9th november,2015 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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November 9,2015 Vol 5, Issue XI

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Rice News Headlines...

EX QRC STAFF NOT GIVEN PROMISED GOLDEN HANDSHAKE

Not responsible for paddy procurement: Rice millers

Won’t grow basmati again: Farmers

Haryana Food minister refuted reports of scandal in Paddy procurement

FAO cuts global rice output estimate

Nigeria plans rice and wheat self-sufficiency within three years - government document

Lack of R&D behind falling Basmati rice exports - Shahzad Ali Malik, CEO Guard Rice

FOOD GIANTS COMMIT TO TESTING WORLD’S FIRST SUSTAINABLE RICE STANDARD

Global alliance sets standard for sustainable rice production

Aus oldest rice variety in world

Researchers uncover the history of rice cultivation

Pregnant women to get zinc rice

In 5 Minutes This Man Helps Blind People See


Vietnam urged to build national rice brand to grasp TPP opportunity: experts

Dong Thap Muoi lacks water for rice fields

Philippines may hike rice imports to 1.3m tons

Group bucks gov’t plan to import rice

‘WAIT FOR HARVEST, CHECK SUPPLIES IN WAREHOUSES’

AgCenter Rice Research Station renamed for H. Rouse Caffey

Study shows origins of rice cultivation

IRRI director general awarded medal


USA Rice Daily

Building better rice

A date with big data in Uruguay

Partnerships: Linchpin of last-mile delivery in Tamil Nadu

Sugar And Rice - A Sign For 2016

Glut to persist with 3.46m ton rice harvest in Punjab

Basmati rice exporter DRRK Foods to enter domestic market with flagship brand Crown

Basmati

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices

News Detail...


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EX QRC STAFF NOT GIVEN PROMISED GOLDEN

HANDSHAKE

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the Trade Development Authority

of Pakistan (TDAP) to expedite the payment of the golden handshake to the staff of the disbanded

Quality Review Committee (QRC) as a period of 3 months has passed since the closure of QRC and the

now jobless employees are left high and dry without any compensation.President UNISAME Zulfikar

Thaver said it is unfair to leave them jobless on the one hand and on the other to holdback their promised

golden handshake funds. The TDAP could have utilised their services in their several other departments

but unfortunately even the ministry of commerce also never bothered to transfer them to the Trading

Corporation of Pakistan ( TCP) and simply served them with one month's termination notice.

Thaver said the TDAP needs to immediately arrange for funds and pay the QRC staff without further loss

of time. He said the TDAP needs to recover the amounts lying with the Rice Exporters Association of

Pakistan (REAP) and also expedite the audit of accounts and take back the properties purchased in

Karachi and Lahore with the QRC funds. The REAP which enjoyed for years on the income of the QRC

has never bothered to even enquire about their welfare.The QRC was functioning as a basmati rice pre

shipment inspection cell which was disbanded 3 months ago as it proved to be futile.

In fact the SME rice exporters hold QRC responsible for their setback as QRC was not impartial,

independent or transparent and also not qualified or eligible to carry out PSI. In fact it is good riddance to

bad rubbish.Thaver said that although the union detested the behavior of the QRC and had challenged its

status as a PSI yet nevertheless is not happy at the treatment meted out to its 16 years old staff as most of

them are old employees and deserve timely compensation to survive in harsh times.He said in normal

circumstances the rice processors and exporters would have employed the QRC Staff but unfortunately

the rice industry is in turmoil and more than a 1000 units are closed.

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME)


Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 8 After facing allegations levelled by the opposition for procuring paddy at throwaway prices, state rice

millers and dealers today cleared their stand and said they were not responsible for procurement. ―We

only process the paddy procured by the government and it is irrelevant to blame us for the price,‖ they

said.Jaipal Jain, officiating state president of the Haryana Millers and Dealers Association, said today that

the government gave them paddy for making rice and that‘s what they did. ―The rate of the paddy is

decided by the procurement agencies on behalf of the quality parameter fixed by the government,‖ he

said.


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Vinod Goyal, who was appointed officiating state general secretary of the association today, said they

were not entitled to arranging rate for paddy. They were only the processors.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/not-responsible-for-paddy-procurement-rice-

millers/156206.html

Won‘t grow basmati again: Farmers Crop fetches low prices | Paddy growers ask Centre to form export policy to bail them out

Labourers at the grain market in Fazilka. Tribune photo

Praful Chander Nagpal

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, November 8 Dismayed over the poor price the 1121 basmati paddy variety fetched this season, farmers might not

grow the crop next year. They say they would again grow the traditional parmal variety that was sold

for higher prices this season. The farmers have asked the Central Government to work out an

effective basmati export policy to bail them out.Sources said the average yield of parmal paddy per

acre was about 33 quintal this year and its minimum support price (MSP) was Rs 1,450 per quintal.

Thus, farmers earn about Rs 47,850 per acre.On the other hand, the average yield per acre for 1121

basmati paddy variety is about 19 quintals, while its price per quintal is Rs 1,650. So the farmers

cultivating this �variety earn only Rs 31,350 per acre.

―We will sow parmal paddy in the future as growing basmati proved to be costly,‖ said farmer

Jawinder Singh of Nurpura village, who grew basmati on 8 acres.Moreover, the input cost of

cultivating basmati paddy is also higher. ―Farmers have to spray pesticide on the basmati crop nearly

three times more compared to parmal variety. Besides, the plantation of basmati paddy also costs

high,‖ said farmer Mangal Singh of Jorki Andhewali village.Sources said basmati was sown on

72,000 hectares this year, while parmal on 25,000 hectares in Fazilka district. Over 30 per cent of


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basmati paddy amounting to 7 lakh quintals arrived in the Fazilka grain market and 16 purchase

centres so far.If the farmers switched back to growing parmal variety from next year, it would hit the

government‘s diversification push. The basmati variety consumes less water, while parmal variety

needs flood irrigation.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/won-t-grow-basmati-again-farmers/156256.html

Haryana Food minister refuted reports of scandal in Paddy

procurement November 07, 2015 11:56 PM

Punjab News Express

CHANDIGARH: Strongly denying the report of an alleged scam in procurement of PUSA-1509

variety of paddy leading to an undue benefit to millers at the cost of farmers which appeared in a

section of the press today, Food and Supplies Minister, Mr Karan Dev Kamboj has advised the

former Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda not to jump to conclusions on mischievous

reporting by a journalist who has displayed no regard for facts in his zeal to appear pro-

farmer.The historic decision of the government to procure PUSA-1509 variety of paddy has

benefited the farmers of Haryana by Rs 350 per quintal and the calculations of any loss to the

government or benefit to the millers are completely baseless and a mere figment of imagination

of the reporter, he said.

In a hard hitting statement issued here today, Mr Karan Dev Kamboj said that the State

Government approached the Government of India to allow procurement of this variety when it

was being bought by millers at Rs 1,100 per quintal. Government of India graciously allowed its

procurement variety at the rate of Rs 1,450 per quintal since it is not a basmati variety and falls

in the category of Grade A variety on the basis of its grain's length to breadth ratio being more

than 2.5.This is the reason that procurement agencies are recording its procurement along with

other similar grade of paddy varieties like PR11 and PR14. This is no way mean that government

does not have any record of how much PUSA-1509 has been procured at Minimum Support

Price(MSP).He said that till date 4.12 lakh tonnes of PUSA-1509 has arrived in all the mandis of

the state.

While it was being bought by millers at around Rs 1,100 per quintal before the government

decision to procure it at MSP as Grade A variety. After entry of procurement agencies even the

rates being given by millers improved leading to a direct benefit of Rs 350 per quintal. He said

that the figure of the estimated production of 150 lakh quintal or 15 lakh tonnes of PUSA-1509

as reported in the newspapers is completely baseless. The total area under basmati in the state is

12.28 lakh hectares. With an average productivity of 26 quintal per hectare, the estimated

production of basmati is over 31.9 lakh metric tonnes. Last year PUSA-1509 had been sown on

only around ten per cent of the area under basmati and because of expectations of declining

exports of basmati and its non-procurement by state agencies, the area under PUSA-1509 this

year was around 1.5 lakh hectare and not three lakh hectare as wrongly reported.


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He said that assumption of average yield of 50 quintal per hectare was ridiculous since the

average productivity of basmati is 26 quintal/hectare and of even the common paddy is only 34.5

quintal/hectare.He said that the calculations of alleged gains of millers are equally ridiculous.

The wholesale price of PUSA-1509 rice is Rs 26 to Rs 28 per kg and not Rs 70. The government

milling rate including by products is Rs 180 per quintal and not Rs 500 per quintal. Therefore the

conclusion of any windfall gain is a pure figment of reporters' imagination.

He said that while unfortunately journalists can get away after cooking up stories at their whims

and fancies the people of the state expect responsible politicians like the former Chief Minister

Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda to confirm facts before making allegations. He said that it was

unfortunate that neither of the two spoke to any officer or farmer while putting out a completely

false story and a wild allegation. Had they cared to do so they would not have missed out on the

extraordinary steps taken by both the Union and the State Governments to come to the rescue of

the hard working farmers at a time when they are facing particularly difficult global economic

conditions. http://punjabnewsexpress.com/regional/news/haryana-food-minister-refuted-reports-of-scandal-in-paddy-

procurement--44915.aspx


SHARES: 24 VIEW COMMENTS

By: Ronnel W. Domingo

Philippine Daily Inquirer

01:06 AM November 9th, 2015

THE FORECAST global output of milled rice for the July 2015-June 2016 crop year was cut further by 2

million tons to 491 million tons, according to the latest outlook from the Food and Agriculture

Organization.This follows a cut of 8 million tons, to 493 million tons, in the previous monthly update

made last October.Based on the monthly Market Monitor report of the Agricultural Market Information

System (Amis), the reduction was due to continued deteriorating prospects in Asia, partly due to the

strong El Niño weather phenomenon.―Rice conditions remain mixed in part due to the current El Niño

affecting large parts of Asia,‖ the FAO-administered inter-agency body said.

For example, conditions are generally favorable in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.On the other hand,

conditions are poor in Thailand due to a lack of precipitation, shortage of irrigation water and pests.―In

the Philippines, harvest of the wet season crop is almost complete,‖ the Amis said. ―Crop damage caused

by several typhoons has been recorded in the northern regions, which may result in lower yields.‖Further,

the Amis said the forecast trade volume for calendar 2016 was raised again, partly due to anticipated

larger imports by the Philippines.As of this month, the projected rice trade for next year is pegged at

450.2 million tons, ―raised somewhat‖ from the 450 million tons forecast last month.This was based ―on

larger anticipated imports by the Philippines, China, Colombia and Nigeria,‖ the Amis said.


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According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Philippines‘ stock of milled rice inched up to

2.2 million tons as of Oct. 1 as farms across the nation started harvesting the year‘s main crop.The

national inventory—which increased by 13 percent or 260,000 tons over the previous month—was good

for 65 days‘ consumption.Data from the PSA show that the National Food Authority‘s stock decreased by

50,000 tons to settle at 750,000 tons.As of Oct. 1, the NFA‘s stock was good for 22 days‘ consumption,

still well above its minimum mandated volume of 15 days‘ supply.

Also, according to the PSA, the country‘s ability to produce its own supply of rice fell to 92 percent of

domestic demand in 2014.

http://business.inquirer.net/202213/fao-cuts-global-rice-output-estimate#ixzz3r5Iz7l00

Nigeria plans rice and wheat self-sufficiency within three

years - government document Sat Nov 7, 2015 1:50pm GMT

By Felix Onuah

ABUJA Nov 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria aims to be self-sufficient in both rice and wheat production

within three years, a document by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration seen by

Reuters showed on Saturday, a massive undertaking given current production levels.The policy

document was circulated among Buhari's ministers, whose portfolios are yet to be announced, on

a two-day retreat. It also proposes overhauling the mining sector, including efforts to "ensure

local and foreign investment" in the industry.However, the five-page document did not provide

details of how the administration led by the 72-year-old former military ruler would fund the

planned changes in Africa's biggest economy, which has seen a slowdown in growth.

Buhari has previously stated long-term plans to encourage local manufacturing in Africa's largest

oil producer, which has been hit by a fall in global crude prices."Self-sufficiency in rice

production within 24 months" and "self-sufficiency in wheat production within 26 months" are

goals in the agriculture section of the document, which also calls for "market guarantees for farm

produce".About 3 million tonnes of rice was produced in Nigeria last year, along with 64,000

tonnes of wheat, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures show.The West

African nation is the world's second largest importer of rice and among the biggest buyers of

U.S. wheat.In 2012 it imported 2.3 million tonnes of rice - a record high, say U.N. statistics

which also show some 4.1 million tonnes of wheat was brought into Nigeria in the same year -

nearly double the amount imported in 2000.

The central bank has restricted access to foreign currency to import 41 categories of items,

including rice, to stop a slide of the naira.Nigeria stepped up import controls when Buhari led a

military government in the 1980s.The document also stated plans to "build a major north-south

road within 36 months". Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said a 25 billion naira ($126 million)

infrastructure fund would be set up to improve the road, rail and power networks.The creation of

one million houses for the poorest of Nigeria's 170 million inhabitants within four years "using

methods that create jobs" was also among policy goals outlined in the document seen by Reuters.

($1 = 198.8700 naira) (Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Digby Lidstone)


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http://af.reuters.com/article/nigeriaNews/idAFL8N13207420151107?sp=true

Lack of R&D behind falling Basmati rice exports - Shahzad Ali

Malik, CEO Guard Rice November 09, 2015

RECORDER REPORT

Shahzad Ali Malik, the CEO of Guard Rice, is the pioneer of modern rice industry in Pakistan.

He is the Director of the Guard Group, and is known for his vigour for R&D in the rice industry

through latest technologies and new varieties. He is also the former President of Lahore Chamber

of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and is among the founders of Rice Export Association of

Pakistan (REAP). Following are the edited excerpts of a recent conversation of Mr., Malik with

BR Research. BR Research: Walk us through the early developments and dynamics of the rice

sector. Shahzad Ali Malik: In 1989, Government of Pakistan decided to privatise rice exports and

disbanded Rice Export Corporation of Pakistan (RECP).

Before this, RECP was the sole rice procurement agency in the country; Passco procured in small

quantities, while the rest was procured by the private sector for domestic consumption. As a

result, Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) was formed in 1988-89 with ties with the

Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and the Planning

Division. The rice industry is the second largest foreign exchange earner after textile sector. The

privatisation of the sector played a key role in increasing the rice exports in the country. In the

beginning, Pakistan's annual rice exports were around $150-200 million. With the coming of the

private sector into the game, these numbers have touched $2 billion over the 25-year period.

After touching the highs, Basmati and IRRI export shares are now $1.4 billion and $600 million

from one billion dollar each.

BRR: What varieties of rice does Pakistan export?

SAM: In Pakistan two major varieties of rice that dominate the local and international market:

Basmati, and IRRI (the normal long grain rice). IRRI is mainly grown in Sindh and is of lower

quality than Basmati; majority of this variety is exported. On the other hand Basmati is an

aromatic long grain variety originally cultivated in Pakistani Punjab only. Later India also started

sowing this rice seed in its part of Punjab. 50 percent of Basmati is consumed locally, while the

surplus is exportable. BRR: Tell us about Guard Rice?

SAM: We are Guard Agri, part of the financially strong, highly diversified Guard Group of Companies,

established in 1948. We entered the rice market at the right time; Guard Agri was established in 1989, as

the first private sector company with its own Rice Research and Development (R&D) facility. We are not

just a rice company; we are also a seed company where we look after the seed.


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Guard Rice pioneered the introduction of packaged and branded rice in Pakistan, and it is the only

national brand with distribution in all major cities of the country, as well as modern trade outlets. It is also

the largest export brand with presence across 36 countries. We introduced hybrid course grain rice variety

in Pakistan about 15 years back, and today 30 seed companies are marking IRRI hybrid in Pakistan

including four multinationals. Basmati Rice is our heritage, and we are now also looking into producing

Basmati hybrid seed in collaboration with our Chinese and local experts. Right now 60 percent of our

revenues are coming from IRRI seed, while 40 percent comes from local sales and exports of Basmati

rice.

BRR: How has lower commodity prices affected rice exports?

SAM: The decline in global commodity prices did not have so much impact on our coarse grain high

yield hybrid IRRI varieties because of lower cost of production due to the increase in yields.

BRR: What is a key challenge for the rice industry today?

SAM: The issue lies in the sub sector: Basmati rice. While IRRI exports have been either growing or

stabilising over the years due to hybrid technology, Basmati is facing issues. The cost of production for

IRRI is coming down in Sindh, and thanks to double the yield of Hybrid technology, exporters are able to

compete with countries like Vietnam, Thailand. However, Basmati rice exports are stagnating and

slowing down. Though the research is going on to develop Basmati through hybrid technology as well,

our public sector research institutes have not been able to bring any new high-yielding Basmati varieties

in the country since the eighties, which has resulted in a constant decline in its per acre production,

leaving a window of opportunity for India to gain foothold in the international market for extra-long grain

high yielding varieties. The last extra-long grain high yielding Basmati varieties introduced in Pakistan

were long grain Basmati 385 in 1980s and Super Basmati in 1990s, after which no new variety has been

brought forward; their use for 25 years has weakened the seed varieties and declined the yields sharply.

BRR: What are some suggestions and proposals you think could open opportunities for Pakistan's rice

industry?

SAM: We have lost a huge Iranian rice market to India. Iran imports around 1.5 million to 2 million tons

of rice annually. Amid all its international sanctions, India was able to arrange a currency swap with Iran

in the name of food for oil, which enabled it to penetrate and capture the entire rice market. We are now

proposing that since Pakistan has signed a PTA with Iran, five products from both countries should be

rendered zero-import duty. Of course, we propose one of the items from Pakistan to be Basmati rice in

order to get back the lost market to India. We used to export around 200,000 tons of rice to Iran, which

has not reduced to nothing at all.

However, we must be mindful that the advantage India has over us in Basmati rice is lower cost of

production. Also, India is way ahead of us in research and development in all crops, and particularly in

rice.

Their Basmati variety called 11-21 has captured the global market, and the seed has also made inroad


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informally into Pakistan. 11-21 is illegally being grown and exported from Pakistan.

Here too we have rigorously suggested the Government of Pakistan to approve it and give it a legal cover

to bring it into the market as today there is more sowing of 11-21 than Super Basmati in Punjab due to

better yield, international acceptance and importer demand.

http://www.brecorder.com/company-news/235/1244643/

FOOD GIANTS COMMIT TO TESTING WORLD’S

FIRST SUSTAINABLE RICE STANDARD

Blog Entry by Vikas Vij in Sustainable Food

Sunday, November 8, 2015 - 10:30pm

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Rice is

a food staple to more than half of

the world‘s seven billion people.

A large part of rice consumption

occurs in Asia, where it is a staple

for a majority of the population,

including the region‘s 560 million

hungry people. At the current

global population growth rate, the

world will have to grow 50

percent more rice by 2050.The

International Rice Research

Institute (IRRI) and United

Nations Environmental Program

(UNEP) recently convened a

group of companies, scientists and government agencies to launch the world‘s first global

standard for sustainable rice. Called the Sustainable Rice Platform Standard, it is created to

ensure rice is produced in ways that are good for the environment, profitable to farmers, and

healthy for consumers.

Leading food and agricultural companies that have committed to testing the standard include

Kellogg‘s, Mars Foods, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Ahold B.V., and Syngenta. Mars Foods,

maker of popular rice brand Uncle Ben‘s, aims to achieve 100 percent sustainable sourcing of its

rice by 2020. Kristin Hughes, global corporate affairs director of Mars Foods, said that with the

new global standard, the company can achieve its goal.

UNEP Asia-Pacific Regional Director Isabelle Louis said that the establishment of the standard

addresses a long-neglected need for a globally critical crop and the standard represents a

fundamental building block for developing the application of sustainability and informing policy


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formulation.Rice-producing companies or countries that aim to follow the standard will have to

fulfill 46 requirements in eight aspects of rice cultivation. These include farm management, pre-

planting, water use, nutrient management, pest management, harvest and post-harvest, health and

safety, and labor rights. One of the key goals of the standard is to cut down the amount of

methane, a major GHG contributor to global warming, emitted by rice cultivation.

The standard will be downloadable from the website of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), a

multi-stakeholder group including agri-based companies, scientific institutions and governments

that are committed to changing the way rice is cultivated. The standard uses a scoring system in

which those who wish to adopt it can do so step by step until full compliance to it.For instance,

achieving a score of 10 to 90 will mean the farmer or the food company is ―working towards

sustainable rice cultivation.‖ Once they get scores between 90 and 100, they can be said to be

―sustainably cultivating rice‖ based on the SRP Standard.

http://www.justmeans.com/blogs/food-giants-commit-to-testing-worlds-first-sustainable-rice-standard#sthash.gie6a1BB.dpuf

Global alliance sets standard for sustainable rice production

by Ramon Rafael C. Bonilla - November 8, 2015

By Ramon Rafael Bonilla |

A global alliance in agriculture called for a strong international action for sustainable rice

production as the world braces for challenges in rice-resource efficiency, with the Philippines

facing insufficiency in the coming years.It its recent fifth Annual Plenary Meeting and General

Assembly attended by stakeholders, such as agricultural research institutions, agrifood

businesses, public sector and civil society organizations, the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)

pledged to pursue rice security through environmentally sustainable and socially responsible rice

cultivation.

It said there should be efforts to attract more partners for a stronger solution to maintain the

stability of rice for more than 3.5 billion people around the world that depend on it.

The SRP launched the world‘s first standard for sustainable rice, which sets new and more

efficient standards for rice cultivation. The SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation uses

environmental and socioeconomic benchmarks to maintain yields for rice smallholders, reduce

the environmental footprint of rice cultivation and meet consumer needs for food safety and

quality.

The development of the standard draws on global experience in other sustainable commodity

initiatives, such as sugarcane, cotton, coffee and palm oil. It is made up of 46 requirements

ranging from productivity, food safety, worker health, labor rights and biodiversity. It is

supplemented by a set of quantitative performance indicators to enable farmers and market

supply chain actors to gauge the sustainability of a rice system, and to monitor and reward

progress.―It‘s a big deal. It is a major concern not only for us, but to the whole community. This

is the first time that an initiative addressed a challenging problem that will determine the

importance of global food security,‖ said James Lomax, United Nations Environment


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Programme (UNEP) program officer for Agriculture and Food, who initiated the SRP in

December 2011.

He also acknowledged that ―it is a collective effort of governments, international agencies, profit

and nonprofit organizations, and research institutes‖ to alleviate the prolonged agony that should

not be neglected as the world population continues to erupt in the recent decade.―We should see

today that the value of rice should call the attention of more people to extend their help to

address its critical importance,‖ he added, with the SRP now having 29 institutional members.

Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) which co-

founded the SRP, said: ―The SRP Standard represents the world‘s first initiative that will set

environmentally sustainable and socially responsible rice production management standards. Our

key challenge now is to incentivize and scale up adoption, especially among resourcepoor small

farmers.‖

In the Philippines, which 99.88 million population in 2014 had the fastest growth in recent

memory, palay production hit its target of 19.07 million metric tons (MMT) last year, eclipsing

its goal of 18.88 MMT for the year and the 18.04 MMT in 2013. Yet, as the SRP projected, the

country‘s population braces for 141.67 million count in 2040, wherein the total rice utilization

per paddy production should be at 34.12 MMT, compared to the present 24.01 MMT.In contrast,

the figures show that as the population grows in the coming decades, more and more demand for

rice are needed for consumption. The total harvesting area may diminish faster than expected as

only 3.14 million hectares is a far cry from today‘s 4.74 million hectares. To address this, the

Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the Philippine Rice Research Institute, indicated

top priorities for effective rice cultivation.

The DA noted three main steps: increase productivity of land resources; diversify sources of

farm income; and encourage healthier consumption.In increasing the productivity of rice, the DA

noted that shortening the riceproduction cycle should be prioritized through direct seeding, use of

early-maturing varieties, synchronous planting and appropriate mechanization.In his message at

the plenary session, Agriculture Secretary Proseso J. Alcala hailed the initiative of SRP and other

contributing sectors in helping the agency in providing Filipinos a better stance against rice

scarcity.―This occasion augurs well for the country‘s national rice program. The SRP

underscores the crucial role of interagency partnership and interaction with key rice stakeholders

in enhancing sustainability in the rice sector,‖ Alcala said.

―With the valuable assistance of the IRRI, we have taken a giant step toward ensuring increased

productivity of farmers,‖ Alcala added, as he admits the vital role of the global community in

helping rice efficiency in the Philippines.―The involvement of global networks will provide the

DA the necessary exposure to ideas and technologies in helping our farmers. Together with

different sectors, we can promote competitiveness and higher income for the Filipinos,‖ Alcala

said

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/global-alliance-sets-standard-for-sustainable-rice-production/


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Aus oldest rice variety in world

09 Nov, 2015

Yasir Wardad

Bangladeshi Aus was one of the oldest rice varieties domesticated in the world which helped

develop the ancient civilisation in Bengal delta, research showed.New research suggests that rice

was domesticated thrice on three separate occasions as farmers in different parts of the world

began cultivating wild rice strains chosen for their desired traits.Scientists earlier argued for two

separate domestication events generally for Indica, the long-grain, non-sticky rice variety of low

land in Southeast Asia and Japonica, short-grain sticky rice emerged in southern China.But the

new analysis, led by Prof Terry Brown, Faculty of Life Science, University of Manchester, UK

revealed a third and separate domestication namely Aus.

Aus, primarily a rice variety of Bangladesh, also grows in parts of India, a report published on

the web-portal UPI said. Until now, scientists thought rice was only domesticated once or

twice.Most agreed that Japonica had been singularly domesticated some 10,000 years ago. But

researchers disagreed on whether Indica was a hybridisation of Japonica or had been separately

domesticated.Researchers at the University of Manchester analysed the genes of 446 samples of

wild rice varieties from across Asia, the UPI report said.They compared the wild rice genes to

those of domesticated varieties, paying specific attention to 'domestication sweeps,' the portions

of domesticated genomes that differ most from wild rice genomes.These sweeps reveal the

characteristics that farmers long ago sought when selecting and cultivating wild strains.In their

analysis, researchers found these advantageous characteristics, supporting the idea that rice

farmers domesticated varieties separately in different parts of Asia.

"Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of

rice cultivation," Prof Terry Brown said."We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a

more productive collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication,"

he said.The domestication of rice in Asia was an integral part of the development of civilisation

in this part of the world.A stable food source allowed people to gather and organise in larger

numbers.Brown and his colleagues say their work will help researchers better understand early

human history in Asia.Bangladeshi seed scientist Dr M A Sobhan said our earlier research

predicted Bangladeshi Aus varieties were developed for more than 7,500 years by the local

farmers."Local farmers developed more than 22,000 rice varieties in Bengal delta before the

British invaded the area," he said.But, the latest study explored a newer history, he said.

He said Arian aggression began at best 5,000-5,500 years ago in Indian sub-continent. The

hunter Arians later adapted farming in the sub-continent. The study of Manchester University is

indicating to an ancient civilisation in Bengal that is 5,000 years older than the Arian civilisation

in the sub-continent.He said Aus varieties are the most climate friendly which could tolerate both

drought and flood."But we have lost or destroyed most of the Aus varieties in name of green

revolution," he said.He said Aus rice season was major even in 1970s, which has been minor

now."The government Gene Bank has yet some of the Aus varieties which should be brought out

to fields from the frozen room following the changing climatic condition," he said.

[email protected]


14

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/11/09/116294

Researchers uncover the history of rice cultivation

Researchers say their work contributes to a better understanding of early human history in Asia.

Chinese women work in rice paddies north of Beijing. New research suggests rice may have

been domesticated on three separate occasions some 10,000 years ago. Photo by Stephen

Shaver/UPI

MANCHESTER, England, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- New research suggests rice was thrice domesticated.

On three separate occasions, farmers in different parts of the world began cultivating wild rice

strains chosen for their desired traits.The three domestication events, researchers say, explain the

world's three main types of rice -- Indica, the long-grain, non-sticky rice of lowland Southeast

Asia;Japonica, short-grain sticky rice most famous for its presence on sushi rolls; andAus, a

drought-tolerant variety cultivated in Bangladesh and India.Until now, scientists thought rice was

only domesticated once or twice. Most agreed that Japonica had been singularly domesticated

some 10,000 years ago. But researchers disagreed on whether Indica was a hybridization

of Japonica or had been separately domesticated.

Researchers at the University of Manchester analyzed the genes of 446 samples of wild rice

varieties from across Asia. They compared the wild rice genes to those of domesticated varieties,

paying specific attention to "domestication sweeps," the portions of domesticated genomes that

differ most from wild rice genomes.These sweeps reveal the characteristics that farmers long ago


15

sought when selecting and cultivating wild strains -- attributes like a tendency to grow vertically

and allow more dense planting, or resistance to drought and pests.In their analysis, researchers

found these advantageous characteristics where present in wild rice varieties across South Asia,

supporting the idea that rice farmers domesticated varieties separately in different parts of

Asia."Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread

origins of rice cultivation," Manchester researcher Terry Brown said in a press release. "We

therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive collaboration between

genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication."The domestication of rice in Asia was

an integral part of the development of civilization in that part of the world. A stable food source

allowed people to gather and organize in larger numbers. Brown and his colleagues say their

work will help researchers better understand early human history in Asia.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/11/06/Researchers-uncover-the-history-of-rice-

cultivation/1521446825754/

Pregnant women to get zinc rice November 09,2015, 03.01 AM IST | | THE HANS INDIA

Hyderabad: A ‗High Zinc Rice Variety‘

(HZRV) is all set to be supplied to the

people through the Targeted Public

Distribution System (TPDS). It was

developed after an eleven years of

research by the Indian Institute of Rice

Research (IIRR). This entirely new variety

of HZRV is capable of countering the

congenital malformations among the

pregnant women. And, in turn it is

expected to contribute to reduce the

childhood mortality.According to Dr V Ravindra Babu, Project Director of IIRR, the bio-

fortification programme to come up with this new variety had started in 2004.

―Our aim was even after polishing the rice, if we could retain the iron and zinc then it would

useful for the consumers. It was with this objective that the eleven year so research has been

carried out,‖ he added.Generally, during the process of polishing of rice we are losing about 40

per cent of the zinc in it. But, the research labour has yielded in the scientist able to retain a high

zinc ratio in rice even after polishing. ―It has retained and got the substance and quantity that was

more than 20 parts per million (ppm).


16

However, the international standards set that the bio-availability of zinc in rice should be around

24 ppm.But, we consider the above 20ppm of zinc retention is good enough,‖ he said. Further,

high zinc rice would also help not only to improve growth in children aged less than five years,

but they would also develop a good resistance capability to diarrhoea, he said.Explaining the

process that had gone behind the development of the new variety, Ravindra Babu said that they

have developed it thorough a conventional breeding method.

Clarifying further, he pointed out, ―In India, there are different land races (parcels) available,

where we have the iron and zinc. But, the problem was that they are not the high yielders.So,

what we did was that we had taken the low yielding varieties and used them as donors and, in

turn, introduced into the high yielding verities,‖ he added. However, we are yet to cross another

milestone that is we were planning a study on using the new variety of high zinc rice as part of

the menu for children in association with National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), he said.

By V Naveen Kumar http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-11-09/Pregnant-women-to-get-zinc-rice-185494

In 5 Minutes This Man Helps Blind People See November 9, 2015 by Joe Martino.

―If you are blind it‘s the same as dying‖ says one Nepalese woman who was blind. While this is only her

perception of it, it illustrates just how difficult or challenging that reality can be -especially in poorer

countries where fending for yourself is a much greater task than in the western world or in more

developed countries.What if a man could not only bring your eye sight back but do it very quickly and for

incredibly cheap? That‘s what Dr. Sandut Ruik does for his patients and he has to date restored eyesight

to more than 100,000 people. This could be more than any doctor in history and he still has many patients

coming to him. His patients come with the desire to see again, to hopefully set their eyes on their loved

ones and see the world around them in a way so many of us may take for granted.

Being blind in a poor country is incredibly difficult and many feel there is no hope for themselves to ever

see again. But Ruik‘s ―Nepal method‖ is changing that and he believes that if it can be done in Nepal, it

can be done anywhere in the world. Thankfully, his method is now being taught in medical schools

around the United States.Thuli Maya Thing was blind from cataracts when Dr. Sanduk Ruit examined

her. After he performed surgery, she had 20/20 vision. Source: Nicholas Kristof/The New York Times


17

In

the United States and other western countries, cataract surgery is typically performed with complex

machines. Unfortunately these machines are too expensive for poor countries to purchase and operate.

That inspired Dr. Ruit to figure out a way to do it so others could benefit from those same surgeries

anywhere in the world. As a trailblazer, he built upon the work of others (including the Aravind Eye

CareSystem in India, a superb institution that performed 280,000 cataract surgeries last year) to invent

and refine small-incision microsurgery to remove cataracts without sutures.And he was successful.

Western Medical Industry First Mocked Him

At first he was mocked for his innovations. Not in Nepal, but here in the west. In the west we often think

we are the best at doing things. This is perhaps one of our greatest downfalls as we fail to recognize the

love, devotion and brilliance that comes out of so many countries worldwide. Like many things, western

medicine and those involved in it often have an initial reaction to call ―quackery, fraud or scam‖ to many

new innovations or what are deemed as ―miracle cures‖ before truly understanding them.

This may be due to the simple fact that the culture around western medicine is often that they are in the

know the most, and that simple or even sometimes natural treatments, simply don‘t work.I‘m hard on

Western medicine because over my years of research and activism I continually see the reality of it:

profit, greed, arrogance and power are a huge part of the western medical business and I‘m not the only

who sees this fact. There‘s plenty discussed by many in the industry.Why is it that we have a culture

where we are more inclined to denounce and rip on something before we think about getting excited

about it and trying to figure out if it‘s legit or not? Maybe it‘s safer to doubt. Cooler to doubt, more

intelligent to doubt… at least according to some in western culture. But I believe this is changing as we

step out of an era of close-minded science and into one of open and almost boundary-less science.


18

Dr. Ruit eventually published a study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, a randomized trial

finding that Dr. Ruit‘s technique had exactly the same outcome (98 percent success at a six-month follow-

up) as the Western machines. The kicker was that Dr Ruit‘s method was not only faster but also cheaper.

This began to turn the heads of skeptics and his method got the respect it deserved.Blindness in

developing countries is common but also very easy to prevent and overcome. Vitamin A deficiency is a

huge cause of preventable blindness is poorer countries. An estimated 250,000 or more cases of child

blindness take place each year with half of those children dying within a year of going blind.

Vitamin A In GMO Rice?

Have you heard of Golden Rice? It‘s a type of genetically modified rice that was designed to contain

Vitamin A in order to help curb preventable blindness in developing countries. While the idea sounds

nice, we‘re looking at a radical solution to an incredibly easy to solve problem. With proper education

and action, WHO recommends that people in countries struggling with VAD (Vitamin A Deficiency)

should focus on cheap vitamin supplements and the promotion of local gardens to produce a variety of

fruits and vegetables that can easily solve not only vitamin A deficiency, but other deficiencies as well.

WHO states, ―for vulnerable rural families, for instance in Africa and South-East Asia, growing fruits and

vegetables in home gardens complements dietary diversification and fortification and contributes to better

lifelong health.‖

But then comes Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer, who all have a different agenda, to genetically modify

rice, which we have no idea if it‘s safe, so they can in essence patent nature and profit off the challenges

of others, even when a safe practical solution is already available. As stated by GlobalResearch

―Promoted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), (but funded by Monsanto, Syngenta,

Bayer and others)[2] along with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

which is also partnered with big-business agriculture, genetically modified ―Golden Rice‖ containing

beta-carotene is promoted as the solution to saving millions of children.‖So with solutions in hand to

prevent VAD without the need for potentially unsafe actions like genetically modified rice, again we must

look as a society at prevention from simple, natural and effective points of view before we try to re-invent

the wheel and potentially create even more problems. Until then, Dr. Ruit will keep his great work going

in helping people to see the wonderful world we live in.

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/11/09/in-5-minutes-this-man-helps-blind-people-see/


Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 8After facing allegations levelled by the opposition for procuring paddy at

throwaway prices, state rice millers and dealers today cleared their stand and said they were not


19

responsible for procurement. ―We only process the paddy procured by the government and it is

irrelevant to blame us for the price,‖ they said.Jaipal Jain, officiating state president of the Haryana

Millers and Dealers Association, said today that the government gave them paddy for making rice

and that‘s what they did. ―The rate of the paddy is decided by the procurement agencies on behalf of

the quality parameter fixed by the government,‖ he said.Vinod Goyal, who was appointed officiating

state general secretary of the association today, said they were not entitled to arranging rate for

paddy. They were only the processors.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/not-responsible-for-paddy-procurement-rice-

millers/156206.html

Vietnam urged to build national rice brand to grasp TPP

opportunity: experts

TUOI TRE NEWS

UPDATED : 11/09/2015 16:03 GMT + 7

Vietnam may be among the world’s top rice exporters, but it could lose its competitive edge

against other countries once the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact

takes effect, local experts have warned.

Vietnamese rice growers and exporters

are paying more attention to quantity over

quality, and there is no national rice brand

on the global market, all of which makes

the country less competitive against other

rice-exporting nations when selling to the

other 11 nations party to the TPP

accord.The Southeast Asian nation

currently ships its rice to all of the other

11 TPP countries, but each market has a

different roadmap to eliminate tariffs on Vietnamese rice exports.Japan would not eliminate its

tariff for Vietnam‘s rice exporters, while Mexico and Chile are committed to zeroing the tax in

eight to ten years after the trade accord is put in place.

The remaining eight countries, including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand,

Peru, Singapore, and the U.S., will eliminate tariffs on Vietnamese rice exports immediately after

the effective date.The TPP pact, which aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world's

economy, was reached by 12 countries on October 5, and its full text was only released a month


20

later.The party countries are expected to officially sign the deal no later than the end of the first

quarter of next year, after which their legislatures will begin the ratification process.Vietnam's

lawmaking National Assembly could begin considering the pact in mid-2016, according to The

Saigon Times Online.The Vietnamese rice industry has been urged to make changes immediately

to be able to cope with the challenges stemming from the TPP.

The first change should be given to the choice of seeds, according to Professor Vo Tong Xuan,

an agriculturalist.―While other countries have their own national rice brands, no one knows

which brand represents Vietnam,‖ Prof. Xuan said.Thailand has such famous brands as Khao

Dawk Mali and Hom Mali, while Cambodia and Myanmar are known for the Romduol and Paw

San rice, respectively, he elaborated.―We just have no national brand, so how could we grab the

TPP opportunities?‖ he wondered.Vietnam does not lack delicious and good seeds, but the

problem is farmers only choose to grow ―those that yield bigger productivity, not better quality,‖

the professor said.―Such a mindset is totally different from farmers in other countries,‖ he

added.Even worse, some Vietnamese businesses usually mix rice of various quality and prices

together and sell them as high-quality, costly products, which ruin the reputation of the

Vietnamese grain.―Vietnam is known around the world as the exporter of mixed rice, which is a

big shame,‖ Prof. Xuan said.

Pham Van Du, deputy head of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnam should start building its own national rice

brand to be able to grab the opportunities brought by the TPP.―The first step should be selecting

the best seeds in every rice growing area, and developing strategies to yield high-quality rice

from these seeds,‖ he said.Lam Tuan Anh, director of the Thinh Phat Co., a food company based

in the southern province of Ben Tre, said the government should also erect technical barriers to

prevent businesses from exporting poor-quality products.―Quality checks should be strengthened

and any batch of products that fails to pass such tests should be banned from export,‖ he

advised.―This will help rebuild the reputation of Vietnamese rice.‖

http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/31490/vietnam-urged-to-build-national-rice-brand-to-grasp-tpp-

opportunity-experts

Dong Thap Muoi lacks water for rice fields

ONG AN (VNS) — Several rice fields in Dong Thap Muoi (plain of reeds) in the southern Long

An Province did not get water during the flood season this year, affecting local farmers' lives.The

flood season in the area often lasts from August to November.Vinh Chau B is one of the

communes in the floodplain of Tan Hung District in the province, but many rice fields in the

commune do not have sufficient water.

Fish and shrimp production have fallen due to the water shortage, causing worry among many

families that depend on the flood season.Nguyen Thi Lun, a resident of the commune, said last


21

year her family caught 60kg to 80kg of fish per day during the flood season and had a total

income of VND10 million (US$440) after the season.This year, however, she has caught a few

snails only.

Nguyen Thi Dau, head of

the commune's women's

union branch, said local

farmers were hit hard by

the floods, but without

the floods, they suffered

even more.Many of them

earned their living by

catching fish, she

said.Without the floods,

there would be no

alluvium and the local

farmers would face

several difficulties

during the winter-spring

rice crop season this year, Dau said.Phan Van Ni, deputy head of the Tan Hung District

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the volume of flood water this year was

the least in recent years.The Long An People's Committee said local residents should sow seeds

a month earlier as compared with the previous season, so that the winter-spring rice season

would have better results. — VNS

Farmers catch fish in the flood season in Dong Thap Muoi. Water shortage during the flood season this

year have caused difficulties for local farmers' lives. — Photo

ngaynay.vnhttp://vietnamnews.vn/society/278279/dong-thap-muoi-lacks-water-for-rice-fields.html

Philippines may hike rice imports to 1.3m tons


Asia News Network

Manila November 9, 2015 1:00 am

In light of the damage caused by Typhoon "Lando" to rice plantations in vast portions of Central Luzon,

the Philippines may have to import an additional 1.3 million metric tonnes of the food staple during the

first half of next year, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M Balisacan said yesterday.Balisacan told

reporters that based on the estimates of the Department of Agriculture and the National Economic and

Development Authority, the country's rice imports might reach 1.8 million metric tons early next year.The


22

Authority chief earlier said the country might import an additional 1 million metric tons of rice in the first

semester of 2016 on top of the 500,000 metric tons programmed for the first quarter.

This intervention formed part of the proposed Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Nino or "Rain",

which is aimed at mitigating the drought's effect on food supply, ensuring stability of food prices and

providing assistance to farmers and households in adversely affected areas. Last Wednesday, Balisacan

presented the proposed road map to President Aquino. The Authority chief said the president

acknowledged the need to import more rice early next year, hence their proposal would likely be

approved soon. President Aquino, however, instructed the Authority to firm up the rice import volume

requirement based on updated assessments of the impact of a possibly weaker El Nino, as well as the crop

damage due to "Lando". The Authority would submit an updated report to the president next week,

Balisacan said.

The Authority chief added that the total cost of projects needed to be put in place to mitigate the impact of

El Nino, which had been projected to last until mid-2016 and peak between December and February,

might be higher than the earlier estimate of 19.2 billion pesos (Bt14.6 billion), although he did not give a

new figure.In a separate statement issued also yesterday, Balisacan warned of inflation risks mainly due

to El Nino."Upside risks could come from the stronger and prolonged El Nino's impact on food prices and

also possible increase in utility rates given the pending petitions for power rate adjustments," he

explained.As far as food prices are concerned, "there is a need to ensure supply adequacy and to intensify

local community efforts in areas that are highly vulnerable and exposed to adverse impacts of a prolonged

dry spell", he said. Balisacan added that El Nino "could adversely affect hydro-powered generation plants

and raise the cost of electricity particularly in Mindanao".

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Philippines-may-hike-rice-imports-to-1-3m-tons-

30272519.html

Group bucks gov‘t plan to import rice

‘WAIT FOR HARVEST, CHECK SUPPLIES IN

WAREHOUSES’



THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority‘s decision to import 1.8 million tons

of rice next year could be ill-advised and contrary to previous pronouncements of the Aquino

administration, according to the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag).―Farmers are just

harvesting the bulk of their [main crop for this year], how can the Neda speculate on the need to

import rice,‖ Sinag chair Rosendo So told the Inquirer.Sinag, which groups 33 organizations of

farmers, agribusiness operators and party-list groups, insisted that the government should check

the supplies in warehouses and wait for the harvest to finish before making decisions.―They have

not even taken into account the huge volumes of milled rice smuggled into the country,‖ So said


23

in an interview.According to Sinag, milled rice smuggled into the Philippines in the past five

years totaled 2.8 million tons worth P83.2 billion.

On top of that, Sinag believed that an additional 365,000 tons of rice worth P10.9 billion were

brought into the country illegally during the first first six months of 2015.―Warehouses are still

full from previous importations and smuggling that the administration failed to fight,‖ said So.

―There is no immediate need to import rice.‖Last September, the National Food Authority

awarded contracts to state-run suppliers in Vietnam and Thailand for the importation of a total of

750,000 tons of the staple grain. The entire volume is expected to be delivered in tranches before

the end of the first quarter of 2016.Last week, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M.

Balisacan said that based on estimates by Neda and the Department of Agriculture, the

Philippine might have to import 1.3 million tons in addition to the initially planned 500,000 tons.

Balisacan told reporters that the decision was part of the proposed Roadmap to Address the

Impact of El Niño.Sinag‘s So said that if the excuse to import more was the drought to be caused

by the El Niño weather phenomenon, the government should instead help farmers plant new

crops by waiving irrigation fees and subsidizing seeds and other farm inputs.―The Aquino

administration started with a pronouncement that we are swimming in rice due to over-

importation, which should stop,‖ said Herculano Co Jr., president of the Philippine

Confederation of Grains Association. ―Now the administration officials want to end their term by

drowning us with rice.‖

http://business.inquirer.net/202227/group-bucks-govt-plan-to-import-rice#ixzz3r5LqPPu7

AgCenter Rice Research Station renamed for H. Rouse

Caffey

Members of the H. Rouse Caffey family gathered recently for the renaming of the LSU AgCenter

Rice Research Station to the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. From left

are Blake Chatelain, Belle Caffey Chatelain, LSU Vice President for Agriculture Bill

Richardson, Rex Caffey, Karen Caffey, John Valley and Jerry Caffey. (Photo by Bruce Schultz,

LSU AgCenter)

News Release Distributed 11/06/15

CROWLEY, La. – Family, friends and former co-workers

gathered Nov. 4 for the renaming of the LSU AgCenter Rice

Research Station for the late H. Rouse Caffey in recognition of

his dedication to the rice industry and Louisiana agriculture.

Several facilities could have been chosen to honor Caffey‘s

name because of his work with numerous agricultural research

facilities, said Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for


24

agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, who succeeded Caffey as LSU AgCenter

chancellor. ―The Rice Research Station was nearest and dearest to his heart,‖ he said.

The renaming was approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on Oct. 23.Farmer Jackie Loewer,

chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, said without the station, the rice industry would

not exist in Louisiana today. ―Without Rouse Caffey, it wouldn‘t be the station it is

today.‖Caffey dedicated his life to agriculture, Loewer said. ―He gave his life for Louisiana

agriculture, not just for rice and not just for this station.‖Station director Steve Linscombe said

Caffey was a mentor to him and wasn‘t reluctant to advise him. ―He shared his knowledge and

experience around the world.‖Caffey valued the station‘s workers for their dedication to

agriculture, Linscombe said. ―We can‘t say often enough how important everybody who works

here is.‖

AgCenter economist Rex Caffey said the road in front of the station and a rice variety released in

2010 are named after his father.―My father loved this place and he loved it for three reasons,‖

said Caffey, the youngest of four children.Caffey said his father recognized the station‘s purpose

and realized the facility‘s productivity and its value to farmers.Rouse Caffey was fond of the

people who worked at the station, Rex Caffey said. ―If he were here today, he would want to say

‗thank you‘ to everyone.‖Rouse Caffey‘s daughter, Belle Caffey Chatelain, said her father came

to Louisiana from Mississippi. ―He just fell in love with Crowley. He would say, ‗I‘ve been

Cajunized,‘― she said.Rouse Caffey grew up on a cotton farm in Mississippi and was an Army

veteran. He received his bachelor‘s and master‘s degrees in agronomy from Mississippi State

University and his doctorate in agronomy and rice breeding from LSU.

Rouse Caffey retired from LSU AgCenter in 1997 after serving 13 years as chancellor. He also

was chancellor of LSU of Alexandria, vice chancellor of the LSU AgCenter, associate director of

the LSU Agricultural Experiment Station. He was director of the Rice Experiment Station from

1962 until 1970 and was rice research project leader in Mississippi.After retirement, Rouse

Caffey served as interim vice president at Louisiana College and interim chancellor at LSU of

Alexandria. He also continued his worldwide agricultural consulting, traveling to more than 60

countries. He was consultant to several international rice programs for the Ford Foundation,

USAID, World Bank, university contracts, and private industry.

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2015/November/headline_news/AgCenter-Rice-Research-

Station-renamed-for-H-Rouse-Caffey.htm

Study shows origins of rice cultivation 06 Nov 2015

Rice - the staple food source of around 50% of the World‘s population, has been domesticated on

three separate occasions, according to a new study by Faculty scientists.

Study shows origins of rice cultivation

The work could be used to educate better rice grain improvement projects, something that may

prove crucial with growing environmental concerns.The study focused on 3 major types of rice:

the long-grainIndica which is non-sticky and mainly found in tropical lowland Asia; Japonica a

short-grain rice that produces sticky rice, like the one in sushi and Aus, the drought-tolerant


25

variety that grows in Bangladesh.Before this study, researchers had thought rice may have been

domesticated once or perhaps twice. Scientists had looked at Japonica and Indica because they

have had the longest history of cultivation. Some argue that Japonica came first around 10,000

years ago and that Indica emerged as a hybrid form of it a little later.

Others contend that both Japonica andIndica have separate domestication events.However, new

analysis from Professor Terry Brown, Dr Peter Civan and colleagues add a third domestication

event to the mix by showing evidence that Aus was also domesticated separately in a region from

India to Bangladesh.The team looked at genetic data from 446 samples of different wild rice to

see how far back Aus had a commonality with them compared to when other types of rice did.

Specifically, they looked at ‗domestication sweeps‘ which are specific parts of the genome that

differ from wild types and that scientists believe were chosen by early farmers because they had

a great advantage to growing more grain. For example, the sweep region includes the ability for

rice plants to grow more vertically and so can be planted more densely.

Brown and the team say that the genetic

evidence that they have collected shows that

these advantageous genes were present in a

number of wild type rice varieties that were

widely distributed across South Asia. It is

therefore possible for farmers from three

separate locations to select these wild types with

the ideal genes and begin to cultivate them.But

why the big deal about rice? Well rice is thought

to have brought about the great civilisations in

Asia and led the way for large-scale agriculture

to take place. Rice acted as a reliable food

source and so large numbers of humans could gather to form large villages and settlements.

Understanding how rice was domesticated would allow scientists to get a better understanding of

how civilisations grew and moved across Asia.

Professor Brown concludes:

"Our conclusions are in accord with archaeological evidence that suggests widespread origins of

rice cultivation. We therefore anticipate that our results will stimulate a more productive

collaboration between genetic and archaeological studies of rice domestication."

Notes for editors

For media enquiries contact

MIke Addelman

Media Relations Officer

Faculty of Life Sciences

0161 275 2111

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=15439


26

IRRI director general awarded medal

HA NOI (VNS) — Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Robert

S. Zeigler on Friday received a medal for his outstanding contribution to agriculture and rural

development in Viet Nam.The medal, which was presented by Minister of Agriculture and Rural

Development Cao Duc Phat, represented the profound thanks of the Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Development (MARD) on the meaningful and close collaboration between Dr Zeigler and

Vietnamese authorities, scientists and farmers in their development of national agriculture,

according to the minister.

Under the leadership of Dr Zeigler, long-term partnerships and co-operation between the IRRI

and Viet Nam have been enhanced and expanded greatly and effectively. The IRRI has also

helped Vietnamese farmers to maximise their potential capacity in the national agricultural

development, Phat said at a ceremony held on Friday to mark the event.As of 2014, about 90

hybrid rice varieties of IRRI lines have been recognised as certified seed of Viet Nam. The

country has also provided more than 3,000 types of rice for the IRRI's rice gene bank. The breed

is now in storage and conservation at the IRRI.IRRI has sent more than 2,000 samples of rice to

Viet Nam to use as material for researches in breeding new varieties.Speaking at the ceremony,

Minister Phat said thank to the IRRI, Vietnamese farmers had a chance to get the best rice

varieties. Vietnamese scientists also had opportunities to approach the most modern and high

technology in global rice study and agricultural development. — VNS

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat (left), presented the medal to IRRI

General Director, Robert S. Zeigler.— VNS

http://vietnamnews.vn/society/278232/irri-director-general-awarded-medal.html


27

FAO cuts global rice output estimate By: Ronnel W. Domingo

@inquirerdotnet



THE FORECAST global output of milled rice for the July 2015-June 2016 crop year was cut

further by 2 million tons to 491 million tons, according to the latest outlook from the Food and

Agriculture Organization.This follows a cut of 8 million tons, to 493 million tons, in the previous

monthly update made last October.Based on the monthly Market Monitor report of the

Agricultural Market Information System (Amis), the reduction was due to continued

deteriorating prospects in Asia, partly due to the strong El Niño weather phenomenon.―Rice

conditions remain mixed in part due to the current El Niño affecting large parts of Asia,‖ the

FAO-administered inter-agency body said.For example, conditions are generally favorable in

China, Vietnam and Indonesia.On the other hand, conditions are poor in Thailand due to a lack

of precipitation, shortage of irrigation water and pests.

―In the Philippines, harvest of the wet season crop is almost complete,‖ the Amis said. ―Crop

damage caused by several typhoons has been recorded in the northern regions, which may result

in lower yields.‖Further, the Amis said the forecast trade volume for calendar 2016 was raised

again, partly due to anticipated larger imports by the Philippines.As of this month, the projected

rice trade for next year is pegged at 450.2 million tons, ―raised somewhat‖ from the 450 million

tons forecast last month.This was based ―on larger anticipated imports by the Philippines, China,

Colombia and Nigeria,‖ the Amis said.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Philippines‘ stock of milled rice

inched up to 2.2 million tons as of Oct. 1 as farms across the nation started harvesting the year‘s

main crop.The national inventory—which increased by 13 percent or 260,000 tons over the

previous month—was good for 65 days‘ consumption.Data from the PSA show that the National

Food Authority‘s stock decreased by 50,000 tons to settle at 750,000 tons.As of Oct. 1, the

NFA‘s stock was good for 22 days‘ consumption, still well above its minimum mandated volume

of 15 days‘ supply.Also, according to the PSA, the country‘s ability to produce its own supply of

rice fell to 92 percent of domestic demand in 2014.

http://business.inquirer.net/202213/fao-cuts-global-rice-output-estimate#ixzz3r5RavvBc

News from USA Rice Daily

USA Rice Conducts Foodservice Workshop in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, TURKEY --

USA Rice conducted a workshop here recently in collaboration with the Istanbul Chefs Association for 22

key executive chefs working at major catering, and food and hotel establishments. The event featured a

presentation on U.S. rice varieties and types, a documentary about U.S. rice and wild rice, and a cooking

demonstration featuring different U.S. rice recipes.


28

The hands-on cooking demo, conducted by the executive chef from the Radisson Blu Hotel, focused on

U.S. rice varieties and how they can be used to increase profitability and provide nutritious, flavorful

meals to restaurant patrons. Participants learned preparation of rice recipes for appetizers, salads, and

main dishes, as well cooking methods for wild rice."Seeing is believing when it comes to influencing

foodservice decision makers," said Jim Guinn. "The professionals at the front end of menu creation and

implementation recognize quality, cost effective ingredients, so it's not difficult to sell them on U.S. rice

for their kitchens."

Contact: Eszter Somogyi 011-49-40-4503-8667

Margin Protection Price Discovery for Rice Begins in

December

Joe Mencer - protecting the margins


29

WASHINGTON, DC -- Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out Margin

Protection, a "next generation" crop insurance product available to rice producers in select counties in

Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas for the 2016 crop year. The price

discovery period for rice is set to begin on December 15, and expected margins and premiums will be

updated daily thereafter. The program was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and has been carefully

developed by USA Rice in partnership with the consulting firm, Watts and Associates, Inc.

During negotiations for the 2014 Farm Bill, USA Rice aggressively advocated for a product to be

developed that would enable producers to insure against losses to expected margins. Margin Protection

takes a big step forward for crop insurance and will allow producers to protect their margins this closely

for the first time.The product begins by determining an expected revenue by multiplying the projected

price by the expected yield in a county (like existing area plans). From there, Margin Protection takes

into account certain variable input costs (i.e., diesel, operating loan interest, and fertilizer) that are

subtracted from the expected revenue to determine the expected margin. The grower then selects a

coverage level (up to 90 percent), which is applied to the expected margin to establish a trigger margin. If

the price of rice falls, the county yield is less than expected, or the prices of fuel, fertilizer or interest

increase, the grower may receive an indemnity for the margin shortfall.

Margin Protection provides producers with a full package of risk coverage, including protection against

harvest price decline, yield loss, and input cost increases or any combination thereof. Margin Protection

gives producers the ability to mitigate the potential of a "triple whammy" where each of these risk factors

occur in a single production cycle. In a feature unique to this product, Margin Protection indemnities may


30

exceed expected margins, compensating growers beyond the value of their coverage trigger to protect

growers from potentially negative margins.

Margin Protection is a county/parish-based program. Yields within counties can vary considerably and

individual grower yields can be different from overall county averages. To protect grower's individual

yields, Margin Protection can be purchased not only as a stand-alone policy but also in conjunction with a

traditional individual policy.

The sales closing date for rice Margin Protection is the same as that of existing area and individual plans,

with the date dependent on your county/parish and state."All the work USA Rice has done on Margin

Protection has finally come to fruition," said Joe Mencer, an Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of the

USA Rice Crop Insurance Task Force. "Since rice farmers generally don't participate in crop insurance,

Margin Protection will give us a chance to insure a portion of our losses in a way that's workable and

benefits our unique industry."Margin Protection may be offered through your existing crop insurance

agent so growers are advised to ask their agent for further details. A simulator is available to calculate

potential Margin Protection premiums and a range of estimates per county are available here.

Contact: Ben Mosely (703) 236-1471

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 9

Month Price Net Change

November 2015 $11.795 - $0.390

January 2016 $12.055 - $0.385

March 2016 $12.320 - $0.385

May 2016 $12.575 - $0.380

July 2016 $12.810 - $0.380

September 2016 $12.320 - $0.380

November 2016 $12.320 - $0.380


31

Building better rice 11/9/2015 - by Susan Reidy

Although rice productivity has more than doubled in recent decades, an additional 25% increase

is needed by 2030 to meet the demands of a growing population.The increase has to be achieved

with less land, water and under more severe environmental stresses due to climate change,

according to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Accelerated genetic gains are

needed to improve yield potential, stability and grain quality of rice. But rice has large within-

species genetic diversity and varietal group differentiation, making it a tough grain to crack.

More complete knowledge of the genetic diversity in the gene pool and associations of diverse

alleles with important rice traits are needed so that rice improvements can be made using

breeding strategies, IRRI said.Researchers are trying to make that a reality with the release this

October of new data from the 3,000 Rice Genomes Project (3K RGP), an international research

program that has sequenced 3,024 rice varieties from 89 countries. The genomes were re-

analyzed against five popular varieties that represent the three main subgroups of cultivated rice

— indica, japonica and aus.The results, which come in at a massive 120 terabytes, are now

publicly available online as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Data Set.

Access to the data is free, and is governed by the stipulations for data analysts and users from the

Toronto Statement. Funding for the research was provided by the Global Rice Science

Partnership.―The dataset provides access to millions of genetic markers that can be used to

design sustainable crops for the future, that is, ones that are high yielding and more nutritious

while at the same time requiring less water, fertilizer and pesticides,‖ said Rod Wing, director of

the Arizona Genomics Institute at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, U.S., and a

pioneer in rice genome sequencing.

3,000 rice GENOMES project

Rice diversity is massive — there are more than 230,000 germplasm accessions of rice

maintained in genebanks worldwide. The International Rice Genebank of the T.T. Chang

Genetic Resources Center at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines

alone contains more than 127,000 rice accessions from all over the world. An accession is a

collection of plant material from a particular location, and it is assigned an identification number.

These accessions have genes/traits that can be used to make rice cultivation more sustainable,

with a smaller environmental footprint.

Traits targeted for improvement include higher nutritional quality; tolerance of pests, diseases,

and environmental stresses, such as flood and drought; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.In

an attempt to sequence some of this diversity across the rice species, the Chinese Academy of

Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) Shenzhen and the IRRI

launched in 2012 the 3K RGP program.The three research institutions have sequenced 3,024 rice

varieties that are housed in IRRI and CAAS genebanks. Funding was provided by grants from

the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.The

varieties chosen for sequencing include most rice mega-varieties growing in large areas of


32

different ecosystems throughout Asia, according to the IRRI. Parental lines of popular varieties

and selected genetic mapping populations were also included. Researchers said this approach

should capture most of the genetic variation in rice.

The resulting 3K RGP dataset has millions of genomic sequences from a diverse set of rice

varieties. A large part of the project is to link the genetic information to the physical traits of the

different accessions. Researchers will have to assess each of the accessions for the desired traits,

which breeders can then link to genetic markers in the available genome sequences from 3K

RGP.IRRI hopes this will speed the traditional breeding process, which has remained virtually

unchanged. In the past, breeders would make crosses based on physical traits they observed,

hoping the offspring would have the desired traits. Often, time-consuming trial and error was

necessary with multiple generations, before they saw success.Now, with the genetic information

of specific rice accessions in hand, breeders and researchers can make more informed choices

when crossing varieties. This could result in faster development of rice varieties suited for poor

and environmentally stressed areas around the world, IRRI said.

―Through the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), IRRI is leading the development of an

informal global effort — the International Rice Phenotyping Network — to systematically

evaluate the 3K RGP sequenced lines and to connect plant performance to specific genes,‖ Hei

Leung, IRRI principal scientist told IRRI‘s Rice Today in 2014. ―By closely integrating these

resources into breeding programs based on modern molecular breeding and selection strategies,

varietal development in hundreds of rice breeding programs will be accelerated over the next five

years, delivering improved varieties to farmers and consumers at a faster pace than before.‖

Data accessibility Data access and analysis tools for the 3K RGP are being made available through the

International Rice Informatics Consortium (IRIC). One of the tools, the SNP-Seek database,

provides user-friendly access to a type of genetic marker called single nucleotide polymorphisms

identified from the data.Another tool in SNP-Sneek, the JBrowse genome browser, displays

chromosome-specific SNP data derived from the set.―The great thing about the release of this

dataset is that it is immediately useable,‖ said Kenneth McNally, senior scientist in IRRI‘s T.T.

Chang Genetic Resources Center and a project team member. ―It comes with tools to help

researchers visualize and analyze genetic information.

‖Wing said the dataset is a powerful tool that will unite researchers from around the world, and

help drive the next green revolution.Researchers are reviewing the results from the 3,024

genomes currently sequenced, and will determine if they can identify enough critical genes for

rice improvement.―At that point, we will decide how many more of the remaining 180,000

accessions in the IRGC and CAAS genebanks we may need to sequence and analyze,‖ Leung

said.The IRRI also gave the genomes to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for

Food and Agriculture, which is working to create an international system for storing genetic data

of food crop seeds.In October, delegates from the Food and Agriculture Organization-based

treaty agreed to proceed with creation of a Global Information System (GLIS).

World governments and organizations are storing genetic material in seed banks, but without a

single source to the data, it is difficult for researchers and plant breeders to know what is held


33

where, FAO said.―The genetic information that IRRI is making available to us, and the public at

large, is a hugely generous and significant show of support to our endeavors to make all relevant

information on genetic resources on plant crops available for future food security,‖ said Shakeel

Bhatti, secretary of the international treaty.Bhatti said the global system will contain a virtual

gene library that will include data from seed banks, research centers and farmers‘ organizations.

The IRRI rice genomes were the first contribution to the system.―It is going to take time to get it

fully functional because of the vast array of interests involved, but it will greatly facilitate the

work of all the actors along the seed value chain, in developing and developed countries,‖ Bhatti

said.

http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/Features/2015/11/Building_better_rice.aspx?ID=%7B5081F2ED-

9FB9-4950-91D6-0518EA0D661C%7D&cck=1

A date with big data in Uruguay Adriana Varón Molina | Nov 9, 2015

The big data approach helps optimize rice production and seeks to improve decision-making in

agriculture by analyzing large amounts of information from farmers’ fields.

ABOUT 30 representatives from rice-growing companies, mills, and research centers from Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil,

and Colombia met in Treinta y Tres, Uruguay to learn about the big data approach. (Photo by CIAT)


34

It was definitely not love at first ―byte.‖ Gonzalo Rovira had carefully prepared for this first date.

Years of experience assured him that all would go well. But when the big moment arrived, he

felt intimidated.

His date was a platform named ―R,‖ which is widely used by scientists and statisticians for data

analysis. Mr. Rovira had a long story to tell, which goes back 20 years, when he first took up

responsibility for compiling information on planting dates, irrigation time, herbicide

applications, varieties, yields, and other rice data.

Fascinated by data

Mr. Rovira is the agronomist who heads the technical department of Coopar, S.A., an

agroindustrial rice mill in Uruguay. He jealously guards the rice information in a trove of Excel

files. Thanks to this popular application, he can process data for more than 20,000 hectares and

provide the land‘s owners, the partners in Coopar, with valuable information that helps them

optimize rice production. ―We were making good use of the information, but we knew

that behind these data, there was a lot more,‖ said Mr. Rovira, who runs the group of five

technicians charged with capturing information from a large proportion of Uruguay‘s rice

growers. Working sometimes with nothing more than a notebook or a piece of paper, he has fed

the Coopar database constantly for 2 decades.

Gonzalo Rovira, technical manager at Coopar, S.A., Uruguay, has been working with production data for the past 34 years.

(Photo by CIAT).


35

He and 25 other colleagues representing rice producers, millers, and research centers in Uruguay,

Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia gathered recently at Treinta y Tres, Uruguay, the rice

capital of this gaucho or cowboy country, for a workshop on big data analysis for commercial

rice production.

The objective of this week-long event—organized by Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as

well as several national and regional partners with support from the World Bank— was to

present and promote the use of new techniques for analyzing agricultural information. The

challenge for participants in this big data feast was to get to the bottom of information on one of

Latin America‘s most important food crops.

An approach whose time has come

Natalia Queheille, a technical adviser for the Uruguayan Rice Growers Association was among

the participants. She brought along 18 years of information condensed into a large number of

spreadsheets. After carefully sifting through the data and carrying out what experts call ―data

mining,‖ Ms. Queheille and her colleague Fernando Pérez, who works for Uruguay‘s National

Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), began to see relationships between figures joined by

strange codes and symbols—the same dashes, asterisks, equal signs, brackets, and periods that

had intimidated Mr. Rovira in his first encounter with the tool. An approach whose time has

come The big data approach seeks to improve decision-making in agriculture through the use of

advanced methods to analyze large amounts of information from farmers‘ fields. But is it the

right time for this approach in agriculture?

Erick Fernandes, who serves as an advisor for programs on climate change, agriculture, and

forestry in the World Bank, believes it is. ―Previously, new information technology wasn‘t our

best ally,‖ said Mr. Fernandes. ―But now it enables us to bring together and analyze information,

taking advantage of new capacities in research centers and farmers‘ willingness to share their

data, with the aim of finding more effective ways to improve crop production systems, which is

vital not only for Latin America but the whole world.‖ Daniel Jiménez, agronomist and data

scientist at the Colombia-based CIAT, agrees with the World Bank adviser.

―Previously, computers couldn‘t handle the methods we use for big data analysis, which are

based on artificial intelligence and machine learning,‖ said Dr. Jiménez. ―But now, we‘re able to

use these methods, and more people believe that this information, despite being beyond our

control, offers a great opportunity to improve decision-making in agriculture, resulting in

production systems that are more resilient in the face of climate change.‖

Data champions

The information brought to the big data workshop by Daniel Kruger, who works for

Argentina‘sNational Institute of Agriculture and Livestock Technology (INTA), is a treasure.

One of the three databases that INTA maintains has climate information for the last half century.

Mr. Kruger, an expert in rice crop protection and management, recognizes the value of giving

this information the careful refinement that it needs. ―It‘s really important to have data on

climate and crop management for 10 seasons or more, because this enables us to determine what

has happened in the past and project the future,‖ he said. Though he already knew about the R

platform, the workshop helped him discover its full potential. Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia are

also pioneers in building databases on rice crop management, yields, and climate. The records of

the rice industry, producers, and national research institutes in these countries include data going

back more than 35 years.


36

Colombia and beyond

CIAT‘s first experience in bringing the big data approach to the rice sector took place in

Colombia. Carried out in collaboration with the country‘s National Rice Growers Federation

(Fedearroz), this analysis led to new crop management recommendations that are helping

farmers boost yields and make their crops more resilient. The analysis involved large amounts of

data provided by Fedearroz, including information from annual national rice surveys together

with harvest monitoring records and the results of agronomic experiments, particularly on

planting dates. Researchers also took advantage of agroclimatic forecasts generated by a project

on climate and Colombia‘s agricultural sector— led by CIAT with support from the Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development—as well as weather data provided by Fedearroz and

the Colombian National Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental

Studies(IDEAM). In recognition of this novel research, the United Nations Global Pulse selected

it to be one of two winners of the Big Data Climate Challenge, which was awarded during the

UN Climate Summit held in September 2014 at New York City. The research won further

recognition from the World Bank, which is supporting CIAT‘s effort to replicate the Colombian

experience elsewhere in Latin America.

―Agricultural organizations are ready for this approach, so we at CIAT together with the

community of users of big data techniques have an important responsibility to share our

experience,‖ said Sylvain Delerce, who works with CIAT‘s big data team. ―In this effort, the

cooperation of organizations like the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) and

International Research Institute for Climate and Society is key.‖

But the idea is also to take the big data approach beyond Latin America. ―We‘re talking about

organizing an event that involves Latin America and Africa to share the work taking place and to

show how big data can help governments with their planning and investment in agriculture,‖ said

Holger Kray, a principal agricultural economist with the World Bank.

2 become 1

As the cold winter hours and days passed during the big data workshop, which was held at

INIA‘s facilities in Treinta y Tres, Mr.Rovira became captivated by R‘s charm. By the time all

was said and done, the 59-yearold agronomist and R had practically become one.

Back at his rice mill, Mr. Rovira will keep on urging technicians and farmers to share their data

after every harvest. He‘ll also talk with them about which varieties are better adapted and which

aspects of the climate or soil or crop management have the most impact on yields. His goal will

be to detect tendencies and possible dangers—but now with valuable aid from R, his new found

life companion.

Ms. Varón Molina is communications coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean at CIAT. http://ricetoday.irri.org/a-date-with-big-data-in-uruguay/

Partnerships: Linchpin of last-mile delivery in Tamil Nadu Lanie Reyes | Nov 9, 2015

|


37

Partners in Tamil Nadu, India, have committed to further disseminating a range of technology

options under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).

The CSISA Team instructs farmers and service providers in Tamil Nadu on how to use a

mechanical transplanter. (Photo by CSISA Tamil Nadu Hub)

Celebration is an apt title for the event,‖ said Noel Magor, head of the Impact Acceleration Unit

and Training at the International Rice research Institute (IRRI), as he glanced at the text

written across the tarpaulin that reads CSISA Tamil Nadu Hub Celebration Workshop. ―The

CSISA project in Tamil Nadu has accomplished a lot in a short time. Our partners‘ contribution

has been the key significant aspect of thie success of this work in Tamil Nadu.

‖Over the past 5 years, the water- and labor-saving technologies under CSISA have reached

more than 25,000 farmers and have covered around 2,800 hectares in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and

Nagapattinam districts of the Cauvery Delta and the neighboring districts of Ramanathapuram

and Sivagangai, in the Tamil Nadu State of southern India. These technologies include laser land

leveling, improved and mechanized dry direct seeding of rice, mechanical transplanting of rice

under both puddled and nonpuddled conditions, rice crop management, alternate wetting and

drying, and line sowing using a multicrop seeder under reduced-tillage conditions.


38

These have helped

farmers in Tamil Nadu

increase their

profits.―Farmers can

save about 40% on the

cost of labor because

renting a farm machine

is cheaper than hiring

manual labor,‖ said R.

Ganeshamoorthy,

CSISA hub manager in

Tamil Nadu. ―A

farmer‘s profit from the

dry direct-seeded rice is

twice as much as that

from the regular way of

growing rice.

By not puddling the field and using shorter-duration crops, farmers can save water by 25–35%.

And, depending on the rice variety, farmers can increase their yields by 7–10%.‖Another

technology that is improving the efficiency of crop production is laser land leveling. It has

already found its way to the hearts of farmers in the Cauvery Delta because of the precision

leveling, uniform crop maturity, and water savings of 30–40%, and increased input-use

efficiency.And so has machine-transplanted rice in nonpuddled soil. ―Compared with puddled

transplanted rice, farmers in Tamil Nadu can save as much as 48% of the labor cost from land

preparation, 50% for irrigation, and 67% from the cost of seed and sowing,‖ said Mr.

Ganeshamoorthy. ―Through this technology, farmers can save around USD100 or about 20% of

the overall production costs.‖Dhanasekaren Vedchalam (left), a Reliance Foundation staff

member, shares the Foundations‘ plan to spread direct-seeded rice technology to Tamil Nadu

farmers. (Photo by Jessieca Narciso, IRRI.)

Working together ―Working together with several key organizations is

pivotal to the success of the widespread adoption of

these technologies in Tamil Nadu,‖ said Dr. Magor.

―In 2013, for example, the use of seed drilling and

laser land leveling machines was endorsed by

theTamil Nadu Agricultural University

(TNAU)while the Department of Agriculture

facilitated and subsidized the purchase of machines

for distribution to farmers.‖Tamil Nadu Rice

Research Institute (TRRI), the National Bank for

Agriculture and Rural Development, the ITC

Agribusiness Division, Syngenta, MS

Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF),

and the Reliance Foundation also supported the

research, capacity-building, and extension work


39

toward large-scale adoption of the technologies.These partners share CSISA‘s goal of increasing

the food and income security of resource-poor farm families in South Asia through the

development and deployment of new varieties, sustainable management technologies, policies,

and partnerships.

The project has been promoting durable change across South Asia‘s cereal-based cropping

systems for several years now. It operates through rural ―innovation hubs‖ in Bangladesh, India,

and Nepal, and complements regional and national efforts.Dr. Noel Magor receives a shawl as a

token of gratitude from IRRI partner representative from Dr. V. Ravi, director of the Tamil Nadu

Rice Research Institute. (Photo by Jessieca Narciso, IRRI.)

Lasting legacy ―The CSISA research hub is a model success story because our partners carry on the

development initiatives even when the project has ended,‖ explained Dr. Magor. ―This is a

triumph for the CSISA Tamil Nadu hub.‖Perpetuating these technologies is what TNAU has

vowed to do. ―TNAU will take up outscaling key technologies under CSISA,‖ said R. Rajendran,

TNAU agronomist, who has been associated with the CSISA project for the last 7 years. ―The

university will follow through on extending technologies such as improved dry-seeded rice

cultivation, nonpuddled machine-rice transplanting, and laser land leveling.

―The technologies have been widely demonstrated in the Cauvery Delta through the CSISA

project,‖ he added. ―Also, the research initiatives conducted through CSISA will not stop. The

research outcomes will be taken continually to the farmers with support from the Tamil Nadu

government and TNAU.‖Similarly, TRRI and the Soil and Water Management Research

Institute (SWMRI) are working closely with the CSISA team and partners to further spread the

adoption of the technologies, not only in the Cauvery Delta, but also across the rice-growing

areas of Tamil Nadu. TRRI hosted the CSISA project‘s research platform while SWMRI

delivered the CSISA technologies in the Cauvery Delta.

―Tamil Nadu and IRRI have maintained a long-standing relationship for more than four decades

through a number of projects,‖ said Dr. Rajendran. ―The footprints left today by the impact of

the CSISA technologies in the Cauvery Delta will live on. Truly, the dry-seeded rice technology

and the use of seed drilling have decreased the amount of fertilizer and seeds used by farmers,

which eventually reduced their cost of rice production and increased their income.―With the

impact of the CSISA technologies and the continuation of the initiatives, I am optimistic that the

relationship between TNAU and IRRI will continue in the next 10 years,‖ he added.Aside from

the government institutions, NGOs such as MSSRF and the Reliance Foundation will also

continue some of CSISA‘s activities. MSSRF will maintain the season-long training program for

trainers and extension workers.

The program was first conducted for select extension staff of the Department of Agriculture of

the government of Tamil Nadu from Thiruvarur and NGOs such as MSSRF. The program was a

response to a request from the department to CSISA and IRRI, to help and improve the practical

capacity of the extension workers in direct seeded rice cultivation and management.MSSRF has

been expanding the season-long training to farmers in other districts in Tamil Nadu and will

eventually reach thousands of farmers. Including farmers in the training of trainers‘ program is


40

the most logical thing to do because several studies indicate that 20% of the information to

farmers comes from fellow farmers compared with other channels such as newspapers, extension

workers, radio, and television.―The diffusion of the CSISA technologies through the farmers will

be easier because the farmers are basically happy with yield following the improved

management practices involving dry direct-seeded rice,‖ said Sudhakar, an MSSRF scientist.

The technology gives farmers an average of 6.4 tons per hectare. To put this yield into

perspective, the land in the districts of Sivagangai and Gautauram is mostly arid. But these

parched lands are now producing bountiful harvests.But yield is only half of the story. The other

important half is the profit that farmers gain from direct-seeded rice. They are saving water and

reducing labor costs through CSISA‘s conservation technologies.India, dubbed one of the silent

tigers in Asia, has blossomed economically. With high-rise buildings sprouting like mushrooms

in Bombay, New Delhi, and even in the once humdrum city of Hyderabad, it is easy to

understand why farm laborers migrate to these cities, which has created a labor shortage in rural

areas. The seed drill and laser land leveling, which are part of the technology package of direct-

seeded rice, are mitigating this labor-shortage in Tamil Nadu.

Another partner that has been sharing CSISA technologies is Reliance Foundation with its Rural

Transformation Program, which is now turning once unproductive parched lands into lush rice

fields. Poornima Shankar, India-based knowledge management and outreach specialist at IRRI,

witnessed the transformation of the landscapes in Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram.―The project

is proud to reach more than 25,000 farmers,‖ she said. ―More good news is that this number is

expected to double or even triple now that both government and nongovernment organizations

will continue what CSISA has started in both research and extension activities.‖―The critical

value of building partnerships with key institutions and individuals is seldom highlighted in final

reports to donors,‖ said Dr. Magor. ―These partnerships have been established over time with

reputation, trust, and credibility as capital. The links to these organizations have become solid

enough that it is easy for an IRRI scientist to communicate with key leaderships in Tamil Nadu

without the hassle of formalities.‖

Truly, with partnership as the linchpin of this hub research, the technology spread to farmers will

be more effective and efficient. Partnership and active engagement are essential in IRRI‘s work.

The project in Tamil Nadu is jointly implemented by IRRI, the International Maize and Wheat

Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI),

and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It is funded by the Bill & Melinda

Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development.

Ms. Reyes is the managing editor of Rice Today.

http://ricetoday.irri.org/partnerships-linchpin-of-last-mile-delivery-in-tamil-nadu/

Sugar And Rice - A Sign For 2016 Nov. 9, 2015 6:10 AM


41

Summary

For many commodity prices, the highs came in 2011; for others 2012 was the year of the apex.

While COMEX gold futures peaked at $1920.70 over four years ago in September of 2011 and

silver reached highs of almost $50 per ounce a few months before, other commodities reached

all-time highs during that year. Copper traded to over $4.60 per pound and NYMEX crude oil

was at over $100 per barrel at the end of the year. In 2012, grain prices moved higher, with corn

and soybeans actually trading at all-time highs of $8.4375 and $17.9475 per bushel respectively

due to the drought conditions that gripped the United States. Even wheat prices moved higher,

peaking at $9.4725. Although wheat did not trade at all-time levels, the level reached was

historically high. As the world's largest producer and exporter of corn and soybeans, the dry

conditions in the United States affected crop output, which created the deficit conditions that led

to the highs.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3663746-sugar-and-rice-a-sign-for-2016

Glut to persist with 3.46m ton rice harvest in Punjab

The Newspaper's Staff Reporter — Updated Nov 08, 2015 11:54am

LAHORE: Punjab hopes to harvest 3.46 million ton rice this season against its target of 3.45

million ton, with basmati constituting 67pc of the total produce.According to the Punjab

Agriculture Department, the Super Basmati, which used to be around 40pc of the total produce,


42

has now dropped to 40pc whereas basmati (21-11), which was restricted under 10pc, has seen its

share rise to 27pc. Around 10pc are of other varieties of basmati and the rest are hybrid

varieties.―This shift of fortune for Super Basmati is due to changing market realities, where it

does not bring the required returns,‖ says Zafar Hayat Khan, a rice grower from the central

Punjab area. ―This is a healthy sign that farmers have started responding to the market instead of

sowing rice ignoring market situation. Though the farmers have been facing tough market

realities as far as their produce is concerned, this year eight to nine rains brought down the cost

of production substantially. Normally, irrigation expenditure makes anything between 20 to 25pc

of the cost of production.

This year, persistent rains brought some relief on water front.―The second positive factor is

Rs5,000 per acre subsidy package. Both these factors were some kind of relief in otherwise very

rough rice realities,‖ he claimed.Without denying the ―minor relief‖ that both these factors have

brought to the rice farmers, Hamid Mali, president of the Basmati Growers Association, says the

treat to rice farmers was stagnant market where trading is almost stalled for the last three years.

Basmati is basically an export crop. The country used to consume 1.2 million ton domestically,

sparing one million ton for export. This export has declined by around 40pc, resulting in

domestic glut and price crash.

―That is what is hurting the farmers, national economy and rice trading within the country. Even

price crash is not leading to additional export. In the last two years, the price of basmati has gone

down by almost 50pc, but the export scenario has not changed. This is largely because of the

tendency of exporters to dump rice in the Middle East in bulk rather than trying to find niche in

the retail marketing. The government, instead of providing Rs5,000 per acre to farmers, should

have subsidised export so that domestic glut gets cleared and trading activity restarts. Unless that

is done, the crop would stay in deep trouble, he claimed.

The crisis would not be restricted to rice alone, but it would spill over to wheat – the next crop,

and the rest of the agricultural cycle because dwindling liquidity of farmers would force austerity

on inputs, resulting in less production of all other crops, says Muhammad Ilyas from Gujrat

district. If one crop fails, the entire spectrum of agricultural activity is affected. Unfortunately, in

Pakistan all crops are failing the farmers, except for sugarcane and wheat to some extent. In these

circumstances, the government has to find ways to start export cycle for one crop after another so

that the sector gets back on its feet; until then, the sector would keep teetering on the brink –

adding to poverty and social and political chaos in the country, he concluded.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2015

Dawn

Basmati rice exporter DRRK Foods to enter domestic

market with flagship brand Crown Basmati By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau | 9 Nov, 2015, 12.38PM IST


43

The company wants to become one of the

major emerging international players by 2020

and their target is to elevate the revenue to

$200 million from the current $75

million.KOLKATA: The basmati rice

consumers have one more brand in the market

to choose from. Punjab-based DRRK Foods, a

leading basmati rice exporter, has decided to

enter the domestic market with its flagship

brand Crown Basmati. The company chose

Kolkata for teh launch as it has found that the

demand for basmati rice in the metro is

increasing rapidly. Till recently, the product was only exported to various overseas markets,

Commenting on the launch.

Amit Marwaha, managing director, DRRK Foods said "I want to convey to our consumers that

Crown Basmati Rice is all about superior quality, exquisite taste and enticing aroma. Its delicate

fluffy texture does not turn sticky and possesses minimum breadth-wise expansion, right for

cooking Biryani, Mughlai, Pulao, Indian, Chinese and Continental Cuisines.I am sure it will

blend with the taste that Bengal savors." The company wants to become one of the major

emerging international players by 2020 and their target is to elevate the revenue to $200 million

from the current $75 million.

Thus there was a need of launching the rice in India. Crown Basmati currently comes in six

major variants - Crown Vintage, Crown Classic, Crown Super, Crown Opal, Crown Sapphire

and Crown Amber. Sanjeev Gupta, president, sales & marketing of the company said "There's a

reason behind choosing Kolkata as the first market to launch Crown Basmati Rice in India. The

demand in the domestic market for quality basmati rice is huge and growing. A study conducted

amongst the consumers reflected the huge popularity, preference and demand of quality basmati

rice in Kolkata. Beside, launching for the first time, we have done a complete makeover of the

packaging for the Indian market."

Economic Times

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

Rice

High Low


44

Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -

Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -

Futures:

High Low Last Change

Nov '15 1200.0 1200.0 1179.5 -39.0

Jan '16 1240.0 1190.0 1205.5 -38.5

Mar '16 1265.0 1219.5 1232.0 -38.5

May '16 1255.0 1255.0 1257.5 -38.0

Jul '16 1283.0 1280.0 1281.0 -38.0

Sep '16 1232.0 -38.0

Nov '16 1232.0 -38.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures were sharply lower to start the week. Carryover weakness from other grains and

oilseeds added to the negative undertone. Weekly export sales were up 27% from the prior four

week average at 81,400 metric tons. Shipments of 45,500 metric tons was down 39%, however.

http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-November 09 Mon Nov 9, 2015 3:01pm IST

Gram prices today zoomed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and

Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good demand from local millers amid thin supply from

producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and enquiries from South-based

millers also boosted prices, according to sources.

* * * *

FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM

* Desi gram recovered marginally in open market on renewed festival season demand from

local traders amid weak supply from producing belts.


45

TUAR

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

position.

* Udid varieties recovered strongly in open market on good seasonal demand from

local traders amid thin arrival from producing belts.

* In Akola, Tuar - 11,000-11,300, Tuar dal - 17,200-17,400, Udid -

13,900-14,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 17,300-18,000, Moong -

10,000-10,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 11,600-11,800, Gram - 4,200-4,400,

Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,400 for 100 kg.

* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market

in weak trading activity.

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

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 4,000-4,700 4,000-4,490

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction n.a. 7,800-9,200

Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800

Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,100 5,000-5,100

Desi gram Raw 4,900-5,000 4,850-4,950

Gram Filter new 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600

Gram Kabuli 5,800-7,100 5,800-7,100

Gram Pink 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000

Tuar Fataka Best 17,500-17,800 17,500-17,800

Tuar Fataka Medium 17,000-17,300 17,000-17,300

Tuar Dal Best Phod 16,500-16,800 16,500-16,800

Tuar Dal Medium phod 15,500-15,900 15,500-15,900

Tuar Gavarani New 11,750-12,300 11,750-12,300

Tuar Karnataka 12,650-12,800 12,650-12,800

Tuar Black 17,900-18,200 17,900-18,200

Masoor dal best 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200

Masoor dal medium 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 11,600-12,100 11,600-12,100

Moong Mogar Med 10,100-11,100 10,100-11,100

Moong dal Chilka 9,500-9,600 9,500-9,600

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 9,000-10,000

Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 16,600-18,600 16,500-18,500

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 14,600-15,600 14,500-15,500


46

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,200 10,600-11,200

Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,100-6,600 6,100-6,600

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 5,200-5,300 5,200-5,300

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400

Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,750 1,650-1,750

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,100 1,950-2,100

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,100

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,900

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,200 1,800-2,200

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,300 3,100-3,300

Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500

Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,100 3,600-4,100

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500

Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,500

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,700-5,000

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,900 1,700-1,900

WEATHER (NAGPUR)

Maximum temp. 32.2 degree Celsius (89.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

18.3 degree Celsius (64.9 degree Fahrenheit)

Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : n.a.

FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32 and 18

degreeCelsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available

(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but

included in market prices.)

DIWALI HOLIDAYS : Soyabean mandi, wholesale foodgrain market and oil market in Vidrabha will be

closed between Tuesday and Friday on the occasion Diwali festival.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/09/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1343FQ20151109

9th november,2015 daily global,regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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