22nd December, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

22 December, 2014
Volume 4 Issue: XI
nd
Vol 4, Issue XII
Todays News Headlines

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Take steps to discourage rice imports

Hostels get fine rice, anganwadis left egg faced
Rice export increases 8.32pc in five months
Rice exports surged in 2014 setting a new record FAO
Vietnamese Rice Farmers Battle Vietnam Rat Infestation As
Snakes, Cats Become More Popular With Diners
6. Cuban trading could benefit local farmers
7. Sushil Kumar Modi for one-time settlement of rice mills'
dues
8. Prime minister admits 1 million tonne goal is unlikely for
rice sector
9. Year 2014 termed the bleakest for agricultural sector
10. Basmati exports set to decline
11. Gang uses rice pulling con to cheat Tumkur politician of Rs
6 cr
12. Acreage under pokkali cultivation dips
13. Ex-president Kufuor in big rice business
14. Not enough rice in Central Visayas: DA
15. OSHA cites Basic Grain Products after 2 workers injured at
Coldwater rice-cake plant
16. Louisiana rice farmers could benefit from normalized Cuba
relations
17. Temasek Foundation's Aceh rice project yielding results
18. Bihar minister says govt sincere on paddy procurement
Contact & Visit

www.ricepluss.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
7th Floor,Suite 11 Central Plaza New Garden Town Lahore-54600
Landline :92 3584 5551
For Advertisement Specs & Rates:
Contact: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874
Contact us for Advertisement & Specs: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2847

News Detail.
Take steps to discourage
rice imports
Parliamentary panel advises food ministry
Star Business Report
A parliamentary standing committee

yesterday advised the food ministry to take
steps to discourage rice imports to protect
domestic market, affecting both farmers and

local millers.
Retail prices of all types of rice, irrespective
of quality, have declined between one
percent and 3.53 percent in Dhaka markets,
according to data from state run Trading
Corporation of Bangladesh.In the face of
growers."We have sufficient domestic

production now. So, rice imports should be
discouraged for the time being, to safeguard
the interests of farmers," Md Abdul Wadud
Dara, chairman of the parliamentary
standing committee on food ministry, told
The Daily Star by phone.The panel made the
recommendation at a meeting at the
parliament building, citing media reports on
spiralling imports, many millers are

avoiding milling of paddy, fearing stiff
competition from imported rice, Md Abdur
Rashid, president of Bangladesh Auto,
Major and Husking Mills Association, said
last week.He demanded the government
impose duties rice imports so that farmers
do not feel discouraged to grow the staple in
the upcoming boro season.The government
has kept a zero-duty facility on rice imports
the rise in rice imports, particularly from

India.
since fiscal 2006-07, according to National

Board of Revenue.
Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam, members

of the panel and top officials of the food
ministry were present at the meeting.Rice
imports in just five and a half months of this
fiscal year crossed last year's total, as
businessmen found foreign produce cheaper
than local output. Bangladesh's private
Dara said the parliamentary committee

discussed the issue following media reports
and favoured taking measures to discourage
rice imports by consulting related
ministries.Islam however said rice imports
are negligible considering overall demand
and production in the country.Production
importers brought in 4.45 lakh tonnes of rice

from July to December 17, exceeding last
year's total import of 3.74 lakh tonnes,
according to food ministry data.Surging rice
imports supported by an absence of duty and
the aman harvests, the year's second largest
rice crop, have already lowered prices in the
rose to 3.44 crore tonnes in fiscal 2013-14,

from 3.38 crore tonnes a year ago, according
to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Bangladesh requires nearly 1 lakh tonnes of
rice a day, said Islam."There is nothing to
worry about.

However, we will discuss the matter with
the commerce ministry on whether duty
benefits for rice import can be
withdrawn."Some imports are aromatic rice
and some low quality rice is also being
imported as cattle feed, Islam said."I don't
think such imports can influence the market.
But a section of people are trying to create
confusion when we are exporting rice
abroad."
revised proposals, fine rice will be served

to all 23,000 students staying in 244
hostels in the two districts. And that is
precisely where the catch lies. .
Kids having a meal at an Anganwadi centre
in the city (file photo)
On the recent fall in rice prices, he said

prices usually go down during the peak
harvesting period.
Source with
thanks:http://www.thedailystar.net/business/tak
e-steps-to-discourage-rice-imports-56476
Hostels get fine rice,

anganwadis left egg faced
December 20,2014, 10.31 PM IST | | THE
HANS INDIA
One mans gain is someone elses loss. This

adage is getting pronounced by the
Telangana State government much to the
disappointment of toddlers who may not
know that they are likely to be denied their
staple dose of egg a day. If this comes as a
huge letdown, there is another section that
seems to rejoice a decision taken by the
government,
also
meant
for
students.Enjoying a full meal comprising
of fine rice and vegetables is nothing short
of a luxury for inmates of welfare hostels
spread over Hyderabad and Ranga
Reddy districts. If things go according to
Fine rice will come at the expense of meals

for kids up to the age of three. Government
officials might dismiss it as a coincidence
but NGOs and student bodies are not buying
such excuses. While the officials of the
welfare department are working round-theclock to ensure that students living in
welfare hostels eat fine rice from the New
Year, the Telangana government has
reduced the quantity of eggs supplied to
anganwadis, which cook for children below
the age of three.
The supply of eggs has been cut from one
egg a day to once in two days, towards
which a GO has also been issued. The
women and child welfare department
officials state that the decision was taken in
consultation with nutrition specialists, who
said that yolk will increase the fat content
among children. Meanwhile, the annual
budget for meeting the welfare scheme has
been reduced to a little over Rs 24.28 lakh
from the earlier Rs 45.13 lakh. Currently,
welfare hostels in the city are serving PDS
rice that has more stones and worms than
rise. A team of our officers are currently

surveying the hostels in Hyderabad and
Ranga Reddy as part of the plan to introduce
fine rice.
We aim to find out the number of students
living in the hostels and the quantity of rice
they consume every month, informed an
official from the welfare department.
Currently, the students from classes 3 to 7
are being served meals worth Rs 25 while
eighth to 10 standard students get to taste
meals worth Rs 28.Recently, rice millers
have agreed to the Telangana governments
plea to make available superfine quality rice
such as BPT and sona masuri to all welfare
hostels from January 1.
By:Aditya Parankusam
Source with
thanks:http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/i
ndex/2014-12-20/Hostels-get-fine-riceanganwadis-left-egg-faced-122164
Rice export increases

8.32pc in five months
Sunday, 21 December 2014 17:47
Posted by Imaduddin
ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the

country during first five months of current
financial year registered an increase of 8.32
percent as compared to the same period of
last year.During the period from JulyNovember, 2014 about 1,303,644 metric
tons of rice worth $738.602 million exported
which witnessed an increase of 8.32 percent
as compared to the exports of corresponding
period of last year.According the data
released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics,
rice exports during the first five months of
last financial year were recorded at
1,160,586 metric tons valuing $681.859
million.During the period under review,
exports of basmati rice grew by 6.01 percent
and about 219,428 metric tons of basmati
rice worth $ 247.193 million exported as
compared to the exports of 214,447 metric
tons valuing $233.182 million of same
period last year.
From July-November, 2014, exports of
others rice also increased by 9.52 percent
and reached at 1,084,216 metric tons valuing
$491.409 million which was recorded at
946,139 metric tons costing $448.677
million
in
same period of last
year.Meanwhile, the exports of fish and fish
preparations swelled by 0.67 percent as
country earned $148.500 million by
exporting 58,008 metric tons of fish and fish
products. Fish and fish preparations exports
during the first five months of last financial
year were recorded at 56,457 metric tons
costing $147.514 million.
However, the data reveled that overall food
exports from the country during last five
months remained on down track and
decreased by 0.35 percent when it compared
with the exports of same period last year.In
first five months of current financial year
country managed to earn $1.611 billion by
exporting the different food staff which was
stood at $ 1.66 billion during the same
period of last year.Meanwhile, the data
reveled that on-month on month basis, the
food group exports remained on up track an
swelled by 21.94 percent in month of

November as compared to the exports of the
October current year.
000 tonnes short of the 2011 record

exports.
Source with thanks

:http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/business-aeconomy/212482.html
The RMM predicts that rice deliveries by

India will fall by five percent to 10.0
million tonnes in 2014, depressed by a
combination of heightened competition for
markets and a reduction in demand in its
major Basmati outlets. The export outlook
is also bleak for Viet Nam, the RMM
states, where official deliveries are now
projected to remain close to the 2013
depressed level of 6.6 million tonnes, as
the country is out-priced in Africa and
rivalled by Thailand in important Far
Eastern markets, such as the Philippines,
Indonesia and Malaysia.
Rice exports surged in

2014 setting a new record
FAO
Saturday, 20 December 2014, 12:30 pm
Bangkok, 18 December 2014 Bumper
crops and a surge in demand for rice,
particularly in the Far East, have resulted
in 2014 recording the highest rice export
figures ever, the UNs Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported
today.While final figures wont be
confirmed until early next year, FAOs last
quarterly report for 2014, the Rice Market
Monitor, indicates much of the forecast
growth in 2014 global trade in rice is likely
to be due to a surge in exports from
Thailand, which again will claim title as
the worlds top rice exporter.
Indeed, a development dominating
international rice trade this year has been
the resurgence of Thailand as a leading
rice exporter, an advance made possible
by key policy changes regarding
government market intervention, namely
the suspension of the paddy pledging
programme and public stock sales, the
report states. The ensuing restoration of
its competitive edge has permitted
Thailand to recapture much of the market
share lost to India and Viet Nam over the
past two years, it adds.Increased exports
of Thai rice to other countries in the Far
East and Africa is expected to propel Thai
rice exports to 10.2 million tonnes in 2014,
which, if confirmed, would stand only 500
Production remains steady

Despite regional variations, overall, global
rice production has remained steady, down
only slightly from the previous recordsetting
year.
Weather
conditions
contributed to a 0.5 percent decrease in
Asia.At 744.7 million tonnes (496.6
million tonnes, milled basis), the
resulting 2014
global
production
forecast is expected to be only slightly
lower this year compared with last year
(down 0.2 percent or 1.6 million tonnes),
reflecting a 0.1 percent contraction of both
plantings and yields to 162.9 million
hectares and 4.57 tonnes per hectare,
respectively,
brought
about
by
unfavourable weather conditions.Overall
global trade in rice is expected to exceed
40 million tonnes in 2014 (40.2) and could
reach 40.5 million tonnes in the 2015
calendar year, the RMM states.
Import Demand
The anticipated growth in global rice trade
in 2014 is forecast to be sustained by a
near 2.0 million tonne surge in shipments

to Asian countries to 18.9 million tonnes.
At a country level, the increase would
mostly mirror a resurgence of demand
from the Philippines, in the aftermath of
damages incurred as a result of typhoon
Haiyan and depleted inventories. The
country may close the year with delivery
of 1.8 million tonnes, up 1.1 million tonnes
year-on-year, part of which to reconstitute
public rice reserves, the report states.
Supply shortfalls and difficulties in
meeting programmed local purchases
necessary to service welfare programs also
induced the Government of Indonesia to
recur to international markets this year.
The move is expected to underpin a 500
000 tonnes rise in deliveries to the country
to 1.2 million tonnes. Traditionally a selfsufficient nation, Sri Lanka has been
compelled to rely on supplies from abroad
to compensate for significant production
shortfalls, with 280 000 tonnes assessed to
have been purchased by the country.
High domestic prices, particularly in the
context of cheaper offerings abroad, also
underpinned a steep rise in consignments
to both Bangladesh and Turkey, now
forecast at a higher level of 700 000 tonnes
and 400 000 tonnes, respectively. Iraq, the
Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea,
Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
are all similarly envisaged to purchase
more in 2014, while official deliveries to
China (Mainland) hold steady at around
2.3 million tonnes, the report predicts.
These factors resulted in a 30 percent

slump in the Aromatic rice sub-Index to
seven year low of 190 points, reflecting
increasing market arrivals, amid thinning
buying interest, the report said.
ENDS
Source with thanks
http://cartel.scoop.co.nz/contact.html
Vietnamese Rice Farmers

Battle Vietnam Rat
Infestation As Snakes, Cats
Become More Popular With
Diners
By Cristina
Silva @cristymsilva c.silva@ibtimes.com on Dece
mber 19 2014 9:00 AM
Farmers harvest rice at a paddy field in Dong Tri
village, outside Hanoi, Oct. 8, 2014. Rats, long a
menance to the nation's robust rice farms, eat up to
20 percent of the annual grain crop, according to
some farmers. Reuters
Prices
International prices have eased further the
RMM states. Particularly steep falls have
been evident in the fragrant segment,
where quotations were weighed by
prospects of large availabilities this season
coupled with reduced import demand.
Vietnam's mighty rice industry is battling an

ancient foe: Rats. The vermin, long a
menace to the nation's robust rice farms, eat

up to 20 percent of the annual grain crop and
encouraging farmers to kill rats by giving
farmers have had enough. They are hiring
out cats to people who turn in rat tails.
workers to catch the rats and then dispose of

them -- sometimes by eating them.
That means for some, rat killing has become

a lucrative trade. Tran Quang Thieu, who
Rice is king in Vietnam. The communist
goes by the name "Rat King," catches about
country
second-largest
10 kilograms of rats in rice paddies near
exporter of the grain and is expected to reap
Hanoi on a typical day. He uses a special rat
45 million ton of paddy, or unhusked rice,
trap he created himself that relies on very
this year, up 1.9 percent from 2013,
strong springs. He said he has killed millions
according to Reuters. But in recent years the
of rats. "The agricultural losses caused by
rat population has imploded and threatened
rats are enormous -- and these rodents can
rice crops as snakes and cats have become
cause fires and explosions by chewing
increasingly popular protein sources in
electric cables in houses and factories," he
Vietnam. That's a huge problem for rice
told News 24.Thieu said he gets requests
farmers. "Rats cause hundreds of millions of
from all over the country from rice farmers
dollars of damage, before we even mention
asking him to catch their rats.
the risk of communicable diseases," said
He said he has sold 30 millions of his
Nguyen Manh Hung of the Institute of
special traps to rice farmers in Vietnam and
Agricultural Sciences.
neighboring China and Cambodia. Grant
is
the
world's
Singleton,
rodent
expert
at
the
Part of the problem is that government
International Rice Research Institute, trains
officials want farmers to protects rice crops
farmers in Vietnam on how to kill the rats
without using chemicals. But rats are
before they breed. More traditional methods
difficult to catch. "We used to have to accept
include poisons, traps and electrocution,
the loss of large chunks of our paddies -- the
according
rats destroyed it. It made us wonder why we
hunters then sell their kill to restaurants or
bothered working so hard," 46-year-old
farmers to feed their livestock. Vietnam's
farmer Hoang Thi Tuyet toldNews 24. "It's
total rice export volume for 2014 is expected
hard to trap them, they're clever, they move
to be between 6.3 million and 6.5 million
fast and in Vietnam there are 43 different
tons,
species of rat to contend with."In Thai Binh,
China, according to
near
Association.
Hanoi,
government
officials
are
to Radio
excluding
Australia. Some
the
the
grain
sold
Vietnam
rat
to
Food

Source with thanks :vietnamese-rice-farmersbattle-vietnam-rat-infestation-snakes-catsbecome-more-1763419
Cuban trading could

benefit local farmers
By Jazmin ThibodeauxPublished: December
18, 2014, 9:18 pm Updated: December 18,
2014, 10:32 pm
President Obama is now in talks with Cuba

about working toward resuming trade. Local
farmers in Acadiana could reap the benefits.
Owner of Falcon Rice Mill, Robert Trahan,
is anxiously awaiting the outcome.A
country like that, that consumes that much
rice is a really good market for us or
potential market for us, said Trahan.Trahan
said in the United State alone half of their
rice is exported.If Cuban trading resumes, it
means more rice and other goods going out.
This would be the first time in more than 50
years.
Its a big deal and especially in South
Louisiana. We are so close. We have a good
freight advantage to them. Its so close to
them its easy to get rice to them, said
Trahan.Agriculture Commissioner, Mike
Strain said before the trade embargo, the
Port of New Orleans transported 65 percent
of trading goods to and from Cuba.If trading

were to resume, Director of Rice Research,
Steve Linscombe, said change should would
not be seen overnight.
Theres a lot of hurdles to go through.
Theres a lot of financial hurdles that need to
be overcome relative to the banking end and
assurances of payment and things like that,
said Linscombe.Linscombe said just talks of
trade between the two countries had been
long-awaited by farmers.My entire career
here at the Ag Center and Ive been working
with rice the whole time. Our farmers have
been looking and lobbying for the Cuban
market to open, said Lincombe.LSU Ag
Agent, Stanley Dutile, said this could also
open up a door for Cuba to export sugar.Its
too early to tell, but he said while this could
benefit some farmers, this have an adverse
affect on local sugar cane farming.
Source with thanks
:http://klfy.com/2014/12/18/cuban-trading-couldbenefit-local-farmers/
Sushil Kumar Modi for

one-time settlement of rice
mills' dues
Abhay Singh, TNN | Dec 18, 2014, 11.33PM IST
PATNA: Former deputy CM Sushil Kumar

Modi on Thursday batted for rice millers in
the state, saying the state government should
go for one-time settlement (OTS) of dues
with them if the rice mills in the state don't
have to face a bleak future.Modi said the
state government has been implicating them
in "false" cases alleging the rice millers
failed to give to Bihar State Food
Corporation (BSFC) real account of rice
milled and deposited to it.

Rice mills are the only thriving industry in
Bihar, he said and added these mills should
be made centres for procurement of paddy
from farmers after fixing minimum support
price (MSP) for it.Modi said the state has
1,315 rice mills and added if false certificate
cases are lodged against them, even the rice
mill industry would collapse. He said CM
Jitan Ram Manjhi has been attending their
meetings and functions and also addressing
them, but he has not been listening to their
grievances.
Source with thanks
:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Su
Mo-for-one-time-settlement-of-rice-millsdues/articleshow/45567422.cms
Prime minister admits 1

million tonne goal is
unlikely for rice sector
Fri, 19 December 2014
Chan Muyhong
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday admitted

that the government target of reaching 1
million tonnes of rice exports by 2015 is
likely to fail due to a lack of milling
capacity and funding.Speaking at the
graduation ceremony for students at the
National Institute of Education yesterday,
Hun Sen said this years rice export figure
clearly proves that achieving the 1 million
tonne target next year is unlikely.From
January to November, Cambodia exported
only around 330,000 tonnes of rice, very far
behind the 1 million tonnes we planned to
achieve, he said.
The Cambodian government set the target in

2010.The PM blamed the failure on a lack of
investment in rice milling and paddy storage
facilities.Our rice production has overtaken
rice milling capacity. Most of the rice
millers do not have capital to buy paddy and
then stock it for export, which results in
Cambodia losing value-added gains for the
rice industry, he said.
We cannot ban farmers from selling their
paddy to traders as we do not have the
capital to buy paddy for stock, he
added.Citing a report from the Council
Development for Cambodia (CDC), which
allegedly shows a number of approved
investments in rice milling facilities, the
premier said he was optimistic that
Cambodias export capacity would improve
in the coming years.Sok Puthyvuth,
president of the Cambodia Rice Federation
(CRF), and also the son-in-law of Hun Sen,
agreed that Cambodia was unlikely to reach
the 1 million tonne target. He said the
uncontrollable offloading of rice stock to
buyers had made it a tough year.There have
been problems in funding, which have left
rice millers and exporters unable to stock
paddy in large amounts.
We could have achieved a higher export
target for this year, but our members are not
confident in entering big deals because of
the lack of stock, he said.Puthyvuth said
the CRF is working to improve
infrastructure in the Kingdoms rice sector,
and is also considering taking out additional
loans to buy paddy to stock in large amounts
for export.With the plan and the loan, we
will hopefully be able to bring the export
figure closer to the target next year, he
added.

Last month, the Post reported that the
Chinese government had approved inprincipal a $300 million to build a series of
warehouses aimed at assisting the
Kingdoms rice industry with its storage
woes.The loan is to be used to build more
than 10 warehouses equipped with dryers
capable of storing at least 1 million tonnes
of Cambodias paddy. The facilities will be
located along key rural production areas,
urban markets and ports along the countrys
value chains.
of the year played havoc with the agriculture

of the country.
ZAHID BAIG
BGA President Hamid Malhi said Basmati

sector suffered yield losses due to floods and
crash of prices at harvest time when the
market registered price of Basmati paddy at
nearly half of the last year rate of Rs2600
per 40kg. While the quantity of Basmati
Rice's exports and the average rate per ton
received during 2013-14 has increased by 16
percent, even then the domestic traders/
millers & rice exporters are not willing to
pay a reasonable price for Basmati paddy.
The burden of last year's stocks, still lying
unsold with the traders/millers and
exporters, was one big excuse which was
being forwarded for those low Basmati
paddy prices, Malhi added. To stabilise the
market price and to facilitate marketing of
the surplus stocks of Basmati Rice lying
unsold, a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of
1150 $/Ton should have been enforced for
all Basmati Rice exports to stabilise the
market price above Rs 2200 per 40 Kg for
paddy and to facilitate marketing of the
surplus stocks of Basmati Rice at above Rs
4000 per 40 kg.
Agriculturists and farmers' organisation

representatives have termed the year 2014 as
the bleakest year for agricultural sector
during which growers suffered an
accumulative loss of what they said around
Rs 300 billion because of flood damages and
price crash for three main crops ie cotton,
rice and sugarcane. Basmati Growers
Association (BGA) President & Farmers
Associates Pakistan
(FAP) Director
Chaudhry Hamid Malhi and Punjab Water
Council (PWC) Founder Convenor Farooq
Bajwa
while
talking
to Business
Recorder here on Saturday said that though
the first half of current calendar year was not
good for agriculture but the last six months
He stressed the need for negotiating

additional sales of one million tons of
Basmati Rice with Iran, Iraq or Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. The Basmati Rice Policy
should also been announced immediately to
benefit the Basmati sector, Malhi
observed. Coming to wheat prices, he said
those were kept constant at Rs 1200 per 40
Kg during the last season. "This price was
announced in November 2012. The cost of
production during this period soared due to
inflation, GST on all agri inputs, rising fuel
and electricity rates, labour costs. The
farmer was unable to compete with
international rates which were low because
of subsidy regimes world-wide. There was
Source with thanks

:http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/prim
e-minister-admits-1-million-tonne-goalunlikely-rice-sector
Year 2014 termed the

bleakest for agricultural
sector
December 21, 2014

no market protection for his high cost of
production.
Import of wheat is allowed duty free, this
has kept prices low although the quality is
questionable and its gluten content is also
low, making it difficult to make a 'roti'. The
price has been increased to Rs1250 per 40
Kg for the next crop to encourage increase
in area of wheat." "It is unfair for
agriculture, in the face of a ban on wheat
exports. Wheat policy of the government has
always been consumer centric, forcing the
farmers to subsidise wheat to the consumer,"
he added. Similarly, he said cotton
production was going to miss its target for
the fifth consecutive year this season.
"Production estimates have been revised
downwards from 13.2 million bales to 12
million bales, while the Pakistan Cotton
Ginning Association (PCGA) has estimated
production this year at 11.7 million bales,"
Malhi claimed.
"Major reasons were attack of the cotton
curl leaf virus (CLCV), absence of a virus
resistant variety, pesticides adulteration and
uncertified seeds. The government yet not
approved a BT cotton variety nor is there a
law to check these fakes. The approved 16
traditional varieties are sown only on 20
percent of the total 3.2 million hectares.
Cotton production is at great risk in light of
the low prices and lack of subsidy to the
effected farmers." Punjab Water Council
(PWC) Founding Convenor Farooq Bajwa
said growers suffered a loss of around Rs
120 billion because of price crash and flood
damages to the cotton crop during the year
under review. Similarly, he said rice
suffered over Rs 70 billion loss during 2014
because of price crash and floods. He said
another blow which growers of the province
of Punjab suffered due to the floods was
becoming
500,000
acres
of
land
unproductive.
He said expense for reclamation of land

needed Rs 30,000 to 50,000 per acre so the
growers had to incur those expenses which
would add to the losses they suffered during
the year. Similarly, he said livestock in the
province also suffered loss because of
fodder shortage and on other accounts.
Source with thanks: business recorder Pakistan
Basmati exports set to

decline
Komal Amit Gera | Chandigarh
December 18, 2014 Last Updated at 22:33
IST
This
year, earnings from
the
export
of basmati rice are expected to fall 15-20 per
cent, owing to Iran banning the import of the
commodity from India.Iran purchases about
40 per cent of the basmati rice sold in the
international market by Indian exporters.
Through the past few years, Iran has been
charging an import duty on rice (basmati
and non-basmati) to safeguard the interests
of farmers in that country. This was lifted
once the local crop was consumed. Last
year, the import duty was raised from 22.5
per cent to 40 per cent in July; the move was
rolled back in December.
This year, however, Iran banned such
imports.Mohinder Pal Jindal, president of
the All India Rice Exporters' Association,
told Business Standard though exporters had
purchased about 80 per cent of the estimated
export demand, there was no clarity on the
demand
from
buyers
in
Iran.
Besides Iran, Europe and Saudi Arabia are
the major buyers of Indian basmati rice.

at 900,000 tonnes.Annual consumption of
rice in Iran is about three million tonnes and
production this year is reported at about two
million tonnes.The official added a price
correction for basmati was expected, as
prices had become unrealistic. High
production of food grain across the globe
had led to a fall in the prices of various
commodities and rice exporters couldn't
remain insulated from this trend, he said.
Though demand from these regions is stable,

given the bumper crop in India, exporters
are bracing up for low prices.Last year, the
average realisation was $1,400 a tonne; as of
now, the price stands at about $900 a tonne.
It is expected if the import restrictions in
Iran aren't lifted, the price will fall further.
Enthused by the high demand and
remuneration last year, farmers in Punjab,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have diversified
from non-basmati to basmati this year.
However, due to a fall in import demand and
oversupply in the domestic market, prices
have crashed from Rs 3,500-4,000 a quintal
last year to Rs 2,200-2,800 a quintal this
year. A senior official in the Agriculture and
Processed
Food
ProductsExports Development
Authority
said the slowdown in demand had resulted
from the ban by Iran. He added in the past
few years, basmati exporters had booked
huge profits, as Iranian importers had
bought aggressively.
Source with thanks :http://www.businessstandard.com/article/markets/basmati-exportsset-to-decline-114121801568_1.html
Gang uses rice pulling con

to cheat Tumkur politician
of Rs 6 cr
By Shyam Prasad S, Bangalore Mirror
Bureau | Dec 19, 2014, 04.00 AM IST
The lightning-charged metal is supposed to

attract all sorts of objects
Unable to come out in the open about
humiliation, he finally complains to cops
The seemingly silly scam of 'rice pulling'
has snared a politician. An assembly
Last year, Iran had imported 1,450,000

tonnes of rice from India; this year, that
country's rice imports from India will stand

election contestant from Bengaluru hailing
from Koratagere in Tumkur and residing in
Peenya, he has lost all of Rs 6 crore of his
own and his relatives' money. Unable to
come out in the open due to the humiliating
fraud he suffered, he finally mustered
courage to file a written complaint in the
office of the DG&IG on Wednesday. The
letter says, "I have been suffering a lot since
the last six months. I have seen people being
cheated like this style in TV and media. I
was unable to tell this matter in open and I
have faced a lot of pain and suffering and
am putting it up before you today."
thousands of crore of rupees. Falling for

these ridiculous claims, the politician said he
ended up paying Rs 6 crore over six months.
More money was taken from him when
visiting 'scientists' came to 'test' the rice
puller. The complaint says that scientists and
a foreign company representative came with
eight to ten police personnel as security to
check the rice puller. Having fallen for such
a silly trick, the politician is in no mood to
reveal himself for now, but the police,
sources said, are already on the look out for
the culprits and to find out how many others
they have been cheated in a similar fashion.
The letter by the politician mentions 10

people who allegedly cheated him, and gives
their mobile phone numbers. M S Shyam
Sundar, the advocate for the politician, said,
"It is not just my client but many other
people who have fallen prey to this scam.
Source with thanks

;http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/crime/G
ang-uses-rice-pulling-con-to-cheat-Tumkurpolitician-of-Rs-6-cr/articleshow/45567522.cms
It is real and there are many people out there

cheating people. It is in the best interest of
everyone that they are nabbed at the
earliest." It all happened when some people
approached the politician about a strange
element that pulled rice towards it. It was
claimed that the element falls to earth during
lightning strikes (especially if lightning
strikes a vessel) and after hundreds of years,
has the power to pull things towards it.
Simple magic tricks are used to show that
rice grains scattered around a vessel, which
is said to have been drawn by the power of
the material. The gang claimed that the item
was in possession of another person
(obviously a gang member) from whom it
had to be purchased.
Acreage under pokkali

cultivation dips
Shrimp lobby behind flooding of sown
fields
The 'rice puller,' the gang claimed, was to be

used in satellites and nuclear weapons and
that NASA and ISRO would buy it for

Vagaries of the weather, rapid infrastructure
and property developments and expanding
shrimp farming have reduced acreage under
pokkali cultivation in the State. According
to available data, acreage under the rice
variety, unique to the coastal areas of the
State lying roughly between Kuthiathode in
Alappuzha district and Kodungalloor in
Thrissur district, has shrunk to about 1,800
hectares.Of these, data for 2013 season
showed that only about 1,700 hectares came
under sowing. Scientists engaged in research
on pokkali rice estimate that the State may
have had about 26,400 hectares at the turn of
the century.
fields with salt water ahead of the harvest this

season.Scientists also pointed out that large areas
under pokkali had been taken over for
developmental activities in Ernakulam district.
A host of problems have plagued pokkali

farming in the State. Though shortage of
hands was the key issue more than a decade
ago, it has now turned out that vast tracts of
the fields have come under shrimp farming
throughout the year despite the States
declared policy of one rice and one fish
cycle in a calendar year.Information from
some of the agricultural offices in the
district showed that pokkali cultivation has
had a reasonably good season this year.
About 120 hectares came under sowing in
Varappuzha panchayat. Kumbalanghi had
about 38 hectares; Chellanam 40 hectares;
Pallippuram 52 hectares and Edavanakkad
25 hectares.
For every business magnate, US$400 million

(GHC1.28 bil-lion) is money that cannot be put
into a competitors pocket. In the world of a
president, that is an amount of money that can
put up several classroom blocks, supply water,
or even purchase enough fuel to deal with dumso.What about an ex-president? It is dif-ficult to
tell, but the answer may not be far if you read
the mind of former President John Agyekum
Kufuor.
A scientist at the Vyttila Rice Research

Station said the most recent blow to pokkali
cultivation was the flooding of the fields in
2013 when unprecedented rain inundated
large areas in Alappuzha and Ernakulam
districts.The flooding resulted in substantial loss in
terms of seed production. About 1,700 hectares
came under sowing during the 2013 season.
However, most of the fields were inundated.A
spokesman for Pokkali Samrakshana Samithi, a
voluntary group engaged in propagating pokkali
cultivation, said pokkali fields came under
constant pressure from shrimp farming. He alleged
shrimp lobby was behind the flooding of sown
Source with thanks

:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/acr
eage-under-pokkali-cultivationdips/article6706973.ece
Ex-president Kufuor in big

rice business
That Ghana spends US$400 million on

importation of rice is a headache to the former
president. That amount is 147 short of the $547
million Millennium Challenge Account first
compact which the United States awarded his
administra-tion to construct the N1 (George
Bush) Highway, the Mallam interchange and
other road networks, especially in the Afram
Plains area of the Eastern Region.
It is also about $112 million less than the
amount of money the current adminis-tration
received on oil exports over Janu-ary to
December 2014.Now, the former president, who
was awarded the World Food Prize in 2011
along with Brazilian Lula da Silva, has put the
machinery of the John A. Kufuor (JAK)
Foundation, which he chairs, into motion to
advocate in favour of domestic production of

rice.By this act, he is seeking to beat down the
amount of money spent on rice im-ports and
help to channel a chunk, if not all, of the amount
into the hands of local rice farmers to produce
the staple, which has now become the first
choice meal for majority of Ghanaian
households.All we want to do is to ensure that
appropriate policy environment is created for the
production through processing and marketing of
local rice, Professor Baffour Agyemang-Duah,
Chief Executive Officer of the JAK Foundation,
spoke of the former presidents intentions.
He was speaking on Tuesday in Accra where the
JAK Foundation, in col-laboration with the
Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body, GRIB,
outdoored a Public-Private National Dialogue
Council on Rice, a vehicle that will facilitate the
sharing of ideas by private sector actors and
public sector institutions on policy and
regulatory improvements for the rice industry in
Ghana.According to Prof. Agyemang-Duah, the
Public-Private National Dialogue Council on
Rice (or Rice Council) is an effort, in
collaboration with other partners, to revive the
Ghanaian spirit especially in the area of
Ghanaian rice production.We want to today,
constitute a council and inaugurate itso that
the public sector, which is normally controlled
by government, and the private sector where
individuals, independent people and com-panies
are operating can come together, have a
common platform to dialogue on the best,
appropriate policies for our rice industry to meet
local demand, he intimated.
In real terms, the value of the rice industry per
annum is worth more than the US$400 giving
that local rice produc-tion is calculated to be in
the region of 30 percent of national need.The
JAK Foundation has, therefore, taken a strategic
initiative to ensure that if the local production is
not propped, in the least, the existing quota for
local farmers can be preserved.Looking three to
four decades back, however, one gets a picture
of massive retrogression. Here, Prof.

Agyemang-Duah recalled: we know that in
the early 70s this country started exporting rice.
I was a young man, and I saw it myself under
the government of General (Ignatius Kutu)
Acheampong. Through a very, very vigorous
policy of operation feed yourself, we produced
so much rice we started exporting rice to our
neighbouring countries.Sprint into 2014, and
you will find that Ghana is a pale shadow of its
former
self.
Prof.
Agyemang-Duah
acknowledges that Weve been told many times
by governments that we spend a chunk of our
scarce resources on importing rice.
And I understand that currently we spend about
400 million dollars a year on rice importation.
The assumption is that if we can produce our
own rice then we will be saving ourselves that
much.His lamentation is that the whole idea of
relying on imported rice is the problem just as
we relying on so many goods im-ported for our
livelihoods is a problem. He expatiates that
Now we know we are importing not only rice,
we are also im-porting tomatoes, some
vegetables, plan-tain; things that in our very
youthful days we will just walk behind the
backyard and just get them free of charge to our
homes for our meals.
According to the Ministry of Trade, a minimum
US$500 million is spent on rice imports and
even that is modest because many importers
engage in under-invoicing or under declaration
of actual value of their imports in order to avoid
tax.Evans Sackey, Executive Secretary at GRIB,
supplies that current rice consump-tion is at 1.6
million metric tonnes, up almost three-fold from
the 2008 figure of 600,000 metric tonnes. Per
the statistics, not more than 500,000 metric
tonnes, or 31 percent, is supplied by local
producers.The inauguration of the Rice Council
is, therefore, meant to address challenges to
local production, which are mainly policy-

related so that an enabling environ-ment can be
created for local production to thrive.The
expectation is that after this council is
inaugurated, it will look at the rice strategy and
validate the priorities therein. We will not end
there.
We are also hoping that zonal councils will also
be launched in the regions where priorities of
stakeholders will also be discussed. Then the
findings at both the local and national levels will
serve as the basis for the public-private dialogue
on the rice industry, said Prof. AgyemangDuah.He added, So, this is just the beginning.
We are building the national archi-tecture, to be
followed by the regional group.Beyond the
short term, we envisage that in the near future,
this council will link to the rice councils in other
neigh-bouring countries, for instance in Nigeria
and Burkina Faso, to constitute a West African
rice council.
And if we succeed in that, we can link that to
other sub-regional councils as, for instance, we
have in East Africa, the CEO said.Meanwhile,
the JAK foundation is a partner to a major rice
initiative Com-petitive African Rice Initiative,
CARI. In partnership with TechnoServe and
Kilimo Trust of Tanzania, the project is
designed to maximize rice production in Burkina
Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania.
This five-year project empowers small-scale
rice farmers in these Sub-Saharan Africa
countries and is sponsored by the Ger-man
Cooperation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
and managed by the German Development
Corporation, GIZ.The JAK Foundation is a
partner han-dling mainly the advocacy and
policy aspects of the rice industry in Africa,
Prof. Agyemang-Duah stated. Through these
four countries, we hope to create these councils
that will, hopefully, cascade into an African kind
of rice council so that in the future, all Africa
can be self-reliant.
Source with thanks

:http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/N
ewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=339643
Not enough rice in Central

Visayas: DA
By Jeandie O. Galolo
Friday, December 19, 2014
THERE IS not enough rice in Central Visayas to
feed its seven million - and still growing population. Rice self-sufficiency in the region is
only at 32 percent, according to government
data.The report came from the Department of
Agriculture 7 Director Angel Enriquez in a
recent interview.
She said yield per hectare is only at three metric
tons, which is below the average target of 3.9
metric tons of yield per hectare.In a year,
Enriquez said every person consumes 80 to 90
kilos of rice.Among the four provinces in the
region, only Bohol can feed itself independently,
even leaving surplus for others to consume, she
said. Some farmers in Bohol have a yield of
seven metric tons per hectare.
Nationwide figures, meanwhile, show the
country at 96 percent self-sufficient.The figures,
according to DA 7 chief for agribusiness and
marketing assistance division Gerry Avila, could
have reached 100 percent in 2013 if not for
typhoons Santi and Yolanda, which caused
massive destruction to the countrys top rice
producers in Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas,
respectively.
Enriquez explained that the main factor for the
low rice production in Central Visayas is the
limited land resources of the region in contrast
with those in Luzon and Mindanao.Data from
the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that
rice production in Central Visayas has been

declining. In the first quarter of 2014, palay
production was at 93.371 metric tons, Q2 was at
57.074 metric tons, and Q3 was at 20,294 metric
tons.
(Neda) 7 Director Efren Carreon said the

agency, together with DA, will be pursuing the
preparation and implementation of Agri-Fishery
Development Plans at the LGU level.
Capitol investment
On a decline
But the productivity of Bohol is another story.

Enriquez said what it is experiencing now are
returns of the provincial governments
investments in agriculture, particularly in
funding farming machineries.In the first
semester of this year, Bohols production was at
118,042 metric tons while Cebu recorded only
7,523 metric tons.Instead of the farmers
shouldering the cost of the machine, it is the
province that pays for it, Enriquez said.Under
DAs production support program, Avila said
DA shoulders 85 percent of the cost of the
machinery which is then awarded to farming
communities. The remaining 15 percent will be
shouldered by the farmers or the local
government unit.Like Bohol, Enriquez said DA
wants to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the
entire region with the help of the local
government units, especially the chief
executives.
Part of the plan is to upgrade the Municipal

Agriculture Office with at least five personnel
and fast track the implementation of the
Philippine Rural Development Program
(PRDP).According to Carreon, agricultures
performance in Central Visayas in the past three
years is declining and needs much help.Of the
three sectors (agriculture, industry, and services)
identified in the Gross Regional Domestic
Product, agriculture has the lowest contribution
at 6.7 percent in 2013. The two others are at 35.7
percent and 57.6 percent, respectively.Carreon
attributed the slow down to the vulnerability of
the agriculture sector to disasters and effects of
climate change.
She urged mayors to revisit and enhance their

Agriculture Development Plan and know for
themselves how much their towns are producing
per hectare.In Cebu, rice fields are mainly
concentrated in Carcar, Argao, Balamban and
Toledo, said Avila.Carcar City administrator and
agriculture office OIC Edgardo Oca in a phone
interview said it has increased its rice production
to five metric tons this year, an increase from
their average 3.2 metric tons production.
OSHA cites Basic Grain

Products after 2 workers
injured at Coldwater ricecake plant
Oca attributed this to the citys assistance to

their farmers by supplying them with rice inputs
like hybrid, registered, and certified seedlings
and fertilizers.Actual cultivated land area in
Carcar is 220 hectares.In a separate interview,
National Economic Development Authority
Source
with
thanks
:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2014/
12/19/not-enough-rice-central-visayas-da382893
Last updated: December 19. 2014 12:53PM

COLDWATER In response to a
complaint of an electrical shock injury, the
U.S. Department of Labors Occupational
Safety and Health Administration found that
a 20-year employee was injured while he
performed service work on an electrical
panel at a Coldwater rice-cake manufacturer,
according to a news release this week.
Following the investigation, OSHA has cited

Basic Grain Products Inc. for two repeated
and five serious safety violations.The
employee missed two days of work due to
the electrical shock injury which occurred
Aug. 18.
OSHA also learned that another employee
missed 20 workdays and was on restricted
duty for an additional 22 days after part of
his ring finger was amputated on June 19 as
he adjusted a machine used to make rice
cakes.Basic Grain Products must ensure
that its workers are not exposed to
dangerous machinery and are never
expected to conduct maintenance without
shutting down electrical and energy
sources, said Kim Nelson, OSHAs area
director in Toledo.
Those actions can prevent severe injuries
like
those
suffered
by
these
workers.OSHAs investigation determined
that the employee who suffered the
amputation injury while servicing the ricecake machine was exposed to the operating
parts of the machinery because it had not
been properly powered down before
maintenance.
The investigation also found Basic Grain
Products failed to implement electrical
safety-related work practices, which
included no use of personal protective
equipment;
untrained
workers;
and
inadequate clearance in front of electrical
panels. These violations resulted in five
serious safety citations. A serious violation
occurs when there is substantial probability
that death or serious physical harm could
result from a hazard about which the
employer
knew
or
should
have
known.OSHA also cited the company for
exposing workers to unguarded rice-cake
machines that had been improperly powered
down to prevent them from starting up

during maintenance. These violations
exposed workers to amputation and
laceration hazards. Similar violations were
found at the company in 2013. OSHA issues
repeated citations when a company has been
cited previously for the same or a similar
violation at any facility within federal
enforcement states in the past five years.
Based in Coldwater with about 130
employees, Basic Grain Products is one of
the largest private-label manufacturers and
suppliers of rice cakes and other healthy
snacks to supermarkets nationwide. The
company faces proposed penalties of
$58,410.The company has 15 business days
from receipt of its citations and penalties to
comply, request an informal conference with
OSHAs area director, or contest the
findings
before
the
independent
Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission.
Source
with
thanks:http://www.sidneydailynews.com/news/
business/150948480/Coldwater-plant-citedafter-injuries
Louisiana rice farmers

could benefit from
normalized Cuba relations
Advocate staff photo by BRYAN TUCK -- Rice
farmer Allen McLain, left, watches his son,
Allen McLain Jr., load rice into a truck at their
drying station Wednesday in Abbeville in this
December 2013 Advocate file photo.

Cuts in subsidies, other programs have
hampered industry
response to questions about the impact of
BY BILL DECKER| SPECIAL TO THE

ADVOCATE
Louisiana rice farming is concentrated in a
normalized relations.
belt that runs diagonally from the southwest

Dec. 21, 2014
The prospect for normalized relations with
Cuba could be good news for Louisiana rice
farmers, who have fought to reopen what
had been a lucrative market before the 1962
embargo and again as recently as a decade
ago.That would be a very big deal for the
rice industry, said Dustin Harrell, who is
set to become the LSU AgCenters new state
rice specialist in January.Experts say the
benefits of normalizing diplomatic and trade
into the northeast. Rice was worth about

$494 million to Louisiana farmers in 2013,
according to AgCenter figures. Value-added
enterprises such as milling added another
$164 million.In all, 1,023 farmers grew rice
on about 410,000 Louisiana acres in what
was considered a good crop year.Rice
farmers got a taste of what an open Cuban
market could do for prices after an easing of
the Kennedy-era embargo in 2000 allowed
food and medicine exports to Cuba.
relations would accrue gradually, and would
U.S. rice exports grew to nearly 177,000
come at a time when the rice industry is
metric tons, worth about $68 million, by
learning to cope with cuts in subsidies and
2004, according to the U.S. Department of
other support programs brought on by
Agriculture. The price of rice rose from
the 2014 farm bill.
$164 per metric ton in 2000 to just more
Michael Salassi, a production economics

specialist for the AgCenter, said any benefits
in terms of increased rice exports from
Louisiana wouldnt happen overnight but
rather would slowly phase in over a period
of years as any potentially new trading
arrangements were formalized.Should the
U.S. be successful in normalizing diplomatic
relations with Cuba, this certainly would
have great potential for Louisiana rice
exports to Cuba, he wrote in an email
than a $1,000 per metric ton in 2007.But the

Bush administration toughened trade policy
with Cuba in 2004, requiring cash in
advance for food shipments. Rice exports to
Cuba declined sharply and dropped to
nothing in 2009.An agreement between the
two countries to facilitate commerce and
banking activities would go a long way
toward
facilitating
agricultural
trade,
Salassi said.
Should this occur, the Louisiana rice
production sector would be in a prime

position to supply a large portion of any rice
$403.Farmers also have had to cope with
exports to Cuba.Published sources estimate
high fuel costs and hurricanes Rita and Ike,
total Cuban rice imports from all sources at
which pushed salt water into fields as far
600,000 to 770,000 metric tons each year.In
north as La. 335 in Vermilion Parish,
the agriculture policy portion of her website,
AgCenter rice specialist Johnny Saichuk
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., cites an
said.
estimate that Cuba could buy 480,000 metric

tons of U.S. rice if trade relations are
normalized.
Before the hurricanes, Vermilion accounted

for roughly one-fifth of Louisianas rice
acreage, according to the AgCenter. But rice
Exports at that level would have made Cuba
is sensitive to saltwater intrusion.The new
the second-biggest importer of U.S. rice in
farm bills effects could be another blow to
2012-13. Mexico was the top importer of
rice
U.S. rice that year with 856,000 metric tons,
received nearly $2 billion in rice subsidies
according
of
between 1995 and 2012, according to
Agriculture Economic Research Service.
calculations by the Environmental Working
Haiti was next with 366,000 metric tons.
Group.
Donald Sagrera is a former rice farmer
That ranks third among states.The new farm
whose family still works about 600 acres
bill eliminates direct payments and requires
south of Abbeville.He said hes heard that
farmers to choose between protection based
opening exports to Cuba could raise the
on price or revenue and whether those
price of a barrel of rice by about $2. Rice is
values fall below government-established
currently selling at $23-$24 a barrel,
levels.Were getting ready to find out if we
according to the AgCenter.I dont know
can make it or not, Saichuk said.
how much difference it will make, Harrell
Source
with
thanks
:http://theadvocate.com/news/11138118123/louisiana-rice-farmers-could-benefit
to
the
U.S.
epartment
said. It would create a lot more demand,

and that should help prices.
Rice prices have swung wildly over the last

five years. The peak price was $615 a metric
farmers.Louisiana
rice
producers
Temasek Foundation's Aceh

rice project yielding results
ton in August 2011. The low point was in

May 2014, when the price dropped to

Residents in Indonesia's northern province
of Aceh may soon have more varieties of
rice to choose from. By 2017, there may be
six more rice varieties - the result of an
S$800,000 research project funded by
Temasek Foundation.
Acehnese rice farmers. (Photo: AFP/Files)
BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA: Residents in
Indonesia's northern province of Aceh may
soon have more varieties of rice to choose
from. By 2017, there may be six more rice
varieties - the result of an S$800,000
research project funded by Temasek
Foundation.Large areas of rice fields in the
province became unsuitable for farming for
many years after being flooded by salt water
from the Indian Ocean tsunami 10 years ago.
The project hopes to develop new rice types
and increase rice production in Aceh.
Six out of 10 Acehnese are farmers. For
Nasir, it's a means of living that has been
passed down for generations. The 50-yearold is not well-educated but understands the
value of science and how it can improve
traditional farming methods.He agreed to
participate in the rice project by setting aside
a small plot of land for field trials in July.
Results have been encouraging, and even
attracted the attention of neighbouring
farmers. Nasir said: "Many have asked for
the seeds from me, they also want to try. I
told them, 'not yet, be patient, it's not time
yet'."On December 26, 2004, a massive
earthquake triggered a tsunami. Giant waves
crashed into coastal communities more than
five kilometres inland, destroying about
20,000 hectares of farmland.
In 2008, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory
partnered Syiah Kuala University to build
capabilities in rice research. Under the four-
year collaboration, researchers developed

new and improved rice varieties.
Two Acehnese rice - Siputih and Cantik
Manis - were used in the project. The local
rice have good quality grain, but low yields
and are susceptible to diseases. Through the
project, researchers improved the rice
varieties using marker-assisted selection
(MAS).The process selects rice genes which
have desired traits, for example, genes that
can control higher yields and are more
tolerant of diseases.
These genes are then combined with those
from the local rice varieties, and the
outcome is a new rice variety that is superior
in all areas.Dr Zhongchao Yin, Senior
Principal Investigator at Temasek Life
Sciences Laboratory, said: "One of the local
Acehnese rice lines, called Siputih, the grain
quantity is quite good, as good as Thai
fragrant rice but the yield is very low - about
two tons per hectare. But our improved line,

through the field trials, can achieve six to
seven tons per hectare.
"The variety I mentioned - Siputih - when
you grow it in the hilly area, it takes about
seven months to harvest but for the
improved line we can harvest it around four
to 4.5 months."The new rice lines are then
sown at one location as part of field trials
and the results monitored. In the next phase,
they will be tested in several locations. The
multiple location field trials have to be
conducted in at least three provinces across
Indonesia. The Aceh rice project researchers
are looking at North Sumatra, Riau and
Central Java. These provinces are the rice
producing areas in the country.
As part of the partnership, lead scientists
from the Syiah Kuala University received
training on rice breeding technologies in
Singapore. They said the training and
funding have been useful.Dr Sabaruddin
Zakaria from Syiah Kuala University's
Department of Agrotechnology, said: "The
Indonesian government gives great attention
to improve the field of molecular biology,
but Indonesia also has a very big area, and
we have almost more than 100 national
universities. So, it's not easy for the
government to provide equipment. We have
received grants two times - in 2009 and
2010 - but not complete yet, so we cannot
run the equipment properly yet."
Indonesia is among the top five riceproducing countries in the world. Nearly 70
million tons are expected to be produced this
year. However, Aceh is not a major riceproducing province, contributing close to
only two million tons.From the fields, the
rice is then brought to factories to be
processed. After the rice is packed, it is
loaded onto trucks and distributed to cities
like Medan in North Sumatra. Ridwan Daud,
a distributor from PT Bina Usaha Pratama,
said: "Aceh has excess to even export rice.

Aceh feeds the people in North Sumatra.
They depend on rice from Aceh."
When the rice finally reaches the local
markets, consumers are spoilt for choice as
there are many types available. The
popularity of any new rice variety depends
on several factors, especially price.
Muhammad Yusuf, owner of Meuraxa Jaya,
said: "The price will depend on the quality,
its packaging and marketing. But, our
traditional community here would choose
cheaper rice."
It has been six years since the research
collaboration started. The training phase and
single location field trials are over.
Researchers will now focus on the multilocation field trials, expected to be
completed in 2017. The results of the trials
will then be submitted to the Indonesian
Agency for Agricultural Research and
Development. Once the new rice varieties
are approved, the seeds can then be
distributed
to
farmers
for
mass
production.Peter Chia, Chief Operating
Officer of Temasek Life Sciences
Laboratory,
said:
"With
agriculture
becoming more knowledge-based, more
knowledge-intensive, suddenly it opens a
new area for us to partner with people, to
work with companies and countries to see
how we could improve our lives as a
community, as a region.
"So, in the case where technology is a
resource enhancer, if we are able to produce
a lot more with less natural resources, not
only are we able to become more sustainable
in our activities, we are also able to reduce
our ecological footprint, and you can see the
benefits
translating
across
to
everybody."The Aceh rice project is just the
start of many more collaborations Temasek
Life Sciences Laboratory has with other

countries in the region. It has established
partners in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and
Vietnam on other rice projects, using
technology to enhance productivity.
Technology is again a game changer in food
production where rice is a staple to feed a
majority of the population in Asia. Results
have been positive, and researchers are
quietly confident the new rice varieties will
be ready for mass production in the next few
years.But more than that, they hope the new
capabilities can sow the seeds for greater
research for Aceh to harvest its potential as a
major rice-producing province in Indonesia.
Researchers even have a name for the new
rice variety - SIKUTEM - the acronym for
Syiah Kuala and Temasek.
- CNA/ir
Source with thanks :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sing
apore/temasek-foundation-saceh/1542086.html
Bihar minister says govt

sincere on paddy
procurement
Press Trust of India | Patna
December 19, 2014 Last Updated at 17:11
IST
Bihar Food and Consumer Protection
minister Shyam Rajak today said the state
government is "more sincere" than BJPon
paddy procurement and condition of rice
millers. "As per central government
notification, Bihar has extended the
procurement period till December 31, 2014
to obtain Custom Milled Rice (CMR) from
the millers for the year 2012-14. We will

take strong action against millers who are
unable to provide CMR," Rajak said. The
minister said the problems with rice millers
would be solved soon, but BJP leader Sushil
Kumar Modi should not give wrong
statements on the issue.
"Modi should give suggestion on how to
deal with millers who have paddy or rice
worth Rs 1,961 crore pending with them.
They have not returned it and we need to
extract it from them," Rajak added. The
minister said according to central
government standards, paddy is purchased
only when the moisture content in it is less
than 17 per cent. At several places, paddy is
not reaching at the procurement centres due
to this reason, impeding the procurement
process. Rajak also said procurement centres
have been opened at all designated places
and officials have been deputed for the
purpose.
Source with thanks: http://www.businessstandard.com/home-page
For advertisement
and Specs:
Mujahid Ali
+92 321 369 2874
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

22nd December, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

22nd December, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

Vol 4, Issue XII

Todays News Headlines

Take steps to discourage rice imports

Contact & Visit

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

A parliamentary standing committee

domestic market, affecting both farmers and

growers."We have sufficient domestic

spiralling imports, many millers are

the rise in rice imports, particularly from

since fiscal 2006-07, according to National

Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam, members

Dara said the parliamentary committee

importers brought in 4.45 lakh tonnes of rice

rose to 3.44 crore tonnes in fiscal 2013-14,

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

revised proposals, fine rice will be served

On the recent fall in rice prices, he said

Hostels get fine rice,

One mans gain is someone elses loss. This

Fine rice will come at the expense of meals

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice export increases

ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

000 tonnes short of the 2011 record

Source with thanks

The RMM predicts that rice deliveries by

Rice exports surged in

Production remains steady

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

These factors resulted in a 30 percent

Vietnamese Rice Farmers

Vietnam's mighty rice industry is battling an

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

encouraging farmers to kill rats by giving

farmers have had enough. They are hiring

out cats to people who turn in rat tails.

workers to catch the rats and then dispose of

That means for some, rat killing has become

Rice is king in Vietnam. The communist

goes by the name "Rat King," catches about

10 kilograms of rats in rice paddies near

exporter of the grain and is expected to reap

Hanoi on a typical day. He uses a special rat

45 million ton of paddy, or unhusked rice,

trap he created himself that relies on very

this year, up 1.9 percent from 2013,

strong springs. He said he has killed millions

according to Reuters. But in recent years the

of rats. "The agricultural losses caused by

rat population has imploded and threatened

rats are enormous -- and these rodents can

rice crops as snakes and cats have become

cause fires and explosions by chewing

increasingly popular protein sources in

electric cables in houses and factories," he

Vietnam. That's a huge problem for rice

told News 24.Thieu said he gets requests

farmers. "Rats cause hundreds of millions of

from all over the country from rice farmers