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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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November 9,2015 Vol 5, Issue XI
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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Rice News Headlines...
EX QRC STAFF NOT GIVEN PROMISED GOLDEN HANDSHAKE
Not responsible for paddy procurement: Rice millers
Won’t grow basmati again: Farmers
Haryana Food minister refuted reports of scandal in Paddy procurement
FAO cuts global rice output estimate
Nigeria plans rice and wheat self-sufficiency within three years - government document
Lack of R&D behind falling Basmati rice exports - Shahzad Ali Malik, CEO Guard Rice
FOOD GIANTS COMMIT TO TESTING WORLD’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE RICE STANDARD
Global alliance sets standard for sustainable rice production
Aus oldest rice variety in world
Researchers uncover the history of rice cultivation
Pregnant women to get zinc rice
In 5 Minutes This Man Helps Blind People See
Not responsible for paddy procurement: Rice millers
Vietnam urged to build national rice brand to grasp TPP opportunity: experts
Dong Thap Muoi lacks water for rice fields
Philippines may hike rice imports to 1.3m tons
Group bucks gov’t plan to import rice
‘WAIT FOR HARVEST, CHECK SUPPLIES IN WAREHOUSES’
AgCenter Rice Research Station renamed for H. Rouse Caffey
Study shows origins of rice cultivation
IRRI director general awarded medal
FAO cuts global rice output estimate
USA Rice Daily
Building better rice
A date with big data in Uruguay
Partnerships: Linchpin of last-mile delivery in Tamil Nadu
Sugar And Rice - A Sign For 2016
Glut to persist with 3.46m ton rice harvest in Punjab
Basmati rice exporter DRRK Foods to enter domestic market with flagship brand Crown
Basmati
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices
News Detail...
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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EX QRC STAFF NOT GIVEN PROMISED GOLDEN
HANDSHAKE
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the Trade Development Authority
of Pakistan (TDAP) to expedite the payment of the golden handshake to the staff of the disbanded
Quality Review Committee (QRC) as a period of 3 months has passed since the closure of QRC and the
now jobless employees are left high and dry without any compensation.President UNISAME Zulfikar
Thaver said it is unfair to leave them jobless on the one hand and on the other to holdback their promised
golden handshake funds. The TDAP could have utilised their services in their several other departments
but unfortunately even the ministry of commerce also never bothered to transfer them to the Trading
Corporation of Pakistan ( TCP) and simply served them with one month's termination notice.
Thaver said the TDAP needs to immediately arrange for funds and pay the QRC staff without further loss
of time. He said the TDAP needs to recover the amounts lying with the Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP) and also expedite the audit of accounts and take back the properties purchased in
Karachi and Lahore with the QRC funds. The REAP which enjoyed for years on the income of the QRC
has never bothered to even enquire about their welfare.The QRC was functioning as a basmati rice pre
shipment inspection cell which was disbanded 3 months ago as it proved to be futile.
In fact the SME rice exporters hold QRC responsible for their setback as QRC was not impartial,
independent or transparent and also not qualified or eligible to carry out PSI. In fact it is good riddance to
bad rubbish.Thaver said that although the union detested the behavior of the QRC and had challenged its
status as a PSI yet nevertheless is not happy at the treatment meted out to its 16 years old staff as most of
them are old employees and deserve timely compensation to survive in harsh times.He said in normal
circumstances the rice processors and exporters would have employed the QRC Staff but unfortunately
the rice industry is in turmoil and more than a 1000 units are closed.
The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME)
Not responsible for paddy procurement: Rice millers
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, November 8 After facing allegations levelled by the opposition for procuring paddy at throwaway prices, state rice
millers and dealers today cleared their stand and said they were not responsible for procurement. ―We
only process the paddy procured by the government and it is irrelevant to blame us for the price,‖ they
said.Jaipal Jain, officiating state president of the Haryana Millers and Dealers Association, said today that
the government gave them paddy for making rice and that‘s what they did. ―The rate of the paddy is
decided by the procurement agencies on behalf of the quality parameter fixed by the government,‖ he
said.
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Vinod Goyal, who was appointed officiating state general secretary of the association today, said they
were not entitled to arranging rate for paddy. They were only the processors.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/not-responsible-for-paddy-procurement-rice-
millers/156206.html
Won‘t grow basmati again: Farmers Crop fetches low prices | Paddy growers ask Centre to form export policy to bail them out
Labourers at the grain market in Fazilka. Tribune photo
Praful Chander Nagpal
Our Correspondent
Fazilka, November 8 Dismayed over the poor price the 1121 basmati paddy variety fetched this season, farmers might not
grow the crop next year. They say they would again grow the traditional parmal variety that was sold
for higher prices this season. The farmers have asked the Central Government to work out an
effective basmati export policy to bail them out.Sources said the average yield of parmal paddy per
acre was about 33 quintal this year and its minimum support price (MSP) was Rs 1,450 per quintal.
Thus, farmers earn about Rs 47,850 per acre.On the other hand, the average yield per acre for 1121
basmati paddy variety is about 19 quintals, while its price per quintal is Rs 1,650. So the farmers
cultivating this �variety earn only Rs 31,350 per acre.
―We will sow parmal paddy in the future as growing basmati proved to be costly,‖ said farmer
Jawinder Singh of Nurpura village, who grew basmati on 8 acres.Moreover, the input cost of
cultivating basmati paddy is also higher. ―Farmers have to spray pesticide on the basmati crop nearly
three times more compared to parmal variety. Besides, the plantation of basmati paddy also costs
high,‖ said farmer Mangal Singh of Jorki Andhewali village.Sources said basmati was sown on
72,000 hectares this year, while parmal on 25,000 hectares in Fazilka district. Over 30 per cent of
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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basmati paddy amounting to 7 lakh quintals arrived in the Fazilka grain market and 16 purchase
centres so far.If the farmers switched back to growing parmal variety from next year, it would hit the
government‘s diversification push. The basmati variety consumes less water, while parmal variety
needs flood irrigation.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/won-t-grow-basmati-again-farmers/156256.html
Haryana Food minister refuted reports of scandal in Paddy
procurement November 07, 2015 11:56 PM
Punjab News Express
CHANDIGARH: Strongly denying the report of an alleged scam in procurement of PUSA-1509
variety of paddy leading to an undue benefit to millers at the cost of farmers which appeared in a
section of the press today, Food and Supplies Minister, Mr Karan Dev Kamboj has advised the
former Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda not to jump to conclusions on mischievous
reporting by a journalist who has displayed no regard for facts in his zeal to appear pro-
farmer.The historic decision of the government to procure PUSA-1509 variety of paddy has
benefited the farmers of Haryana by Rs 350 per quintal and the calculations of any loss to the
government or benefit to the millers are completely baseless and a mere figment of imagination
of the reporter, he said.
In a hard hitting statement issued here today, Mr Karan Dev Kamboj said that the State
Government approached the Government of India to allow procurement of this variety when it
was being bought by millers at Rs 1,100 per quintal. Government of India graciously allowed its
procurement variety at the rate of Rs 1,450 per quintal since it is not a basmati variety and falls
in the category of Grade A variety on the basis of its grain's length to breadth ratio being more
than 2.5.This is the reason that procurement agencies are recording its procurement along with
other similar grade of paddy varieties like PR11 and PR14. This is no way mean that government
does not have any record of how much PUSA-1509 has been procured at Minimum Support
Price(MSP).He said that till date 4.12 lakh tonnes of PUSA-1509 has arrived in all the mandis of
the state.
While it was being bought by millers at around Rs 1,100 per quintal before the government
decision to procure it at MSP as Grade A variety. After entry of procurement agencies even the
rates being given by millers improved leading to a direct benefit of Rs 350 per quintal. He said
that the figure of the estimated production of 150 lakh quintal or 15 lakh tonnes of PUSA-1509
as reported in the newspapers is completely baseless. The total area under basmati in the state is
12.28 lakh hectares. With an average productivity of 26 quintal per hectare, the estimated
production of basmati is over 31.9 lakh metric tonnes. Last year PUSA-1509 had been sown on
only around ten per cent of the area under basmati and because of expectations of declining
exports of basmati and its non-procurement by state agencies, the area under PUSA-1509 this
year was around 1.5 lakh hectare and not three lakh hectare as wrongly reported.
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He said that assumption of average yield of 50 quintal per hectare was ridiculous since the
average productivity of basmati is 26 quintal/hectare and of even the common paddy is only 34.5
quintal/hectare.He said that the calculations of alleged gains of millers are equally ridiculous.
The wholesale price of PUSA-1509 rice is Rs 26 to Rs 28 per kg and not Rs 70. The government
milling rate including by products is Rs 180 per quintal and not Rs 500 per quintal. Therefore the
conclusion of any windfall gain is a pure figment of reporters' imagination.
He said that while unfortunately journalists can get away after cooking up stories at their whims
and fancies the people of the state expect responsible politicians like the former Chief Minister
Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda to confirm facts before making allegations. He said that it was
unfortunate that neither of the two spoke to any officer or farmer while putting out a completely
false story and a wild allegation. Had they cared to do so they would not have missed out on the
extraordinary steps taken by both the Union and the State Governments to come to the rescue of
the hard working farmers at a time when they are facing particularly difficult global economic
conditions. http://punjabnewsexpress.com/regional/news/haryana-food-minister-refuted-reports-of-scandal-in-paddy-
procurement--44915.aspx
FAO cuts global rice output estimate
SHARES: 24 VIEW COMMENTS
By: Ronnel W. Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
01:06 AM November 9th, 2015
THE FORECAST global output of milled rice for the July 2015-June 2016 crop year was cut further by 2
million tons to 491 million tons, according to the latest outlook from the Food and Agriculture
Organization.This follows a cut of 8 million tons, to 493 million tons, in the previous monthly update
made last October.Based on the monthly Market Monitor report of the Agricultural Market Information
System (Amis), the reduction was due to continued deteriorating prospects in Asia, partly due to the
strong El Niño weather phenomenon.―Rice conditions remain mixed in part due to the current El Niño
affecting large parts of Asia,‖ the FAO-administered inter-agency body said.
For example, conditions are generally favorable in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.On the other hand,
conditions are poor in Thailand due to a lack of precipitation, shortage of irrigation water and pests.―In
the Philippines, harvest of the wet season crop is almost complete,‖ the Amis said. ―Crop damage caused
by several typhoons has been recorded in the northern regions, which may result in lower yields.‖Further,
the Amis said the forecast trade volume for calendar 2016 was raised again, partly due to anticipated
larger imports by the Philippines.As of this month, the projected rice trade for next year is pegged at
450.2 million tons, ―raised somewhat‖ from the 450 million tons forecast last month.This was based ―on
larger anticipated imports by the Philippines, China, Colombia and Nigeria,‖ the Amis said.
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According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Philippines‘ stock of milled rice inched up to
2.2 million tons as of Oct. 1 as farms across the nation started harvesting the year‘s main crop.The
national inventory—which increased by 13 percent or 260,000 tons over the previous month—was good
for 65 days‘ consumption.Data from the PSA show that the National Food Authority‘s stock decreased by
50,000 tons to settle at 750,000 tons.As of Oct. 1, the NFA‘s stock was good for 22 days‘ consumption,
still well above its minimum mandated volume of 15 days‘ supply.
Also, according to the PSA, the country‘s ability to produce its own supply of rice fell to 92 percent of
domestic demand in 2014.
http://business.inquirer.net/202213/fao-cuts-global-rice-output-estimate#ixzz3r5Iz7l00
Nigeria plans rice and wheat self-sufficiency within three
years - government document Sat Nov 7, 2015 1:50pm GMT
By Felix Onuah
ABUJA Nov 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria aims to be self-sufficient in both rice and wheat production
within three years, a document by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration seen by
Reuters showed on Saturday, a massive undertaking given current production levels.The policy
document was circulated among Buhari's ministers, whose portfolios are yet to be announced, on
a two-day retreat. It also proposes overhauling the mining sector, including efforts to "ensure
local and foreign investment" in the industry.However, the five-page document did not provide
details of how the administration led by the 72-year-old former military ruler would fund the
planned changes in Africa's biggest economy, which has seen a slowdown in growth.
Buhari has previously stated long-term plans to encourage local manufacturing in Africa's largest
oil producer, which has been hit by a fall in global crude prices."Self-sufficiency in rice
production within 24 months" and "self-sufficiency in wheat production within 26 months" are
goals in the agriculture section of the document, which also calls for "market guarantees for farm
produce".About 3 million tonnes of rice was produced in Nigeria last year, along with 64,000
tonnes of wheat, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures show.The West
African nation is the world's second largest importer of rice and among the biggest buyers of
U.S. wheat.In 2012 it imported 2.3 million tonnes of rice - a record high, say U.N. statistics
which also show some 4.1 million tonnes of wheat was brought into Nigeria in the same year -
nearly double the amount imported in 2000.
The central bank has restricted access to foreign currency to import 41 categories of items,
including rice, to stop a slide of the naira.Nigeria stepped up import controls when Buhari led a
military government in the 1980s.The document also stated plans to "build a major north-south
road within 36 months". Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said a 25 billion naira ($126 million)
infrastructure fund would be set up to improve the road, rail and power networks.The creation of
one million houses for the poorest of Nigeria's 170 million inhabitants within four years "using
methods that create jobs" was also among policy goals outlined in the document seen by Reuters.
($1 = 198.8700 naira) (Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Digby Lidstone)
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http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL8N13207420151107?sp=true
Lack of R&D behind falling Basmati rice exports - Shahzad Ali
Malik, CEO Guard Rice November 09, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
Shahzad Ali Malik, the CEO of Guard Rice, is the pioneer of modern rice industry in Pakistan.
He is the Director of the Guard Group, and is known for his vigour for R&D in the rice industry
through latest technologies and new varieties. He is also the former President of Lahore Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and is among the founders of Rice Export Association of
Pakistan (REAP). Following are the edited excerpts of a recent conversation of Mr., Malik with
BR Research. BR Research: Walk us through the early developments and dynamics of the rice
sector. Shahzad Ali Malik: In 1989, Government of Pakistan decided to privatise rice exports and
disbanded Rice Export Corporation of Pakistan (RECP).
Before this, RECP was the sole rice procurement agency in the country; Passco procured in small
quantities, while the rest was procured by the private sector for domestic consumption. As a
result, Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) was formed in 1988-89 with ties with the
Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and the Planning
Division. The rice industry is the second largest foreign exchange earner after textile sector. The
privatisation of the sector played a key role in increasing the rice exports in the country. In the
beginning, Pakistan's annual rice exports were around $150-200 million. With the coming of the
private sector into the game, these numbers have touched $2 billion over the 25-year period.
After touching the highs, Basmati and IRRI export shares are now $1.4 billion and $600 million
from one billion dollar each.
BRR: What varieties of rice does Pakistan export?
SAM: In Pakistan two major varieties of rice that dominate the local and international market:
Basmati, and IRRI (the normal long grain rice). IRRI is mainly grown in Sindh and is of lower
quality than Basmati; majority of this variety is exported. On the other hand Basmati is an
aromatic long grain variety originally cultivated in Pakistani Punjab only. Later India also started
sowing this rice seed in its part of Punjab. 50 percent of Basmati is consumed locally, while the
surplus is exportable. BRR: Tell us about Guard Rice?
SAM: We are Guard Agri, part of the financially strong, highly diversified Guard Group of Companies,
established in 1948. We entered the rice market at the right time; Guard Agri was established in 1989, as
the first private sector company with its own Rice Research and Development (R&D) facility. We are not
just a rice company; we are also a seed company where we look after the seed.
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Guard Rice pioneered the introduction of packaged and branded rice in Pakistan, and it is the only
national brand with distribution in all major cities of the country, as well as modern trade outlets. It is also
the largest export brand with presence across 36 countries. We introduced hybrid course grain rice variety
in Pakistan about 15 years back, and today 30 seed companies are marking IRRI hybrid in Pakistan
including four multinationals. Basmati Rice is our heritage, and we are now also looking into producing
Basmati hybrid seed in collaboration with our Chinese and local experts. Right now 60 percent of our
revenues are coming from IRRI seed, while 40 percent comes from local sales and exports of Basmati
rice.
BRR: How has lower commodity prices affected rice exports?
SAM: The decline in global commodity prices did not have so much impact on our coarse grain high
yield hybrid IRRI varieties because of lower cost of production due to the increase in yields.
BRR: What is a key challenge for the rice industry today?
SAM: The issue lies in the sub sector: Basmati rice. While IRRI exports have been either growing or
stabilising over the years due to hybrid technology, Basmati is facing issues. The cost of production for
IRRI is coming down in Sindh, and thanks to double the yield of Hybrid technology, exporters are able to
compete with countries like Vietnam, Thailand. However, Basmati rice exports are stagnating and
slowing down. Though the research is going on to develop Basmati through hybrid technology as well,
our public sector research institutes have not been able to bring any new high-yielding Basmati varieties
in the country since the eighties, which has resulted in a constant decline in its per acre production,
leaving a window of opportunity for India to gain foothold in the international market for extra-long grain
high yielding varieties. The last extra-long grain high yielding Basmati varieties introduced in Pakistan
were long grain Basmati 385 in 1980s and Super Basmati in 1990s, after which no new variety has been
brought forward; their use for 25 years has weakened the seed varieties and declined the yields sharply.
BRR: What are some suggestions and proposals you think could open opportunities for Pakistan's rice
industry?
SAM: We have lost a huge Iranian rice market to India. Iran imports around 1.5 million to 2 million tons
of rice annually. Amid all its international sanctions, India was able to arrange a currency swap with Iran
in the name of food for oil, which enabled it to penetrate and capture the entire rice market. We are now
proposing that since Pakistan has signed a PTA with Iran, five products from both countries should be
rendered zero-import duty. Of course, we propose one of the items from Pakistan to be Basmati rice in
order to get back the lost market to India. We used to export around 200,000 tons of rice to Iran, which
has not reduced to nothing at all.
However, we must be mindful that the advantage India has over us in Basmati rice is lower cost of
production. Also, India is way ahead of us in research and development in all crops, and particularly in
rice.
Their Basmati variety called 11-21 has captured the global market, and the seed has also made inroad
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informally into Pakistan. 11-21 is illegally being grown and exported from Pakistan.
Here too we have rigorously suggested the Government of Pakistan to approve it and give it a legal cover
to bring it into the market as today there is more sowing of 11-21 than Super Basmati in Punjab due to
better yield, international acceptance and importer demand.
http://www.brecorder.com/company-news/235/1244643/
FOOD GIANTS COMMIT TO TESTING WORLD’S
FIRST SUSTAINABLE RICE STANDARD
Blog Entry by Vikas Vij in Sustainable Food
Sunday, November 8, 2015 - 10:30pm
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Rice is
a food staple to more than half of
the world‘s seven billion people.
A large part of rice consumption
occurs in Asia, where it is a staple
for a majority of the population,
including the region‘s 560 million
hungry people. At the current
global population growth rate, the
world will have to grow 50
percent more rice by 2050.The
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) and United
Nations Environmental Program
(UNEP) recently convened a
group of companies, scientists and government agencies to launch the world‘s first global
standard for sustainable rice. Called the Sustainable Rice Platform Standard, it is created to
ensure rice is produced in ways that are good for the environment, profitable to farmers, and
healthy for consumers.
Leading food and agricultural companies that have committed to testing the standard include
Kellogg‘s, Mars Foods, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Ahold B.V., and Syngenta. Mars Foods,
maker of popular rice brand Uncle Ben‘s, aims to achieve 100 percent sustainable sourcing of its
rice by 2020. Kristin Hughes, global corporate affairs director of Mars Foods, said that with the
new global standard, the company can achieve its goal.
UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Director Isabelle Louis said that the establishment of the standard
addresses a long-neglected need for a globally critical crop and the standard represents a
fundamental building block for developing the application of sustainability and informing policy
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formulation.Rice-producing companies or countries that aim to follow the standard will have to
fulfill 46 requirements in eight aspects of rice cultivation. These include farm management, pre-
planting, water use, nutrient management, pest management, harvest and post-harvest, health and
safety, and labor rights. One of the key goals of the standard is to cut down the amount of
methane, a major GHG contributor to global warming, emitted by rice cultivation.
The standard will be downloadable from the website of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), a
multi-stakeholder group including agri-based companies, scientific institutions and governments
that are committed to changing the way rice is cultivated. The standard uses a scoring system in
which those who wish to adopt it can do so step by step until full compliance to it.For instance,
achieving a score of 10 to 90 will mean the farmer or the food company is ―working towards
sustainable rice cultivation.‖ Once they get scores between 90 and 100, they can be said to be
―sustainably cultivating rice‖ based on the SRP Standard.
http://www.justmeans.com/blogs/food-giants-commit-to-testing-worlds-first-sustainable-rice-standard#sthash.gie6a1BB.dpuf
Global alliance sets standard for sustainable rice production
by Ramon Rafael C. Bonilla - November 8, 2015
By Ramon Rafael Bonilla |
A global alliance in agriculture called for a strong international action for sustainable rice
production as the world braces for challenges in rice-resource efficiency, with the Philippines
facing insufficiency in the coming years.It its recent fifth Annual Plenary Meeting and General
Assembly attended by stakeholders, such as agricultural research institutions, agrifood
businesses, public sector and civil society organizations, the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)
pledged to pursue rice security through environmentally sustainable and socially responsible rice
cultivation.
It said there should be efforts to attract more partners for a stronger solution to maintain the
stability of rice for more than 3.5 billion people around the world that depend on it.
The SRP launched the world‘s first standard for sustainable rice, which sets new and more
efficient standards for rice cultivation. The SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation uses
environmental and socioeconomic benchmarks to maintain yields for rice smallholders, reduce
the environmental footprint of rice cultivation and meet consumer needs for food safety and
quality.
The development of the standard draws on global experience in other sustainable commodity
initiatives, such as sugarcane, cotton, coffee and palm oil. It is made up of 46 requirements
ranging from productivity, food safety, worker health, labor rights and biodiversity. It is
supplemented by a set of quantitative performance indicators to enable farmers and market
supply chain actors to gauge the sustainability of a rice system, and to monitor and reward
progress.―It‘s a big deal. It is a major concern not only for us, but to the whole community. This
is the first time that an initiative addressed a challenging problem that will determine the
importance of global food security,‖ said James Lomax, United Nations Environment
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Programme (UNEP) program officer for Agriculture and Food, who initiated the SRP in
December 2011.
He also acknowledged that ―it is a collective effort of governments, international agencies, profit
and nonprofit organizations, and research institutes‖ to alleviate the prolonged agony that should
not be neglected as the world population continues to erupt in the recent decade.―We should see
today that the value of rice should call the attention of more people to extend their help to
address its critical importance,‖ he added, with the SRP now having 29 institutional members.
Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) which co-
founded the SRP, said: ―The SRP Standard represents the world‘s first initiative that will set
environmentally sustainable and socially responsible rice production management standards. Our
key challenge now is to incentivize and scale up adoption, especially among resourcepoor small
farmers.‖
In the Philippines, which 99.88 million population in 2014 had the fastest growth in recent
memory, palay production hit its target of 19.07 million metric tons (MMT) last year, eclipsing
its goal of 18.88 MMT for the year and the 18.04 MMT in 2013. Yet, as the SRP projected, the
country‘s population braces for 141.67 million count in 2040, wherein the total rice utilization
per paddy production should be at 34.12 MMT, compared to the present 24.01 MMT.In contrast,
the figures show that as the population grows in the coming decades, more and more demand for
rice are needed for consumption. The total harvesting area may diminish faster than expected as
only 3.14 million hectares is a far cry from today‘s 4.74 million hectares. To address this, the
Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the Philippine Rice Research Institute, indicated
top priorities for effective rice cultivation.
The DA noted three main steps: increase productivity of land resources; diversify sources of
farm income; and encourage healthier consumption.In increasing the productivity of rice, the DA
noted that shortening the riceproduction cycle should be prioritized through direct seeding, use of
early-maturing varieties, synchronous planting and appropriate mechanization.In his message at
the plenary session, Agriculture Secretary Proseso J. Alcala hailed the initiative of SRP and other
contributing sectors in helping the agency in providing Filipinos a better stance against rice
scarcity.―This occasion augurs well for the country‘s national rice program. The SRP
underscores the crucial role of interagency partnership and interaction with key rice stakeholders
in enhancing sustainability in the rice sector,‖ Alcala said.
―With the valuable assistance of the IRRI, we have taken a giant step toward ensuring increased
productivity of farmers,‖ Alcala added, as he admits the vital role of the global community in
helping rice efficiency in the Philippines.―The involvement of global networks will provide the
DA the necessary exposure to ideas and technologies in helping our farmers. Together with
different sectors, we can promote competitiveness and higher income for the Filipinos,‖ Alcala
said
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/global-alliance-sets-standard-for-sustainable-rice-production/
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
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Aus oldest rice variety in world
09 Nov, 2015
Yasir Wardad
Bangladeshi Aus was one of the oldest rice varieties domesticated in the world which helped
develop the ancient civilisation in Bengal delta, research showed.New research suggests that rice
was domesticated thrice on three separate occasions as farmers in different parts of the world
began cultivating wild rice strains chosen for their desired traits.Scientists earlier argued for two
separate domestication events generally for Indica, the long-grain, non-sticky rice variety of low
land in Southeast Asia and Japonica, short-grain sticky rice emerged in southern China.But the
new analysis, led by Prof Terry Brown, Faculty of Life Science, University of Manchester, UK
revealed a third and separate domestication namely Aus.
Aus, primarily a rice variety of Bangladesh, also grows in parts of India, a report published on
the web-portal UPI said. Until now, scientists thought rice was only domesticated once or
twice.Most agreed that Japonica had been singularly domesticated some 10,000 years ago. But
researchers disagreed on whether Indica was a hybridisation of Japonica or had been separately
domesticated.Researchers at the University of Manchester analysed the genes of 446 samples of
wild rice varieties from across Asia, the UPI report said.They compared the wild rice genes to
those of domesticated varieties, paying specific attention to 'domestication sweeps,' the portions
of domesticated genomes that differ most from wild rice genomes.These sweeps reveal the
characteristics that farmers long ago sought when selecting and cultivating wild strains.In their
analysis, researchers found these advantageous characteristics, supporting the idea that rice
farmers domesticated varieties separately in different parts of Asia.
"Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of
rice cultivation," Prof Terry Brown said."We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a
more productive collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication,"
he said.The domestication of rice in Asia was an integral part of the development of civilisation
in this part of the world.A stable food source allowed people to gather and organise in larger
numbers.Brown and his colleagues say their work will help researchers better understand early
human history in Asia.Bangladeshi seed scientist Dr M A Sobhan said our earlier research
predicted Bangladeshi Aus varieties were developed for more than 7,500 years by the local
farmers."Local farmers developed more than 22,000 rice varieties in Bengal delta before the
British invaded the area," he said.But, the latest study explored a newer history, he said.
He said Arian aggression began at best 5,000-5,500 years ago in Indian sub-continent. The
hunter Arians later adapted farming in the sub-continent. The study of Manchester University is
indicating to an ancient civilisation in Bengal that is 5,000 years older than the Arian civilisation
in the sub-continent.He said Aus varieties are the most climate friendly which could tolerate both
drought and flood."But we have lost or destroyed most of the Aus varieties in name of green
revolution," he said.He said Aus rice season was major even in 1970s, which has been minor
now."The government Gene Bank has yet some of the Aus varieties which should be brought out
to fields from the frozen room following the changing climatic condition," he said.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
14
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/11/09/116294
Researchers uncover the history of rice cultivation
Researchers say their work contributes to a better understanding of early human history in Asia.
Chinese women work in rice paddies north of Beijing. New research suggests rice may have
been domesticated on three separate occasions some 10,000 years ago. Photo by Stephen
Shaver/UPI
MANCHESTER, England, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- New research suggests rice was thrice domesticated.
On three separate occasions, farmers in different parts of the world began cultivating wild rice
strains chosen for their desired traits.The three domestication events, researchers say, explain the
world's three main types of rice -- Indica, the long-grain, non-sticky rice of lowland Southeast
Asia;Japonica, short-grain sticky rice most famous for its presence on sushi rolls; andAus, a
drought-tolerant variety cultivated in Bangladesh and India.Until now, scientists thought rice was
only domesticated once or twice. Most agreed that Japonica had been singularly domesticated
some 10,000 years ago. But researchers disagreed on whether Indica was a hybridization
of Japonica or had been separately domesticated.
Researchers at the University of Manchester analyzed the genes of 446 samples of wild rice
varieties from across Asia. They compared the wild rice genes to those of domesticated varieties,
paying specific attention to "domestication sweeps," the portions of domesticated genomes that
differ most from wild rice genomes.These sweeps reveal the characteristics that farmers long ago
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
15
sought when selecting and cultivating wild strains -- attributes like a tendency to grow vertically
and allow more dense planting, or resistance to drought and pests.In their analysis, researchers
found these advantageous characteristics where present in wild rice varieties across South Asia,
supporting the idea that rice farmers domesticated varieties separately in different parts of
Asia."Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread
origins of rice cultivation," Manchester researcher Terry Brown said in a press release. "We
therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive collaboration between
genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication."The domestication of rice in Asia was
an integral part of the development of civilization in that part of the world. A stable food source
allowed people to gather and organize in larger numbers. Brown and his colleagues say their
work will help researchers better understand early human history in Asia.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/11/06/Researchers-uncover-the-history-of-rice-
cultivation/1521446825754/
Pregnant women to get zinc rice November 09,2015, 03.01 AM IST | | THE HANS INDIA
Hyderabad: A ‗High Zinc Rice Variety‘
(HZRV) is all set to be supplied to the
people through the Targeted Public
Distribution System (TPDS). It was
developed after an eleven years of
research by the Indian Institute of Rice
Research (IIRR). This entirely new variety
of HZRV is capable of countering the
congenital malformations among the
pregnant women. And, in turn it is
expected to contribute to reduce the
childhood mortality.According to Dr V Ravindra Babu, Project Director of IIRR, the bio-
fortification programme to come up with this new variety had started in 2004.
―Our aim was even after polishing the rice, if we could retain the iron and zinc then it would
useful for the consumers. It was with this objective that the eleven year so research has been
carried out,‖ he added.Generally, during the process of polishing of rice we are losing about 40
per cent of the zinc in it. But, the research labour has yielded in the scientist able to retain a high
zinc ratio in rice even after polishing. ―It has retained and got the substance and quantity that was
more than 20 parts per million (ppm).
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
16
However, the international standards set that the bio-availability of zinc in rice should be around
24 ppm.But, we consider the above 20ppm of zinc retention is good enough,‖ he said. Further,
high zinc rice would also help not only to improve growth in children aged less than five years,
but they would also develop a good resistance capability to diarrhoea, he said.Explaining the
process that had gone behind the development of the new variety, Ravindra Babu said that they
have developed it thorough a conventional breeding method.
Clarifying further, he pointed out, ―In India, there are different land races (parcels) available,
where we have the iron and zinc. But, the problem was that they are not the high yielders.So,
what we did was that we had taken the low yielding varieties and used them as donors and, in
turn, introduced into the high yielding verities,‖ he added. However, we are yet to cross another
milestone that is we were planning a study on using the new variety of high zinc rice as part of
the menu for children in association with National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), he said.
By V Naveen Kumar http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-11-09/Pregnant-women-to-get-zinc-rice-185494
In 5 Minutes This Man Helps Blind People See November 9, 2015 by Joe Martino.
―If you are blind it‘s the same as dying‖ says one Nepalese woman who was blind. While this is only her
perception of it, it illustrates just how difficult or challenging that reality can be -especially in poorer
countries where fending for yourself is a much greater task than in the western world or in more
developed countries.What if a man could not only bring your eye sight back but do it very quickly and for
incredibly cheap? That‘s what Dr. Sandut Ruik does for his patients and he has to date restored eyesight
to more than 100,000 people. This could be more than any doctor in history and he still has many patients
coming to him. His patients come with the desire to see again, to hopefully set their eyes on their loved
ones and see the world around them in a way so many of us may take for granted.
Being blind in a poor country is incredibly difficult and many feel there is no hope for themselves to ever
see again. But Ruik‘s ―Nepal method‖ is changing that and he believes that if it can be done in Nepal, it
can be done anywhere in the world. Thankfully, his method is now being taught in medical schools
around the United States.Thuli Maya Thing was blind from cataracts when Dr. Sanduk Ruit examined
her. After he performed surgery, she had 20/20 vision. Source: Nicholas Kristof/The New York Times
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
17
In
the United States and other western countries, cataract surgery is typically performed with complex
machines. Unfortunately these machines are too expensive for poor countries to purchase and operate.
That inspired Dr. Ruit to figure out a way to do it so others could benefit from those same surgeries
anywhere in the world. As a trailblazer, he built upon the work of others (including the Aravind Eye
CareSystem in India, a superb institution that performed 280,000 cataract surgeries last year) to invent
and refine small-incision microsurgery to remove cataracts without sutures.And he was successful.
Western Medical Industry First Mocked Him
At first he was mocked for his innovations. Not in Nepal, but here in the west. In the west we often think
we are the best at doing things. This is perhaps one of our greatest downfalls as we fail to recognize the
love, devotion and brilliance that comes out of so many countries worldwide. Like many things, western
medicine and those involved in it often have an initial reaction to call ―quackery, fraud or scam‖ to many
new innovations or what are deemed as ―miracle cures‖ before truly understanding them.
This may be due to the simple fact that the culture around western medicine is often that they are in the
know the most, and that simple or even sometimes natural treatments, simply don‘t work.I‘m hard on
Western medicine because over my years of research and activism I continually see the reality of it:
profit, greed, arrogance and power are a huge part of the western medical business and I‘m not the only
who sees this fact. There‘s plenty discussed by many in the industry.Why is it that we have a culture
where we are more inclined to denounce and rip on something before we think about getting excited
about it and trying to figure out if it‘s legit or not? Maybe it‘s safer to doubt. Cooler to doubt, more
intelligent to doubt… at least according to some in western culture. But I believe this is changing as we
step out of an era of close-minded science and into one of open and almost boundary-less science.
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
18
Dr. Ruit eventually published a study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, a randomized trial
finding that Dr. Ruit‘s technique had exactly the same outcome (98 percent success at a six-month follow-
up) as the Western machines. The kicker was that Dr Ruit‘s method was not only faster but also cheaper.
This began to turn the heads of skeptics and his method got the respect it deserved.Blindness in
developing countries is common but also very easy to prevent and overcome. Vitamin A deficiency is a
huge cause of preventable blindness is poorer countries. An estimated 250,000 or more cases of child
blindness take place each year with half of those children dying within a year of going blind.
Vitamin A In GMO Rice?
Have you heard of Golden Rice? It‘s a type of genetically modified rice that was designed to contain
Vitamin A in order to help curb preventable blindness in developing countries. While the idea sounds
nice, we‘re looking at a radical solution to an incredibly easy to solve problem. With proper education
and action, WHO recommends that people in countries struggling with VAD (Vitamin A Deficiency)
should focus on cheap vitamin supplements and the promotion of local gardens to produce a variety of
fruits and vegetables that can easily solve not only vitamin A deficiency, but other deficiencies as well.
WHO states, ―for vulnerable rural families, for instance in Africa and South-East Asia, growing fruits and
vegetables in home gardens complements dietary diversification and fortification and contributes to better
lifelong health.‖
But then comes Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer, who all have a different agenda, to genetically modify
rice, which we have no idea if it‘s safe, so they can in essence patent nature and profit off the challenges
of others, even when a safe practical solution is already available. As stated by GlobalResearch
―Promoted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), (but funded by Monsanto, Syngenta,
Bayer and others)[2] along with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
which is also partnered with big-business agriculture, genetically modified ―Golden Rice‖ containing
beta-carotene is promoted as the solution to saving millions of children.‖So with solutions in hand to
prevent VAD without the need for potentially unsafe actions like genetically modified rice, again we must
look as a society at prevention from simple, natural and effective points of view before we try to re-invent
the wheel and potentially create even more problems. Until then, Dr. Ruit will keep his great work going
in helping people to see the wonderful world we live in.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/11/09/in-5-minutes-this-man-helps-blind-people-see/
Not responsible for paddy procurement: Rice millers
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, November 8After facing allegations levelled by the opposition for procuring paddy at
throwaway prices, state rice millers and dealers today cleared their stand and said they were not
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
19
responsible for procurement. ―We only process the paddy procured by the government and it is
irrelevant to blame us for the price,‖ they said.Jaipal Jain, officiating state president of the Haryana
Millers and Dealers Association, said today that the government gave them paddy for making rice
and that‘s what they did. ―The rate of the paddy is decided by the procurement agencies on behalf of
the quality parameter fixed by the government,‖ he said.Vinod Goyal, who was appointed officiating
state general secretary of the association today, said they were not entitled to arranging rate for
paddy. They were only the processors.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/not-responsible-for-paddy-procurement-rice-
millers/156206.html
Vietnam urged to build national rice brand to grasp TPP
opportunity: experts
TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 11/09/2015 16:03 GMT + 7
Vietnam may be among the world’s top rice exporters, but it could lose its competitive edge
against other countries once the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact
takes effect, local experts have warned.
Vietnamese rice growers and exporters
are paying more attention to quantity over
quality, and there is no national rice brand
on the global market, all of which makes
the country less competitive against other
rice-exporting nations when selling to the
other 11 nations party to the TPP
accord.The Southeast Asian nation
currently ships its rice to all of the other
11 TPP countries, but each market has a
different roadmap to eliminate tariffs on Vietnamese rice exports.Japan would not eliminate its
tariff for Vietnam‘s rice exporters, while Mexico and Chile are committed to zeroing the tax in
eight to ten years after the trade accord is put in place.
The remaining eight countries, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Peru, Singapore, and the U.S., will eliminate tariffs on Vietnamese rice exports immediately after
the effective date.The TPP pact, which aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world's
economy, was reached by 12 countries on October 5, and its full text was only released a month
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
20
later.The party countries are expected to officially sign the deal no later than the end of the first
quarter of next year, after which their legislatures will begin the ratification process.Vietnam's
lawmaking National Assembly could begin considering the pact in mid-2016, according to The
Saigon Times Online.The Vietnamese rice industry has been urged to make changes immediately
to be able to cope with the challenges stemming from the TPP.
The first change should be given to the choice of seeds, according to Professor Vo Tong Xuan,
an agriculturalist.―While other countries have their own national rice brands, no one knows
which brand represents Vietnam,‖ Prof. Xuan said.Thailand has such famous brands as Khao
Dawk Mali and Hom Mali, while Cambodia and Myanmar are known for the Romduol and Paw
San rice, respectively, he elaborated.―We just have no national brand, so how could we grab the
TPP opportunities?‖ he wondered.Vietnam does not lack delicious and good seeds, but the
problem is farmers only choose to grow ―those that yield bigger productivity, not better quality,‖
the professor said.―Such a mindset is totally different from farmers in other countries,‖ he
added.Even worse, some Vietnamese businesses usually mix rice of various quality and prices
together and sell them as high-quality, costly products, which ruin the reputation of the
Vietnamese grain.―Vietnam is known around the world as the exporter of mixed rice, which is a
big shame,‖ Prof. Xuan said.
Pham Van Du, deputy head of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnam should start building its own national rice
brand to be able to grab the opportunities brought by the TPP.―The first step should be selecting
the best seeds in every rice growing area, and developing strategies to yield high-quality rice
from these seeds,‖ he said.Lam Tuan Anh, director of the Thinh Phat Co., a food company based
in the southern province of Ben Tre, said the government should also erect technical barriers to
prevent businesses from exporting poor-quality products.―Quality checks should be strengthened
and any batch of products that fails to pass such tests should be banned from export,‖ he
advised.―This will help rebuild the reputation of Vietnamese rice.‖
http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/31490/vietnam-urged-to-build-national-rice-brand-to-grasp-tpp-
opportunity-experts
Dong Thap Muoi lacks water for rice fields
ONG AN (VNS) — Several rice fields in Dong Thap Muoi (plain of reeds) in the southern Long
An Province did not get water during the flood season this year, affecting local farmers' lives.The
flood season in the area often lasts from August to November.Vinh Chau B is one of the
communes in the floodplain of Tan Hung District in the province, but many rice fields in the
commune do not have sufficient water.
Fish and shrimp production have fallen due to the water shortage, causing worry among many
families that depend on the flood season.Nguyen Thi Lun, a resident of the commune, said last
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
21
year her family caught 60kg to 80kg of fish per day during the flood season and had a total
income of VND10 million (US$440) after the season.This year, however, she has caught a few
snails only.
Nguyen Thi Dau, head of
the commune's women's
union branch, said local
farmers were hit hard by
the floods, but without
the floods, they suffered
even more.Many of them
earned their living by
catching fish, she
said.Without the floods,
there would be no
alluvium and the local
farmers would face
several difficulties
during the winter-spring
rice crop season this year, Dau said.Phan Van Ni, deputy head of the Tan Hung District
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the volume of flood water this year was
the least in recent years.The Long An People's Committee said local residents should sow seeds
a month earlier as compared with the previous season, so that the winter-spring rice season
would have better results. — VNS
Farmers catch fish in the flood season in Dong Thap Muoi. Water shortage during the flood season this
year have caused difficulties for local farmers' lives. — Photo
ngaynay.vnhttp://vietnamnews.vn/society/278279/dong-thap-muoi-lacks-water-for-rice-fields.html
Philippines may hike rice imports to 1.3m tons
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Asia News Network
Manila November 9, 2015 1:00 am
In light of the damage caused by Typhoon "Lando" to rice plantations in vast portions of Central Luzon,
the Philippines may have to import an additional 1.3 million metric tonnes of the food staple during the
first half of next year, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M Balisacan said yesterday.Balisacan told
reporters that based on the estimates of the Department of Agriculture and the National Economic and
Development Authority, the country's rice imports might reach 1.8 million metric tons early next year.The
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
22
Authority chief earlier said the country might import an additional 1 million metric tons of rice in the first
semester of 2016 on top of the 500,000 metric tons programmed for the first quarter.
This intervention formed part of the proposed Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Nino or "Rain",
which is aimed at mitigating the drought's effect on food supply, ensuring stability of food prices and
providing assistance to farmers and households in adversely affected areas. Last Wednesday, Balisacan
presented the proposed road map to President Aquino. The Authority chief said the president
acknowledged the need to import more rice early next year, hence their proposal would likely be
approved soon. President Aquino, however, instructed the Authority to firm up the rice import volume
requirement based on updated assessments of the impact of a possibly weaker El Nino, as well as the crop
damage due to "Lando". The Authority would submit an updated report to the president next week,
Balisacan said.
The Authority chief added that the total cost of projects needed to be put in place to mitigate the impact of
El Nino, which had been projected to last until mid-2016 and peak between December and February,
might be higher than the earlier estimate of 19.2 billion pesos (Bt14.6 billion), although he did not give a
new figure.In a separate statement issued also yesterday, Balisacan warned of inflation risks mainly due
to El Nino."Upside risks could come from the stronger and prolonged El Nino's impact on food prices and
also possible increase in utility rates given the pending petitions for power rate adjustments," he
explained.As far as food prices are concerned, "there is a need to ensure supply adequacy and to intensify
local community efforts in areas that are highly vulnerable and exposed to adverse impacts of a prolonged
dry spell", he said. Balisacan added that El Nino "could adversely affect hydro-powered generation plants
and raise the cost of electricity particularly in Mindanao".
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Philippines-may-hike-rice-imports-to-1-3m-tons-
30272519.html
Group bucks gov‘t plan to import rice
‘WAIT FOR HARVEST, CHECK SUPPLIES IN
WAREHOUSES’
Philippine Daily Inquirer
01:17 AM November 9th, 2015
THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority‘s decision to import 1.8 million tons
of rice next year could be ill-advised and contrary to previous pronouncements of the Aquino
administration, according to the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag).―Farmers are just
harvesting the bulk of their [main crop for this year], how can the Neda speculate on the need to
import rice,‖ Sinag chair Rosendo So told the Inquirer.Sinag, which groups 33 organizations of
farmers, agribusiness operators and party-list groups, insisted that the government should check
the supplies in warehouses and wait for the harvest to finish before making decisions.―They have
not even taken into account the huge volumes of milled rice smuggled into the country,‖ So said
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
23
in an interview.According to Sinag, milled rice smuggled into the Philippines in the past five
years totaled 2.8 million tons worth P83.2 billion.
On top of that, Sinag believed that an additional 365,000 tons of rice worth P10.9 billion were
brought into the country illegally during the first first six months of 2015.―Warehouses are still
full from previous importations and smuggling that the administration failed to fight,‖ said So.
―There is no immediate need to import rice.‖Last September, the National Food Authority
awarded contracts to state-run suppliers in Vietnam and Thailand for the importation of a total of
750,000 tons of the staple grain. The entire volume is expected to be delivered in tranches before
the end of the first quarter of 2016.Last week, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M.
Balisacan said that based on estimates by Neda and the Department of Agriculture, the
Philippine might have to import 1.3 million tons in addition to the initially planned 500,000 tons.
Balisacan told reporters that the decision was part of the proposed Roadmap to Address the
Impact of El Niño.Sinag‘s So said that if the excuse to import more was the drought to be caused
by the El Niño weather phenomenon, the government should instead help farmers plant new
crops by waiving irrigation fees and subsidizing seeds and other farm inputs.―The Aquino
administration started with a pronouncement that we are swimming in rice due to over-
importation, which should stop,‖ said Herculano Co Jr., president of the Philippine
Confederation of Grains Association. ―Now the administration officials want to end their term by
drowning us with rice.‖
http://business.inquirer.net/202227/group-bucks-govt-plan-to-import-rice#ixzz3r5LqPPu7
AgCenter Rice Research Station renamed for H. Rouse
Caffey
Members of the H. Rouse Caffey family gathered recently for the renaming of the LSU AgCenter
Rice Research Station to the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. From left
are Blake Chatelain, Belle Caffey Chatelain, LSU Vice President for Agriculture Bill
Richardson, Rex Caffey, Karen Caffey, John Valley and Jerry Caffey. (Photo by Bruce Schultz,
LSU AgCenter)
News Release Distributed 11/06/15
CROWLEY, La. – Family, friends and former co-workers
gathered Nov. 4 for the renaming of the LSU AgCenter Rice
Research Station for the late H. Rouse Caffey in recognition of
his dedication to the rice industry and Louisiana agriculture.
Several facilities could have been chosen to honor Caffey‘s
name because of his work with numerous agricultural research
facilities, said Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
24
agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, who succeeded Caffey as LSU AgCenter
chancellor. ―The Rice Research Station was nearest and dearest to his heart,‖ he said.
The renaming was approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on Oct. 23.Farmer Jackie Loewer,
chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, said without the station, the rice industry would
not exist in Louisiana today. ―Without Rouse Caffey, it wouldn‘t be the station it is
today.‖Caffey dedicated his life to agriculture, Loewer said. ―He gave his life for Louisiana
agriculture, not just for rice and not just for this station.‖Station director Steve Linscombe said
Caffey was a mentor to him and wasn‘t reluctant to advise him. ―He shared his knowledge and
experience around the world.‖Caffey valued the station‘s workers for their dedication to
agriculture, Linscombe said. ―We can‘t say often enough how important everybody who works
here is.‖
AgCenter economist Rex Caffey said the road in front of the station and a rice variety released in
2010 are named after his father.―My father loved this place and he loved it for three reasons,‖
said Caffey, the youngest of four children.Caffey said his father recognized the station‘s purpose
and realized the facility‘s productivity and its value to farmers.Rouse Caffey was fond of the
people who worked at the station, Rex Caffey said. ―If he were here today, he would want to say
‗thank you‘ to everyone.‖Rouse Caffey‘s daughter, Belle Caffey Chatelain, said her father came
to Louisiana from Mississippi. ―He just fell in love with Crowley. He would say, ‗I‘ve been
Cajunized,‘― she said.Rouse Caffey grew up on a cotton farm in Mississippi and was an Army
veteran. He received his bachelor‘s and master‘s degrees in agronomy from Mississippi State
University and his doctorate in agronomy and rice breeding from LSU.
Rouse Caffey retired from LSU AgCenter in 1997 after serving 13 years as chancellor. He also
was chancellor of LSU of Alexandria, vice chancellor of the LSU AgCenter, associate director of
the LSU Agricultural Experiment Station. He was director of the Rice Experiment Station from
1962 until 1970 and was rice research project leader in Mississippi.After retirement, Rouse
Caffey served as interim vice president at Louisiana College and interim chancellor at LSU of
Alexandria. He also continued his worldwide agricultural consulting, traveling to more than 60
countries. He was consultant to several international rice programs for the Ford Foundation,
USAID, World Bank, university contracts, and private industry.
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2015/November/headline_news/AgCenter-Rice-Research-
Station-renamed-for-H-Rouse-Caffey.htm
Study shows origins of rice cultivation 06 Nov 2015
Rice - the staple food source of around 50% of the World‘s population, has been domesticated on
three separate occasions, according to a new study by Faculty scientists.
Study shows origins of rice cultivation
The work could be used to educate better rice grain improvement projects, something that may
prove crucial with growing environmental concerns.The study focused on 3 major types of rice:
the long-grainIndica which is non-sticky and mainly found in tropical lowland Asia; Japonica a
short-grain rice that produces sticky rice, like the one in sushi and Aus, the drought-tolerant
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
25
variety that grows in Bangladesh.Before this study, researchers had thought rice may have been
domesticated once or perhaps twice. Scientists had looked at Japonica and Indica because they
have had the longest history of cultivation. Some argue that Japonica came first around 10,000
years ago and that Indica emerged as a hybrid form of it a little later.
Others contend that both Japonica andIndica have separate domestication events.However, new
analysis from Professor Terry Brown, Dr Peter Civan and colleagues add a third domestication
event to the mix by showing evidence that Aus was also domesticated separately in a region from
India to Bangladesh.The team looked at genetic data from 446 samples of different wild rice to
see how far back Aus had a commonality with them compared to when other types of rice did.
Specifically, they looked at ‗domestication sweeps‘ which are specific parts of the genome that
differ from wild types and that scientists believe were chosen by early farmers because they had
a great advantage to growing more grain. For example, the sweep region includes the ability for
rice plants to grow more vertically and so can be planted more densely.
Brown and the team say that the genetic
evidence that they have collected shows that
these advantageous genes were present in a
number of wild type rice varieties that were
widely distributed across South Asia. It is
therefore possible for farmers from three
separate locations to select these wild types with
the ideal genes and begin to cultivate them.But
why the big deal about rice? Well rice is thought
to have brought about the great civilisations in
Asia and led the way for large-scale agriculture
to take place. Rice acted as a reliable food
source and so large numbers of humans could gather to form large villages and settlements.
Understanding how rice was domesticated would allow scientists to get a better understanding of
how civilisations grew and moved across Asia.
Professor Brown concludes:
"Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of
rice cultivation. We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive
collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication."
Notes for editors
For media enquiries contact
MIke Addelman
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Life Sciences
0161 275 2111
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=15439
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
26
IRRI director general awarded medal
HA NOI (VNS) — Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Robert
S. Zeigler on Friday received a medal for his outstanding contribution to agriculture and rural
development in Viet Nam.The medal, which was presented by Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development Cao Duc Phat, represented the profound thanks of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development (MARD) on the meaningful and close collaboration between Dr Zeigler and
Vietnamese authorities, scientists and farmers in their development of national agriculture,
according to the minister.
Under the leadership of Dr Zeigler, long-term partnerships and co-operation between the IRRI
and Viet Nam have been enhanced and expanded greatly and effectively. The IRRI has also
helped Vietnamese farmers to maximise their potential capacity in the national agricultural
development, Phat said at a ceremony held on Friday to mark the event.As of 2014, about 90
hybrid rice varieties of IRRI lines have been recognised as certified seed of Viet Nam. The
country has also provided more than 3,000 types of rice for the IRRI's rice gene bank. The breed
is now in storage and conservation at the IRRI.IRRI has sent more than 2,000 samples of rice to
Viet Nam to use as material for researches in breeding new varieties.Speaking at the ceremony,
Minister Phat said thank to the IRRI, Vietnamese farmers had a chance to get the best rice
varieties. Vietnamese scientists also had opportunities to approach the most modern and high
technology in global rice study and agricultural development. — VNS
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat (left), presented the medal to IRRI
General Director, Robert S. Zeigler.— VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/278232/irri-director-general-awarded-medal.html
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
27
FAO cuts global rice output estimate By: Ronnel W. Domingo
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer
01:06 AM November 9th, 2015
THE FORECAST global output of milled rice for the July 2015-June 2016 crop year was cut
further by 2 million tons to 491 million tons, according to the latest outlook from the Food and
Agriculture Organization.This follows a cut of 8 million tons, to 493 million tons, in the previous
monthly update made last October.Based on the monthly Market Monitor report of the
Agricultural Market Information System (Amis), the reduction was due to continued
deteriorating prospects in Asia, partly due to the strong El Niño weather phenomenon.―Rice
conditions remain mixed in part due to the current El Niño affecting large parts of Asia,‖ the
FAO-administered inter-agency body said.For example, conditions are generally favorable in
China, Vietnam and Indonesia.On the other hand, conditions are poor in Thailand due to a lack
of precipitation, shortage of irrigation water and pests.
―In the Philippines, harvest of the wet season crop is almost complete,‖ the Amis said. ―Crop
damage caused by several typhoons has been recorded in the northern regions, which may result
in lower yields.‖Further, the Amis said the forecast trade volume for calendar 2016 was raised
again, partly due to anticipated larger imports by the Philippines.As of this month, the projected
rice trade for next year is pegged at 450.2 million tons, ―raised somewhat‖ from the 450 million
tons forecast last month.This was based ―on larger anticipated imports by the Philippines, China,
Colombia and Nigeria,‖ the Amis said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Philippines‘ stock of milled rice
inched up to 2.2 million tons as of Oct. 1 as farms across the nation started harvesting the year‘s
main crop.The national inventory—which increased by 13 percent or 260,000 tons over the
previous month—was good for 65 days‘ consumption.Data from the PSA show that the National
Food Authority‘s stock decreased by 50,000 tons to settle at 750,000 tons.As of Oct. 1, the
NFA‘s stock was good for 22 days‘ consumption, still well above its minimum mandated volume
of 15 days‘ supply.Also, according to the PSA, the country‘s ability to produce its own supply of
rice fell to 92 percent of domestic demand in 2014.
http://business.inquirer.net/202213/fao-cuts-global-rice-output-estimate#ixzz3r5RavvBc
News from USA Rice Daily
USA Rice Conducts Foodservice Workshop in Istanbul
ISTANBUL, TURKEY --
USA Rice conducted a workshop here recently in collaboration with the Istanbul Chefs Association for 22
key executive chefs working at major catering, and food and hotel establishments. The event featured a
presentation on U.S. rice varieties and types, a documentary about U.S. rice and wild rice, and a cooking
demonstration featuring different U.S. rice recipes.
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
28
The hands-on cooking demo, conducted by the executive chef from the Radisson Blu Hotel, focused on
U.S. rice varieties and how they can be used to increase profitability and provide nutritious, flavorful
meals to restaurant patrons. Participants learned preparation of rice recipes for appetizers, salads, and
main dishes, as well cooking methods for wild rice."Seeing is believing when it comes to influencing
foodservice decision makers," said Jim Guinn. "The professionals at the front end of menu creation and
implementation recognize quality, cost effective ingredients, so it's not difficult to sell them on U.S. rice
for their kitchens."
Contact: Eszter Somogyi 011-49-40-4503-8667
Margin Protection Price Discovery for Rice Begins in
December
Joe Mencer - protecting the margins
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
29
WASHINGTON, DC -- Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out Margin
Protection, a "next generation" crop insurance product available to rice producers in select counties in
Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas for the 2016 crop year. The price
discovery period for rice is set to begin on December 15, and expected margins and premiums will be
updated daily thereafter. The program was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and has been carefully
developed by USA Rice in partnership with the consulting firm, Watts and Associates, Inc.
During negotiations for the 2014 Farm Bill, USA Rice aggressively advocated for a product to be
developed that would enable producers to insure against losses to expected margins. Margin Protection
takes a big step forward for crop insurance and will allow producers to protect their margins this closely
for the first time.The product begins by determining an expected revenue by multiplying the projected
price by the expected yield in a county (like existing area plans). From there, Margin Protection takes
into account certain variable input costs (i.e., diesel, operating loan interest, and fertilizer) that are
subtracted from the expected revenue to determine the expected margin. The grower then selects a
coverage level (up to 90 percent), which is applied to the expected margin to establish a trigger margin. If
the price of rice falls, the county yield is less than expected, or the prices of fuel, fertilizer or interest
increase, the grower may receive an indemnity for the margin shortfall.
Margin Protection provides producers with a full package of risk coverage, including protection against
harvest price decline, yield loss, and input cost increases or any combination thereof. Margin Protection
gives producers the ability to mitigate the potential of a "triple whammy" where each of these risk factors
occur in a single production cycle. In a feature unique to this product, Margin Protection indemnities may
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
30
exceed expected margins, compensating growers beyond the value of their coverage trigger to protect
growers from potentially negative margins.
Margin Protection is a county/parish-based program. Yields within counties can vary considerably and
individual grower yields can be different from overall county averages. To protect grower's individual
yields, Margin Protection can be purchased not only as a stand-alone policy but also in conjunction with a
traditional individual policy.
The sales closing date for rice Margin Protection is the same as that of existing area and individual plans,
with the date dependent on your county/parish and state."All the work USA Rice has done on Margin
Protection has finally come to fruition," said Joe Mencer, an Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of the
USA Rice Crop Insurance Task Force. "Since rice farmers generally don't participate in crop insurance,
Margin Protection will give us a chance to insure a portion of our losses in a way that's workable and
benefits our unique industry."Margin Protection may be offered through your existing crop insurance
agent so growers are advised to ask their agent for further details. A simulator is available to calculate
potential Margin Protection premiums and a range of estimates per county are available here.
Contact: Ben Mosely (703) 236-1471
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 9
Month Price Net Change
November 2015 $11.795 - $0.390
January 2016 $12.055 - $0.385
March 2016 $12.320 - $0.385
May 2016 $12.575 - $0.380
July 2016 $12.810 - $0.380
September 2016 $12.320 - $0.380
November 2016 $12.320 - $0.380
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
31
Building better rice 11/9/2015 - by Susan Reidy
Although rice productivity has more than doubled in recent decades, an additional 25% increase
is needed by 2030 to meet the demands of a growing population.The increase has to be achieved
with less land, water and under more severe environmental stresses due to climate change,
according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Accelerated genetic gains are
needed to improve yield potential, stability and grain quality of rice. But rice has large within-
species genetic diversity and varietal group differentiation, making it a tough grain to crack.
More complete knowledge of the genetic diversity in the gene pool and associations of diverse
alleles with important rice traits are needed so that rice improvements can be made using
breeding strategies, IRRI said.Researchers are trying to make that a reality with the release this
October of new data from the 3,000 Rice Genomes Project (3K RGP), an international research
program that has sequenced 3,024 rice varieties from 89 countries. The genomes were re-
analyzed against five popular varieties that represent the three main subgroups of cultivated rice
— indica, japonica and aus.The results, which come in at a massive 120 terabytes, are now
publicly available online as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Data Set.
Access to the data is free, and is governed by the stipulations for data analysts and users from the
Toronto Statement. Funding for the research was provided by the Global Rice Science
Partnership.―The dataset provides access to millions of genetic markers that can be used to
design sustainable crops for the future, that is, ones that are high yielding and more nutritious
while at the same time requiring less water, fertilizer and pesticides,‖ said Rod Wing, director of
the Arizona Genomics Institute at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, U.S., and a
pioneer in rice genome sequencing.
3,000 rice GENOMES project
Rice diversity is massive — there are more than 230,000 germplasm accessions of rice
maintained in genebanks worldwide. The International Rice Genebank of the T.T. Chang
Genetic Resources Center at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines
alone contains more than 127,000 rice accessions from all over the world. An accession is a
collection of plant material from a particular location, and it is assigned an identification number.
These accessions have genes/traits that can be used to make rice cultivation more sustainable,
with a smaller environmental footprint.
Traits targeted for improvement include higher nutritional quality; tolerance of pests, diseases,
and environmental stresses, such as flood and drought; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.In
an attempt to sequence some of this diversity across the rice species, the Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) Shenzhen and the IRRI
launched in 2012 the 3K RGP program.The three research institutions have sequenced 3,024 rice
varieties that are housed in IRRI and CAAS genebanks. Funding was provided by grants from
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.The
varieties chosen for sequencing include most rice mega-varieties growing in large areas of
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
32
different ecosystems throughout Asia, according to the IRRI. Parental lines of popular varieties
and selected genetic mapping populations were also included. Researchers said this approach
should capture most of the genetic variation in rice.
The resulting 3K RGP dataset has millions of genomic sequences from a diverse set of rice
varieties. A large part of the project is to link the genetic information to the physical traits of the
different accessions. Researchers will have to assess each of the accessions for the desired traits,
which breeders can then link to genetic markers in the available genome sequences from 3K
RGP.IRRI hopes this will speed the traditional breeding process, which has remained virtually
unchanged. In the past, breeders would make crosses based on physical traits they observed,
hoping the offspring would have the desired traits. Often, time-consuming trial and error was
necessary with multiple generations, before they saw success.Now, with the genetic information
of specific rice accessions in hand, breeders and researchers can make more informed choices
when crossing varieties. This could result in faster development of rice varieties suited for poor
and environmentally stressed areas around the world, IRRI said.
―Through the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), IRRI is leading the development of an
informal global effort — the International Rice Phenotyping Network — to systematically
evaluate the 3K RGP sequenced lines and to connect plant performance to specific genes,‖ Hei
Leung, IRRI principal scientist told IRRI‘s Rice Today in 2014. ―By closely integrating these
resources into breeding programs based on modern molecular breeding and selection strategies,
varietal development in hundreds of rice breeding programs will be accelerated over the next five
years, delivering improved varieties to farmers and consumers at a faster pace than before.‖
Data accessibility Data access and analysis tools for the 3K RGP are being made available through the
International Rice Informatics Consortium (IRIC). One of the tools, the SNP-Seek database,
provides user-friendly access to a type of genetic marker called single nucleotide polymorphisms
identified from the data.Another tool in SNP-Sneek, the JBrowse genome browser, displays
chromosome-specific SNP data derived from the set.―The great thing about the release of this
dataset is that it is immediately useable,‖ said Kenneth McNally, senior scientist in IRRI‘s T.T.
Chang Genetic Resources Center and a project team member. ―It comes with tools to help
researchers visualize and analyze genetic information.
‖Wing said the dataset is a powerful tool that will unite researchers from around the world, and
help drive the next green revolution.Researchers are reviewing the results from the 3,024
genomes currently sequenced, and will determine if they can identify enough critical genes for
rice improvement.―At that point, we will decide how many more of the remaining 180,000
accessions in the IRGC and CAAS genebanks we may need to sequence and analyze,‖ Leung
said.The IRRI also gave the genomes to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture, which is working to create an international system for storing genetic data
of food crop seeds.In October, delegates from the Food and Agriculture Organization-based
treaty agreed to proceed with creation of a Global Information System (GLIS).
World governments and organizations are storing genetic material in seed banks, but without a
single source to the data, it is difficult for researchers and plant breeders to know what is held
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
33
where, FAO said.―The genetic information that IRRI is making available to us, and the public at
large, is a hugely generous and significant show of support to our endeavors to make all relevant
information on genetic resources on plant crops available for future food security,‖ said Shakeel
Bhatti, secretary of the international treaty.Bhatti said the global system will contain a virtual
gene library that will include data from seed banks, research centers and farmers‘ organizations.
The IRRI rice genomes were the first contribution to the system.―It is going to take time to get it
fully functional because of the vast array of interests involved, but it will greatly facilitate the
work of all the actors along the seed value chain, in developing and developed countries,‖ Bhatti
said.
http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/Features/2015/11/Building_better_rice.aspx?ID=%7B5081F2ED-
9FB9-4950-91D6-0518EA0D661C%7D&cck=1
A date with big data in Uruguay Adriana Varón Molina | Nov 9, 2015
The big data approach helps optimize rice production and seeks to improve decision-making in
agriculture by analyzing large amounts of information from farmers’ fields.
ABOUT 30 representatives from rice-growing companies, mills, and research centers from Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil,
and Colombia met in Treinta y Tres, Uruguay to learn about the big data approach. (Photo by CIAT)
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
34
It was definitely not love at first ―byte.‖ Gonzalo Rovira had carefully prepared for this first date.
Years of experience assured him that all would go well. But when the big moment arrived, he
felt intimidated.
His date was a platform named ―R,‖ which is widely used by scientists and statisticians for data
analysis. Mr. Rovira had a long story to tell, which goes back 20 years, when he first took up
responsibility for compiling information on planting dates, irrigation time, herbicide
applications, varieties, yields, and other rice data.
Fascinated by data
Mr. Rovira is the agronomist who heads the technical department of Coopar, S.A., an
agroindustrial rice mill in Uruguay. He jealously guards the rice information in a trove of Excel
files. Thanks to this popular application, he can process data for more than 20,000 hectares and
provide the land‘s owners, the partners in Coopar, with valuable information that helps them
optimize rice production. ―We were making good use of the information, but we knew
that behind these data, there was a lot more,‖ said Mr. Rovira, who runs the group of five
technicians charged with capturing information from a large proportion of Uruguay‘s rice
growers. Working sometimes with nothing more than a notebook or a piece of paper, he has fed
the Coopar database constantly for 2 decades.
Gonzalo Rovira, technical manager at Coopar, S.A., Uruguay, has been working with production data for the past 34 years.
(Photo by CIAT).
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
35
He and 25 other colleagues representing rice producers, millers, and research centers in Uruguay,
Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia gathered recently at Treinta y Tres, Uruguay, the rice
capital of this gaucho or cowboy country, for a workshop on big data analysis for commercial
rice production.
The objective of this week-long event—organized by Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as
well as several national and regional partners with support from the World Bank— was to
present and promote the use of new techniques for analyzing agricultural information. The
challenge for participants in this big data feast was to get to the bottom of information on one of
Latin America‘s most important food crops.
An approach whose time has come
Natalia Queheille, a technical adviser for the Uruguayan Rice Growers Association was among
the participants. She brought along 18 years of information condensed into a large number of
spreadsheets. After carefully sifting through the data and carrying out what experts call ―data
mining,‖ Ms. Queheille and her colleague Fernando Pérez, who works for Uruguay‘s National
Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), began to see relationships between figures joined by
strange codes and symbols—the same dashes, asterisks, equal signs, brackets, and periods that
had intimidated Mr. Rovira in his first encounter with the tool. An approach whose time has
come The big data approach seeks to improve decision-making in agriculture through the use of
advanced methods to analyze large amounts of information from farmers‘ fields. But is it the
right time for this approach in agriculture?
Erick Fernandes, who serves as an advisor for programs on climate change, agriculture, and
forestry in the World Bank, believes it is. ―Previously, new information technology wasn‘t our
best ally,‖ said Mr. Fernandes. ―But now it enables us to bring together and analyze information,
taking advantage of new capacities in research centers and farmers‘ willingness to share their
data, with the aim of finding more effective ways to improve crop production systems, which is
vital not only for Latin America but the whole world.‖ Daniel Jiménez, agronomist and data
scientist at the Colombia-based CIAT, agrees with the World Bank adviser.
―Previously, computers couldn‘t handle the methods we use for big data analysis, which are
based on artificial intelligence and machine learning,‖ said Dr. Jiménez. ―But now, we‘re able to
use these methods, and more people believe that this information, despite being beyond our
control, offers a great opportunity to improve decision-making in agriculture, resulting in
production systems that are more resilient in the face of climate change.‖
Data champions
The information brought to the big data workshop by Daniel Kruger, who works for
Argentina‘sNational Institute of Agriculture and Livestock Technology (INTA), is a treasure.
One of the three databases that INTA maintains has climate information for the last half century.
Mr. Kruger, an expert in rice crop protection and management, recognizes the value of giving
this information the careful refinement that it needs. ―It‘s really important to have data on
climate and crop management for 10 seasons or more, because this enables us to determine what
has happened in the past and project the future,‖ he said. Though he already knew about the R
platform, the workshop helped him discover its full potential. Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia are
also pioneers in building databases on rice crop management, yields, and climate. The records of
the rice industry, producers, and national research institutes in these countries include data going
back more than 35 years.
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
36
Colombia and beyond
CIAT‘s first experience in bringing the big data approach to the rice sector took place in
Colombia. Carried out in collaboration with the country‘s National Rice Growers Federation
(Fedearroz), this analysis led to new crop management recommendations that are helping
farmers boost yields and make their crops more resilient. The analysis involved large amounts of
data provided by Fedearroz, including information from annual national rice surveys together
with harvest monitoring records and the results of agronomic experiments, particularly on
planting dates. Researchers also took advantage of agroclimatic forecasts generated by a project
on climate and Colombia‘s agricultural sector— led by CIAT with support from the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development—as well as weather data provided by Fedearroz and
the Colombian National Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental
Studies(IDEAM). In recognition of this novel research, the United Nations Global Pulse selected
it to be one of two winners of the Big Data Climate Challenge, which was awarded during the
UN Climate Summit held in September 2014 at New York City. The research won further
recognition from the World Bank, which is supporting CIAT‘s effort to replicate the Colombian
experience elsewhere in Latin America.
―Agricultural organizations are ready for this approach, so we at CIAT together with the
community of users of big data techniques have an important responsibility to share our
experience,‖ said Sylvain Delerce, who works with CIAT‘s big data team. ―In this effort, the
cooperation of organizations like the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) and
International Research Institute for Climate and Society is key.‖
But the idea is also to take the big data approach beyond Latin America. ―We‘re talking about
organizing an event that involves Latin America and Africa to share the work taking place and to
show how big data can help governments with their planning and investment in agriculture,‖ said
Holger Kray, a principal agricultural economist with the World Bank.
2 become 1
As the cold winter hours and days passed during the big data workshop, which was held at
INIA‘s facilities in Treinta y Tres, Mr.Rovira became captivated by R‘s charm. By the time all
was said and done, the 59-yearold agronomist and R had practically become one.
Back at his rice mill, Mr. Rovira will keep on urging technicians and farmers to share their data
after every harvest. He‘ll also talk with them about which varieties are better adapted and which
aspects of the climate or soil or crop management have the most impact on yields. His goal will
be to detect tendencies and possible dangers—but now with valuable aid from R, his new found
life companion.
Ms. Varón Molina is communications coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean at CIAT. http://ricetoday.irri.org/a-date-with-big-data-in-uruguay/
Partnerships: Linchpin of last-mile delivery in Tamil Nadu Lanie Reyes | Nov 9, 2015
|
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
37
Partners in Tamil Nadu, India, have committed to further disseminating a range of technology
options under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).
The CSISA Team instructs farmers and service providers in Tamil Nadu on how to use a
mechanical transplanter. (Photo by CSISA Tamil Nadu Hub)
Celebration is an apt title for the event,‖ said Noel Magor, head of the Impact Acceleration Unit
and Training at the International Rice research Institute (IRRI), as he glanced at the text
written across the tarpaulin that reads CSISA Tamil Nadu Hub Celebration Workshop. ―The
CSISA project in Tamil Nadu has accomplished a lot in a short time. Our partners‘ contribution
has been the key significant aspect of thie success of this work in Tamil Nadu.
‖Over the past 5 years, the water- and labor-saving technologies under CSISA have reached
more than 25,000 farmers and have covered around 2,800 hectares in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and
Nagapattinam districts of the Cauvery Delta and the neighboring districts of Ramanathapuram
and Sivagangai, in the Tamil Nadu State of southern India. These technologies include laser land
leveling, improved and mechanized dry direct seeding of rice, mechanical transplanting of rice
under both puddled and nonpuddled conditions, rice crop management, alternate wetting and
drying, and line sowing using a multicrop seeder under reduced-tillage conditions.
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
38
These have helped
farmers in Tamil Nadu
increase their
profits.―Farmers can
save about 40% on the
cost of labor because
renting a farm machine
is cheaper than hiring
manual labor,‖ said R.
Ganeshamoorthy,
CSISA hub manager in
Tamil Nadu. ―A
farmer‘s profit from the
dry direct-seeded rice is
twice as much as that
from the regular way of
growing rice.
By not puddling the field and using shorter-duration crops, farmers can save water by 25–35%.
And, depending on the rice variety, farmers can increase their yields by 7–10%.‖Another
technology that is improving the efficiency of crop production is laser land leveling. It has
already found its way to the hearts of farmers in the Cauvery Delta because of the precision
leveling, uniform crop maturity, and water savings of 30–40%, and increased input-use
efficiency.And so has machine-transplanted rice in nonpuddled soil. ―Compared with puddled
transplanted rice, farmers in Tamil Nadu can save as much as 48% of the labor cost from land
preparation, 50% for irrigation, and 67% from the cost of seed and sowing,‖ said Mr.
Ganeshamoorthy. ―Through this technology, farmers can save around USD100 or about 20% of
the overall production costs.‖Dhanasekaren Vedchalam (left), a Reliance Foundation staff
member, shares the Foundations‘ plan to spread direct-seeded rice technology to Tamil Nadu
farmers. (Photo by Jessieca Narciso, IRRI.)
Working together ―Working together with several key organizations is
pivotal to the success of the widespread adoption of
these technologies in Tamil Nadu,‖ said Dr. Magor.
―In 2013, for example, the use of seed drilling and
laser land leveling machines was endorsed by
theTamil Nadu Agricultural University
(TNAU)while the Department of Agriculture
facilitated and subsidized the purchase of machines
for distribution to farmers.‖Tamil Nadu Rice
Research Institute (TRRI), the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development, the ITC
Agribusiness Division, Syngenta, MS
Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF),
and the Reliance Foundation also supported the
research, capacity-building, and extension work
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
39
toward large-scale adoption of the technologies.These partners share CSISA‘s goal of increasing
the food and income security of resource-poor farm families in South Asia through the
development and deployment of new varieties, sustainable management technologies, policies,
and partnerships.
The project has been promoting durable change across South Asia‘s cereal-based cropping
systems for several years now. It operates through rural ―innovation hubs‖ in Bangladesh, India,
and Nepal, and complements regional and national efforts.Dr. Noel Magor receives a shawl as a
token of gratitude from IRRI partner representative from Dr. V. Ravi, director of the Tamil Nadu
Rice Research Institute. (Photo by Jessieca Narciso, IRRI.)
Lasting legacy ―The CSISA research hub is a model success story because our partners carry on the
development initiatives even when the project has ended,‖ explained Dr. Magor. ―This is a
triumph for the CSISA Tamil Nadu hub.‖Perpetuating these technologies is what TNAU has
vowed to do. ―TNAU will take up outscaling key technologies under CSISA,‖ said R. Rajendran,
TNAU agronomist, who has been associated with the CSISA project for the last 7 years. ―The
university will follow through on extending technologies such as improved dry-seeded rice
cultivation, nonpuddled machine-rice transplanting, and laser land leveling.
―The technologies have been widely demonstrated in the Cauvery Delta through the CSISA
project,‖ he added. ―Also, the research initiatives conducted through CSISA will not stop. The
research outcomes will be taken continually to the farmers with support from the Tamil Nadu
government and TNAU.‖Similarly, TRRI and the Soil and Water Management Research
Institute (SWMRI) are working closely with the CSISA team and partners to further spread the
adoption of the technologies, not only in the Cauvery Delta, but also across the rice-growing
areas of Tamil Nadu. TRRI hosted the CSISA project‘s research platform while SWMRI
delivered the CSISA technologies in the Cauvery Delta.
―Tamil Nadu and IRRI have maintained a long-standing relationship for more than four decades
through a number of projects,‖ said Dr. Rajendran. ―The footprints left today by the impact of
the CSISA technologies in the Cauvery Delta will live on. Truly, the dry-seeded rice technology
and the use of seed drilling have decreased the amount of fertilizer and seeds used by farmers,
which eventually reduced their cost of rice production and increased their income.―With the
impact of the CSISA technologies and the continuation of the initiatives, I am optimistic that the
relationship between TNAU and IRRI will continue in the next 10 years,‖ he added.Aside from
the government institutions, NGOs such as MSSRF and the Reliance Foundation will also
continue some of CSISA‘s activities. MSSRF will maintain the season-long training program for
trainers and extension workers.
The program was first conducted for select extension staff of the Department of Agriculture of
the government of Tamil Nadu from Thiruvarur and NGOs such as MSSRF. The program was a
response to a request from the department to CSISA and IRRI, to help and improve the practical
capacity of the extension workers in direct seeded rice cultivation and management.MSSRF has
been expanding the season-long training to farmers in other districts in Tamil Nadu and will
eventually reach thousands of farmers. Including farmers in the training of trainers‘ program is
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
40
the most logical thing to do because several studies indicate that 20% of the information to
farmers comes from fellow farmers compared with other channels such as newspapers, extension
workers, radio, and television.―The diffusion of the CSISA technologies through the farmers will
be easier because the farmers are basically happy with yield following the improved
management practices involving dry direct-seeded rice,‖ said Sudhakar, an MSSRF scientist.
The technology gives farmers an average of 6.4 tons per hectare. To put this yield into
perspective, the land in the districts of Sivagangai and Gautauram is mostly arid. But these
parched lands are now producing bountiful harvests.But yield is only half of the story. The other
important half is the profit that farmers gain from direct-seeded rice. They are saving water and
reducing labor costs through CSISA‘s conservation technologies.India, dubbed one of the silent
tigers in Asia, has blossomed economically. With high-rise buildings sprouting like mushrooms
in Bombay, New Delhi, and even in the once humdrum city of Hyderabad, it is easy to
understand why farm laborers migrate to these cities, which has created a labor shortage in rural
areas. The seed drill and laser land leveling, which are part of the technology package of direct-
seeded rice, are mitigating this labor-shortage in Tamil Nadu.
Another partner that has been sharing CSISA technologies is Reliance Foundation with its Rural
Transformation Program, which is now turning once unproductive parched lands into lush rice
fields. Poornima Shankar, India-based knowledge management and outreach specialist at IRRI,
witnessed the transformation of the landscapes in Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram.―The project
is proud to reach more than 25,000 farmers,‖ she said. ―More good news is that this number is
expected to double or even triple now that both government and nongovernment organizations
will continue what CSISA has started in both research and extension activities.‖―The critical
value of building partnerships with key institutions and individuals is seldom highlighted in final
reports to donors,‖ said Dr. Magor. ―These partnerships have been established over time with
reputation, trust, and credibility as capital. The links to these organizations have become solid
enough that it is easy for an IRRI scientist to communicate with key leaderships in Tamil Nadu
without the hassle of formalities.‖
Truly, with partnership as the linchpin of this hub research, the technology spread to farmers will
be more effective and efficient. Partnership and active engagement are essential in IRRI‘s work.
The project in Tamil Nadu is jointly implemented by IRRI, the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI),
and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It is funded by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development.
Ms. Reyes is the managing editor of Rice Today.
http://ricetoday.irri.org/partnerships-linchpin-of-last-mile-delivery-in-tamil-nadu/
Sugar And Rice - A Sign For 2016 Nov. 9, 2015 6:10 AM
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
41
Summary
For many commodity prices, the highs came in 2011; for others 2012 was the year of the apex.
While COMEX gold futures peaked at $1920.70 over four years ago in September of 2011 and
silver reached highs of almost $50 per ounce a few months before, other commodities reached
all-time highs during that year. Copper traded to over $4.60 per pound and NYMEX crude oil
was at over $100 per barrel at the end of the year. In 2012, grain prices moved higher, with corn
and soybeans actually trading at all-time highs of $8.4375 and $17.9475 per bushel respectively
due to the drought conditions that gripped the United States. Even wheat prices moved higher,
peaking at $9.4725. Although wheat did not trade at all-time levels, the level reached was
historically high. As the world's largest producer and exporter of corn and soybeans, the dry
conditions in the United States affected crop output, which created the deficit conditions that led
to the highs.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/3663746-sugar-and-rice-a-sign-for-2016
Glut to persist with 3.46m ton rice harvest in Punjab
The Newspaper's Staff Reporter — Updated Nov 08, 2015 11:54am
LAHORE: Punjab hopes to harvest 3.46 million ton rice this season against its target of 3.45
million ton, with basmati constituting 67pc of the total produce.According to the Punjab
Agriculture Department, the Super Basmati, which used to be around 40pc of the total produce,
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
42
has now dropped to 40pc whereas basmati (21-11), which was restricted under 10pc, has seen its
share rise to 27pc. Around 10pc are of other varieties of basmati and the rest are hybrid
varieties.―This shift of fortune for Super Basmati is due to changing market realities, where it
does not bring the required returns,‖ says Zafar Hayat Khan, a rice grower from the central
Punjab area. ―This is a healthy sign that farmers have started responding to the market instead of
sowing rice ignoring market situation. Though the farmers have been facing tough market
realities as far as their produce is concerned, this year eight to nine rains brought down the cost
of production substantially. Normally, irrigation expenditure makes anything between 20 to 25pc
of the cost of production.
This year, persistent rains brought some relief on water front.―The second positive factor is
Rs5,000 per acre subsidy package. Both these factors were some kind of relief in otherwise very
rough rice realities,‖ he claimed.Without denying the ―minor relief‖ that both these factors have
brought to the rice farmers, Hamid Mali, president of the Basmati Growers Association, says the
treat to rice farmers was stagnant market where trading is almost stalled for the last three years.
Basmati is basically an export crop. The country used to consume 1.2 million ton domestically,
sparing one million ton for export. This export has declined by around 40pc, resulting in
domestic glut and price crash.
―That is what is hurting the farmers, national economy and rice trading within the country. Even
price crash is not leading to additional export. In the last two years, the price of basmati has gone
down by almost 50pc, but the export scenario has not changed. This is largely because of the
tendency of exporters to dump rice in the Middle East in bulk rather than trying to find niche in
the retail marketing. The government, instead of providing Rs5,000 per acre to farmers, should
have subsidised export so that domestic glut gets cleared and trading activity restarts. Unless that
is done, the crop would stay in deep trouble, he claimed.
The crisis would not be restricted to rice alone, but it would spill over to wheat – the next crop,
and the rest of the agricultural cycle because dwindling liquidity of farmers would force austerity
on inputs, resulting in less production of all other crops, says Muhammad Ilyas from Gujrat
district. If one crop fails, the entire spectrum of agricultural activity is affected. Unfortunately, in
Pakistan all crops are failing the farmers, except for sugarcane and wheat to some extent. In these
circumstances, the government has to find ways to start export cycle for one crop after another so
that the sector gets back on its feet; until then, the sector would keep teetering on the brink –
adding to poverty and social and political chaos in the country, he concluded.
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2015
Dawn
Basmati rice exporter DRRK Foods to enter domestic
market with flagship brand Crown Basmati By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau | 9 Nov, 2015, 12.38PM IST
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
43
The company wants to become one of the
major emerging international players by 2020
and their target is to elevate the revenue to
$200 million from the current $75
million.KOLKATA: The basmati rice
consumers have one more brand in the market
to choose from. Punjab-based DRRK Foods, a
leading basmati rice exporter, has decided to
enter the domestic market with its flagship
brand Crown Basmati. The company chose
Kolkata for teh launch as it has found that the
demand for basmati rice in the metro is
increasing rapidly. Till recently, the product was only exported to various overseas markets,
Commenting on the launch.
Amit Marwaha, managing director, DRRK Foods said "I want to convey to our consumers that
Crown Basmati Rice is all about superior quality, exquisite taste and enticing aroma. Its delicate
fluffy texture does not turn sticky and possesses minimum breadth-wise expansion, right for
cooking Biryani, Mughlai, Pulao, Indian, Chinese and Continental Cuisines.I am sure it will
blend with the taste that Bengal savors." The company wants to become one of the major
emerging international players by 2020 and their target is to elevate the revenue to $200 million
from the current $75 million.
Thus there was a need of launching the rice in India. Crown Basmati currently comes in six
major variants - Crown Vintage, Crown Classic, Crown Super, Crown Opal, Crown Sapphire
and Crown Amber. Sanjeev Gupta, president, sales & marketing of the company said "There's a
reason behind choosing Kolkata as the first market to launch Crown Basmati Rice in India. The
demand in the domestic market for quality basmati rice is huge and growing. A study conducted
amongst the consumers reflected the huge popularity, preference and demand of quality basmati
rice in Kolkata. Beside, launching for the first time, we have done a complete makeover of the
packaging for the Indian market."
Economic Times
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
High Low
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44
Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -
Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -
Futures:
High Low Last Change
Nov '15 1200.0 1200.0 1179.5 -39.0
Jan '16 1240.0 1190.0 1205.5 -38.5
Mar '16 1265.0 1219.5 1232.0 -38.5
May '16 1255.0 1255.0 1257.5 -38.0
Jul '16 1283.0 1280.0 1281.0 -38.0
Sep '16 1232.0 -38.0
Nov '16 1232.0 -38.0
Rice Comment
Rice futures were sharply lower to start the week. Carryover weakness from other grains and
oilseeds added to the negative undertone. Weekly export sales were up 27% from the prior four
week average at 81,400 metric tons. Shipments of 45,500 metric tons was down 39%, however.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-November 09 Mon Nov 9, 2015 3:01pm IST
Gram prices today zoomed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good demand from local millers amid thin supply from
producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and enquiries from South-based
millers also boosted prices, according to sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram recovered marginally in open market on renewed festival season demand from
local traders amid weak supply from producing belts.
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
45
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply
position.
* Udid varieties recovered strongly in open market on good seasonal demand from
local traders amid thin arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 11,000-11,300, Tuar dal - 17,200-17,400, Udid -
13,900-14,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 17,300-18,000, Moong -
10,000-10,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 11,600-11,800, Gram - 4,200-4,400,
Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,400 for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 4,000-4,700 4,000-4,490
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 7,800-9,200
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,100 5,000-5,100
Desi gram Raw 4,900-5,000 4,850-4,950
Gram Filter new 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600
Gram Kabuli 5,800-7,100 5,800-7,100
Gram Pink 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000
Tuar Fataka Best 17,500-17,800 17,500-17,800
Tuar Fataka Medium 17,000-17,300 17,000-17,300
Tuar Dal Best Phod 16,500-16,800 16,500-16,800
Tuar Dal Medium phod 15,500-15,900 15,500-15,900
Tuar Gavarani New 11,750-12,300 11,750-12,300
Tuar Karnataka 12,650-12,800 12,650-12,800
Tuar Black 17,900-18,200 17,900-18,200
Masoor dal best 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200
Masoor dal medium 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 11,600-12,100 11,600-12,100
Moong Mogar Med 10,100-11,100 10,100-11,100
Moong dal Chilka 9,500-9,600 9,500-9,600
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 9,000-10,000
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 16,600-18,600 16,500-18,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 14,600-15,600 14,500-15,500
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
46
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,200 10,600-11,200
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,100-6,600 6,100-6,600
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 5,200-5,300 5,200-5,300
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,750 1,650-1,750
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,100 1,950-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,100
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,900
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,200 1,800-2,200
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,300 3,100-3,300
Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,100 3,600-4,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,900 1,700-1,900
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 32.2 degree Celsius (89.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
18.3 degree Celsius (64.9 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : n.a.
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32 and 18
degreeCelsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices.)
DIWALI HOLIDAYS : Soyabean mandi, wholesale foodgrain market and oil market in Vidrabha will be
closed between Tuesday and Friday on the occasion Diwali festival.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/09/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1343FQ20151109