24th july (friday),2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

July 24, 2015 Vol 5 ,Issue VII www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Minister Warns Babus Over PDS Mess

By Express News Service Published: 24th July 2015 06:19 AM Last Updated: 24th July 2015 06:19 AM HYDERABAD: Finance and Civil Supplies minister E Rajender warned that the government would take stern action against officials, if they are found colluding with the black-marketeers.At a review meeting on Thursday, Rajender directed the officials to register cases under PD Act against those who divert essential commodities intended to supply through public distribution system. If any official is found colluding with the black-marketeers they would have to face serious action, he said.

Officials informed the minister that they raided on several rice mills in Warangal and seized 1,620 quintals of PDS rice from millers who wanted to divert the same after re-cycling. The millers were found diverting PDS rice to sell it for higher prices in the open market, the officials informed. http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Minister-Warns-Babus-Over-PDSMess/2015/07/24/article2937382.ece

Japan, U.S. eye compromise on rice ahead of TPP talks 12:38 am, July 24, 2015 The Yomiuri ShimbunNegotiations on raising the ceiling for the volume of rice imported from the United States — the largest remaining issue in Japan-U.S. talks on tariffs in connection with the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement — are approaching a settlement. As negotiations enter the final phase, Japan and the United States are apparently showing their willingness to compromise, from the perspective of aiming to achieve a high-level TPP deal at the ministerial meeting to be held later this month.

Unprepared to leave the rice imports to transactions among private companies, the United States is asking Japan to guarantee a volume of U.S. rice imports, in an effort to ensure an increase in the amount. The two countries will speed up the process of last-minute negotiations from now on.Based on rules set by the World Trade Organization, Japan uses the so-called minimum access rice system, under which the nation imports a total of 770,000 tons of foreign rice per year, including 360,000 tons from the United States, without applying a tariff. At present, the focus of negotiations is to set up a special TPP quota, separate from the minimum access rice system, and determine the amount by which the rice imports can be boosted.

For the special TPP quota, the United States is also seeking for Japan to guarantee imports of U.S. rice as an obligation of the Japanese government, in the same manner as the minimum access rice system.Japan, however, has insisted on leaving the exact volume to be determined by private companies’ transactions. Under the Japanese formula, for example, it would be possible 2

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com for the actual import volume to remain at 50,000 tons despite an agreed quota of 80,000 tons.

Therefore, Washington is demanding concessions from Tokyo.Behind this is the fact that differences in rice prices between Japan and the United States have been reduced due to the yen’s continuing depreciation, among other reasons. Therefore, U.S. rice is losing its price-based appeal for the food service sector and other industries in Japan.Meanwhile, if the Japanese government agrees to guarantee rice imports, there is a possibility that the United States could make a concession to reduce the volume of U.S. rice imports. Therefore, from now on, the Japanese government is likely to explore measures that are advantageous for Japan.

Meeting in Maui Chief negotiators from 12 countries involved in TPP negotiations will hold a meeting on the island of Maui in Hawaii from Friday to Monday. Ahead of the ministerial session starting from Tuesday, where participating countries aim to strike a broad deal at the meeting, chief negotiators are trying to narrow as much as possible any differences of opinion on intellectual property rights protections and other matters. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002307131

Ending Rice Importation 24 Jul 2015 Farmers at a rice farm With the World Bank’s support for the FADAMA project to increase local capacity, the importation of rice, a staple food in Nigeria may be a thing of the past. Solomon Elusoji writes It was the immediate past Minister for Agriculture, who is now the President, African Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who told Nigerians that about N30 billion have been lost by Nigeria due to abuse and lack of transparency in import waivers on rice importation.

That naturally set the ball rolling for a total revamp of that sector of the economy.The Senate then followed up by asking the Central Bank of Nigeria to collaborate with the Nigerian Customs Service to retrieve the N30 billion from the importers who are said to have manipulated due process and evaded the payment of importation duty.What led to the waiver scandal was the inability of Nigerian rice farmers to meet local demand for the staple food. Rice could be said to be the most consumed 3

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com staple food in Nigeria today. It is estimated that about N1 billion worth of rice is consumed daily in Nigeria, and a majority of that is derived from imports.

The rice import bill for Nigeria, which was N123.61 million in 1980, rose to N9.72 billion in the year 2000. In 2002, Nigeria even ranked among the top six largest world rice importers with total milled rice import put at 1,251,718 tonnes.There is no doubt that such huge level of demand provides immense opportunities for the production of rice and other activities along its value chain. This was the opportunities that foreign countries producing rice have seen and which informed the off-loading of rice from their stores into the country, what Dr. Adesina described as ―rice that has spent decades in the strategic grain reserve of these countries and that is not even fit for animal consumption. ‖Adesina has been vociferous in his campaign that locally produced rice is more nutritious.It was therefore a pleasant step in the right direction when the World Bank, through FADAMA, identified rice as a priority staple food for support under the $200 million FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF), which is aimed, among others at ramping up production and increasing income of farmers operating within the catchment of the selected States and other production areas engaged in priority staple foods, namely rice, cassava, sorghum, and horticulture in Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Niger, Enugu and Anambra States.

The details of the implementation arrangement are outlined in the amended Subsidiary Agreement of the Parent Project satisfactory in form and substance to the Association. The amended Subsidiary Agreement has to be executed on behalf of the Recipient and the Participating State concerned, as a condition of disbursement of additional finance in respect of activities taking place in that those State.Lagos State has been selected for rice production under the current project because of the success stories of FADAMA parent projects in the state.The cooperation of the state government in prompt payment of its counterpart funding of the projects, and the establishment of Eko Rice Mills by the state government at Imota-Ikorodu with a capacity of 20, 000 metric tons per annum made that happened.

For instance, about 400 farmers are presently being prepared for the rice planting season in Lagos State under the FADAMA III Additional Finance Project for which the Federal and Lagos State Governments recently signed a $25 million agreement.Lagos State has a huge market, not only because of its daily increasing population, but also because the States of South West rely mainly on the Lagos market for the sales and purchase of agricultural produce. It is therefore the commendable foresight of the World Bank and the Federal Government to have picked Lagos State for this special support.

A visit to the Imota factory of Eko Rice Mills, which is producing unpolished rice revealed stateof-the-art equipment in a hygiene and safety-conscious environment. The rice being produced is very nutritious and is packed in bags of five, 25 and 50 killogrammes. The mill is presently sourcing materials/paddy from two farm sites in Toga, Badagry and Itokin, all in Lagos State.

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com The AF, apart from boosting production and raising income of farmers, is also creating employment in Lagos and neighbouring States. For example, a 10, 000 hectares of land has been acquired in Ogun State for rice farming to feed the Eko Rice Mills.

The Lagos State Government has also introduced Rice-for-Job Programme, which is a sort of empowerment programmes for youths who are encouraged to go into rice farming.Every year, according to the Management Information System Officer for State FADAMA Office in Lagos, Mr. Oladipo Azeez, the youths are trained in rice production and at the end of the training they are supported by FADAMA with technical and financial aids, and advisory services to go into rice production and to start their own farm. About 3, 000 youths participate in the programme, while rice plantations have been established in Itokin, Egua, Imota and Badagry on the basis of one hectare of land per farmer.The Eko Rice Mills, manned by Nigerian Engineers, has been enjoying the yearly patronage of the Lagos State Government, especially during festive periods.

The patronages from other individuals and organisations have increased tremendously, as the people have been educated and informed that locally produced rice is more nutritious, better and even cheaper than the imported rice.

Mr. Azeez remarked: "we don’t even know how many years the imported rice has spent in their stores and how many months on the sea before getting to our markets and finally the consumers.

Our own rice here is farm-fresh. This is last year’s harvest.‖ For example, the quality of a pack 500g of imported rice bought from one of the stores, when tested, was below that of Eko Rice Mills, and worse still, it was sold for N1, 500, whereas the 5kg pack of Eko Rice goes for N1, 000. So, it does make a lot of economic sense to grow, patronize and consume local rice, just as FADAMA III Additional Financing for Lagos rice farmers makes a lot of development sense.On the success of FADAMA III, the FADAMA state coordinator, Foluso Ajijola, noted that many projects were started and completed. ―Farmers were supported in the acquisition of productive assets and in their production lines.

Equipment for fisheries, livestock, and crops were purchased to increase farmers’ activities and income.―Furthermore, fishing equipment, boats and engines were provided for fish farmers to be able to go to high sea fir fishing, while many of the groups acquired cold rooms to store and preserve their fishes. One of them is the five tons cold room of Agbelere FCA in Eti Osa LG. We also have in Epe and other parts, while butchers have also been assisted with cold rooms and market reconstruction,‖ he said.

Tags: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ending-rice-importation/215444/Featured, Importation, Life, Life and Style, RICE

Pakistan asks Kenya to lower import duty on rice Facing surplus rice stocks of close to 1 million ton due to falling commodity prices in the international market, Pakistan has asked Kenya to lower the import duty on Pakistani rice which is affecting rice exports.Finance Minister Ishaq had a meeting with Kenyan High Commissioner Prof Julius Kibet Bitok on Thursday. The minister highlighted the issue regarding enhancement in import duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya and asked for a review of the matter.He said that enhancement of the 5

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com duty was affecting Pakistani rice exports to Kenya. The matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in Pakistan was also discussed with emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.It is important to mention that Pakistani exporters use Kenya as a hub for exports to the Africa region.

Pakistani exporters are facing stiff competition from Indian, Thai and Vietnamese exporters.

Pakistan, for the last two years, has not managed to export its surplus rice and this year another bumper crop of 7 million tons is expected which is estimated to increase the exportable surplus for current 0.6 million tons to over 1 million tons.The lowering international commodity prices are impacting the farmer, whose cost of production is estimated around Rs 70,000 per acre but in return they are getting Rs 36,000 per acre. The government is under pressure to buy the surplus stocks from the rice mills and export them on government to government basis to protect the farmers. http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/07/23/business/pakistan-asks-kenya-to-lower-import-dutyon-rice/

APEDA News India International Benchmark Price Price on: 22-07-2015

Product

Benchmark Indicators Name

Price

1

Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

2100

2

Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

2000

3

Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

1800

1

Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

4600

2

Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

5100

3

Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

3000

1

Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

4470

2

Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

1890

3

Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

2990

Garlic

Ginger

Guar Gum Powder

Source:agra-net

For more info

Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 23-07-2015 Domestic Prices Product

Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Market Center

Variety

Min Price

Max Price

1

Cachar (Assam)

Other

2000

2500

2

Kheda (Gujarat)

Other

1850

3300

Rice

6

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com 3

Deogarh (Orissa)

Other

2000

3000

1

Amirgadh (Gujarat)

Other

1400

1825

2

Alappuzha (Kerala)

Other

1950

2050

3

Gumla (Jharkhand)

Other

1950

2500

1

Jagraon (Punjab)

Other

1800

2000

2

Shillong (Meghalaya)

Other

2000

2400

3

Chala (Kerala)

Other

3300

3352

Talalagir (Gujarat)

Other

1500

1540

2

Chala (Kerala)

Other

1700

1750

3

Nilagiri (Orissa)

Other

1300

1500

Wheat

Pine Apple

Cucumbar 1

Source:agra-net

For more info

Egg

Rs per 100 No Price on 23-07-2015 Product

Market Center

Price

1

Ahmedabad

332

2

Chittoor

323

3

Mysore

310

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices

Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 23-07-2015

Product

Market Center

Origin

Variety

Low

Potatoes

High Package: 50 lb cartons

1

Atlanta

Colorado

Russet

23.50

23.50

2

Chicago

Idaho

Russet

19

22

3

Detroit

Wisconsin

Russet

21

Cauliflower

21.50 Package: cartons film wrapped

1

Atlanta

California

White

14

17

2

Chicago

California

White

15

17

3

Miami

Mexico

White

16

Grapefruit

16 Package: 7/10 bushel cartons

1

Atlanta

California

Red

29

29.50

2

Baltimore

California

Red

23

26

3

Dallas

California

Red

20

20.75

Source:USDA

Have Scientists Found A Way To Feed The World Without Warming The Planet?

BY NATASHA GEILING 7

JUL 23, 2015 2:50PM

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK Aside from corn, rice might be the single most important staple crop on Earth. According to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, more than 3.5 billion people around the world depend on rice for at least 20 percent of their daily caloric intake.

But rice is also a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s more effective, at least in the short term, at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

Now, scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences think they’ve found a solution: a high-yielding, low-methane type of rice that can cut methane emissions from rice cultivation by up to 90 percent.To create the starchy, climate-friendly rice, the scientists transferred a single gene from barley to rice that stimulates the production of starch in grain and stems. According to the study, published this week in Nature, previous research has shown that rice plants with smaller root systems tended to expel less methane than plants with larger roots, and the scientists hoped that by emphasizing starch growth in the stems and grains, the rice plants would naturally grow smaller root systems. Root systems in rice secrete the carbohydrates created by photosynthesis — when rice paddies are flooded, the oxygen-devoid environment provides the perfect breeding ground for methane-producing bacteria that feed on these carbohydrates. By reducing the size of the rice plants’ roots, the scientists hoped that they could curb the amount of methane produced in the fields.

To test how the modified rice plants fared in the real world, the scientists planted the rice in two different fields in China, alongside conventional rice, which served as a benchmark. Over three years, they measured the methane emitted by the plants in the fall and summer, near the end of the growing season. They also took measurements of starch content in the plants’ stems, roots, and seeds.

They found the modified rice plants extremely effective at producing starch and curbing methane emissions. In the summer, when temperatures were highest, the modified rice cut methane emissions to 0.3 percent of conventional rice. On average, the modified rice produced less than 10 percent the methane of conventional rice, while providing 43 percent more grain per plant.In an essay in Nature that accompanied the study’s publication, Paul Bodelier, a researcher 8

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology who was not directly involved with the study, called the findings ―a tremendous opportunity for more-sustainable rice cultivation,‖ but cautioned that large-scale trials are necessary before moving forward with full-scale commerical use. Without more trials, Bodelier wrote, it’s difficult to know how the genetic modification impacts the rice cultivar’s long-term chances for survival. It’s also important to study how the plant’s root system impacts microbes in the soil — microbes that themselves contribute to the production and consumption of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bruce Linquist, a plant scientist at the University of California at Davis, echoed Bodelier’s sentiment. The research is too preliminary to know for sure how the genetic modification impacts methane production, Linquist said, and there is some concern that smaller root systems might impact the plants’ ability to take up nutrients.Even if further trials prove the efficacy of the modified rice, it faces huge hurdles in order to become commercially viable. Largely in response to public distrust of genetically modified foods, no genetically modified rice has ever been successfully used in commercial production. Golden rice — a genetically modified strain of rice that contains beta carotene to combat malnutrition in developing countries — was ready for full-scale use in 2002, but has faced staunch opposition that has kept it from market for over a decade.

Despite public distrust — a January poll conducted by Pew found that 57 percent of Americansthink genetically modified foods are generally unsafe to eat — nearly all scientific evidence suggests that genetically modified foods pose no threat to human health.There is some concern, however, about the environmental impact of genetically modified foods. Crops like Roundup-resistant soy or corn have led to a marked increase in the use of herbicides in the United States, though some studies have also shown that genetically modified crops have led to a decrease in the use of some pesticides. Since the low-methane strain of rice isn’t bred to be herbicide or pesticide resistant, this most likely won’t be an issue with this particular strain — though the way that its root-system interacts with microbes in the soil is something to watch. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/23/3683754/gmo-rice-climate-change/

IIRR scientist nominated to FAO panel on soils The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has nominated Brajendra, working with Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), as one of the 27 top global soil experts to the panel of UNFAO-GSP Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS).Project Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, V. Ravindra Babu, said on Thursday that the third plenary assembly held at FAO headquarters from June 22 to 24 has nominated Mr. Brajendra here for a period of two years. The scientist has also been invited by UNFAO from Asia to participate in the ITPS meeting to be held at Rome, Italy, from September 14 to 18 this year for developing global soil partnerships pillars of action.Working as a senior scientist with IIRR here, Mr. Brajendra has more than 15 years experience in research, developing soil technologies, soil extension and popularising the sciences among the masses and making it accessible to the common people, Mr. Ravindra Babu stated.

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Unlocking rice immune system will benefit humanity: Scientists Washington, July 25 (IANS): Rice is a staple food for half of the world's population. To protect it against deadly pathogens, a team of researchers has identified a bacterial signal that, when recognised by rice plants, enables them resist a devastating blight disease.The team discovered that a bacterial protein called ―RaxX‖ activates a specific rice immune receptor protein named ―XA21‖.This activation triggers an immune response against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that causes bacterial blight, a serious disease of rice crops.

"Our results show that 'RaxX' - a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein - is required for activation of immunity to Xoo,‖ said Pamela Ronald, plant geneticist for the US Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and the University of California (UC) Davis.XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilise its defenses to mount a potent immune response against Xoo."Rice plants that do not carry the XA21 immune receptor or other related immune receptors are virtually defenseless against bacterial blight,‖ Ronald added in a paper that appeared in the journal Science Advances.

Pathogens of grass-type biofuel crops that would reduce the yield of fuel-producing biomass likely use similar infection mechanisms to Xoo."Having identified the activator of XA21, we will be able to study the rice immune system in far greater detail than ever before. This might help in the future engineering of more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops,‖ explained Benjamin Schwessinger, a grass geneticist with JBEI.Most plants and many animals can only defend themselves against a given disease if they carry specialised immune receptors that sense the invading pathogen behind the disease.Rice is also a model plant for perennial grasses which are prime feedstock candidates for the production of clean, green and renewable cellulosic biofuels.

Just as bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice crops, bacterial infections of grass-type fuel plants could present major problems for the future production of advanced biofuels.In addition to its implications for future grass-type biofuel feedstocks, unlocking the rice immune system also holds important implications for the worldwide supply of rice, the authors concluded.

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=338819

If moral, political and scientific obstacles can be surpassed, then this is a breakthrough

By NEOnline | IR When a new variety of rice is announced, activists in Europe brace for a new fight against Genetically Modified Foods and US manufacturers seek for a new market, preferably in Asia and Africa. On Wednesday, the announcement was made in Paris by a team of Chinese, Swedish and 10

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com US scientists, and everyone was willing to listen.Rice is a staple favored in some of the most demographically expanding countries in the world. Billions of people eat rice, every day, thousands of tons of it. This particular variety’s claim to fame is not merely that it promises to feed more people, which it does.

This rice is good for the environment. In fact, it may be the single most important breakthrough in the fight against global warming made in years, if politics, the ethical argument, and science will allow (in that order). This rice emits less methane.The key are starchier grains that on the one hand are more nutritious and, on the other, they can curb global warming. Rice emits methane, a gas that makes up 16% of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

Unlike coal, methane dies out faster once released to the atmosphere, but traps far more heat on the Earth’s surface whilst up there.

Each year, rice paddies emit 25 to 100 million tones of methane. And as human grow more and more of the staff each year, rice is turning into a climate liability of unbelievable proportions.Since 2002, it was noted that the bulkier the grain of the rice plant, the less methane emitted. Apparently, that is because starchier rice grains mean allow for less carbon to transferred to the soil, where it is turned into methane via decomposition. Plants left to rot, stink.

Rather than focusing on farming practices, the scientists are now focusing on the rice itself. The key, apparently was the addition of a barley gene, giving rise to a strain dubbed SUSIBA 2.

Three year of experimental cultivation in China indicates the strain emits significantly less methane.As always, this ―groundbreaking‖ discovery comes with ethical issues to be addressed.

It is as yet unknown how the spread of this seed could affect rice plant survival and there is the perennial issue of how safe GM crops are for human consumption. In addition, it is unknown whether lowering the rate of carbon transferred to the ground by rice affects the ecosystem otherwise. http://www.neurope.eu/article/rice-against-climate-change/

Unlocking the rice immune system Joint BioEnergy Institute study identifies bacterial protein that is key to protecting rice against bacterial blight DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY

IMAGE: RICE IS A STAPLE FOR HALF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AND THE MODEL PLANT FOR GRASS-TYPE BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCKS. CREDIT: PHOTO BY ROY KALTSCHMIDT, BERKELEY LAB A bacterial signal that when recognized by rice plants enables the plants to resist a devastating blight disease has been identified by a multi-national team of researchers led by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and the University of 11

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California (UC) Davis.The research team discovered that a tyrosine-sulfated bacterial protein called "RaxX," activates the rice immune receptor protein called "XA21." This activation triggers an immune response against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that causes bacterial blight, a serious disease of rice crops."Our results show that RaxX, a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein, is required for activation of XA21-mediated immunity to Xoo," says Pamela Ronald, a plant geneticist for both JBEI and UC Davis who led this study.

"XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its defenses to mount a potent immune response against Xoo. Rice plants that do not carry the XA21 immune receptor or other related immune receptors are virtually defenseless against bacterial blight."Ronald, who directs JBEI's grass genetics program and is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology, is one of two corresponding authors of a paper describing this research in Science Advances, along with Benjamin Schwessinger, a grass geneticist with JBEI's Feedstocks Division at the time of this study and now with the Australian National University. The paper is titled "The rice immune receptor XA21 recognizes a tyrosine-sulfated protein from a Gram-negative bacterium." (See end of story for a complete list of authors.)

Rice is a staple food for half the world's population and a model plant for perennial grasses, such as Miscanthus and switchgrass, which are prime feedstock candidates for the production of clean, green and renewable cellulosic biofuels. Just as bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice crops, bacterial infections of grass-type fuel plants could present major problems for the future production of advanced biofuels. However, the mechanisms by which bacteria infect such 12

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com grasses is poorly understood."Pathogens of grass-type biofuel crops that would reduce the yield of fuel-producing biomass likely use similar infection mechanisms to Xoo," says Schwessinger.

"Having identified the activator of XA21, we will be able to study the rice immune system in far greater detail than ever before.

As rice is the model for grass-type biofuel feedstocks, this might help in the future engineering of more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops."Most plants and many animals can only defend themselves against a given disease if they carry specialized immune receptors that sense the invading pathogen behind the disease. In 2009, Ronald and her group identified a small bacterial protein they named "Ax21" as the molecular key that binds to the XA21 receptor to activate a rice plant's immune response. Diligent follow-up research by her group led to Ronald retracting these results and continuing the search for the true key.

"We were ecstatic with our results in 2009 because identifying the molecule that XA21 recognizes provides an important piece to the puzzle of how the rice plant is able to respond to infection," Ronald says, "but then it was back to the drawing board. Now we have the real XA21 activator."To uncover the true XA21 activator, Ronald and her collaborators studied mutations around an operon known as "RaxSTAB." Operons are small groups of genes with related functions that are co-transcribed in a single strand of messenger RNA."We hypothesized that the activator of XA21 might be encoded in the proximity of the molecular machinery that we already knew was involved in production of the activator," says Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's research group and a co-lead author with Schwessinger of the Science Advances paper.

"One of these bacterial mutants had a deletion of a then unknown gene, now called raxX."Adds Schwessinger, "When we looked more closely in this operon region we identified raxX as a potentially expressed gene. This small gene stuck out as it was very well conserved in other Xanthomonas that encode RaxSTAB but not conserved in any other bacteria that miss this operon."In addition to its implications for future grass-type biofuel feedstocks, the revelation of RaxX as the bacterial molecule that triggers the XA21-mediated immune response also holds important implications for the worldwide supply of rice. The research team has shown that a number of strains of the blight bacteria can evade XA21-mediated immunity because they encode a variant of raxX alleles.

"Like prescribing the best vaccination for the flu each season by monitoring which flu strains are going to be the most prevalent, it should be possible to screen wild Xoo populations in the ricegrowing regions of Asia and Africa for whether they encode RaxX alleles that are recognized by XA21," says Schwessinger. "We can then inform farmers which rice varieties will be resistant to those bacterial populations."Schwessinger also notes that several major human diseases involve tyrosine-sulfated proteins, including HIV. However the precise role of tyrosine sulfation in receptor binding and cell invasion is not understood."Understanding the RaxX/XA21 ligandreceptor pair might help medical researchers better understand the role of tyrosine sulfation for receptor binding in human disease," Schwessinger says. "This could lead to the development of novel components that block the binding of specific tyrosine-sulfated proteins." ### 13

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com This research was supported by both the DOE Office of Science, the National Institutes of Health, and the Human Frontier Science Program.In addition to Ronald, Schwessinger and Pruitt, other co-authors of the Science Advances paper were Anna Joe, Nicholas Thomas, Furong Liu, Markus Albert, Michelle Robinson, Leanne Chan, Dee Dee Luu, Huamin Chen, Ofir Bahar, Arsalan Daudi, David De Vleesschauwer, Daniel Caddell,Weiguo Zhang, Xiuxiang Zhao, Xiang Li, Joshua Heazlewood, Deling Ruan, Dipali Majumder, Mawsheng Chern, Hubert Kalbacher, Samriti Midha, Prabhu Patil, Ramesh Sonti, Christopher Petzold, Chang Liu, Jennifer Brodbelt and Georg Felix.Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe.

Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes.

The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visithttp://www.lbl.gov.DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website atscience.energy.gov/. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/dbnl-utr072415.php

Beating hunger: This Emirati farmer shows how to grow rice in the desert Using hydroponics, Emirati farmer unveils exciting solution to curb hunger -- by growing rice, pineapple, papayas, nectarines, oranges, black and blueberries and grapes without soil Image Credit: WAM

Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri shows a rice variety he is growing using hydroponics. He is one of exhibitors at the on-going Liwa Dates Festival 2015, an agricultural event which ends on July 30.

PUBLISHED: 19:55 JULY 24, 2015 STAFF REPORTER Western Region: Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri has demonstrated his amazing green thumb by growing rice in the desert.On Friday, he exhibited an exciting experiment that could potentially help beat hunger especially in the world's arid regions. He is planting rice in his farm in Liwa, an oasis in the UAE's south-western region.And his new experiment is starting to bear fruit using a water-efficient farming method called hydroponics.Al Mansouri has been growing vegetables and fruits too, which he brought for everyone to see at the on-going Liwa Dates Festival 2015, an annual event which ends on July 30.The Emirati farmer had been using hydroponics to grow vegetables for years.Hydroponics is a branch of hydro-culture which 14

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com employs a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions directly in water -- without soil, according to the official agency WAM. Many commercial farms in the UAE had been using hydroponics for decades now to grow everything from strawberries to celery for both local and export markets.But Al Mansouri has now taken it to higher pitch -- by demonstrating he can also grow and harvest rice too -- potentially helping solve land and water scarcity for the cultivation of rice.The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Los Banos, Philippines, estimates that up to 20 million hectares of irrigated rice fields may suffer from water scarcity by 2025.Japanese researchers at the Chiba University estimate that global production of rice, a staple for much of Asia, must increase by more than 50 per cent before 2050 to satisty an expected spike in demand by the world's growing population.

Experiment The Emirati farmer said he started his experiments back in 2010 by planting various types of vegetables and other plants in his Liwa farm.As the experiments proved to be a complete success, Al Mansouri decided to grow the vegetables in commercial quantities.At the festival, Al Mansouri is exhibiting other fruits which he grew using the same method -- such as pineapples, papayas, nectarines, oranges, black and blue berries and grapes.

Then he started planting rice and is now exhibiting his hydroponic rice product samples at the agroindustrial event.Al Mansouri's passion for hydroponics makes him believe this modern food production method could be used on a much larger scale over the coming years, through the use of a smart irrigation system.He also urged other farmers to try and use it. "Some farmers," Al Mansouri said, "believe this method is complicated and costly ... and that is not true."Hay from rice could also potentially boost local production of animal fodder, which could help the local dairy industry. http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/beating-hunger-this-emirati-farmer-shows-how-to-grow-ricein-the-desert-1.1555586

Huge rice import alarming, say lawmakers 15

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A vendor sells varieties of rice at a retailer shop in Makati, Metro Manila in the Philippines. The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice importers, could ship in more to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices stable because of an El Nino dry weather pattern now forecast to last until next year, potentially hurting the local harvest.

10:37 PM 24 July2015

The Aquino administration has imported an alarming 2.1mn metric tonnes (MT) of rice this year alone that would reduce prices of farm-gate palay (unhusked rice) to the detriment of farmers, lawmakers said yesterday.Party-list Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate made the warning in House Resolution 2231, which calls on the House Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Special House Committee on Food Security to conduct a joint inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the excessive importation of rice by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council.The 2.1mn MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down into 500,000 MT procured by the NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two rounds of government-to-government transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the lean season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200 MT private sector imports from the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT delivered this year from 2014 MAV. The 805,200 MT private sector imports from the MAV came from China, India, Pakistan, Australia, El Salvador, Thailand and Vietnam, among others, with the biggest chunk of 293,000 MT sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.―The 2.1mn MT in rice import for 2015 is highly irregular and doubtful. Excessive importation jeopardises the livelihood of our farmers nationwide. In fact, even the NFA admitted that importation would surely cause the farm-gate prices of palay to go down from its current price pegged at P17 per kilo,‖ the resolution of the lawmakers from Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan Muna said the NFA made matters worse by 16

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com merely procuring 7,789 MT of palay for January-October 2014, a steep decline from the 365,582 MT palay procured in 2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department of Agriculture’s National Rice Programme said the NFA should at least buy 1mn MT of palay from farmers to ensure the stability of farm-gate prices.―It is rather incomprehensible that the NFA managed to [procure] excessive amounts of imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from buying more palay from farmers due to lack of funding,‖ Bayan Muna pointed out. ―The government did not even assure farmers that they would take necessary measures to stabilise the prices to ensure food security. Hence, should this excessive importation continue, the public will be expecting another round of price hikes not only of rice, but other commodities,‖ the lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the Aquino administration has been marred by low rice distribution based on NFA records.From a total rice distribution of 1.7mn MT in 2010, the NFA only distributed 1.9 MT in 2011, 766,000 MT in 2012, 758,000 MT in 2013 and 1.2 mn MT in 2014.―Rice distribution is the capacity of the government to judiciously disperse stocks, thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in critical areas of the country.

This means that despite the Aquino administration attaining record-setting importation volumes, the consuming public did not benefit from the same,‖ Colmenares and Zarate said.―It is the primordial duty of Congress to partake in measures or actions that would ensure not only food security to the public but also their protection from those who try to abuse our resources.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd himself questioned the excessive importation of rice during the Arroyo administration. And yet, the situation worsened during his term,‖ the two lawmakers added. http://www.gulf-times.com/asean-philippines/188/details/448559/huge-rice-import-alarming,-saylawmakers

U.S. Sells Rice to Iran ARLINGTON, VA -- In the weekly sales report released Room for U.S. rice yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was announced that 60,000 MT of long grain rice was sold to Iran. The last shipment of U.S. rice to Iran was in May 2013, a year in which the U.S. exported 126,000 MT of rice to that country. U.S. sanctions toward Iran, like in Cuba, has an exception for food, but requires licenses be obtained from the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control to complete sales.

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This sale follows closely on the heels of a similar 60,000 MT sale to Iraq, which was the result of significant efforts and engagement of USA Rice with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, and the Foreign Agricultural Service."These sales could not have come at a better time for rice farmers and the rice milling industry," said Betsy Ward, USA Rice President & CEO. "With the current market situation, any added demand is most welcome."

Contact: Jim Guinn (703) 236-1474

USA Rice Meets with Taiwan Government Officials and USDA about Rice Imports Michael Rue TAIPEI, TAIWAN -- Last week, Michael Rue, California rice producer and chairman of USA Rice's Asia Trade Policy Subcommittee, and USA Rice COO Bob Cummings met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service employees stationed in Taiwan and with officials from Taiwan's Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to discuss ongoing concerns about access for U.S. rice in Taiwan.When Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization, officials agreed to import 64,634 MT (brown basis) of U.S. rice annually.

Approximately 45 percent is imported directly by AFA and the remainder is purchased under a Simultaneous Buy-Sell system managed by AFA officials.

Import tenders for U.S. and other origin rice often fail because the offered prices exceed a price ceiling set by AFA. "We continued our discussion with AFA about the non-transparent nature of the price ceiling mechanism and the problems this causes Taiwan in fulfilling its WTO obligations," said Michael Rue. Taiwan did agree to hold an annual rice technical meeting with USA Rice members. Taiwan officials 18

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com also expressed interest in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement following completion of negotiations among the current 12 participants, including the United States.

Contact: Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for July 24

Month

Price

Net Change

September 2015

$11.045

- $0.065

November 2015

$11.310

- $0.065

January 2016

$11.580

- $0.065

March 2016

$11.780

- $0.065

May 2016

$11.970

- $0.065

July 2016

$11.970

- $0.065

September 2016

$11.980

- $0.065

Researchers use test plots to adapt recommendations Bruce Schultz7:02 p.m. CDT July 23, 2015

(Photo: Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter)) CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com RAYVILLE – The differences in growing rice in north and south Louisiana create the need for

researchers to study how farmers can adapt their practices to fit the varied environments, an LSU AgCenter expert said recently.Speaking at the Northeast Louisiana rice field day, LSU AgCenter rice breeder Steve Linscombe said test plots on farmers’ land help test potential rice varieties to see how the perform in different settings with varying soil types and climates.The field day was held at the Woodsland Plantation south of Rayville where Linscombe has a series of test plots.Among the rice included in the test plots are two lines that could become varieties this year, he said.The line LA2134 has a yield potential similar or perhaps higher than CL151 with better grain quality, better lodging resistance and more blast disease resistance, he said.

A seed increase grown in Puerto Rico has been planted in a 20-acre field at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station near Crowley.Also up for consideration as a release is a medium-grain line, LA2008, he said.Blast is a problem for some growers this year, although it is not as bad as in 2012, Linscombe said. The severity may have been reduced this year because farmers are using fungicides more effectively.Bacterial panicle blight has been found in the varieties CL111 and Jazzman 2, Linscombe said. Sheath blight problems are about average.Check-off funds paid by farmers are essential for rice research and to buy equipment researchers need to do their work, Linscombe said. ―These check-off funds are extremely valuable to bring new technology to the station.‖The new rice breeder at the station, Adam Famoso, said he wants to use technology to screen new rice lines earlier in the breeding process to obtain desired traits and to eliminate unwanted characteristics.AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said this year’s growing season will be remembered for heavy rainfall that kept soil wet and interfered with fertilizer applications.―Preflood nitrogen has to go out on dry ground, or you’re going to lose much of that nitrogen,‖ Harrell said.AgCenter entomologist Sebe Brown said keeping levees clear of weeds can slow the migration of stink bugs into a field.

20

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Acephate cannot be used legally for stink bugs, and traces of the pesticide found on rice can be rejected by overseas buyers.Stink bugs probably will become resistant to pyrethroids eventually, Brown said. ―It’s not if, but when.‖Rogers Leonard, AgCenter program leader for plants and soils, said the recent legislative session ended with a resolution of a potential funding crisis that could have led to closures of AgCenter research stations and parish extension offices.Leonard credited legislators for realizing the potential for disaster and voted for items they disliked to prevent the drastic action. ―We will try to thank them as much as we can http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2015/07/23/researchers-use-test-plots-adaptrecommendations/30596725/?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+July+24%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C +December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Huge rice importation alarming – lawmakers July 24, 2015 11:45 pm

by LLANESCA T. PANTI, REPORTER The Aquino administration has imported an alarming 2.1 million metric tons (MT) of rice this year alone that would reduce prices of farm-gate palay (unhusked rice) to the detriment of farmers, lawmakers said on Friday.Party-list Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate made the warning in House Resolution 2231, which calls on the House Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Special House Committee on Food Security to conduct a joint inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the excessive importation of rice by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council.

The 2.1 million MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down into 500,000 MT procured by the NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two rounds of government-to-government transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the lean season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200 MT private sector imports from the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT delivered this year from 2014 MAV.The 805,200 MT private sector imports from the MAV came from China, India, Pakistan, Australia, El Salvador, Thailand and Vietnam, among others, with the biggest chunk of 293,000 MT sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.―The 2.1 million MT in rice import for 2015 is highly irregular and doubtful. Excessive importation jeopardizes the livelihood of our farmers nationwide.

In fact, even the NFA admitted that importation would surely cause the farm-gate prices of palay to go down from its current price pegged at P17 per kilo,‖ the resolution of the lawmakers from Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan Muna said the NFA made matters worse by merely procuring 7,789 MT of palay for January-October 2014, a steep decline from the 365,582 MT palay procured in 2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department of Agriculture’s National Rice Program said the NFA should at least buy one million MT of palay from farmers to ensure the stability of farm-gate prices.―It is rather incomprehensible that the NFA managed to [procure] excessive amounts of imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from buying more palay from farmers due to lack of funding,‖ Bayan Muna pointed out.

21

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com ―The government did not even assure farmers that they would take necessary measures to stabilize the pricesto ensure food security. Hence, should this excessive importation continue, the public will be expecting another round of price hikes not only of rice, but other commodities,‖ the lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the Aquino administration has been marred by low rice distribution based on NFA records.From a total rice distribution of 1.7 MT million in 2010, the NFA only distributed 1.9 MT in 2011, 766,000 MT in 2012, 758,000 MT in 2013 and 1.2 million MT in 2014.―Rice distribution is the capacity of the government to judiciously disperse stocks, thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in critical areas of the country.

This means that despite the Aquino administration attaining record-setting importation volumes, the consuming public did not benefit from the same,‖ Colmenares and Zarate said.―It is the primordial duty of Congress to partake in measures or actions that would ensure not only food security to the public but also their protection from those who try to abuse our resources.

President [Benigno] Aquino [3rd] himself questioned the excessive importation of rice during the Arroyo administration. And yet, the situation worsened during his term,‖ the two lawmakers added. http://www.manilatimes.net/huge-rice-importation-alarming-lawmakers/203231/

NFA, groups to keep monitoring rice prices

By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 24, 2015 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) it will continue to work with groups that have been helping the agency monitor rice prices.―We are grateful for the support of concerned groups and individuals who have partnered with us to monitor rice prices. The tips we have received have helped us to identify which areas require more supplies and which do not,‖ NFA administrator Renan Dalisay said yesterday.Dalisay noted that rice prices have remained stable at the onset of the lean season.Rice inflation has fallen to 2 percent from a high of 14 percent in August 2014.

A kilo of regular milled rice now retails for P37.30, P1.60 lower than the average prices in January.Dalisay said an NFA project called ―Bantay Bigas‖ has allowed the NFA to coordinate with all the other stakeholders including, but not limited to, farmers, millers, consumer groups, retailers, local government units and civil society.―The NFA has personnel but like most government agencies, our resources are limited. With volunteer groups like Kaya Natin, we’re able to cover more areas and have more eyes and ears on the ground,‖ he said..The project has encouraged other civil society groups, youth groups and local government units to participate in efforts to ensure that rice remains affordable and accessible to every Filipino.―Such programs are part of the NFA’s reform agenda, aptly named BIGAS, which hopes to involve the community and other sectors in NFA’s various activities,‖ Dalisay added. http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/24/1480403/nfa-groups-keep-monitoring-rice-prices

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by Mary Grace Padin - July 24, 2015 A non-governmental organization (NGO) on Friday warned the National Food Authority (NFA) against pushing through with its plans to import more rice under the so-called minimum-access volume (MAV) scheme.The Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) said allowing the private sector to bring in an additional 805,200 metric tons (MT) of rice under MAV would be ―disastrous‖ for local rice farmers.―We all know that oversupply of imported rice will spell the death of livelihood for our local rice farmers. The traders will exploit this situation to drive the farm gate prices of palay at its lowest possible rate,‖ Lead Convenor of R1 Aurora Regalado said in a statement.

The NFA has already imported a total of 750,000 MT of rice earlier this year. Including the 250,000 MT reserve volume on standby, the 805,200 MT private-sector importation under the MAV scheme, and the 300,000 MT of rice imported under MAV in December last year, this adds up to a total of 2.1 million MT of rice-importation plan for 2015.Rice imports that fall within the MAV are slapped a lower tariff of 35 percent.NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay said the government has not yet decided on putting on hold its purchase of an additional 250,000 MT of rice from foreign sources. The government is also not suspending the rice-importation scheme under MAV. ―As of now, the importation under MAV will push through. Based on my own estimate, private traders have applied for permits to bring in some 200,000 MT,‖ Dalisay said in a text message to BusinessMirror.Dalisay said the NFA’s total rice inventory is currently at 773,038 MT, which is sufficient for 25 days. He said this is below the 30-day buffer stock, which the NFA must maintain during the lean months of July, August and September.For the week ending July 17, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said prices of regular-milled and well-milled rice remain stable.―Prices were generally stable although movements in two trading centers were noted,‖ thereport read.

In Tacloban City, PSA data showed that the price per kilo of well-milled and regular-milled rice dropped by P2 each. The report also noted that the prices of special rice and premium rice declined by P5 per kilo and P1 per kilo, respectively. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/group-warns-against-importing-more-rice/

Ministry postpones |the auction of rotten rice to next month PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI,THE NATION July 25, 2015 1:00 am THE COMMERCE Ministry has postponed until next month a planned auction of Grade C (rotten) rice for industrial use, to ensure this lot has not been mixed up with good-quality rice that would demand a better price.Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said the ministry would delay open bidding for 1.29 million tonnes of rotten rice in the government stocks for a couple weeks.

23

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com However, the ministry will maintain its plan to auction 450,000 tonnes of good-quality rice by late July to increase the market supply as the drought cuts production.The ministry is cooperating with the Thailand Development Research Institute, the National Farmers Council, and rice surveyors to inspect the government's rice stocks.The ministry will set up a team to ensure that no Grade C rice finds its way into batches meant for human consumption.

Given the high demand for rice amid the drought, the Commerce Ministry is confident that Thailand will be able to export a total of 10 million tonnes this year as it expects rising demand in many markets.In an upcoming trade mission to South Africa, the ministry will witness the signing of a rice-purchase contract for the supply of about 700,000 tonnes from Thailand this year. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Ministry-postpones-the-auction-of-rotten-rice-to-n30265182.html

Thai Commerce Ministry Set To Revise Exports Expectation HANOI, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Thailand Ministry of Commerce is set to adjust the 2015 exports projection due to the global economy's uncertain recovery, and has ordered the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) to communicate with private companies on the release of instock rice, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).The Minister of Commerce Gen Chatchai Sarikulya has revealed that the Ministry will be revising this year's exports growth projection down from previous forecast at 1.2 per cent, as Thai exports are still overshadowed by the uncertainty of the global economy.

New projections will be concluded by next week.Regarding the government's release of in-stock rice, the Commerce Minister has said that the DFT has been ordered to communicate with the millers associations and exporters to discuss the plan's scope, in order to push the total exports of Thai rice this year over 10 million tonnes.The principles for the release of 400,000-500,000 tonnes of good quality rice will be announced next week, while the ministry is also compiling the principles for the release of another 1.29 million tonnes of poor quality rice to the industrial sector.

Regarding claims by rice exporters stating that the purchasing price of rice in the market that should be higher than the current price, the Minister of Commerce has said that the DFT has been ordered to verify factual information on this matter, but he believes that the current price of 9,000 THB (US$285) per tonne is the proper price, in line with market mechanisms.He said that the price of rice will continue to increase, but much of this depends on the market's demand and supply. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1155120 24

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-July 24 Nagpur, July 23 Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on lack of demand from local millers amid poor quality arrival.

Easy condition on NCDEX, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reports about beginning of monsoon in the regions also pulled down prices, according to sources. *

*

*

*

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers amid ample stock in ready position.

TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply position. * Rice HMT Shriram varieties recovered in open market on increased festival season demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing regions like Chhasttisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. * In Akola, Tuar - 7,100-7,200, Tuar dal - 10,100-10,300, Udid at 9,500-9,900, Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,000-11,400, Moong - 7,000-8,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,800-10,100, Gram - 4,100-4,200, Gram Super best bold - 5,700-5,900 for 100 kg. * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 3,800-4,430 3,800-4,590 Gram Pink Auction n.a.

2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 6,700-7,400 6,700-7,550 Moong Auction n.a.

6,000-6,400 Udid Auction n.a.

4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a.

2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200 Gram Super Best n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,700-5,800 5,700-5,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.

Gram Mill Quality 5,350-5,550 5,350-5,550 25

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,550-4,650 Gram Filter new 5,950-6,150 5,950-6,150 Gram Kabuli 5,600-7,100 5,600-7,100 Gram Pink 6,500-6,700 6,500-6,700 Tuar Fataka Best 10,600-10,850 10,600-10,850 Tuar Fataka Medium 10,200-10,500 10,200-10,500 Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,700-9,900 9,700-9,900 Tuar Dal Medium phod 9,200-9,500 9,200-9,500 Tuar Gavarani New 7,700-7,800 7,700-7,800 Tuar Karnataka 8,100-8,300 8,100-8,300 Tuar Black 11,000-11,300 11,000-11,300 Masoor dal best 8,000-8,300 8,000-8,300 Masoor dal medium 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 9,500-10,500 9,500-10,500 Moong Mogar Medium best 8,800-9,200 8,800-9,200 Moong dal Chilka 8,800-9,200 8,800-9,800 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 9,600-9,900 9,600-9,900 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,200-11,800 11,200-11,800 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,000 10,600-11,000 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 9,200-9,600 9,200-9,600 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 3,100-3,200 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,700 1,550-1,700 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,700 3,200-3,700 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,850 2,550-2,850 Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,750-2,950 2,750-2,950 Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,050-3,300 3,050-3,300 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,750 1,600-1,750 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700 Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 3,100-3,600 Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200 Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,600 4,200-4,500 Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,100 4,500-5,100 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000 26

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,500 5,100-5,500 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 29.4 degree Celsius (84.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

23.0 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : 23.1 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 27 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.) http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1043LP20150724

Kenya asked to review import duty on rice July 24, 2015 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday asked Kenya to review its decision of enhancing import duty on rice, which is affecting the country’s commodity exports.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar asked the Kenyan High Commissioner, Prof. Julius Kibet Bitok to review the matter of increasing import duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya. The matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in Pakistan was also discussed with emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.

Both sides agreed that all matters relating to trade and business cooperation could be taken up at the long awaited Pak-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting which is to be held in Pakistan. Finance Minister Dar asked Secretary Commerce to finalise the schedule of the PakKenya JMC in consultation with the Commerce Minister and convey the decision to the Kenyan side through the Economic Affairs Division on priority.

The Kenyan High Commissioner requested Finance Minister for increasing number of medical and engineering scholarships offered to Kenyan students by Pakistan. He said given the high standard of education, a large number of Kenyan students were eager to get enrolled in Pakistani educational institutions. The Minister directed Secretary EAD to accord due consideration to this request. Both sides agreed that exchange of high level visits was imperative for furthering bilateral relations, particularly the economic cooperation.

Korea keen to set up SEZ Ambassador of Korea in Pakistan Dr Dong Jonghwan said that Korean companies are interested to establish a Pakistan-Korean special economic zone in Agriculture farming and complete food processing in Punjab - Pakistan.He made these remarks during his visit to Board of Investment where he met with Minister of State/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail and discussed and explore the 27

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com key areas of investment opportunities between Pakistan and Korea. Minister of State/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail highlighted the investment potential and opportunities available for Korean investors / companies in Pakistan. Chairman BOI extended BOI’s full support to the Korean companies for the establishment of SEZ in Pakistan.

The Secretary, BOI informed Korean ambassador about his visit to Korea in the start of this month. He said that during his two -day visit, had a series of meetings with around 15 President & CEO’s of various Korean companies and Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Korea. He briefed the Korean companies with detailed discussions and induced them to make more investment in the potential areas of Pakistan.He said that Korean investors were very much interested to invest in Pakistan. At the end MOS/ Chairman, BOI thanked Dr. Dong Jonghwan, Ambassador of Korea for visiting Board of Investment and appreciated his efforts and intention to boost investment and economic relation between the two friendly countries http://nation.com.pk/business/24-Jul-2015/kenya-asked-to-review-import-duty-on-rice

Guyana Considers Alternatives as Venezuela Oil Program Wobbles

by Andrew Rosati July 24, 2015 — 9:43 AM PDT Guyana is considering energy alternatives to the Petrocaribe program as Venezuela fails to meet export quotas and tensions flare between the neighboring countries.―We are actively considering other options,‖ Guyanese Finance Minister Winston Jordan said in an interview on Wednesday.The small South American nation receives about half its fuel supply from the Petrocaribe program, but fears the agreement could be affected by a diplomatic spat with Venezuela over a longstanding border dispute, Jordan said. Guyana currently receives about 5200 barrels of fuel a day under the Petrocaribe program, though Venezuela has been unable to meet some delivery quotas, he said.Relations between the South American neighbors have hit their lowest point in recent years following Exxon Mobil Corp.’s announcement of a ―significant‖ oil discovery off Guyana’s coast in waters that Venezuela also claims as its own.Venezuela has long contested that’s borders drawn in 1899 are invalid and claims nearly two-thirds of Guyana’s as its own.Earlier this month, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recalled his ambassador in Georgetown for consultations and said he would review relations.

Venezuela will stop purchasing Guyanese rice in November when a bartering agreement for oil payments expires, according to Guyana.Through the rice for oil deal, Jordan said Guyana ―sharply decreased‖ its Petrocaribe debt over the years to its current level of some $160 million. ―The oil dispute may have accelerated recent actions, and may have hardened stances,‖ he said.A signature program of the late Hugo Chavez, Petrocaribe has sold about $28 billion to nations across the Caribbean and Central America since its creation in 2005. Member countries finance as much as half the price of the shipments at 1 percent to 2 percent interest over 25 years.Jordan says Guyana had no plans of exiting Petrocaribe due to its generous terms, while remaining cautious as no agreement had been signed for 2015.―This is a scenario where Venezuela has the oil and we are buying the oil on an arrangement from them -- they could cut it off at any time.

You have to be prepared.‖ 28

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-24/guyana-considers-alternatives-as-venezuela-oil-program-wobbles