2nd october,2017 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Daily Rice E-Newsletter

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Rice News Headlines...

October 02,2017 Vol X ,Issuu 9

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NFA: Rice imports above board Wheat imports soar as consumers cut costly rice intake Soft rupee thrills commodity exporters Fear of losses haunts paddy growers despite expected bumper crop Rice growers stressed to adopt SRP standards to improve yield Okada smugglers attack Customs, destroys operational vehicles Chinese saline soil rice experiment a success Review a la Dunya: The Rice Bowl Bio-techs in crops to help Pakistan earn more revenues through exports  Japan ready to support Ghana in the rice value chain - GRIB

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News Headlines...

NFA: Rice imports above board October 02, 2017 The National Food Authority (NFA) said the import permits issued to rice traders are all aboveboard amid claims of smuggling.

NFA said the issuance of import permits to private rice importers under the 2016 minimum access volume (MAV) allocation from March to June this year was based on the decision of the inter-agency NFA Council, the agency‟s policy-making body, to extend the rice import deliveries from February 28 to March 31, and later to June 30.

More than 100 import permits were issued to different importers from March to June 30 and that all importers paid customs duties or tariffs in advance, as required under the terms of reference for the importation.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson had alleged that Cebu Lite Trading Inc. (CLTI), one of the 2016 MAV rice importers, had shipped rice into the country without the proper documents such as import permit (IP).

“CLTI was only one of so many rice importers which were issued IPs during the period that paid their customs duties, thus it is puzzling why this company was singled out,” NFA said.

NFA added that a total of P553 million advance customs duties were paid to the government out of the import permits issued an were issued in compliance with the extension granted by the NFA Council.

“There is no irregularity in the said transactions as the importers were issued IPs only after complying with the tariffs and other documentary requirements,” it said.

The 2016 MAV guidelines state that all rice to be imported under the program “shall be levied with 35 percent tariff to be paid in advance with the Land Bank of the Philippines. However, final assessment and valuation shall be made by the Bureau of Customs,” NFA said. http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/nfa-rice-imports-above-board

Wheat imports soar as consumers cut costly rice intake 12:00 AM, October 01, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:38 AM, October 01, 2017

Sohel Parvez

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Wheat imports soared as a section of people has switched to flour in the face of high prices of staple rice, said importers.Wheat imports grew 28 percent year-on-year to 9.41 lakh tonnes from July to mid-September, according to data compiled by the food ministry.“Many people have started eating wheat flour as a substitute of rice as prices of flour are much lower than the prices of the staple,” said Bishwajit Saha, general manager of the City Group of Industries, one of the leading commodity importers and processors.

Rice prices hit a record high mid-August, triggered by a rumour of India banning export, by a drop production owing to crop damage caused by recurrent floods, depleting public stocks and inadequate supply from millers and traders.

On September 16, retail prices of coarse grains, consumed mainly by the poor and low income groups, shot up to Tk 50-54 a kg in Dhaka city, according to the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

Prices fell early last week amid increased imports and release by millers and traders following a meeting between millers and the government.

Yet, rice remains more expensive than flour.Yesterday, retail prices of coarse rice were Tk 48-50 a kg whereas flour was selling at Tk 28-34 a kg, meaning the average wheat price was Tk 18 or 38 percent less than the average coarse rice price.Saha said the price difference has encouraged a section of people in both rural and urban areas to shift to flour. “This has fuelled demand for wheat further,” he said.

Generally, prices of rice remain higher than flour. But the price gap between the two grains remains normally less.

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com For example, prices of coarse rice were Tk 36-38 a kg on September 30 last year against flour prices of Tk 25-34, according to the TCB. Importers and processors said wheat consumption is rising every year owing to a shift in consumers' diet preference and a flourishing bakery and processed food market. Imports of the grain trebled to 56.90 lakh tonnes in five years till 2016-17 to meet the increasing demand as domestic production has remained stuck at 13 lakh tonnes for the last couple of years, according to official data.

In fact, local wheat production declined last season, said Abul Bashar Chowdhury, chairman of BSM Group, a Chittagong-based commodity importer.

“Many poor people are consuming flour as price of rice has become exorbitant,” he said.

Chowdhury expected annual wheat imports to exceed 60 lakh tonnes at the end of the current fiscal year.

Importers opened letters of credit for the import of 25.14 lakh tonnes of wheat until September 23, Bangladesh Bank data showed. http://www.thedailystar.net/business/wheat-imports-soar-consumers-cut-costly-rice-intake-1470319

Soft rupee thrills commodity exporters

By Madhvi Sally , ET Bureau| Updated: Oct 02, 2017, 10.22 AM IST On Friday, the rupee closed at 65.28 against the dollar.

Company Summary NEW DELHI: The recent weakening of the rupee has come as a Diwali bonanza for commodity exporters who expect a jump in export orders, which would benefit farmers also. “Weak rupee is good for agri economy," said Prerana Desai, head of commodity research at EdelweissBSE -0.41 % Agri Value Chain. Edelweiss Agri Value Chain.

“It ends up increasing farmers' income as all excess commodity get exported thereby supporting domestic market price," she said.On Friday, the rupee closed at 65.28 against the dollar.

Export contracts for commodities such as basmati rice, groundnut, soyabean meal and cotton, for which the harvest has started or would begin in the next fortnight, are either being signed by exporters or talks are going on, industry insiders said.

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com Desai said exports of paddy, cotton, castor oil, guar, soyabean and mus tard meal, ground nut and sesame are expected to rise this year. “Immediately the farmer may now get higher price as new crop arrival is there," she said.

“But exports will limit down fall and post the surplus is shipped, farmer will get good returns."

Priyanka Mittal, director at KRBL LtdBSE 3.32 % that owns India Gate brand of basmati rice, said that with the current crop scenario, local prices of high grade export variety basmati rice are anticipated to remain firm by 15%-18% at Rs 6,000 6,500 a quintal. “A weak rupee will enable basmati exporters to quote competitively to their buyers,“ she said.

Mittal said a softer rupee has come as a relief for commodity traders who have been grappling with GST implementation issues on the domestic front. Davish Jain, chairman of Soybean Processors Association of India, agreed. “The weakening of rupee is some relief,“ he said.

“If the soyabean oil import influx is limited then our export competitiveness will increase. This will ensure that we crush more oilseed and meal cost becomes competitive for us to sell in Asia and Europe.“ Jain said the industry was keen to increase the soyabean meal export figures this year from 1.8 million tonne in 2016-17 and 0.4 million tonnes in 2015-16.

Girdharilal Sarda, president of Guar Gum Manufacturers Association, said the weak rupee would make Indian guar produce more competitive vis-a-vis Pakistan in global markets.

This comes in background of increased exports of guar gum from the country post US President Donald Trump's move to encourage oil drilling in the country.

While many factors, from quality to prices of commodities, determine India's export competitiveness in the global market, the value of the rupee is always a key factor

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/n\ews/soft-rupee-thrills-commodityexporters/articleshow/60908391.cms

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Fear of losses haunts paddy growers despite expected bumper crop Hanif SamoonOctober 01, 2017

BADIN: Otherwise jubilant over the timely and sufficient rainfall in Sindh and certain other factors contributing to what they believe a bumper rice crop, now ready to reap, paddy growers are facing an uncertain situation with regard to the sale of their produce. Market pulse has started sending disappointing messages to them as millers, realising availability of the commodity in abundance over the next few weeks, are likely to offer very low rates.

The middlemen, who always take the side of millers in bargaining with growers, have been at work to make up growersâ€&#x; mind predicting a rate much lower than what growers expect this season. The trend has already sparked calls from growers of Badin district for governmentâ€&#x;s intervention to fix an official rate in order to save them from suffering heavy losses.

Badin is one of the biggest rice producing zone of the country. According to official figures, paddy has been grown over more than 155,000 hectares this year which may lead to a record yield of the chief crop of this region in Kharif season. Growers of Shaheed Fazil Rahu (formerly Golarchi) taluka are sure about a bumper crop while those of Matli, Talhar, Tando Bago and other areas also expect a high yield. Harvesting in most parts of the district has already begun.

Allah Bachayo Rahukro, a paddy grower of Talhar and a leader of the Laar Abadgar Forum, told Dawn that harvesting within the areas fed through Akram Wah and Phuleli Canal, had picked up momentum and the crop was likely to arrive in the market very soon.

Many growers speaking to this reporter in Tando Bago, Matli and Talhar complained that they were being forced to dispose of their produce at Rs750-Rs800 per 40 kg to millers. The rates do not commensurate with even the cost of production, according to them.

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com Wali Hyder Memon, a farmer from Tando Bago taluka, explained that with the use of hybrid seed, the per acre cost came to a minimum of Rs25,000, which meant that selling the produce at the offered rates would leave growers without or a negligible return.

Mr Memon argued that millers fully realised that growers had no other option but to accept the offered rates as government was unlikely to timely fix official rates for various verities and set up procurement centres to lift the crop.

Millers have their own arguments. Zulfikar Ali Dal, who owns a rice mill in Dei town, told this reporter that his side could not jump into a competition until being informed that how much stocks would be lifted by government for exports. “Millers are never taken into confidence by the relevant departments in this regard,” he said, adding that millers had a bitter experience in past years due to the uncertainty. “We have even suffered heavy losses individually after procuring the crop amid an uncertain situation,” he said.

Mr Iqbal Haider, a water expert from Badin, pointed out that growers of tail-end areas of Badin, Tando Bago and Shaheed Fazil Rahu had lately started sowing due to late arrival of water. He attributed the unfair treatment to lethargy and mismanagement on the part of the irrigation officials concerned. “Those harvesting the crop in the August-September period may never get proper yield sufficient enough to cover the cost of production,” he said.

Mustafa Ayaz Mehri, a grower from Kario Ghanwar, said the areas which were timely provided water would give a record yield this season. He said the process of the harvesting would also continue for a record three months.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2017 https://www.dawn.com/news/1361039

Rice growers stressed to adopt SRP standards to improve yield ISLAMABAD (APP): Rice growers in a training session were asked to adopt Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standards to achieve high yield per acre of the crop. The training session was 7

www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com held in Sheikhupura and was conducted by Rice Partners Pvt Ltd in collaboration with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and MARS food. Over 120 rice growers attended the event, according to a statement received here on Saturday.

The objective of the training was to train the rice farmers as per global rice standards of Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP). Talking to the rice growers, the facilitators said present water scarce scenario of our country was underlined to keep the lands fertile for longer period, and it was very important to follow the SRP standards in rice cultivation operations. "This is need of time that all the stakeholders must bring all the rice growers under the umbrella of SRP," Project Manager of WAPRO, Zafar Iqbal said.

In training sessions, it was discussed that most of the rice farmers adopt indigenous method of rice cultivation and did not follow the modern techniques as per recommended in SRP standards.

The objective of this training is only to equip the farmers about SRP standards which are highly recommendable in developed countries.

Chief Operating officer Rice partners Pvt Ltd Muhammad Ali Tariq informed the participants about the importance and inter-relation of United Nation's SDGs with Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP).

He added that this was demand of the current area that all the rice growers should adopt sustainable rice cultivation to gain high yield, and to preserve natural resources.

Senior Advisor RPL Dr Riaz Mann highlighted the importance of laser land leveling, direct seeding of rice (DSR), AWD technology and post-harvest losses imperative for sustainable rice cultivation.

He also highlighted the importance of balanced use of fertilizers as per SRP standards. He trained the farmers regarding adoption Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) in rice cultivation as per SRP standards. http://nation.com.pk/business/01-Oct-2017/news-brief

Okada smugglers attack Customs, destroys operational vehicles ON SEPTEMBER 30, 201710:18 PMIN NEWSCOMMENTS ‌

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com Customs Arrests 3 suspects, seizes 1,000 motorcycles By Udeme Clement The Ogun Command of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, is in the news again, as some officers escape death by a whisker when Okada smugglers numbering over 100 attacked them during an operations in the forest to evacuate rice smuggled into the country at Idiroko, the border between Nigeria and Republic of Benin. The smugglers who were armed with dangerous weapons took the officers unaware, destroyed their patrol van beyond repair. It took the intervention of the Military with reinforcement of more officers in about four Hilux vehicles to the scene, to calm the situation.

When Sunday Vanguard visited the Command, seized motorcycles were seen on every corner of the Command‟s premises at Santry, Idiroko axis. It was observed that the Command recorded more seizure of rice than other items. Speaking, the Customs Area Controller, CAC, of the Command, Comptroller Sani Madugu, Said, “We are declaring war on Okada smugglers at Idiroko. Last week, we recorded one causality, but in the last operation, we did not release a single bullet. We arrested three suspects and over 100 motorcycles, but no life was lost. The suspects must be charged to court and prosecuted accordingly. In a short period, we have seized over 1000 motorcycles used by smugglers to convey rice from Benin to Nigeria through illegal routes and the forest”.

“We were lucky to intercept eight vehicles fully loaded with rice, and among the seizures were tokunbo cars. The incident happened at a forest within a certain village at idiroko. Our investigations revealed that one motorcycle rider can carry up to eight bags of rice at once, depending on his strength. In a day, he can make up to three trips and he collects about N1000 per bag of rice. So, in a month, one Okada rider can make over N400.000 only in smuggling rice.

So, smuggling rice with Okada is a lucrative business at Idiroko, that is why they do not want to give up. They are always attacking our officers and some of them can do anything, even they are ready to die in the course of this illegal business”. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/okada-smugglers-attack-customs-destroys-operational-vehicles/

Chinese saline soil rice experiment a success Xinhua, September 29, 2017

A rice growing experiment with saline-alkali soil has beaten expectations, laying the foundation for commercialization, Chinese scientists announced Thursday.Four types of rice registered an estimated output of between 6.5 to 9.3 tonnes per hectare after testing at Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center.

In spring, more than 200 types of rice were planted at the center in the coastal city of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province. Diluted seawater was used on the soil to test which types could survive and prosper in saline environments.Seawater from the nearby Yellow Sea was 9

www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com pumped into the center, diluted to a salinity of around 0.3 percent and channeled into the rice paddies, then increased to around 0.6 percent salinity, to intensify the effect on the rice.

Researchers had expected an output of around 4.5 tonnes per hectare, said Wang Kexiang, chief of center's technology department.

"The test results greatly exceeded our expectations," said Liu Shiping, a professor of agriculture at Yangzhou University, who is reviewing the results.Certain types of wild rice that have not yet been modified by humans can survive salinity, but they typically have a yield of between 1.125 to 2.25 tonnes per hectare.

Yuan Longping, who led the experiment, said that he was very satisfied with the results. Known as China's "Father of Hybrid Rice," Yuan helped found the Qingdao center in October 2016.

Rice is a Chinese staple, and the mission of the center is to develop commercially viable rice tolerant of saline-alkali soil.

Increased health benefits Yuan said the increased harvest may encourage farmers to grow more such rice in the future.

"If a farmer tries to grow some types of saline-tolerant rice now, they most likely will get 1,500 kilograms per hectare. That is just not profitable and not even worth the effort," Yuan said."Farmers will have an incentive to grow the rice if we can double the yield," he said.

Increased productivity could also change the landscapes. China has about 100 million hectares of saline-alkali soil, of which about one fifth could be cultivated, Yuan said.

Millions of hectares in humid regions of South and Southeast Asia are technically suited for rice production, but are left uncultivated or have very low yields because of salinity and problem soil, according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the leading research organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science, which is based in the Philippines.

Breeding varieties with in-built salt tolerance is considered the most promising, economical and socially acceptable approach, the IRRI said.

Theoretically, rice grown in saline soil carries added benefits. Calcium and other micronutrients are abundant in salty environments, so the rice could be rich in these nutrients.

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com It is also difficult for pathogenic bacteria to grow on saline-alkali soil, so rice grown there is less likely to be exposed to pests, which would mean pesticide use could be decreased, said Yang Hongyan from the Qingdao center.

Long way ahead Despite Thursday's announcement of the record-high output, breeding rice varieties that are tolerant to saline-alkali soil is an arduous task.

At the Qingdao center, scientists have gathered over 200 types of rice from around the world, planted them and installed sensors in the fields to monitor the environment.

So far, the center has also carried out experiments on 35 types of rice at 23 locations in China, to see which specific types of rice are most suitable for each area.

It usually takes several years to go through the various legal procedures involved in having one crop approved by the government for mass production and distribution on a commercial level.

In addition, to identify and breed potential types of rice, the center will study saline-alkali soil as well, which involves major engineering and soil amelioration processes.

But Yuan's team isn't daunted by the difficulties.

They are aiming to change 6.67 million hectares of previously saline land into arable land, and increase rice production to feed 80 million people, the scientists said. http://china.org.cn/business/2017-09/29/content_41665673.htm

Review a la Dunya: The Rice Bowl Last Updated On 29 September,2017 07:20 pm

Located in the heart of the city, this is a restaurant that has managed to become uber successful over time.

By Wishal Raheel There are generally just two types of restaurants that offer Chinese food: the very fancy and the not-so fancy places.

My dream was to be able to go to a somewhat casual Chinese restaurant and The Rice Bowl fulfilled that dream. Located in the heart of the city, this is a restaurant that has managed to become uber successful over time. The first time I tried it was at the inaugural Lahore Eat and

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realised I wanted more of it. When it finally opened in Gulberg, I obviously wasn‟t going to stay back.

Here‟s my take on The Rice Bowl.

The ambience I absolutely love the outdoor seating arrangement the eatery has, which is why I always prefer going when the weather allows for outdoor plans to materialise. Indoors, it‟s a very casual, almost café-like feel. They have expanded the area though, allowing you to find a table much quicker than you could before the expansion.

The restaurant has a very casual, almost café-like feel to it. Photo: Wishal Soup I‟m not the biggest fan of soups, but I had to try at least one soup just for the sake of trying. I can almost never have a meal after having soup, so instead I decided to give it a try at home and got their Thai soup delivered. The soup wasn‟t bad but it definitely could have been better. It lacked the sour kick that Thai soups usually have. Then again, not being a fan of soup, I really didn‟t mind.

Main course 12

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While dining at Rice Bowl, I always skip the starter or soup and go directly for the main course.

You can choose from a number of different options which range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 675. I always choose the Classic Deluxe Bowl, which has one side and two classic mains i.e any two chicken mains. My side is always a half-and-half combination of rice and chow mein that, by the way, is an excellent combination.

At Rice Bowl you can choose from a number of different options with prices ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 675. Photo: Wishal

Crispy chicken with sweet and sour chilli sauce This is perhaps the best dish the restaurant has to offer. It comprises of perfectly golden, fried chunks of chicken that have a crispy exterior with a wonderfully soft interior. These chunks are immersed in what is perhaps the best sweet and sour sauce in the city. You can taste the sweetness of honey with the tangy flavor of the sauce and a mild spicy flavour that kicks in just as you bite into the chicken. The dish has lots of stir fried vegetables in it too. The only downside of the dish is that sometimes the onions and capsicums are a bit too undercooked.

Chicken with cashew nuts This is a more salty main dish that, when combined with the sweetness of the aforementioned dish, makes you feel like youâ€&#x;re in heaven. It is a perfect blend of soft chicken chunks glazed in a wonderful thick gravy with a good portion of 13

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vegetables added to it. The cashew nuts add crunch to the otherwise very soft dish 14

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and add to the richness of the flavour.

The cashew nuts add crunch to the otherwise very soft dish and add to the richness of the flavour. Photo: Wishal Overall experience The Rice Bowl, although a great restaurant, has some days when the quality of the food isnâ€&#x;t as high as it is on other days. I know this perfectly well because my order is always the same. There are days when the food is either too salty or too oily. Itâ€&#x;s still a risk worth taking because when they get the food right (which is mostly the case), they offer some really amazing food http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/407599-

http://www.ghananewsagency.org/economics/japan-ready-to-support-ghana-in-the-rice-value-chain-grib122938 15

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Bio-techs in crops to help Pakistan earn more revenues through exports Staff Reporter,Islamabad

Pakistan has bright prospects of doubling yields of rice, maize and other crops through application of bio-technology methods which would help the country make more revenues through their exports.

Pakistan is still not importing Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods. Most European Union countries, Japan, Korea and China are importing genetically modified corn, soya, soyameal, and canola.

In a media briefing, Tan Siang-Hee, Executive Director of „CropLife Asia‟ said Pakistan needs to introduce bio-technology and other modern methods to enhance farm production beyond selfsufficiency.

“Pakistan is on track, and after attaining self-sufficiency in food, the country needs to adopt such modern technologies and methods which would help make agricultural production sustainable and improve conditions of the farmers,” he said.

CropLife Asia is a Singapore-based international organization – carrying out research and development to introduce innovations in crop protection and plant bio-technology.

Dr Siang-Hee disclosed that 18 million farmers around the world have successfully adopted biotechnology; with this, the total beneficiary peasant families have reached 65 million.

Globally, a total area of bio-tech crops since 1996 has reached 185.1 million hectares in 26 industrialized and developing countries.

Dr Hee stressed the need for Pakistani farmers to be educated about introduction and benefits of bio-technology, improvements in infrastructure of agriculture as a whole, and suggested the government to take measures for value-addition, processing and efficient mechanism for export of fruits and vegetables.

Dr Siang-Hee said he also held a meeting with Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, who informed that a consensus on issue of biotechnology would be developed through consultations with all stakeholders including farming community. The use of bio-technology is already under consideration of the government 16

www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com and a committee has been formed, Bosan said.

Meanwhile, mobile applications were also becoming popular in Pakistan. One of the mobile operators, Mobilink had already launched Value Added Service (VAS) “Ba Khabar Kisaan� to connect farmers, agribusinesses and rural communities to increase productivity, profitability and innovation in the agriculture sector by providing timely and accurate information.

The app based service utilizing interactive voice response technology is providing farmers information and services related to agriculture such as optimized cultivation methods, modern farming techniques, health education for farmers, health precautions for plants, 24/7 helplinewith training, weather information, crop insurance, market related information and a platform for sales.

Another operator Telenor, in continuation of its efforts to take digitization of Pakistani agriculture to the next level, has introduced a project called “Connected Agriculture Platform for Punjab (CAPP) which aims at empowering Pakistani farmers. https://pakobserver.net/bio-techs-crops-help-pakistan-earn-revenues-exports/

Japan ready to support Ghana in the rice value chain - GRIB Sunday 1st October, 2017

By Samira Larbie/Julius K. Satsi, GNA

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www.ricepluss.com | www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com For Online/Newsletter Advertisment mujahid.riceplus@gamil.com Japan has shown commitment to collaborate with Ghana to promote the food value chain in the country with emphasis on increasing the production and processing high quality rice. At a seminar for stakeholders on Thursday, Mr Imoro Amoro, the President of the Ghana Rice InterProfessional Body (GRIB) said the rice value chain in the country faced a number of challenges and that the collaborative effort was timely. He said the rice value chain faced challenges with securing concessionary finance for the industry and experienced difficulties in accessing commercial loans, which made it difficult for the cost of production to become competitive with farmers in Thailand and Vietnam. Mr Amoro said the lack of certified rice seeds for Ghanaian farmers also made it difficult for farmers and this is besides the influx of imported rice.

He said the inadequate and inconsistent Public-Private Partnerships initiatives towards the convergence of private value chain also hindered the promotion of quality production. He said the inability of farmers to adopt appropriate technologies into the rice value chain was another disturbing factor and called on the youth to take advantage and champion the incorporation of Information Communication Technology in the sector. Mr Tomokazu Ohtani, Mizuho Information and Research Institute Incorporation, said a research shows that interfusion of stones, dark rice, among others were some of the reasons the local rice do not meet the quality it demands. He said to improve the quality of rice by small scale manufacturers and more importantly in the destoning process there was the need for machines to be made available for farmers as the continouss breakdown was affecting their yield. He said for this reason the JICA project was introducing a support system initiative to ensure high quality local rice and promote high value-added domestic rice that would be right for the market.

“This will promote the mutually beneficial development of agricultural sector for both Africa and Japan through utilizing capable technologies to advance high-value added agricultural products,” he said. Professor George Oduro Nkansah, the Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology at the University of Ghana, said the country needed to develop technologies to suit the Japanese technology of rice production. He said: “If we are able to cooperate with them or adopt their technologies, it will go a long way to help us in our rice industry as well as the vegetable industry.

“New things come up always and hence we need to update our technologies so we can upscale the quality of our rice,” Prof. Nkansah said. The seminar, attended by Small to Medium Enterprises was aimed at linking investors in both countries to ensure the incorporation of new technologies in the rice industry of Ghana. New products and technologies for improved rice production and cultivation was also introduced at the seminar. https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2017/10/02/japan-ready-to-support-ghana-in-rice-value-chain-grib/

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