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News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

20
th
August, 2014

TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU
Latest News Headlines
Rice and Ducks Conservation Fundraising Campaign Underway
Jindal Announces Appointments to Louisiana Rice Promotion and
Research Boards
GMO rice, corn biosafety research certificates taken off the table by
China Ministry of Agriculture
John Compton -- keeping rice production simple
Economists Say South Asia Will Pay Prohibitively High Price for
Climate Change
Super-futuristic Hong Kong skyscraper is topped with rice paddy
China pulls plug on genetically modified rice and corn
PH rice varieties now able to endure drought, flood
The two faces of rice prices
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 21
Floods take a toll on paddy cultivation
Rice quota to EU set at 768 tonnes for Sept
Guyana To Supply 5,000 Tonnes Of Rice Per Month To Panama
Haryana paddy processors want milling procedures streamlined
Funding agricultural research: What does success look like?
Wholesale rice price control likely to be imposed.
Californian research yields cattle feed from rice straw

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Rice and Ducks Conservation Fundraising Campaign Underway

ARLINGTON, VA -- A massive fundraising effort has begun for the unique and
groundbreaking multi-state conservation proposal from the USA Rice Federation
and Ducks Unlimited. The USA Rice Daily reported earlier this month that the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) selected the proposal to advance
to the next stage, along with 230 other proposals ("USA Rice Federation - Ducks
Unlimited Conservation Proposal Clears Major Hurdle" USA Rice Daily, August 4,
2014). Now, according to the organizations, the hard part begins.

"The successful conservation programs that will ultimately be chosen and funded by the NRCS are going to have to
demonstrate a great deal of industry support and buy in," said Jeff Durand, a Louisiana rice farmer and co-chairman of
the USA Rice-DU Stewardship Partnership Committee. "We are asking for $20 million for our program from the agency,
and we committed to raise $8 million in cash and in-kind contributions from industry, allied companies, and other
interests."Durand says support for the USA Rice-DU program will pay excellent dividends over both the long and short
term.
"We know what's good for rice is good for ducks and vice versa," he said. "But what's good for both of them, is also
good for the environment as a whole. The critical habitat U.S. rice farms provide for waterfowl and other species is
valued at more than $3.5 billion to replace. And today, rice farmers are bearing about $70 million in wetland
maintenance and upkeep costs that a lot of people take for granted."USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited are sending out
fundraising letters and asking their member organizations to do the same - to customers, end users, and allied groups -
to support the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) proposal.Created by the Farm Bill, the RCPPs will fund
conservation partners who can increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife, and related natural
resources on regional or watershed scales.
"There are many worthy conservation projects out there, but given the geographic scope of ours, and the enormous
return on investment we're offering, I think our proposal stands out," said Al Montna, a California rice farmer, DU Board
member, and the other co-chair of the Stewardship Partnership Committee. "Our proposal's three priority-resource
concerns in order are: water quantity, water quality, and wildlife habitat. If those are important to you, you should get
on board with our proposal."People interested in learning more can contact DU's Scott Manley at (601) 956-1936 or USA
Rice's Reece Langley at (703) 236-1471, or download a copy of the fundraising letter and pledge form.In addition to the
above national rice proejct, there is also a California rice-specific RCPP and a southwest Louisiana rice-specific RCPP
being developed.


For more information on these contact Paul Buttner with the California Rice Commission at pbuttner@calrice.org (916-
206-5340) or Alicia Wiseman with Louisiana Ducks Unlimited at awiseman@ducks.org (337-408-3288).
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Jindal Announces Appointments to Louisiana Rice Promotion and
Research Boards
Kevin Berken
BATON ROUGE, LA -- Governor Bobby Jindal has announced appointments to the 11-member Louisiana Rice Promotion
Board that oversees the annual allocation of rice promotion check-off funds, and the 15-member Louisiana Rice
Research Board. Recently passed legislation corrected constitutional issues in the state's rice promotion and research
check-off statutes. The legislation, which had industry-wide support, passed without opposition in the legislature and
was signed into law by Governor Jindal.

As a result, a seat was added on both boards for the Commissioner of Agriculture or his
designee, along with one additional seat.Designated state organizations make
nominations for all seats on both boards, except the commissioner or his designee, which
are filled by gubernatorial appointments, subject to Senate confirmation."I want to thank
Governor Jindal for making appointments expeditiously and welcome each appointee,"
said Louisiana Rice Promotion Board Chairman Kevin Berken, a rice farmer from Lake
Arthur. "I look forward to our work together on behalf of Louisiana's rice industry."

For a complete list of the governor's Promotion Board appointments, click here. Research board appointments are here.
GMO rice, corn biosafety research certificates taken off the table by
China Ministry of Agriculture

Dan Weisman |
Aug 20, 2014 09:29 PM EDT


China agriculture officials increasingly concerned about genetically
modified organisms, or GMOs, have declined to renew biosafety certificates
for GMO rice and a variety of GMO corn grown for research purposes.
Officials didn't explain reasons for their decision.Permits to grow a
transgenic corn type and two GMO varieties of rice expired on Aug. 17.
The decision by the Ministry of Agriculture to allow these GMO permits to lapse calls into question the future
of some GMO crops and research in China.The decision followed a ruling two weeks ago to ban GMO corn
from the U.S. used in chicken and hog feed along with ethanol production. The US National Grain and Feed
Association said that ban could cost American farmers more than USD$3 billion in future sales.China only
recently started banning GMO products. Previously, Chinese agriculture officials had been viewed as favorable
to GMO production.
When GMO research corn was approved five years ago this month, officials expressed enthusiasm.Non-
renewed GMO rice permits were in play for five years at Wuhan's Huazhong Agricultural University.
Researchers were allowed to test GMO rice with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, genes designed to ward off
pests.The banned GMO corn variety was being tested by Beijing's Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Biotechnology Institute. Researchers modified corn with phytase. This is an additive to livestock feed
increasing the amount of phosphorous absorbed by cattle enabling them to grow faster and larger. However, the
ban didn't extend to Bt corn, which the government continues to support in research settings.
The five year certificates were issued at a time when opposition to GMO seeds and genetic alterations to crops
was just beginning to take shape. Public distaste for use of these crop alterations has grown exponentially
during that period, acording to analysts.Environmental activists applauded the decision. Wang Jing, a Beijing


Greenpeace official,told ScienceInsider GMO research permits were loopholes now closed due to public
concern over food safety.Some analysts pointed to the decision as economically based.
They said China has become self-sufficient producing rice without GMO alterations, so decided it didn't need
to keep going with GMO research or production.Huang Jikun, head of the Center for Chinese Agricultural
Policy at China's Academy of Sciences, said research wasn't deemed important since GMO alterations for
commercial rice and corn production wasn't going to be approved. Cao Cong, a China policy analyst at Britain's
Nottingham University said the decision was a win for anti-GMO forces.
Image: (Photo : Reuters) Rice and corn are going to be grown the old-fashioned-way GMO-free, for now, in
China
John Compton -- keeping rice production simple
Aug 11, 2014Elton Robinson
John Compton found out quickly after he started farming -- it was in his blood all along.
Jennings, La., farmer John Compton has doubled the size of his operation since he began farming in 2011
by keeping it simple, he says.

Louisiana rice crop late, uneven, LSU AgCenter specialist says
John Compton had pretty much written off a career in farming, despite having
grown up on his fathers rice operation near Jennings, La. But after earning an
advanced degree in environmental science and embarking on a career in
compliance permitting for the Louisiana oil industry, he began to wonder was
farming still in his blood?
Stay current on whats happening in Mid-South agriculture: Subscribe to Delta Farm Press Daily.


One fall afternoon in 2010, after a day of harvesting on the Compton family farm, he got the chance to find out.
That evening, Comptons uncle, who farmed in partnership with Comptons father, Tom, told his brother he
planned to retire. Later, the younger Compton, who was helping the farm gather the harvest that fall, went to his
father about getting back into farming full-time. They worked out an agreement for two separate operations,
with separate equipment, but with father and son working them as one team.
To get started, Compton took advantage of the Farm Service Agencys
Beginning Farmer & Rancher Loan Program to finance the 2011 crop and
used perks for young and beginning farmers through USDAs EQIP
program to implement several conservation practices on his farm.The last
four crop years have been fast and furious for Compton, but there have
been few regrets. Hes grown his operation from 450 acres to 750 acres
and added 250 acres of crawfish.

Economists Say South Asia Will Pay Prohibitively High Price for Climate
Change

South Asiawith so much of its population destitute and dependent on the land for their livelihoodsstands to
suffer severe economic and physical consequences from climate change, according to a report released
today by the Asian Development Bank.
If current trends in world-wide carbon-dioxide
emissions continue unabated, climate change could
depress the combined annual gross domestic product
of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and
Sri Lanka by 1.8% each year by 2050, economists
Mahfuz Ahmed and Suphachol Suphachalasai estimate
in the ADB report. After that, the yearly cost to the
region is expected to increase, reaching a prohibitively
high 8.8% of GDP by 2100.
Agriculture will be a big source of economic


vulnerability. Climate change threatens to reduce crop yields and increase the likelihood of crop failures.
Messrs. Ahmed and Suphachol also tabulate the costs resulting from disrupted supplies of hydroelectric and
thermal power, loss of land in coastal communitiesand, in Bangladesh, damage to the mangrove forests on
which the countrys fishing industry depends.The main driver of ecological change in the economists
assessmentswhich are based on widely cited climate projections in a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change is higher air temperatures.
Calculations based on the IPCC projections suggest warming will continue over the next few decades, with the
potential for a dramatic spike in the 2080s that could send temperatures 4-5 Celsius (7.2-9 Fahrenheit) above
where they were in 2026.That would affect the magnitude and distribution of rainfall, the report says.
Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka would see more rain. India would see less, with northern and
northwestern states suffering the most. Demand for water in the country is expected to fall short of supply by
300 billion cubic meters by the 2030s and 400 billion cubic meters by the 2050s.In the Himalayas, higher air
temperatures are projected to cause the total surface area of glaciers across the Tibetan Plateau to shrink by 80%
between 1995 and 2030.
Glacial melt has already spawned high-altitude lakes that are prone to breach without warning, causing floods
downstream with growing frequency. Greater flooding and erosion would put mountainous areas of Bhutan,
India and Nepal at further risk of landslides, already all-too-frequent in that part of the region.As glaciers
and ice sheets melt around the world, South Asia is also projected to experience higher sea-level rises than the
global average. A one-meter increase in the sea level would devastate the low-lying river deltas of Bangladesh,
temporarily inundating more than 14% of the area of the capital, Dhaka, and affecting more than 30% of the
citys population. In the Maldives, more than 80% of the archipelagos total land area is less than one meter
above sea level.
Coastal India would also be hit hard: The western state of Gujarat would suffer the largest share of its land
being inundated from a one-meter rise, while West Bengal would see the largest portion of its population
more than 10%being affected, according to Messrs. Ahmed and Suphachols estimates.The economists offer
suggestions for improving the regions adaptive capacity, or ability to adjust economically and socially to
changes in the ecosystem. Their estimated yearly price tag for diversifying agriculture, erecting flood- and
erosion-resistant infrastructure, and making other climate-proofing investments: 0.86% of GDP by 2050.The
projected costs of inaction are also high.
Ultimately, it isnt geography or ecology alone that makes so many people in South Asia so vulnerable to
serious climate-induced calamity. Malnourishment, low levels of education, poor infrastructure, weak local
government and a lack of productive activities outside of farming make even small fluctuations in climate
potentially disastrous to an areas economy.Hence the higher potential economic fallout for South Asia
compared to Southeast Asia, where a 2009 ADB study put total climate-change-related costs at 6.7% of GDP


by 2100. In East Asia, the estimate is 5.3% of GDP, according to a 2013 ADB study.There, the ability to
adaptand the kinds of programs they could put togetheris much bigger, said Bindu Lohani, a vice
president at the ADB. For this reason, we need more focus and, I would say, even more resources for
adaptation [in South Asia].
Photo: Flood waters in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in J uly 2009.Agence France-Presse/Getty I mages
Super-futuristic Hong Kong skyscraper is topped with rice paddy

Uncle Ben meets 'Blade Runner' in this wild vertical farming concept that also incorporates aquaculture, wind energy
and 'algae facades.'
Tue, Aug 19, 2014 at 02:57 PM
Renderings: Studio CTC via Designboom
Towering edifices that incorporate agriculture farmscrapers, if you will make for solid gold in the eye-popping
conceptual design imagery department. Wild and wonderful in concept, these plant-studded structures present a
somewhat sobering glimpse into a land-starved future where theres nowhere for commercial food production to go
but up.When it comes to multitasking, an aggressively idiosyncratic conceptual skyscraper from Mexico City-
based Studio Cachoua Torres Camilletti (CTC) blows other visionary vertical farming proposals out of the water and then
some.
The World
Architecture
Festival-
shortlisted
proposal,
simply titled
Hong Kong Skyscraper, incorporates housing, commerce, cultural
programming, public transit, rainwater harvesting, renewable energy
production, and fish farming into a giant, plant-clad package that
looms precariously above the Hong Kong skyline.Front and center, however, is Hong Kong Skyscrapers futuristic
presentation of the terraced paddy field, a staple of rice cultivation that's been a familiar sight in mountainous areas of
China and Southeast Asia for thousands of years.The reason that Studio CTC opted for rice over other, perhaps more
skyscraper-friendly crops?


Rice terraces have an important semiotic and symbolic
significance in the culture of countries such as China and
the Philippines, and they are cultivated by the need to sow
seeds vertically. Throughout history, they have been
carved by hand into mountains high above the sea as
emphasized contours with built-in irrigation systems. In
addition to the formal beauty of these spaces, they are a
living example of the respectful change of nature by
humans, who do not pose any environmental aggression,
and are ultimately both respectful of nature and of man.
Studio CTC finds such richness of the meanings and interactions that it was decided that rice should be the crop
of choice for the skyscraper.A grain-centric urban agriculture system modeled after the traditional rice paddy
can be found atop the larger of the bisected buildings dual rooftops (the other is home to a helipad).

As you can see, the volume designed as an attempt to
envision what a tower should be in the future era while
letting go of many ingrained preconceptions about the way
buildings should be designed is not-so-neatly split down the
middle; the two halves are connected/supported by a network of
angled struts along with several transparent bridges that will
accommodate rail
and bus
traffic.Writing for
CityLab, John
Metcalfe notes th
at it would appear
the two halves of the "extremely mixed-use" skyscraper, each
dripping with vegetation, are posed to attack each other in the
renderings. Its a fantastic observation the larger tower with
the rice paddy up top truly appears to be hunched over and ready
to lunge at its less top-heavy counterpart and if this was
Tokyo, not Hong Kong, one could easily surmise that Studio
CTC has birthed sustainable architectures very own
dueling daikaiju. Just don't forget to eat up before running for
your life ....


China pulls plug on genetically modified rice and corn
Email Dennis,By Dennis Normile 20 August 2014 9:45 am
Chinas Ministry of Agriculture has decided not
to renew biosafety certificates that allowed
research groups to grow genetically modified
(GM) rice and corn. The permits, to grow two
varieties of GM rice and one transgenic corn
strain, expired on 17 August. The reasoning
behind the move is not clear, and it has raised
questions about the future of related research in
China.The ministry, with much fanfare, had
approved the GM rice certificates in August 2009.
The permits enabled a group at Huazhong
Agricultural University in Wuhan to produce two varieties of rice carrying a gene from the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
bacteria that provides pest resistance. At the same time, the ministry approved production of a corn strain developed by
the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Biotechnology Research Institute in Beijing. Researchers had altered the
corn so that kernels contain phytase, a livestock feed additive that boosts absorption of phosphorus, which enhances
growth. All of the certificates were valid for 5 years.
Since the certificates were issued, however, public skepticism about the benefits of GM crops has grown in
China. Some scientists conducting GM plant research have been attacked when giving public lectures.
Why the ministry allowed the certificates to lapse is in dispute. Some
environmentalists say public worries about GM crops played a decisive
role. "We believe that loopholes in assessing and monitoring [GM]
research, as well as the public concern around safety issues are the most
important reasons that the certifications have not been renewed," writes
Wang Jing, a Greenpeace official based in Beijing, in an e-mail
to ScienceInsider.
Others believe agricultural economics also influenced the decision. China has nearly reached self-sufficiency in
producing rice using conventional varieties, so the ministry has decided there is no need to commercialize Bt
rice in the near future, says Huang Jikun, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Center for Chinese


Agricultural Policy. He says that with commercialization off the table, there was no point in renewing the
certifications. Huang says "rising public concerns [about the] safety of GM rice" likely also played a role.
Whatever the reason, the decision marks an abrupt change in fortunes for transgenic rice in China. Five years
ago, "China was widely expected to soon put GM rice on the countrys dining tables," wrote Cao Cong, a China
policy expert at University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, in a post on The Conversation, an Australian
website. The Bt rice project "is now to all intents and purposes dead and buried," he wrote, blaming an "anti-
GM movement whose power and influence are more than matched by its fervour and sheer, undiluted
paranoia."Huang says this decision does not reflect a change in Chinas overall policy regarding agricultural
biotechnology. The government is increasing its support for Bt corn research, other specialists note; GM corn
has faced less public opposition, in part because it is primarily fed to livestock.The researchers behind the
affected GM crops could not be reached for comment.

Posted in Asia/Pacific, Biology, Environment, Policy, Technology
Image: Rice terraces in China
PH rice varieties now able to endure drought, flood
Manila Bulletin Wed, Aug 20, 2014
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija Rice varieties produced in the Philippines have become flexible,
adopting to climate change and withstanding the production perils brought about by drought, flood and salinity,
the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said yesterday.Dr. Eufemio Rasco Jr., PhilRice executive
director, said while it is true that certain areas are more suitable for rice, the staple can actually be planted in
areas not traditionally planted.Recent researches have shown that rice has grown in areas where there is
prolonged drought, in flood-prone areas and with high salinity.
And so, rice has become a very flexible crop. It can adopt to climate change and all that, he said.He said
PhilRice is also currently working on varieties that can survive a temperature of 37-degree Celsius, among other
breakthroughs.Rasco stressed that in the midst of the abnormal weather patterns that threaten rice production,
flexibility is one character that makes rice stand out as a living organism.Of the existing crops, he said rice is


the most disaster-resilient commodity, thanks to appropriate technologies, interventions and environments.Rice
can actually survive disasters.

We just need more R&D (research and development) to continue to improve our outputs and bring technologies
to farmer. Matching these technologies to suitable environments is the key, Rasco said.He said natural
calamities experienced in the country only become a constraint due to lack of efficient infrastructure,
specifically shipping which, according to him, is still very primitive, unreliable, and costly.Our neighboring
countries have also had their share of floods, drought, pests, among other challenges that confronted their rice
production. But they managed to move on because of consistent government intervention, he said.

He said the Palayabangan challenge participated by individual farmers, private companies, and PhilRice showed
that yields of 10 tons per hectare at a cost of less than P5 per kilogram during the dry season and 7 tons/ha at
P7/kg during the wet season is attainable. This is competitive with that of the world`s most efficient rice
producers like China and India.Rasco said it is possible for other farmers to attain such yields.There are
actually a wide range of options our farmers can resort into, if we push for exploring our rice environment.
Featuring rice as the main crop supports other major needs of the country such as energy, feed, and raw
materials for industries, Rasco said.Studies at PhilRice proved that the rice environment can sustain other
crops (e.g. mungbean and vegetables), poultry, livestock, and even fish.

The two faces of rice prices

Category: Agri-Commodities
20 Aug 2014
IN the wake of the world food price crisis of 2007 to 2008, the
consensus view is that, because of several trends (climate change,
biofuels, scarcity of land and water, increased consumption of
meat), we are entering a new era in which food prices will be
higher. How has this played out so far in the case of rice?
Certainly, world market rice prices have increased. The price of
Thai 5-percent broken milled rice was 56-percent higher in 2013


than in 2007. But, this is misleading because, after adjusting for inflation, the price of Thai 5-percent broken
rice increased by just 39 percent during that time. More important, Thailand is no longer the center of the
world rice market, and prices from other sources have increased by much less. In real terms, the price of
Vietnamese 5-percent broken rice increased by just 11 percent over the same interval, and the prices of 25-
percent broken rice from India and Pakistan increased by 24 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
But even these numbers overstate the extent of effective changes in world prices, because the currencies of
most Asian countries appreciated in real terms vis--vis the US dollar by 10 percent to 20 percent during this
time, thus mitigating the extent of the world price increase. When real exchange rates appreciate, that means
it is cheaper to buy products on the world market in local currency. Thus, for all large Asian developing
countries, the opportunity cost of Vietnamese rice in real local currency terms in 2013 (i.e., after adjusting for
inflation and real exchange rate appreciation) was about equal to or lower than it was in 2007 before the
crisis.
Simply put, this means that, for those who need to purchase it, rice was cheaper in 2013 than it was before
the crisis in 2007. And, world market prices have fallen even further in the first few months of 2014.
Despite the constant or lower opportunity cost of rice on the world market, domestic rice prices increased in
real terms in these same countries from 2007 to 2013 (see graph). One of the key recent developments in the
Asian rice economy has been the increase in buying prices paid to farmers in some countries.
This trend has been particularly pronounced in Thailand and China, where buying prices paid to farmers have
increased by 92 percent and 59 percent, respectively, over the past six years. In contrast, buying prices in India
have increased by 17 percent, while in Bangladesh they have increased by only a modest 6 percent (all
changes are in local currency terms, adjusted for inflation). In both Thailand and China, broader measures of
domestic rice prices have also increased substantially: comparing 2013 with 2007, wholesale market prices
increased by 20 percent and 38 percent, respectively, in real terms. These large increases took place although
the baht and the yuan have appreciated by more than the world price of Vietnamese 5 percent broken has
increased. In other words, the opportunity cost of rice on the world market has actually declined in real local
currency terms for both of these countries.
Why have domestic prices increased so much in
these two countries? Both of them have witnessed
exceptional economic growth rates over the past
few decades, leading to a structural
transformation of their economies. At the same
time, the share of agriculture in employment
remains well above its share in gross domestic
product, meaning that agricultural producers and
workers are less productiveand have lower
incomesthan those in other sectors of the


economy. This economic change is difficult for many people who rely on farming as a key source of income
and add to this the fact that China and Thailand have the highest income inequality in the region. Thus, these
countries are raising domestic prices to provide more support to farmers and to reduce inequality, both
politically popular. China has also carried out other measures to support farmer income, such as cash transfers
and income tax exemptions.
A second key development in recent years has been the push toward self-sufficiency in the wake of the world
rice price crisis, especially by Indonesia and the Philippines, which are traditionally the largest importers in the
region. These two countries have occasionally lowered their rice imports during the past decade although
domestic rice prices have been well above prices on the international market. This push toward self-
sufficiency has meant that domestic prices in these countries are rising even higher: rice prices in the
Philippines in 2013 were 16-percent higher than they were in 2007, and 17-percent higher in Indonesia (both
after adjusting for inflation). In Indonesia, local prices in 2013 were 88-percent higher than the average during
1975 to 1995, when domestic prices were stable around the trend of world prices.
The rising prices in these two countries are partially due to the same factors of structural transformation in
China and Thailand, but also because their status as traditional importers makes them more vulnerable to
fluctuations on the international rice marketa market that is now viewed as more unstable than in the wake
of the food price crisis.
The trends of rising domestic prices are not found everywhere in the regionprices have declined in poor
countries such as Vietnam, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Nepal. Prices have increased, but by small
amounts, in other poor countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia. Because these countries are
substantially poorer than the countries discussed above, they are less advanced in the process of structural
economic transformation. Their income inequality is also generally lower.
What are the consequences of higher domestic prices? Higher domestic prices are not generally good for
poverty as they harm poor rice consumers (who in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines are the
poorest of the poor). Even in exporting countries such as Thailand, most of the benefits of higher prices end up
with the farmers with the most land because benefits accrue only when marketed surplus is sold. Higher rice
prices can also raise workers wages to compensate for the higher food prices, thereby reducing the
competitiveness of the industrial sector without benefiting workers. Although higher domestic rice prices may
eventually be inevitable, as in Japan and South Korea, the rise in domestic prices in some countries aligned
with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is probably happening too early in the development process.
These costs are important to note, but political imperatives often dictate that farmers must be supported in
some way. In this case, it is important to design programs that transfer the needed financial resources at the
lowest possible cost, avoiding excessive losses due to leakage to people who are not poor. It is also desirable
to avoid large distortions in resource allocation that delay agricultural diversification. Some types of cash
transfer programs, either unconditional or conditional on school attendance, may help in this regard.


What do rising domestic prices mean for the world rice market? As domestic prices increase above world
market prices in some countries, farmers are encouraged to produce more rice and consumers to buy less.
These added supplies and lower demand mean fewer imports from some countries, and eventually more
exports from others (assuming the rice is not allowed to rot in storage). These trends will lead to downward
pressure on international prices, possibly negating the consensus view that we are now in a new era of high
world rice prices.
Lower world prices in turn will make it harder to continually finance the high domestic farm prices. Many
developed countries can afford such subsidies because their agricultural sector is a much smaller share of the
economy. They can provide substantial benefits to farmers without undue strain on the government budget.
But, the opportunity cost of subsidies is much higher in poor countries, and it is not clear whether such
subsidies are sustainablewitness the recent unwinding of the paddy pledging program in Thailand
If such subsidies do not continue, the world price, after falling for a time in the near term, will then eventually
rise again. International Rice Research Institute

Iamge: Written by David Dawe / Senior economist, Food and Agriculture Organization
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 21
Thu Aug 21, 2014 2:03pm IST
Nagpur, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) firmed up again on increased buying support from local millers amid restricted arrival
from producing belt. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses, no sign of
monsoon revival and reported demand from South-based millers also boosted prices, according to sources.
* * * *

FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw recovered in open market here on good demand from local traders amid
thin supply from producing regions.

TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply
position.

* Wheat varieties moved down in open market on poor demand from local traders amid
increased supply from producing regions like Punjab and Haryana.


* In Akola, Tuar - 5,000-5,200, Tuar dal - 6,900-7,100, Udid at 7,200-7,300,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 8,000-8,500, Moong - 7,200-7,600, Moong Mogar
(clean) 8,700-9,400, Gram - 2,700-2,900, Gram Super best bold - 3,800-4,000
for 100 kg.

* Rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading
activity, according to sources.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 2,400-3,180 2,370-3,030
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 4,400-4,890 4,400-4,850
Moong Auction n.a. 5,200-5,500
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200
Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.
Gram Mill Quality 3,550-3,650 3,550-3,650
Desi gram Raw 3,050-3,100 3,000-3,050
Gram Filter new 3,500-3,750 3,500-3,750
Gram Kabuli 8,000-9,500 8,000-9,500
Gram Pink 7,200-7,400 7,200-7,400
Tuar Fataka Best 7,400-7,600 7,400-7,600
Tuar Fataka Medium 7,000-7,100 7,000-7,100
Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,700-6,900 6,400-6,900
Tuar Dal Medium phod 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Gavarani 5,250-5,300 5,250-5,300
Tuar Karnataka 5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700
Tuar Black 8,200-8,500 8,200-8,500
Masoor dal best 6,400-6,500 6,400-6,500
Masoor dal medium 6,100-6,250 6,100-6,250
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 9,500-10,000 9,500-10,000
Moong Mogar Medium best 8,800-9,200 8,800-9,200
Moong dal super best 7,800-8,000 7,800-8,000
Moong dal Chilka 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,000-9,000 8,000-9,000
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-8,800 8,500-8,800


Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,400-7,800 7,400-7,800
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,600 5,600-6,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,000-5,000 4,000-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,850-3,000 2,800-2,950
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,250-3,500 3,250-3,500
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,600 3,500-3,600
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,300 4,900-5,300
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,500 1,200-1,500
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,650-1,750
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,500
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-2,000 1,850-2,050
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,300
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,350 2,150-2,500
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,200-1,300 1,200-1,400
Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,800 1,600-1,900
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,600 2,300-2,600
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,000 4,000-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,600 4,800-5,600
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,400-13,000 10,400-13,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,300-10,000 7,300-10,000
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,600 5,200-5,600
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800

WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 31.9 degree Celsius (89.4 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.24.0 degree Celsius (75.4 degree
Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - 91 per cent, lowest - 61 per cent.
Rainfall : nil
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 32 and 24 degree Celsius
respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available

(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

Floods take a toll on paddy cultivation


In parts of Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the crop has already seen substantial damage
Komal Amit Gera | Chandigarh
August 20, 2014 Last Updated at 22:34 IST
Monsoon might weaken over north India from this weekend
Heavy rains in major growing areas are taking a toll on thepaddy crop. In
parts of Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, thecrop has already seen
substantial damage.Officials in the agriculture departments of these states
are compiling data on the actual extent of the flooding. It is estimated up to
40 per cent of the crop in low-lying, flood-prone areas might be damaged in
these states.Coastal areas in Odisha (Cuttack, Balasore, Kendrapara and
Jajpur) and eastern Uttar Pradesh have been significantly affected.

A senior official in the Odisha agriculture department said a meeting
with the chief minister had been convened to discuss the issue. In
Assam, 10 districts had been affected, officials said. Major losses were
recorded in Lakhanpur, Dibrugarh, Johat and Dhemaji. About 60 per
cent of the sowing has been completed in Assam. In Uttar Pradesh and
Odisha, sowing is in the last stages. Trilochan Mahapatra,
director, Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, said if water levels didnt
recede soon, the crop might be damaged. This year, sowing had been
delayed due to the delayed monsoon, he said, adding as a result, many
farmers whose nurseries were affected by the floods would be at a
disadvantage, as there wasnt scope to start the process afresh.A fall in
the paddy crop will not only affect the direct incomes of farmers, but
also lead to a shortage of fodder and , consequently, hit the dairy
sector.It is estimated the kharif season accounts for 90 per cent of the paddy crop.

Rice quota to EU set at 768 tonnes for Sept
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation August 20, 2014 1:00 am


The Commerce Ministry has announced that the September quota for rice exports to the European
Union will total 768 tonnes, and on Monday began accepting applications from exporters.
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the ministry's Foreign Trade Department, said rice-export quotas
would be allocated on a "first come, first served" basis until the 768.08-tonne limit is reached. Applications are
open to licensed exporters.Exporters that win a quota allocation need to send a report to the department
within 120 days after shipping the first lot of rice. If any are unable to export the volume they requested, they
need to ask the department for a refund within 10 days of starting the shipment.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry said PTT and Bangchak Petroleum had proposed purchasing damaged rice
from the government's stocks for ethanol production. However, the ministry could not yet finalise the rice-
sale procedure as it needs to determine the exact volume of the stockpiles, as well as calculate the losses of
the pledging scheme.Rungson Siworasart, permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry, said it had asked for
cooperation from the Commerce Ministry in order to proceed with auditing of the rice-pledging budget.
Import ban mulled
In another development at the Commerce Ministry, its Foreign Trade Department is considering a ban on
imports of "electric cigarettes" and barakus - electronic hookahs - amid strong concerns about consumer
health, said Panjit Pisawong, deputy director-general of the department.With the growing popularity of these
devices, found by many studies to be as unhealthy as ordinary cigarettes, the department may include them in
its import-control measures.

Guyana To Supply 5,000 Tonnes Of Rice Per Month To Panama
GEORGETOWN, Aug 20 (BERNAMA-NNN- GINA) -- The governments of Guyana and Panama have signed an
agreement that will see Panama purchasing approximately 5,000 tonnes of rice per month from Guyana,
following a recent meeting between delegations from both countries.Minister of agriculture, Dr Leslie
Ramsammy, along with Head of the Guyana Rice Producers Association, Dharamkumar Seeraj, and head of the
Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Jagnarine Singh, visited Panama, during which the agreement was
concluded.
"On August 6 in Colombia, President Donald Ramotar and the president of Panama, Juan Carlos Verela were
having a meeting and President Ramotar suggested that Guyana's rice be exported in a meaningful way to
Panama. I need to say 'meaningful way' because we have always sent paddy and rice to Panama, but in small
amounts because it was difficult to get into that market," Ramsammy said.He added that it was via this
meeting the agreement between Guyana and Panama was formed."The president did not wait until he


returned home, he called me from Colombia and suggested I lead the team to Panama and I proceeded before
the president's return to put arrangements in place, thus shortly after we concluded that the rice trade
between Guyana and Panama should start immediately," Ramsammy said.Verela, according to Ramsammy, is
eager to reduce the high cost of living in Panama, which is predominantly controlled by the private sector. He
added that the GRDB officials also met with the foreign affairs ministry, minister and vice minister of
agriculture and their team along with the GRDB counterpart group in Panama that is responsible for the
purchasing of rice.
As a part of the agreement, the government of Panama will purchase approximately 5,000 tonnes of rice per
month. The contracts signed include rice supply to Panama for the rest of 2014 and then there will be further
discussions for a contract renewal in 2015.Nevertheless, it is expected that the contracts will continue
throughout 2015, provided the terms of agreement were met to the satisfaction of the two countries, which
will entail 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of rice annually, exported to Panama and which will be purchased from
local suppliers.
In addition, since Panama imports about 150,000 tonnes of rice per year and, though they produce rice, they
are not able to meet their rice demands; the remainder of 100,000 tonnes required by Panama will be
purchased through bidders, of whom Guyanese suppliers (the private sector) will have the opportunity to be a
part, among American suppliers, Ramsammy explained.The rice exportation agreement is one aspect of a
larger agreement. Ramsammy told media operatives that the Panamanians have engaged themselves in an
agriculture and trade partnership with Guyana for which a memorandum of agreement (MOU) was signed.The
MOU called for exchange of scientists among Guyana's research institutions and ministries. The Panamanians
are very interested in training at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), exchanging crop seeds, looking at
animal breed improvement, and the development of milk, and pork industry.The minister added that the two
countries will alternate visits every six months to hold meetings.
Also a Panamanian delegation will attend the first ever national agriculture research conference in
October.The massive increase in rice production in Guyana, he stated, had seemed impossible up to some five
years ago."When we were talking about a production of 500,000 tonnes of rice by 2020, people said it is
impossible and we achieved that last year and now we anticipate 600,000 tonnes produced by the end of
2014, and I have no doubt we will surpass that amount this year," Ramsammy said.He further explained that
while some persons may sanction that production has increased and there is no market, "but if you go find
market and you don't have the quantity to supply the market, you will lose that market.
It is a dangerous thing to go find market and you don't have the production because when you reach your
production, it will be years before people trust you again."Nevertheless, when a choice was made to supply


Venezuela with rice and omit the European and Caribbean markets because Guyana hadn't the production,
Guyana later did an excellent job at recapturing the market, Ramsammy explained, while adding that those
countries are now solid customers.The minister said that, ten years ago, people saw 300,000 tonnes of rice
exported as merely a dream, before declaring that by the end of June, close to 300,000 tonnes of rice would
have been exported and from September to November when a massive amount of rice is exported, the target
of 461,000 tonnes of rice will be met for 2014.He said Guyana has the best market it has in years with
expansions to Central America and the regaining of Haiti's market and negotiations with Guatemala, other
Central American countries, Ghana and other African countries, and Colombia among others.
-- BERNAMA-NNN-GINA
Haryana paddy processors want milling procedures streamlined
Komal Amit Gera | Chandigarh
August 19, 2014 Last Updated at 13:16 IST
Rice mills in Haryana which process paddy for the Central pool (Public Distribution System / Custom Milled
Rice) are faced with a double whammy, as they have been slapped with a value cut and inventory holding
charges for rice.About 800 mills in Haryana which processed 24 lakh tonnes of paddy (about eight% paddy is
pending for processing) for the kharif year 2013-14 have been running from pillar to post for the past few
months, trying to persuade the Central and state governments to streamline procedures on paddy milling.
State agencies purchase paddy from farmers at the minimum support price and enter into an agreement with
the rice millers of the state with milling charges at the rate of Rs 15 per quintal (one quintal is 100 kg) and set
the condition for the delivery of rice on a monthly ratio basis.The monthly ratio has been set at 10% for
October and November, 20% for December, 25% for January and February, and 20% for March.Due to heavy
unseasonal and sporadic rains in the 2013-14 kharif marketing season, the damage content in rice went up to
four or five%, against the acceptable limit of up to three% set by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).Paddy
thus procured yielded rice which was being rejected by the FCI. This led the millers to stop milling.Later, the
Union ministry of food raised the acceptable limit and imposed a value cut on rice. Millers are burdened by
the value cut for no fault of their own, said Rajender Aggarwal, president of the Haryana Rice Millers and
Dealer Association.Millers were also charged a holding charge because the delivery of rice by mills to
government agencies remained suspended for three months, as a team of officials from the Union food
ministry visited Haryana and prepared a report on the situation. The holding charge comes close to ~300 per
day per consignment of rice, said Ashish Mehta, a miller from Haryana.Millers say that the delay in issuing the
notification for relaxation in the rice specifications was the only reason for the delay in delivery of rice, and


that no such penalty should be levied on them as this delay was not their fault. Further, they added that the
notification came on January 2, 2014, and so the schedule must be revised from January to June, rather than
from October to June.
Millers are allowed to retain the by-products of paddy like rice husk and rice bran, which they can sell in the
open market to make an extra buck. However, they claim that escalating input costs (power, labour and
diesel) have squeezed margins and the income from paddy by-products is no longer significant.The food
processing industry is the backbone of agricultural states like Haryana, providing seasonal employment to
labour in the hinterland and checking migration to the urban areas; any lack of support from the government
may harm it, said Makkhan Lal Singla, a veteran of the industry.
Funding agricultural research: What does success look like?

4:30-6:00 p.m., Wednesday, 29 October 2014, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition
Centre (BITEC), Thailand

The 4th International Rice Congress (IRC2014) in Bangkok, Thailand, on 27 October1 November is regarded
as the Olympics of rice research. With the theme Rice for the World, it is the largest regular conference and
exhibition of the global rice scientific research community and industry. Focusing on the worlds latest
advances in rice research and technologies, IRC2014 is the only major global event that brings together rice
scientists and players in the international rice industry that feeds half the world.A major side event of the
IRC2014 is an exclusive forum that provides a good opportunity for interaction among donors from the public
and private sectors, research organizations, and other stakeholders of rice research and the rice industry. It will
be held alongside the scientific program of IRC2014 and will gather investors perspectives on structuring an
investment portfolio, investment requirements, and measurement of impact. Research organizations
experiences in handling the challenges of responding to donor expectations will also be presented.Among the
forum speakers are high-profile representatives from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research, the World Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Panel discussants are
directors from the Africa Rice Center, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Japan International Research
Center for Agricultural Sciences, Cirad, and CGIAR. Attendance is free for registered IRC participants, but
slots are limited. RSVP to Jennifer Jarlego by 15 September 2014 with your name, organization name, and
contact information.A cocktail reception (by invitation only) will follow after the forum.

Wholesale rice price control likely to be imposed.
WEDNESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2014 - 18:55 |
The Consumer Affairs Authority has set sights on imposing a control price for
wholesale rice to prevent further increment in the market price. Small and


Medium scale rice mill owners have been inconvenienced by the market price of rice exceeding the control
price.The Director General of Consumer Affairs Authority J.M.U. Douglas told our news team that they have
focused on setting a whole sale control price after considering these matters.

Californian research yields cattle feed from rice straw
By Lynda Searby , 19-Aug-2014
Rice growers in California are producing 'strawlage' for cattle from rice straw
Related tags: Rice straw, Strawlage, UC Cooperative Extension, Drought, California, Cattle feed
Related topics: R&D
Researchers at the University of California (UC) Cooperative
Extension have been working on converting rice straw into cattle
feed, providing a potential solution for livestock producers
confronted with feed shortages as a result of Californias crippling
drought.

Rice growers in California have plenty of the straw laying around after harvest now that the industry has stopped burning
because of air quality concerns. Some are making it into strawlage, a moist 2-7% protein feed that UC Cooperative Extension
scientists say is on a par with a low quality hay.According to Glenn Nader, livestock and natural resources advisor with the UC
Cooperative Extension, the market for this feed is so new that a price point hasnt yet been established.
Going cheap...at $40 a tonne
Some growers are just happy to get the straw off their hands whilst others are trying to make some money off it. $40 per
tonne will probably be the base price, he told FeedNavigator.On the face of it this may seem incredibly cheap, considering
that hay prices are high at around $200 per tonne, but Nader said Producers have to run the equation as to whether it makes
sense to pay more for a 10% moisture hay or less for a hay with a 45-65% moisture content. They dont want to pay a lot of
money for water.The researchers have been investigating the possibility of converting rice straw into strawlage for about 15
years, but it is only very recently that they have come up with solutions to issues such as mould formation and nutritional loss
over time.
Mould control


Strawlage is the process of putting up forage under high (45-65%) moearchers came up against was the loss of forage ng
digestibility 200 per tonne, but Nader said isture, thus preventing the drying that causes a significant loss in digestibility. One
of the first problems the researchers faced was controlling the mould that goes hand in hand with high moisture baling.We
were getting 23-28lb a day consumption, but then after 40 days, cattle quit consuming because of the white moulds. We knew
that if we could deal with that mould we could get to 100 days, said Nader.The researchers found tighter bales coupled with
the application of urea and UN32 to be the best method of controlling mould.A second challenge has been improving the
nutritional value and digestibility of the strawlage over time.We spent about five years trying to figure out what was
happening during the drying process - why was there such a difference in digestibility between wet and dry straw? said Nader.
Lessons from the Japanese
The researchers have found answers to some of their questions in Japan, where farmers are producing rice balage with a 55-
65% moisture level.The energy value seems to be similar to medium quality grass hay and livestock
producers are wanting to harvest and feed more of the rice balage. The feed is used for heifers,
dry cows and lactating cows as a local, lower cost forage than imported forages from Australia
or the USA, said Nader.The Japanese success is partly down to the dual strategy of changing
the pH at the point of baling using buffered organic acids, making it hard for moulds to
reproduce, and boosting energy levels via inoculants.In Japan they are using two different
strains of bacteria to enhance the nutritional quality of silage through bacterial inoculation,
said Nader.
Whilst at present the findings of the University of California Cooperative Extension are only
being applied by local rice growers, word of their work is spreading.
We have had contacts from rice growers in Australia and Portugal, and are looking forward to
extending this work out, said Nader.
The main beneficiaries of the research, however, are likely to remain those in rice growing
areas, for reasons explained by Nader: Because of the high moisture content, strawlage will
be expensive to transport, so it will be for producers who have livestock in the vicinity of rice
fields.

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