9th September , 2014
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MODERN RESEARCH METHODS HANDY TO BOOST RICE PRODUCTION NACC and OAG forms joint working group to probe Yingluck 500,000-MT in rice imports to be procured via bilateral deal India's MMTC floats 10,000 T rice import tender Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Sep 09 TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- Sep 09 Grain stocks as on September 1 way above targets: Government NFA resorts to government negotiations to import rice TDRI rice report not 'evidence' of graft Garden State Shoppers Eat Up Rice Demo Machinery allocated to spur farm productivity USA Rice Outlook Conference and Trade Show, Dec. 7-9, Little Rock, Ark. China - Two Rice Projects Of The Future Disappear - Or Do They? Rice Farmers Ink Deal to Export to Europe and US
NEWS DETAILS: MODERN RESEARCH METHODS HANDY TO BOOST RICE PRODUCTION President stresses REAP to play vital role in rice production, export Staff Reporter Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - Karachi—President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday said differences are not solved on the streets and disagreements are settled through dialogue in the elected parliament. He hoped that annoyed people will return to the parliament as the objective of politics is to restore confidence and satisfaction, it does not mean chaos. He was addressing the 6th Export Trophy Awards 2012-13, ceremony organised by Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), at a hotel here. He said rice is one of the favourite crops throughout the world, and Pakistan also earns 10 per cent of its total foreign earnings from rice export. Pakistan‘s foreign earnings can be further increased, if modern and researchbased methods are followed in rice production, he added. He called for paying attention to research in rice production so as to overcome the weakness in specific areas and said the REAP can play a significant role by establishing research cells. President Mamnoon Hussain said that research is not a static process and
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organisations like REAP should provide their feedback to the research institutions. He expressed pleasure that Pakistan was exporting rice to 103 countries and suggested that more markets be explored.He said the government has launched various projects for power generation to cater for domestic and commercial needs of the consumers. As development projects are completed, the situation will surely be much better and all of us should cooperate with the government in development and betterment of the country, he said. He termed political stability and law and order imperative for development of any country. Pakistan Army and the government are making all out efforts to maintain peace across the country, he noted.He said we are in a state of war and Pakistan Army is successfully targeting terrorists in the ongoing ―Zarb-e-Azb‖ Exercise. ―There is a need to stand firm behind our army,‖ he said. President Mamnoon Hussian said the central government is providing all out support to the Sindh government to maintain peace and control law and order in Karachi. He said he has been told that overall law and order situation was much better in Ramazan-ul- Mubarak and business activities were also better than the previous year. He also advised women to pursue their careers in the professions of their choice but keep their cultural values and traditions in mind. He was of the view that problems do exist in every society but we should realise our own responsibility to play our role in the country‘s development. The President suggested that all segments of society should strive together to eliminate corruption.Earlier, the President distributed trophies and gold medals among the winners of REAP‘s 6th Export Trophy Awards. Addressing the occasion, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), S.M. Munir congratulated REAP and rice exporters for achieving the mark of rice export of two billion dollars. Acting Chairman REAP, Chela Ram Kewlani said the rice exporters are facing different problems due to law and order situation.
NACC and OAG forms joint working group to probe Yingluck BANGKOK, 9 September 2014 (NNT) - The National Anti-Corruption Commission is setting up a joint working group with the Office of the Attorney General to probe charges against former premier Yingluck Shinawatra in relation to the rice pledging case. The move came after the OAG failed to prosecute Ms Yingluck in the controversial scheme, citing insufficient evidence. The decision has prompted the NACC to call a meeting with the OAG, resulted in the setting up of a joint panel to proceed with the charges within 14 days. The two independent public agencies held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the formation of the panel, which will compile additional evidence supporting allegations of fraud against the former premier. NACC secretary general Sansern Poljiak said if the joint working group fails to reach a conclusion that proves satisfactory to both agencies, the NACC will either file legal action against Ms Yingluck or will appoint a lawyer to file the charges. The NACC has charged the former
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prime minister of malfeasance for her negligence to stop corruption in the rice pledging scheme in accordance with Article 157 of the Criminal Code and for breaking the anti-corruption law.
500,000-MT in rice imports to be procured via bilateral deal PRESIDENTIAL ASSISTANT for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM) Francis N. Pangilinan said late Tuesday that a government-to-government mode will be used for the procurement of the additional 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to be shipped into the country this year. Workers load bags of rice in a store outside Hanoi in this Nov. 26, 2013 photo. After a failed bidding last Aug. 27, the Philippine government will now procure the 500,000 metric tons of rice it seeks to import to buffer up its stocks of the grain via a bilateral deal with Vietnam, Cambodia, or Thailand -- AFP According to Mr. Pangilinan, the National Food Authority (NFA) Council, in its meeting on Aug. 28, agreed to do a government-to-government procurement for the importation of the commodity.He said the NFA has already invited Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam to make an offer to supply the grains, which will be due on Monday, Sept. 15.Under the new terms, the minimum volume for the offer will be 200,000 MT while the lowest offer will be subject to the NFA Council‘s approval.
The PAFSAM also said that additional details will be released by the NFA ―soon.‖The NFA allotted a budget of P10.27 billion to import the supply of 25% broken, long grain, well-milled white rice which will be delivered in three batches from September to November.Under the original mode of procurement, the first batch of the imports or 40% of the volume awarded were to arrive not later than Sept. 30, another 40% to arrive not later than Oct. 31, and the remaining 20% to arrive not later than Nov. 30. The NFA conducted a bidding for the importation on Aug. 27 which was declared a failure after the bids of all four possible suppliers were higher than the approved budget of contract (ABC) of $456.60 per MT.The lowest bid then was by Louis Dreyfus Corp. which bid two lots of 25,000 MT omnibus volume each, at $460 per MT.Prior to this, the country has already ordered some 800,000 MT of rice from Vietnam which have already arrived in the country.Compared to the commercial rice varieties which reach P43 per kilo, the NFA supplies rice at cheaper prices such as P27 per kilo for the regular-milled and P32 per kilo for the well-milled rice. -J.V.D. Cabuenas
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India's MMTC floats 10,000 T rice import tender NEW DELHI, Sept 9 Tue Sep 9, 2014 12:15pm IST 09/09/2014
(Reuters) - India's state-run trader MMTC Ltd floated a tender on Tuesday to import 10,000 tonnes of rice for delivery in the eastern state of Mizoram.India, the world's second biggest rice producer, has huge surplus stocks. Imports are sometimes required because of poor transportation links to ship grain to interior areas in northeast India, said a trade source.The state trader is seeking 25 percent broken white rice supply from overseas sellers for delivery between Oct. 15 to Nov. 15, the statement said. Bids close on Sept. 23. On Monday, another state-run trader, State Trading Corp. , floated a similar tender to import 25 percent broken white rice for delivery in the eastern state of Manipur. (Reporting by Ratnajyoti Dutta; editing by Malini Menon)
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Sep 09 Tue Sep 9, 2014 3:19pm IST Nagpur, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) moved down here on lack of buying support from local millers amid good arrival from producing regions. Easy condition on NCDEX and downward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses also pulled down prices here, according to sources. *
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FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram prices showed weak tendency in open market here on poor buying support from local millers amid release of stock from stockists. TUAR * Tuar varieties reported a sharp fall in open market here on lack of demand from local traders amid good supply from producing belts. Reports about fresh overseas arrival also pulled down prices. * Masoor varieties zoomed up in open market on increased buying support from local traders. Low production estimates in this season also boosted prices. * In Akola, Tuar - 5,000-5,200, Tuar dal - 6,900-7,100, Udid at 7,200-7,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 8,000-8,500, Moong - 7,200-7,600, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,700-9,400, Gram - 2,700-2,900, Gram Super best bold - 3,800-4,000 for 100 kg.
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* Wheat, 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 2,010-2,720 2,100-2,800 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 4,410-5,140 4,500-5,230 Moong Auction n.a. 5,200-5,500 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 3,900-4,200 4,000-4,250 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,700-3,800 3,700-3,900 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,500-3,600 3,650-3,725 Desi gram Raw 2,900-3,000 3,100-3,200 Gram Filter new 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,850 Gram Kabuli 8,000-9,500 8,000-9,500 Gram Pink 7,200-7,400 7,200-7,400 Tuar Fataka Best 7,400-7,500 7,500-7,700 Tuar Fataka Medium 7,100-7,300 7,200-7,350 Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,700-6,900 6,800-7,000 Tuar Dal Medium phod 6,500-6,600 6,500-6,700 Tuar Gavarani 5,100-5,200 5,200-5,300 Tuar Karnataka 5,300-5,400 5,500-5,600 Tuar Black 8,200-8,500 8,200-8,500 Masoor dal best 6,600-6,700 6,400-6,500 Masoor dal medium 6,300-6,450 6,100-6,250 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 9,500-10,000 9,500-10,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 8,800-9,200 8,800-9,200 Moong dal super best 7,800-8,000 7,800-8,000 Moong dal Chilka 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 8,000-9,000 8,000-9,000 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 8,200-8,700 8,200-8,700 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,400-7,800 7,400-7,800 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,200-5,000 4,200-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,800-3,100 2,800-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,450 3,250-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,350 3,250-3,350 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,900 4,400-4,900 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,500 1,200-1,500
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Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-2,000 1,850-2,000 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,350 1,950-2,350 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,300 1,200-1,300 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,800 1,500-1,800 Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,500 3,000-3,500 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,800-2,000 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700 Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,500 4,900-5,500 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,500-13,500 10,500-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,300-10,000 7,300-10,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 30.2 degree Celsius (87.2 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 21.8 degree Celsius (72.5 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : nil FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 31 and 22 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- Sep 09 Tue Sep 9, 2014 7:58pm IST Rates by Asian News International, New Delhi Tel: 011 2619 1464 Indicative Previous Grains opening close (in rupees per 100 kg unless stated) ---------------------------------------------------------Wheat Desi 2,200-3,000 2,200-3,000. Wheat Dara 2,000-2,800 2,000-2,800 Roller Mill (per bag) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200. Maida (per bag) 1,800-2,100 1,750-2,050.
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Sooji (per bag) 1,800-2,000 1,800-2,000. Rice Basmati(Common) 8,900-9,500 8,900-9,500. Rice Permal 2,200-2,500 2,100-2,400. Rice Sela 2,400-2,700 2,400-2,700. I.R.-8 2,000-2,400 2,000-2,400. Gram 3,550-3,750 3,550-3,750. Peas Green 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800. Peas White 2,750-3,150 2,800-3,200. Bajra 1,450-1,950 1,450-1,950. Jowar white 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800. Maize 1,300-1,600 1,250-1,550. Barley 1,350-1,750 1,350-1,750. Source: Delhi grain market traders.
Grain stocks as on September 1 way above targets: Government By Reuters | 9 Sep, 2014, 11.53AM IST Bumper harvests since 2007 have led to huge stockpiles of rice and wheat. These stocks have also helped cushion the blow of a weak monsoon.
ET SPECIAL:
NEW DELHI: The country's wheat stocks at government warehouses on September 1 were 35.5 million tonnes, more than double the official target for the quarter ending this month, government sources said on Tuesday. Milled rice inventory for the same period was 17.3 million tonnes against a target of 9.8 million tonnes. Bumper harvests since 2007 have led to huge stockpiles of rice and wheat withgovernment agencies. These stocks have also helped cushion the blow of a weak start of the four-month annual monsoon rains this June.
To get rid of some of the surplus stocks, the government has allowed private traders to export wheat and nonbasmati rice. Besides, it had shipped out nearly 7 million tonnes of wheat from its warehouses in the recent past. On August 1, stocks of wheat were at 38.2 million tonnes, while those of rice were 19.3 million tonnes. The government buys grains from farmers for programmes that try to ensure cheaper food for the poor and to meet emergencies. Since 2009, the government has also been keeping an additional 3 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of rice as strategic reserves in addition to the monthly stocks.
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NFA resorts to government negotiations to import rice By Anna Leah G. Estrada | Sep. 09, 2014 at 11:01pm The National Food Authority Council approved the government-to-government procurement mode to import 500,000 metric tons of rice this year, after an international auction failed.NFA said in a statement it sent invitations to Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to make an offer for the rice supply.―It is government to government importation based on executive agreements with Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. We have scheduled the submission of offers on Monday,‖ presidential assistant for food security Francis Pangilinan said.NFA said the lowest offer would be subject to approval by the NFA Council. The minimum volume for the offer is 200,000 metric tons. The state-run agency earlier declared a failed bidding for the importation of 500,000 MT of rice, after interested foreign suppliers submitted bids above the government‘s price ceiling.NFA said the offers submitted by four international rice traders during the bidding ranged from $460 to $496.75 per metric ton, exceeding the approved budget for the contract of $456.60 per MT.―Based on the bidders‘ responses, we declare this bidding a failure. Based on the findings of the technical working group, the offers of all bidders are not responsive because their bid offers are beyond the ABC,‖ said NFA assistant administrator and special bids and awards committee chairman Efren Sabong.―It is clear in the bid documents that bidders submitting higher than the ABC shall be disqualified,‖ Sabong said.
TDRI rice report not 'evidence' of graft Published: 9 Sep 2014 at 13.33 | Viewed: 2,996 | Comments: 2 Online news: News
The Thailand Development Research Institute's rice research paper should not be used as "evidence" in the corruption investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, TDRI president Somkiat Tangkitvanich said. A man inspects the quality of rice pledged under the rice scheme operated by the previous government led by Yingluck Shinawatra. (Bangkok Post photo) The TDRI‘s rice report has been cited as evidence by the NACC in the investigation against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is accused of negligence of duty in failing to deal with graft and losses in the rice pledging scheme.In a post on his Facebook page around 10.30pm on Monday, Mr Somkiat said there are varying opions and and questions about the NACC's referring to the TDRI‘s rice report in the case against Ms Yingluck‘s rice pledging project, especially when the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) and the NACC held different opinions. The OAG last week refused to indict and called for a joint panel with the NACC to re-investigate the case, saying it was not strong enough to take the former prime minister to court.Mr Somkiat said his colleague Nipon
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Puapongsakorn, who owns the research paper, plans to explain his viewpoint to the public. He felt that information, particularly that being posted online, seemed to be increasing the confusion and that some opinions involved the TDRI.Therefore, he would explain in short what the TDRI is doing and how academic studies differ from the NAAC investigation.Mr Somkiat said he agrees with his colleague that the rice pledging scheme had many problems. It did not solve the original issue, the problems of poor farmers, and damaged the market mechanism, which earlier worked reasonably fairly, and it had resulted in widespread corruption.The NACC should investigate and punish the wrongdoers.He said the key message he wanted to communicate was that the TRDI was an institute working on policy research, with the duty to bring improvement to problematic policies. The TDRI had a different purpose from the NACC, which had to find evidence of guilt of corruption or negligence. ―I think that the NACC should not refer to the TDRI‘s academic work as ‗evidence‘ in the accusation against someone, because academic evidence has different characteristics from the evidence in criminal or political cases under the responsibility of the NACC,‖ he wrote.Mr Somkiat said an academic study, for example, may cite statistics to prove an assumption, but evidence in a legal case must define guilt according to the law, such as intention to a commit a crime or the commission of negligence. He said academia usually paid no attention to these issues, because it was not the duty of the TRDI to take legal action against anybody.Mr Somkiat believed the NACC, with the authority of the law and its resources behind it, would be able to find evidence to identify the offenders in the rice-pledging scheme. The NACC was an important organisation with the primary role of preventing corruption, so he would like to see it proceed carefully and communicate clearly with the public, to establish its credibility.
Garden State Shoppers Eat Up Rice Demo The Rice Queen of Kings Food Market VERONA, NJ -- The USA Rice Federation's retail outreach for National Rice Month is well underway and today, shoppers at Kings Food Market here were treated to the delicious smells and tastes of a Curry Chicken Lime Rice Bowl.The upscale store offers extensive gourmet prepared foods and the USA Rice demonstration area fit right in."We chose to use a U.S.-grown basmati today to highlight to shoppers that they can achieve authentic international flavors with a home-grown rice," said Sue Lenci, today's chef. "Folks were delighted to learn the rice came from the U.S., and that the recipe was
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so easy to prepare. "Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion said the Kings store was chosen because of its proximity to New York City, and because the store reached out to USA Rice to host a National Rice Month Event."We'll be demonstrating a new recipe each Tuesday this month, utilizing different U.S. grown varieties and sharing our positive story with New Jersey shoppers," Maher said."My family actually prefers rice to things like pasta," said Jessica W, a local mother of two who stopped by to sample today's dish. "I've been buying rice for a long time, and I didn't know it was grown in the United States, but now that I know, I definitely feel even better about it. ""I watched the chef prepare this dish and it was so easy and so delicious, I'm putting all these ingredients in my cart now and will make this tonight," said Kim B. another local shopper who walked off with U.S.-grown brown basmati after sampling the recipe.Maher said she was impressed with the amount of U.S.-grown rice shoppers picked up from her display table. "The store completely sold out of one brand, and we made a nice dent in some of the others too," she said. Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Machinery allocated to spur farm productivity To ADDRESS a shortage in farm laborers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region VI has allocated P17.84-million worth of agriculture machinery to be given to qualified farmers groups in the region under the Farm Service Provider (FSP) program.According to DA Regional Director Larry P. Nacionales, associations will be given a rice reaper and thresher or a combine harvester depending on the farmland‘s terrain, as well as four-wheel drive tractors.We are establishing FSP within a composite rice farming community where scarcity of labor is continually experienced every cropping season,‖ he said. The program will also include training on farm machine operation and troubleshooting, project and organizational management courses, as well as courses on basic accounting, simple business operation and book-keeping.These trainings will be conducted by the DA‘s Agri-Pinoy rice program, the Philippine Center for Post-harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), and DA provincial personnel.FSP Focal Person Rene B. Formoso added that these farm machineries will help lessen asynchronous planting associated to issues such as irrigation concerns and delayed harvesting, as well as pest and disease outbreaks.He said eligible FSPs will be responsible for the safekeeping and the availment of the machineries by member-beneficiaries. They will also have to ensure the maintenance of project records and files for audit purposes.Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala announced that other machineries such as corn millers and coconut water processors are already available for local farmers.PhilMech Executive Director Rex L. Bingabing had
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said that four units of the corn miller will be distributed to various provinces while a coconut pasteurizer will be delivered to Naga before the year ends. – JVDC
USA Rice Outlook Conference and Trade Show, Dec. 7-9, Little Rock, Ark. December 7th - 9th, 2014 • Little Rock, AR
The USA Rice Outlook Conference and Trade Show will be held Dec. 7-9 in Little Rock, Ark.The largest annual gathering of rice farmers from all rice-producing states features a trade show for rice-related equipment, technology, products, and services.The educational program will cover outlooks on farm bill implementation, the economy, trade, production, research, and more.The event will be held at the Marriott Little Rock and Statehouse Convention Center. For more information, contact Jeanette Davis at jdavis@usarice.com or (703) 236-1447.
China - Two Rice Projects Of The Future Disappear - Or Do They? In the last 30 years, China has been investing huge amounts of money in its rice sector: R&D, new cultivation processes, farmers subsidies… Rice has also become an integral diplomatic asset in foreign aid, as a tool among others in the governmental development kit offered to the poorest countries: paddies, along with roads, hospitals or school buildings. China offers to Bangladesh a joint research center on hybrid rice, Sichuan pays $300.000 on a five years period into a 17.000 acres rice-farm (also producing cotton and fruit) in Uganda.As it seems, rice in China is more than a staple: a part of its self-portrait, like the panda or the curved tiled roofs, a matter of national pride. This month of August however, China had to renege on two of its most iconic rice projects, one national and one international: they are the focus of this blog and of my next one. Let‘s look at the projects, and the cause of the crash. Death of the Chinese GM rice, right? On the 20th of August, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture failed to renew the biosafety certificates allowing research groups to grow genetically modified (GM) rice and corn. The certificates had been originally granted in August 2009. Two rice stocks had been modified by an Institute at Huazhong University in Wuhan (Hubei) to carry a gene that provides pest resistance.
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The agronomist team was hoping to reduce pesticide use by 80%, while raising yield by 8%. Had the new GM species eventually been licensed for human consumption and trade, those scientists were confident to have the overall national crop raised 10% by 2020.Among the reasons for the Ministry of Agriculture to decide to discontinue this program, a major one quoted by the local media, was the attrition of any need for it. China was already more than self-sufficient on rice. Hybridization and other agronomic break-through had helped ensure an 11th consecutive good harvest in 2014 of +1% at 558.000t, a major reason for this long term push being the public price support system, implemented by state buying of all surpluses at a political price which is way over the world one. This induces a huge pressure on public budget, worsened by storage and eventual quality loss. Thus this unsustainable market organization had to be entirely rethought. As far as national consumption was concerned, GM crops had no more reasons to exist.Carried by Wang Jing from Greenpeace-China, another argument was that ―the public concern around safety issues is one [of the main] reason[s] that the certifications have not been renewed‖.Such arguments are probably valid. An international biotechnology expert however, who wishes to stay anonymous, has more to say about it. His contacts within the Chinese research circles, from the CAS (Chinese Academy of Science) to the CAAS (Chinese Academy of Agronomic Science) allowed him to gain a much different perspective: according to those high-level agronomists, the main reason for those painfully developed lines to be abandoned, was that they were entailing numerous, serious mistakes in the gene integration. ―Such an amateur job would have made a full scale demonstration of the lack of expertise on GM technology in this country, which was obviously bad for its image. There was also a risk of a major alimentary polemic in Chinese cities, which authorities could simply not afford to let happen after so many alimentary scandals happened in recent years.‖ Another issue was proprietary rights. Huazhong and other Mid-Yangzi universities had been too much ―inspired‖ by GM lines/stocks from Monsanto and other world groups such as Syngenta, DuPont or Bayer, that were often also jointly studied by universities from advanced countries (such as Japan, the USA or France) Those GM-lines were either lent to those Chinese scientific pools for academic purposes, or fraudulently brought back by PhD students or post-docs upon graduation abroad. They would then be relabeled and redeveloped as commercial projects, without permit from the originators. But from a governmental perspective, letting these local research teams proceed towards marketing of such easily retraceable products would have necessarily resulted in lawsuits which the ministry was keen to avoid. Indeed, the government is performing a massive clean-up within the research laboratories throughout the territory, exemplified by putting Professor Li Ning from the China Agricultural University under arrest since July for privately recycling undisclosed but huge official grants earmarked for GM research.However, from the same source, the withdrawal of these rice and corn GM stocks is far from meaning the end of GM biotechnology in China. The Ministry is still massively investing in the university labs, waiting for them to come up with clean products and becoming competitive with foreign firms. Once this is the case, China will put its GM seeds on the market without claiming tech fees from its peasants, or very little: local GM seeds created ―low cost‖ thanks to a strong foreign upstream input, will be thus de facto
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massively sold and publicly subsidized. Thus this ongoing national GM program will hit two birds with a single stone: catch up with world major players, and preserve its own seeds market, potentially the world biggest. Image: Rice production in China,Rice production in China (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rice Farmers Ink Deal to Export to Europe and US BY KANG SOTHEAR | SEPTEMBER 9, 2014
More than 1,000 organic rice farmers in Preah Vihear province Monday signed a contract to produce roughly 2,500 tons of jasmine paddy for the local Amru Rice company for eventual export to Europe and the U.S.―This is the first time that we have signed a contract with a company to export our rice on a large scale to big overseas markets,‖ said Ouk Bophaphaly, president of Living Standard Development Cooperative, one of eight rice associations that signed the deal Monday.Amru Rice CEO Song Saran said that in order to gain access to world markets, the contracted communities would have to first meet three main standards for rice quality. ―First, more than 20 percent of their paddy must not break…. Second, paddy grains must be between 14 and 24 percent wet. And third, jasmine paddy must be at least 90 percent pure,‖ Mr. Saran said, adding that Francebased Ecocert, an organic certification agency, will inspect the rice.Mr. Saran said Amru Rice plans to buy the paddy from the Preah Vihear farmers in November—three days after they harvest it—at a price about 20 percent higher than market value. sothear@cambodiadaily.com
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