25th february ,2016 daily global regional,local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter February 25,2016

Vol 7 Issue II

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Today Rice News Headlines...

Editorial Board Chief Editor

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Cuba keen to enhance bilateral trade with Pakistan PAKISTAN‟S FOOD, BEVERAGES AND AGRO-SECTOR EXPORTS TO EMIRATES WITNESS A 27PC JUMP IN TWO YEARS: TDAP Top Indian rice exporter aims to boost operations in GCC IIT-M grads working abroad drop to 20%, shows alumni survey Falling Rice Price Taking a Toll on Exporters Government pushes out long term rice strategy USA Rice Hosts First World Market Price Meeting of 2016 USA Rice Participates in World's Largest Annual Food & Hospitality Show Villain' shrub may yield drought-resistant rice Thailand plans steps worth $285 million to help drought-hit rice farmers US, China agree on UN North Korea resolution Local rice demand pushes price of imported rice down Tribal woman inspires farming community Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1422

News Detail...

Cuba keen to enhance bilateral trade with Pakistan February 24, 2016, 8:41 pm ISLAMABAD: Mr. Gabriel Tiel Capote, Ambassador of Republic of Cuba said that his country was keen to enhance trade relations with Pakistan as both countries have good potential to promote mutual cooperation in many areas. He said Pakistan could export textiles, fabrics, rice, surgical instruments, and leather & sports goods to Cuba while Cuba could export its biotechnological and pharmaceutical products to Pakistan. He expressed these views during his first interaction with business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said both countries could achieve mutually beneficial outcomes by enhancing cooperation in health, education, culture and sports fields as well.

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Hamlik

Managing Editor

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Abdul Sattar Shah Rahmat Ullah Rozeen Shaukat

English Editor

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Maryam Editor Legal Advisor Advocate Zaheer Minhas

Editorial Associates

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Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid Javed Islam Agha Ch.Hamid Malhi Dr.Akhtar Hussain Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF) Islam Akhtar Khan

Editorial Advisory Board

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Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim

Assistant Professor, Gomal University DIK

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Dr.Hasina Gul

Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK

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Dr.Hidayat Ullah

Assistant Professor, University of Swabi

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Dr.Abdul Basir

Assistant Professor, University of Swabi

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Zahid Mehmood PSO,NIFA Peshawar

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Falak Naz Shah

Head Food Science & Technology ART, Peshawar

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter He said Cuba had opened Mariel Port in 2014 situated in its North Western Region and created an Economic Development Zone around this port to attract foreign companies in the fields of electronics, chemicals, computers, biotechnology and pharmacy.

He said Pakistani investors should explore investment opportunities in the said Economic Zone in Cuba.The Ambassador said that Cuba organized Havana International Fair every year which would held in November this year and it was a good opportunity for Pakistani businessmen to participate in the fair to showcase their products as well as identify opportunities for further expanding bilateral trade. He suggested that ICCI should form a delegation of specific sectors for Cuba to explore business matchmakings and assured that his Embassy would facilitate in connecting its members with right counterparts in Cuba.

In his welcome address, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Cuba was just $5.6 million in2015 which was not encouraging by any standard. He said both countries should facilitate frequent exchange of trade delegations and focus on promoting connectivity between their private sectors to identify new avenues of mutual collaboration.He said many Pakistani products including food and others could find good market in Cuba while Pakistan could also benefit from Cuban experience, especially in the fields of medical science and healthcare. He said for improving bilateral trade and economic relations, it was necessary that both countries should improve communications links including direct flights. Sheikh Pervez Ahmed Senior Vice President and Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry also offered many suggestions to bring the two countries even closer in trade and economic relations. http://nation.com.pk/business/24-Feb-2016/cuba-keen-to-enhance-bilateral-trade-with-pakistan

PAKISTAN’S FOOD, BEVERAGES AND AGRO-SECTOR EXPORTS TO EMIRATES WITNESS A 27PC JUMP IN TWO YEARS: TDAP Thursday, 25 February 2016 15:47 Posted by Parvez Jabri

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ISLAMABAD: The Food, Beverages and Agro- sector exports to Emirates has touched approximately US $ half a billion mark and there was a 27 percent jump in food exports to UAE in two- year.This was stated by S. M. Munir, Chief Executive of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) while inaugurating Pakistan Pavilion in Gulfood 2016 Exhibition the other day, says a message received here from Dubai today.S.M Munir said that Pakistan has boosted sales of its traditional agricultural products while simultaneously expanding its reach into new product areas such as processed meat and poultry products, tea, concentrated milk and cream, certain fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs and confectioneries," he further elaborated.He added that persistent efforts of TDAP and Pakistani exporters have yielded positive results.

Pakistan Pavilion in Gulfood 2016 Exhibition comprises more than 92 companies in Food sector.Pakistan Pavilion was the most ambitious display of Pakistan's Best of Food Potential to GCC, Middle East and Northern African markets.In pursuance of Diversification of Pakistani exports, TDAP has arranged participation of biggest number of Pakistani companies to showcase their products in World's biggest Food Expo", said the Chief Executive TDAP, S. M Munir.

Pakistani companies' representation in Gulfood 2016 pavilion has grown from a mere 90 square metres in 2008 to 1,000 square metres this year, reflecting the emergence of a major exporting sector that is now challenging textiles as Pakistan's main foreign exchange earner with worldwide sales topping US $5 billion last year.Pakistani pavilion organized by Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with Consulate General of Pakistan, Dubai comprises of 450 sq. meters facilitating 64 Pakistani 4|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter companies while 28 leading Pakistani brands are showcasing their branded products in customized stalls spreading over 550 sq. meters.

Pakistani branded products in Processed Food, beverages, spice, confectionaries sector are hall mark of Pakistani Gulfood Pavilion 2016. Pakistani Food sector compliant of international Food and Hygiene Standards, he further informed.Pakistan has boosted sales of its traditional agricultural products while simultaneously expanding its reach into new product areas such as processed meat and poultry products, tea, concentrated milk and cream, certain fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs and confectioneries," He further elaborated. Persistent efforts of TDAP and Pakistani exporters have yielded positive results.The CE informed that in collaboration with USAID- Pakistan Agricultural Marketing Development, "Trade Facilitation Center" has also been established to facilitate Business-to-business matchmaking meetings between Pakistan Agro-exporters and Foreign Buyers.

Twelve leading Pakistani Meat and Meat Preparation; and Pakistani Fruits and Vegetable sector company's representatives would be available for business match making meetings.Speaking on occasion Pakistani Meat Branding dinner hosted in his honour, the Chief Executive informed that Pakistan's price and quality competitiveness, Halal and Tayab Meat sector is poised to enhance its market share in the GCC market. Close proximity and logistic connectivity of Pakistan with GCC countries position Pakistani meat exporters to attain the US$ 500 target in new three years.

Pakistani Meat Branding Dinner was organized by US- Pakistan Agricultural Marketing Development in collaboration with Consulate General of Pakistan, Dubai at Consulate General of Pakistan.

Agricultural Products Online Trading Platform Project was a major initiative that has been launched in collaboration of Sindh Agricultural Growth Project to eradicate inefficiencies in the agricultural supply chain.The Online Trading Platform is a joint technical collaboration of involvement of three specialized partners in this market model: Agility- World leaders in Global Value Chain, SGS, and Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX).Through the trading platform, buyers and sellers registered with PMEX are using PMEX's electronic trading facilities to trade red chillies quality tested by SGS.The product can be stored in Agility's warehouse in Kunri or at the seller's own location.

Once trade is locked, the red chillies become available to the buyer. Agility transports the product at buyer's destination upon buyer's indication. Once the product is dispatched, the payment is made to the seller the next working-day.Speaking on occasion of meeting with Pakistan Business Council, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Executive told the participants that Pakistan offers myriad of investment and trade opportunities for UAE based businessmen.The Chief Executive informed Pakistani expat business community that Pakistan's food and agricultural sector was vital for global food security and there are ample investment opportunities for food processing industry.

S.M Munir said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar Port would further increase trade and transit connectivity with GCC and Middle East.Regarding product mix of Pakistani food exports to UAE, Chief Executive informed that Rice remains Pakistan's leading food export 5|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter to the UAE with TADP figures showing that Pakistani rice sales to the Emirates have jumped 11 fold to US $207.8 million over the last two years.Meat and processed frozen food is another important growth sector for Pakistani exports crossing US$ 100 million mark in period of last three years.Exports of Pakistani Fruits and Vegetables has also increased over 100 percent in the past three years.Sales of dried fruits and vegetables to the UAE rose two-fold and four-fold to US $ 9.7 million and US $7.8 million, respectively.

The country exported US $5.9 million worth of potatoes to the Emirates last year - an eight-fold increase on 2012 figures, while sales of Pakistani Fresh and frozen meat have crossed US $ 50 million.

Onions, garlic and leeks, fresh or chilled and ginger have also witnessed 300 percent export growth over the past three years.Citrus fruit, fresh or dried has peaked its exports of over US$ 22 million- an increase of more than 168 percent in the same period.With sales of herbs more than doubling over the same period to US $4.7 million, Pakistani exporters also grew sales of concentrated milk and cream, vegetable oils and ice-cream from a standing start in 2012 to double or triple figure dollars last year.Ambassador of Pakistan to UAE, Asif Durrani, Commercial Counsellor Dr. Saeed Qadir, and Commercial Secretary Habib wAhmed were also present during the Chief Executive's visit to Gulfood 2016. http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/pakistan/280962-pakistans-food-beverages-and-agro-sectorexports-to-emirates-witness-a-27pc-jump-in-two-years-tdap.html

Top Indian rice exporter aims to boost operations in GCC DUBAI, KRBL Limited, among the world‟s largest rice millers and Basmati rice exporters, has planned to boost its operations across the Middle East region, particularly in the GCC. The company, owners of the flagship brand India Gate basmati rice, aims to achieve its goals by focusing on strengthening ties with local partners and expanding its distributor network, said the statement.

KRBL Limited recorded a total export revenue of $203.48 million for the year 2014-15, said its long-term business strategy is to grow this business by 75 per cent over the next five years, it added.Rice consumption in the Middle East is continuously increasing, thus enabling expansion of the rice market, especially the Basmati rice segment, it said.Priyanka Mittal, director of KRBL Limited, said: “The total consumption in the Middle East is about 3 million metric tonnes, and KRBL is targeting around 25 per cent of this volume owning to its large milling capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes.”

“The Gulfood exhibition is an important trade fair for KRBL with Middle East being our biggest market outside India. Today, 85 per cent of our total export revenue comes from the Middle East,” she said.“With a truly global population and changing demographics, this region offers a huge potential for growth, and we want to capitalise on this opportunity. At KRBL, we have the capacity and the infrastructure to support this growth. Our marketing strategy towards achieving 6|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter this is to offer a product basket that caters to all consumer levels,” she added.KRBL adopts a basket approach to brand introduction; new products are launched after due diligence, feedback from market distributors and an in-depth understanding of consumer needs. The company recently forayed into the value segment by introducing the Bab Al Hind brand in UAE, and launching the Nurjahan brand in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

“While Indian basmati rice continues to enjoy robust growth in Arab markets, we are committed to rolling out other brands depending on the size of the opportunity and our ability to cater to demand,” Mittal added.With a distributor network well-positioned to deliver on current growth targets, the company‟s long-term business goals focus on new conversions and spurring brand growth through trail generation.KRBL future plans include tapping into potential markets such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Yemen, to name a few, it added. – TradeArabia News Service http://www.tradearabia.com/news/IND_301669.html

IIT-M grads working abroad drop to 20%, shows alumni survey TNN | Feb 25, 2016, 10.01 AM IST

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Chennai: IIT-ians from recent batches are increasingly preferring to work in India when compared to graduates of earlier batches, revealed IIT-Madras alumni survey of 2015.More than 2,000 alumni members of IIT-M participated in the survey, which indicated that number of IIT-M graduates living abroad had come down by a significant percentage over the past few decades.Percentage of IIT-M grads living abroad peaked at 40% in the mid-'70s to mid-'90s batches, and has now dropped to 34% post-2000. The drop is even more severe post-2010, down to the 20% range, as per the survey.

Prof R Nagarajan, dean of international and alumni relations at IIT-Madras, said the survey reveals an emerging India-centric nature of the recent batches which is not a surprising trend.

"Even donations to the alma mater are now substantially originating from alumni resident in India, whereas till a few years ago, alumni in North America were clearly the largest contributors. This also shows up in the enhanced physical connectivity between the campus and the alumni," he said.Prof Nagarajan also mentioned that many alumni are spending time in India mentoring students in entrepreneurship and helping them upgrade their skills.

Echoing prof Nagarajan's sentiments, a Echoing prof Nagarajan's sentiments, a significant percentage of alums claimed to have made high contributions to India in the survey. "About 40% of alums claim to have made a very high or high contribution to India while 30% of alums claim very high or high contribution outside India, the latter section mainly comprising of a large number of alums from the mid-'70s to mid-'90s batches.The survey also shows that while the economic background of admitted students has not changed significantly over the decades, a significantly larger fraction of students now come from semi-urban and rural areas.

The survey conducted by an alumnus of the 1973 batch, Gopala Ganesh, also had some interesting insights on other factors such as field of work, number of companies founded and the leadership roles taken over by the alums.

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When it comes to the field of work, an estimated 30% of IITM alums said they are currently employed in core engineering. Of those that left core engineering, one third of them are entrepreneurs, while the other two quarters are placed in service industries, and education/ research respectively. The study also showed that post-2005, there has been a surge in IITM grads opting for manufacturing professions, versus IT & software.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IIT-M-grads-working-abroad-drop-to20-shows-alumni-survey/articleshow/51133075.cms

Falling Rice Price Taking a Toll on Exporters Cambodia seller examines milled rice at market in Phnom Penh. KT/Chor Sokunthea

KhmerTimes/Sum Manet Thursday, 25 February 2016 The falling price of rice in Asia due to the slowing global economy and intensifying regional competition is taking a toll on Cambodian exporters and farmers even though exports jumped more than 20 percent last month compared to January last year, executives said.Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, told Khmer Times yesterday that prices of rice exports to Asia fell, especially in the China. He blamed the decline on the slump in the Chinese economy as well as falling prices of exports from neighboring countries. “The rice export price in the Asian market affects exporters and farmers because they buy rice from neighboring countries at a lower price,” Mr. Lak said.

“On the other hand, Cambodian rice export to the EU market is not affected because we meet their requirements.” “Cambodian white rice is now priced at about $420 per ton, while Vietnamese rice is about $340, because they are able to produce more than us, and their farmers can still gain a profit from it,” Mr. Lak said, adding: “If we decrease the price, it affects our farmers and exporters because our production cost is high.”“To meet this problem, we need to strengthen our productivity, quality, standard and storage and prepare better quality seeds, improve our techniques for growing rice, and expand the market for exports,” he said.

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According to the federation‟s figures, the price of fragrant rice is about $770 per ton, compared to $810 per ton in the first quarter of last year, while Thai fragrant rice is now selling at $750 per ton compared to $850 per ton in the first quarter last year. Chea Sovithyea, director of KIM SE Rice Mill, agreed with Mr. Lak, saying the falling price of rice in the Asian market affects rice exports. He said the price was hit by regional as well as global trends. “We have to cooperate to find new ways to improve rice exports,” he said.Brunei imported 1,974 tons of rice from Cambodia last month for the first time, while Malaysia imported 2,736 tons and Singapore imported 418 tons, according to a report from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.China imported 6,999 tons of rice from Cambodia last month, according to official figures. Cambodia exported 44,033 tons of rice – both white and fragrant – last month, up 22.6 percent from the 35,921 tons in the same month last year, according to the report. http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/21838/falling-rice-price-taking-a-toll-on-exporters/

Government pushes out long term rice strategy

BY EDITORON 2016-02-25THAILAND

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BANGKOK: — The government has decided to lay out a 20-year rice strategy for rice with determination to improve the country’s paddy management in order to resolve all farming and marketing problems.

The strategy will be implemented from next year. The decision to establish the strategy was reached during the meeting of the Rice Policy and Management Committee chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday.Gen Prayut said the 20-year strategy will cover upstream, middle-stream and downstream management of rice or from plantations to management, production and selling process.He said the government also planned to map out similar strategies for other crops including rubber, cassava and sugar cane.The prime minister urged Thai people to eat more rice.

According to him, rice consumption in Thailand has fallen from 190 kilogrames per person a year to 106 kilogrammes per person a year over the past 10 years.Prime Minister Prayut said rice production will be capped at 25 million tons this year.Capping rice production is necessary to prevent oversupply of the crop, he said.He added that the government will come up with measures to give farmer incentive to convert their field for other crops production.Rice production in Thailand stood at 31.2 tons last year.Permanent secretary for Commerce Ms Chutima Bunyapraphasara meanwhile said that a budget of some 10.08 billion baht has been proposed for the strategy implementation.

On the cap on rice, she said that the Agricultural and Cooperative Ministry has put in place four measures to support rice farmers.Farmers will be supported with good quality seeds. They will also be given access to financial assistance so they could cultivate rice on a larger field.

Incentives will also be offered to farmers to lure them to cultivate a variety of crops and to rest 11 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter their soils after plantations, she said.She also asked for cooperation from famers to stop offseason rice farming due to high risk of crop loss.According to her, off-season paddies have been grown on 1.96 million rais of lands along the Chao Phraya river basin. Of them, only 8.1% of the crop or rice grown on 240,000 rais of land has been harvested.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/152378

http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-govt-pushes-out-long-term-rice-strategy/133038/

USA Rice Hosts First World Market Price Meeting of 2016

By Kristen Dayton

WASHINGTON, DC -- This morning, the USA Rice World Market Price Subcommittee (WMP) met here to discuss planting prospects for the coming year, rice price reporting to National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and trade issues facing the rice industry. Also at the meeting were representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA), Economic Research Service (ERS), and Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). Traditionally, the first WMP meeting starts with a conversation with NASS about prospective plantings for the coming year. Farmers and mill members representing the six rice states were unanimous in agreement that planted area in 2016 for their respective states would be higher than 2015 area. The group also discussed Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payments for 2014 with NASS and FSA representatives, and questioned how sequestration might affect payment for 2015.

FAS updated the group on a range of global trade and phytosanitary topics including the potential for more fortified rice purchases for food aid, a review of meetings with the administration earlier this week on TPP and WTO Compliance issues, and ongoing concerns with tenders for U.S. rice in Iraq.

WMP Chairman Keith Glover said, "We had a chance to talk about some pretty big issues with USDA today. There are a lot of sensitive topics the U.S. rice industry is grappling with, and we appreciate the chance to get some clarity and fill out our position for the future. It was especially poignant to have the new graduates of the Rice Development Leadership Class attending to see how we handle obstacles and opportunities within the World Market Price Subcommittee."

The next World Market Price meeting will take place in Washington, DC on May 18, 2016.

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USA Rice Participates in World's Largest Annual Food & Hospitality Show

By Eszter Somogyi DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- USA Rice has been on the Gulfood show floor all week to meet with companies conducting business in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. The annual food show attracts importers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and government officials from around the world, making it a central place for USA Rice to tout the quality of U.S.-grown rice and network with potential traders on behalf of the industry.

"This event brings together nearly 5,000 exhibitors from more than 160 countries," said Hartwig Schmidt, USA Rice regional director, international market development. "Gulfood is one of the most coveted shows for exporters and our presence here is invaluable for the U.S. rice industry."

USA Rice's booth is inside the USA Pavilion, one of the largest national pavilions in the food section of the show, featuring more than 150 exhibitors. USA Rice showcases various types of rice including long-grain, medium-grain, parboiled, and wild rice to attract show attendees and help educate those unfamiliar with U.S. rice. Brochures highlighting U.S. rice facts, recipes, and nutritional information are displayed in both English and Arabic.

Six USA Rice members representing American Commodity Company, ADM Rice, Farmers' Rice Cooperative, Riceland Foods, Sun Valley Rice, and Sunwest Foods are attending the show.

Steve Vargas (Sun Valley Rice) said, "Gulfood is the must attend food show for those of us doing business in the Middle East." Derek Alarcon (Farmers' Rice Cooperative) noted, "It's a great opportunity to do business with current trade partners, and develop new customers from the Middle East as well as countries from all over the world." And Mark Holt (Riceland Foods) agreed saying, "The Gulfood show is the most important trade show in the region and it's also an opportunity to spend time with members from other rice growing states and learn the latest news in the rice industry."

"This trade show is not only a place to collect more than one hundred potential trade leads for our members, but also a place to meet with FAS representatives from Africa and the Middle East," said Schmidt. "It is also important to reconnect with our existing trade partners in the region to maintain our relationships."

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Villain' shrub may yield drought-resistant rice Thu,25 Feb 2016

Summary: Suja George, principal scientist at MSSRF, has been studying rice and P juliflora at the molecular level for close to 12 years now. In February, she and her team of researchers had a breakthrough of sorts when they identified specific genes in the shrub that react to stressful conditions. "Analysis of the physiological and molecular mechanism underlying stress tolerance is just the first phase of the research," said Suja. Chennai: For long, they were dubbed as the villain among vegetation, sucking all the water from ground, spreading rapidly along the coast and degrading the environment. "We created an environment of aridity in the lab and isolated ribonucleic acid from the shrub's leaves and roots.

Chennai: For long, they were dubbed as the villain among vegetation, sucking all the water from ground, spreading rapidly along the coast and degrading the environment. More than a century after Prosopis juliflora, a shrub, was introduced in Indian soil by the British, scientists are now trying to use its genes to engineer rice varieties that can withstand water scarcity.After coming up with rice grains that are resistant to saline conditions by tapping genes of mangroves, researchers at M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) have now identified genes in P juliflora that help the weed withstand extreme climatic conditions like salinity and drought. This, they say, can help develop transgenic rice grains that can cope with aridity.A transgene is a gene or genetic material that has been transferred naturally or through genetic engineering techniques from one organism to another.

Suja George, principal scientist at MSSRF, has been studying rice and P juliflora at the molecular level for close to 12 years now. In February, she and her team of researchers had a breakthrough of sorts when they identified specific genes in the shrub that react to stressful conditions. "We created an environment of aridity in the lab and isolated ribonucleic acid from the shrub's leaves and roots.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Villain-shrub-may-yield-droughtresistant-rice/articleshow/51133136.cms http://www.nyoooz.com/chennai/369077/villain-shrub-may-yield-droughtresistant-rice

Thailand plans steps worth $285 million to help drought-hit rice farmers

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's government on Friday announced measures worth around $285 million to help desperate rice farmers grappling with drought and low prices for their crop.Thailand, the world's No.2 rice exporter after India, is facing what some experts say is its 14 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter worst drought in decades.That has crimped production but has not pushed up prices as the country has about 12 million tonnes of rice in storage that it is trying to offload, the legacy of a scheme by the previous administration to support rural areas.Prices have also been hit as the economy slows in China, the world's top rice importer.Rice farmers have for months been pressuring the military government to do more to help cushion the fall in prices that has plunged many into debt.They have also demanded the government do more to manage water reserves across the country that have dipped below 2015 levels.The measures announced on Friday by the country's rice management committee are worth around 10 billion baht ($285 million) and include plans to assist farmers in rice production.The committee said in a statement that 6.76 billion baht of the total would go toward stabilizing rice prices through soft loans for farmers who store paddy.

The government-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will approve loans of up to 300,000 baht ($8,415) to farmers who store rice to curb supply.Domestic and international demand for Thai paddy this year will stand at around 25 million tonnes, the committee said.It expects output of 27.17 million tonnes in 2016, compared to an average of about 30 million tonnes of paddy in recent years.Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday told farmers to grow less rice to help manage limited water resources.(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Joseph Radford) http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-plans-steps-worth-285-million-help-drought-074251485.html

US, China agree on UN North Korea resolution February 25, 2016 1:10 AM

Washington (AFP) - The United States and China have agreed on a UN resolution on North Korea's nuclear "provocations," the White House announced Wednesday, with diplomats saying it would include fresh sanctions and could go to a Security Council vote soon.Diplomats at UN headquarters in New York said Washington and Beijing, Pyongyang's main backer, had agreed on a draft resolution that contained "very tough measures."The United States circulated the draft text to the other three permanent council members -- Britain, France and Russia -- on Wednesday and was set to formally present it to the full 15-member council soon, said the diplomats, who asked not to be named.

Negotiations on the draft resolution began six weeks ago after North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6, claiming it had successfully developed a thermonuclear device.During a meeting at the White House Wednesday, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed "on the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a UN Security Council 15 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions," said a statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price."They agreed that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state," added the statement.View glery US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi leave following a press confer …

Underscoring the importance that the US placed on the negotiations, the statement said that President Barack Obama dropped in on the meeting.- 'Significantly substantive text' The announcement came despite substantial and very public disagreement between the US and China on the best way to handle North Korea.China wants its reclusive neighbor to halt its nuclear weapons program and return to six-party international talks, but it has insisted that dialogue is the only way to curb Pyongyang's behavior.The biggest obstacle to talks, it argues, is Washington's stubborn insistence that it will not sit down with North Korea until the country takes steps towards denuclearization.

Picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korea …

Washington, on the other hand, insists that China, which is one of Pyongyang's biggest trading partners, should pressure the intransigent country into behaving better.Beijing, however, fears that too much pressure could trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating a political and humanitarian crisis on its border and removing a buffer against US troops currently stationed in South Korea."There were a significant number of blockage points" between the United States and China, a Security Council diplomat said, adding that now "there is agreement.""There is good progress on the resolution and we are hopeful that there will be an adoption in the coming days," the diplomat said.One diplomat described the draft resolution as a "significantly substantive text", while another said it contained "a large number of very tough measures," as well as names to be added to the sanctions black list.

Viewallery US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) poses with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to their meeting …

However, it stopped short of the strongest measures proposed by the United States, which had met with strong resistance from China.- Xi to attend nuclear summit The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.After North Korea carried out a rocket launch on February 6, the Security Council renewed its pledge to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.There are 20 North Korean entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for an assets freeze and a global travel ban.But a UN panel of experts said this month that sanctions had failed to prevent Pyongyang from scaling up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.After a decade of 16 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter sanctions, the panel said, it found "no indications that the country intends to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

"There are serious questions about the efficacy of the current United Nations sanctions regime," the experts said in a confidential report.The White House statement added that Obama joined the meeting between Rice and Yi "to underscore his interest in building a durable, constructive, and productive USChina relationship."The US leader also said he looked forward to welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to a March 31-April 1 nuclear security summit in Washington and "working together towards its success," the statement said.

Local rice demand pushes price of imported rice down ESOK O Ghana has attributed the continuous decline in the price of imported rice to an increase in demand for local rice by consumers.The price of imported rice has seen continues reduction of about 20 percent in the last three weeks.Currently a five kilogram bag of imported rice is selling at 21 cedis 90 pesewas against the 27 cedis 3 pesewas it recorded a week before.Content Producer at Esoko Ghana Commodity Index (EGCI), Francis Danso Adjei, explains to Citi Business News the decline in the price of imported rice is due to the increase demand for local rice as well as standardization of prices after the festive season.„„People are now buying more of the local rice, people are now becoming patriotic. The second one is also because now the festivities are over, so the price hike that we experienced during the festivities is dropping. Prices are now beginning to normalize on the market so that is why we are seeing those changes.”Francis Danso Adjei stated.He added, “These are changes we should be concerned about. Things will normalize and all things being equal, then we should have stable prices as we move on‟‟.

File photo: Imported rice http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Local-rice-demand-pushes-price-of-imported-ricedown-418604 17 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Thailand aims to export 9.5mn T of rice in 2016 Bangkok. Thailand has set its rice export target at 9.5 million tonnes for this year, down from about 10 million tonnes in 2015, due to the anticipated impact of drought on production, a senior commerce ministry official said on Wednesday (24/02).Lower supply this y ear from Thailand, the world's second biggest rice exporter after India, could drive up prices for the Thai grain, said Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the ministry's foreign trade department.

Twelve Thai provinces have been seriously affected by drought, according to the interior ministry."Our export goal for this year is 9.5 million tonnes, as we believe drought will cut crops," Duangporn told reporters."The overall decrease in production could lead to higher rice prices."The country's commerce and agriculture ministries have also prepared 10 billion baht ($278 million) worth of measures to stabilize prices, said the ministry's permanent secretary, Chutima Bunyapraphasara.That would involve buying rice to take it off the market and storing it temporarily, she said, without elaborating further.The Thai government last week held two auctions to sell 397,639 tonnes of rice from state stockpiles to private companies for human consumption and industrial use.

The rice management committee has since approved the sale of 362,000 tonnes of the rice on offer in the auctions, Duangporn said.When it took power in 2014, Thailand's military government inherited about 18 million tonnes of rice in state stockpiles, amassed as a result of a generous subsidy scheme under which the previous civilian government bought rice from farmers at higher-than-market prices.Since then, the junta has auctioned 5 million tonnes of rice through several tenders, with sales worth about $1.5 billion.Thailand now holds about 12 million tonnes of rice in its state stockpiles http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/thailand-aims-export-9-5-million-t-rice-2016/

Tribal woman inspires farming community IANS 18 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter | Koratpur | 26 February, 2016 Raimati Ghiuria, a young tribal woman, not only proved to be a leader in conserving local traditional varieties of rice and millet seeds in her own land but also showed the path of development to the farming communities of Odisha's Koraput district, an agricultural expert said.Ghiuria, a leading woman farmer in Nuaguda village of Kundra block, has conserved 40 traditional landraces (lineages developed by farmers) of rice and 12 of millets and even trained about 340 neighbouring women farmers in conserving of local genetic resources. She has also trained others in the SRI (system of rice intensification) technique and line transplanting method of rice cultivation. This has seen farmers increasing their yields more than what they were getting from traditional cultivation practices.

It all started nine years ago when Raimati became a member of a self-help group (SHG) in her village and participated in capacity-building training and awareness programmes at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here."This inspired her to lead the group undertaking various micro-enterprises.

This converted the group into a model SHG which won the Most Progressive SHG award given by the district administration in 2013," Kartik Lenka of the MSSRF said."We develop hybrid varieties of paddy and other foodgrains. It is also equally important to conserve indigenous species to maintain the natural biodiversity," Raimati said, adding that training on value addition to the rice and millet crops is also provided to the members of 27 other SHGs. "They took this micro-enterprise as an alternative livelihood option and each family is earning an additional Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000 per month," Raimati said.Due to her energetic leadership and multiskilled activities, she was conferred the best leadership award by the district administration and Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy Fellowship Award in 2014 for being "a leading grassroot academician".She recently participated in the 'Prajatiya Khadyotsav (an agro forest food diversity festival) organised by Tata Steel's Sukinda Chromite Mine in Jajpur district."Even as conserving traditional species is not lucrative against hybrid products, we need to conserve so that these indigenous products do not go extinct," Lenka pointed out.

B.B. Panda of the Cuttack unit of the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) said the indigenous varieties have to be conserved for further research on producing high-yielding varieties."We can develop highyielding varieties through these indigenous varieties. With the unavailability of the varieties, there would be no further improvement," Panda said.He said climate change is posing a severe threat to the country's farming community and there is need to preserve and multiply the traditional seed varieties to improve the adaptation mechanism of farmers.The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has accorded the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) status to the traditional agricultural system being practised in the Koraput region.This means the tribal people have an indigenous knowledge system for their various agricultural practices that they use to check the viability of seeds before sowing, maintain soil fertility and conserve their landraces Representational image (Photo: Getty Images) http://www.thestatesman.com/news/odisha/tribal-woman-inspiring-farmingcommunity/126202.html#c9xrqiEv7GJ2JutY.99 19 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report Rice High Low Long Grain Cash Bids - - -

---

Long Grain New Crop - - -

---

Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '16 1066.0

1038.0

1043.5

-22.5

May '16 1095.0

1066.5

1071.5

-22.5

Jul '16 1117.0

1103.0

1100.5

-21.5

Sep '16 1121.0

1120.0

1118.5

-21.0

Nov '16

1137.0

-22.0

Jan '17

1152.0

-20.0

Mar '17

1152.0

-20.0

Rice Comment Rice futures were lower across the board. The market continues to absorb disappointing export news. The loss of the Iraqi tender, which had originally been for 90,000 tons US origin rice only, was the impetus for the negative undertone this week. Weekly exports of 55,800 metric tons weren't enough to spark much buying interest today. USDA pegged US acreage at 2.8 million acres, up from last year's 2.6 million.

Depending on the weather, though, that total could be even higher http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/

APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1422 International Benchmark Price 20 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Price on: 25-02-2016

Product

Benchmark Indicators Name

Price

1

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

3500

2

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

4500

3

Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

3000

1

Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

2150

2

Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

2300

3

Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

2850

1

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

3660

2

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

1060

3

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

2180

Garlic

Ginger

Guar Gum Powder

Source:agra-net

For more info

Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 25-02-2016 Domestic Prices Product

Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Market Center

Variety

Min Price

Max Price

1

Haveri (Karnataka)

Local

2000

2000

2

Solapur (Maharashtra)

Other

2100

2800

3

Amreli (Gujarat)

Other

1500

2800

Jowar(Sorghum)

Maize

21 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter 1

Haveri (Karnataka)

Local

1310

1340

2

Kalvan (Maharashtra)

Other

1401

1501

3

Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)

Other

1411

1551

1

Alappuzha (Kerala)

Other

2700

2800

2

Jalore (Rajasthan)

Other

1650

1900

3

Jagraon (Punjab)

Other

1300

1500

1

Aroor (Kerala)

Other

2500

2800

2

Pune (Maharashtra)

Other

300

800

3

Bonai (Orissa)

Other

2000

2000

Papaya

Cabbage

Source:agmarknet.nic.in

For more info

Egg

Rs per 100 No Price on 25-02-2016 Product

Market Center

Price

1

Ahmedabad

340

2

Hyderabad

325

3

Nagapur

320

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices

Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 24-02-2016

Product

Market Center

Origin

Variety

Low

Onions Dry 1

High Package: 40 lb cartons

Atlanta

Mexico

Yellow

22.25

22.75

22 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter 2

Baltimore

3

Chicago

Peru

Yellow

22

23

Nevada

Yellow

34.50

34.50

Cabbage

Package: 50 lb cartons

1

Atlanta

Georgia

Round Green Type

12

14

2

Chicago

Texas

Round Green Type

13

14.50

3

Detroit

Canada

Round Green Type

15

15.50

Grapefruit

Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1

Atlanta

Florida

Red

21

21.50

2

Chicago

Florida

Red

24

24

3

Miami

Florida

Red

17

20

Source:USDA

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