finds_172885619

How cooking rice with coconut oil slashes 60 per cent of the calories 

One cup of cooked white rice contains as many as 200 starchy calories in it

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So if you're trying to watch your waistline you may be inclined to skip the carbs However, if you still want to indulge, there is a way to do so without regret

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Adding coconut oil to the boiling water reduces the calories by 60 per cent

By MATILDA RUDD FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA PUBLISHED: 01:07 BST, 23 October 2018 | UPDATED: 06:37 BST, 23 October 2018

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One cup of cooked white rice contains an average of 200 calories so it's treated by many as a 'sometimes' food.

However, scientists from the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka are making the delicious carb-filled staple healthier for all by sharing a simple trick to reducing the calories.

And all you have to do is add a little bit of coconut oil to the cooking process, then allow it to cool overnight, Better Homes and Gardens reported.

Sadly one cup of cooked white rice contains 200 calories so it's treated as a 'sometimes' food by people watching their waistline

Adding these two steps to your rice-cooking repertoire minimises the calories in your final dish by 60 per cent.

And because obesity is a growing problem worldwide this could be the food-based solution we so desperately need to know about.

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The reason why adding a substance like coconut oil works to reduce the overall calories is relatively simple: the fat molecules find their way inside the rice during the boiling process and double as a digestive barrier.

Couple that with letting it cool for 12 hours - which makes the bonds in the rice form stronger 'resistant starches' and makes it difficult for digestive enzymes to break down - and you've practically got a cheat meal on your hands. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6302055/This-ingenious-way-cooking-rice-slashes-60-centcalories.html

This Simple Rice-Cooking Hack Slashes Calories By Up To 60 Per Cent All of the carbs, none of the guilt. - by Lucy Bode 22 OCT2018

If you‘re one of the strong-willed few that manage to avoid falling for rice‘s carby deliciousness, hold tight a sec: this handy hack is about to change everything.

Scientists from the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka have figured out a way to make the starchy stuff less high in calories. And the best part? It‘s totally simple to do at home: Add a little coconut oil to the cooking process, then let it cool.

According to research presented at the American Chemical Society‘s national meeting, these two steps can reduce the calories in the dish by up to 60 per cent. ―Because obesity is a growing health problem, especially in many developing countries, we wanted to find food-based solutions,‖ Sudhair A. James, the study‘s team leader explained. ―We discovered that increasing rice resistant starch (RS) concentrations was a novel way to approach the problem.‖ So, how does such a tiny step – that involves fat, no less – make it healthier?

Put simply, when rice begins to cook, its glucose molecules form tight bonds (aka, resistant starch.) As its name implies, this type of starch isn‘t easily digested, meaning our bodies can‘t absorb as many calories or as much of the glucose from each molecule.

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―The cooling is essential because amylose, the soluble part of the starch, leaves the granules during gelatinisation,‖ James continued. ―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.‖ Plus, when you add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the boiling water, the fat molecules find their way into the rice, doubling as a digestion barrier. ―After your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, any leftover fuel gest converted into a polysaccharide carbohydrate called glycogen,‖ James added. ―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.‖ And great news: this method works for leftovers too – the research team found that reheating the rice didn‘t change the levels of resistant starch (as it the case with pasta and potatoes.)

Lucy Bode Lucy is WH‘s Digital Editor, Features Writer, social media guru and resident woo. A long black lover and foodie at heart, she considers peanut butter an hourly staple and believes chardonnay is the superior drop.

When she's not at the beach, barre or yoga studio you'll find her coming up with new and improved ways to kill her unkillable houseplants

https://www.womenshealth.com.au/rice-cooking-hack-reduce-calories

This genius hack can reduce calories in rice by 60% #noguilt Juna xu

bodyandsoul.com.auOCTOBER

23, 201812:28PM

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Image: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul

There are approximately 206 calories in one cup of cooked long-grain rice and 216 in one cup of cooked brown rice, most of which comes in the form of starch, that turns into sugar, and thereafter body fat.

But if you‘ve resisted from reaching for rice in fear it‘ll go straight to your waistline, scientists from the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka have found a simple hack to cut its calories by more than a half: adding a touch of coconut oil to the cooking process, then letting it cool.

"What we did is cook the rice as you normally do, but when the water is boiling, before adding the raw rice, we added coconut oil—about 3 percent of the weight of the rice you're going to cook," said Sudhair James, who presented his preliminary research at National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"After it was ready, we let it cool in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. That's it."

Wait, so to decrease the calories you need to add more?

Sounds complicated, but it‘s all got to do with food chemistry.

Simply put, not all starches are created equal. Firstly, you have your digestible starches that take a short time to digest, are quickly turned into glucose, which turn into glycogen, and all the excess glycogen stores as extra weight if we don‘t use enough energy to burn it off.

On the other hand you have your resistant starches – those that take a long time for the body to process, aren‘t converted into glucose or glycogen, and thus, add up to fewer calories.

So, "if you can reduce the digestible starch in something like steamed rice, you can reduce the calories," said Dr. Pushparajah Thavarajah, a professor who supervised the research. ―The cooling is essential because amylose, the soluble part of the starch, leaves the granules during gelatinisation,‖ explained James.

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―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.‖ Plus, when coconut oil is added, it interacts with the starch in the rice, changes its composition, and doubles its digestion barrier – and voila, low-calorie rice.But the best new is that this revolutionary method works for leftovers, too. https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/this-genius-hack-can-reduce-calories-in-rice-by60/news-story/c377539bde8da5805709c8240572b7c3

Dangerous levels of arsenic found in baby rice products Oct 22, 2018

Tests on infant foods in UK supermarkets discovered almost a quarter broke EU safety rules

Giorgio Cosulich/Getty Images

Unpeeled rice may contain higher levels of the harmful toxin Seven types of baby rice foods sold in UK supermarkets contain dangerous levels of arsenic, new research shows.

Tests on 26 products for Channel 4‘s Food Unwrapped programme revealed that almost a quarter broke European Union rules. A maximum level of arsenic allowed in rice used for baby food was introduced in January 2016 to reduce children‘s exposure to the harmful toxin.

Food research expert Professor Andy Meharg told the TV series that parents should restrict baby rice feeds to 30g a day - about three tablespoons.

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But he told The Mail on Sunday that he personally ―would not feed young children rice at all‖.

Meharg explained: ―As a parent, I would want to take problematic things out. I would not want to take a risk with it.‖ Because rice absorbs so much water when it grows, ―it tends to absorb more arsenic than other grains, such as wheat, oats and rye‖, says Professor Stuart Shalat, of Georgia State University‘s School of Public Health, in an article on The Conversation. ―Brown rice tends to contain higher levels of arsenic than white rice, because the arsenic accumulates more in the outer coating, which is removed in white rice,‖ he adds.

When it comes to the potential health risks posed to children, ―most of our knowledge comes from studies of populations with high levels of arsenic in their drinking water‖, continues Shalat.

For example, studies of children in arsenic-exposed areas of Bangladesh found reductions in their measured IQ. Long-term exposure to arsenic is associated with a range of health effects, including skin, bladder, kidney and lung cancer, as well as diabetes, heart disease and damage to blood vessels and the nervous system.

Several mothers and fathers interviewed on Food Unwrapped were shocked by the levels of arsenic found in the UK tests, with one describing them as ―scary‖. Another said: ―There should be more warnings.‖ The parents urged authorities to provide clearer labelling on all baby rice products, which are claimed to help wean babies off breast milk and on to solid foods.

A Food Standards Agency spokesperson said: ―Arsenic is naturally occurring in the environment and it is not possible to totally eliminate it from the diet. But because it has the potential to increase the risk of illnesses, including cancer, it is important to reduce exposure to as low as reasonably achievable. ―Maximum legal levels are in place for arsenic in rice, with stricter levels for rice used in the production of foods for infants and young children. It is the responsibility of food manufacturers to ensure they use ingredients in compliance with the legislation. Where non-compliance is found, enforcement officers will investigate and take action as needed.‖

http://www.theweek.co.uk/97262/dangerous-levels-of-arsenic-found-in-baby-rice-products

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