17 May ,2016 Daily Global,Regional & Local Rice -Enewsletter by Riceplus Magazine

8/17/2019 17 May ,2016 Daily Global,Regional & Local Rice -Enewsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter 2016

www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

For information : Mujahid Ali [email protected] 0321 369 2874

1

www.ricepluss

www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot

Vol 7,Issue V

May 17 ,2016


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Editorial Board

Chief Editor

Hamlik

Managing Editor

Abdul Sattar Shah

Rahmat Ullah

Rozeen Shaukat

English Editor

Maryam Editor

Legal Advisor

Advocate Zaheer Minhas

Editorial Associates Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid

Javed Islam Agha

Ch.Hamid Malhi

Dr.Akhtar Hussain

Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqu

Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)

Islam Akhtar Khan

Editorial Advisory Board

Dr.Malik Mohammad Has

Assistant Professor, Gomal

University DIK

Dr.Hasina GulAssistant Director, Agriculture KPK

Dr.Hidayat UllahAssistant Professor, Universit

Swabi

Dr.Abdul BasirAssistant Professor, Universi

Swabi

Zahid Mehmood

PSO,NIFA Peshawar

Falak Naz ShahHead Food Science & Techno

ART, Peshawar

oday Rice News Headlines...

o Rice exporters aim to ship 0.7m tons to Iran

o Holder commits to re-examining VAT on imported machinery, spares-

during Parliament debate on rice motiono Cows, rice and soil are key to farming emissions cuts

o PhilRice Text Center gains popularity among rice stakeholders

o Rice sector predicts a worrying trend

o The solution to better health and rice self-sufficiency

o How El Niño may help Thailand to get rid of its huge rice stockpile

o N. Korea pushes for timely rice planting to boost output

o India's monsoon delay not to affect crop sowing: weather office

o UC Riverside plant geneticist elected to National Academy of

Sciences

o Scientists invent a cooking hack to cut calories in rice by over half

o Can you afford (non-white) rice?

o 05/16/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

o USA Rice and Partners Make U.S. Products Top of Mind in Ghana

o APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1473

o New technology to better manage rice production in Asian nations

o Myanmar's rice export set to rise despite drought

o Myanmar’s agriculture minister to boost rice production

o MYANMAR'S RICE EXPORT SET TO RISE DESPITE DROUGHT

o Thailand sells rice stockpile, Vietnam may lose buyerso Egypt to buy 1 million tonnes local rice as reserve

o Egypt to import 80,000 tonnes of rice ahead of Ramadan

o New rice growing technology to boost production

o Houston Exhibit Transforms Shattered Images of Beaumont Rice

Mills Into Hallucinogenic Dreams

o Minister urges Guyana to move away from rice, sugar, bauxite

o Nigeria begins rice exportation in two years – CBN

News Detail...

Rice exporters aim to ship 0.7m tons to Iranan to open offices in Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad

y Our Correspondent

ublished: May 17, 2016


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KARACHI: Members of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) have decided toopen their offices in Tehran and Mashhad in a bid to increase exports to 600,000 to 700,000 tonsto Iran – the top Basmati rice importer in the world.With the help of the Ministry of Commerce,the REAP members will invite Iranian rice importers to Pakistan for business-to-businessmeetings to increase rice trade between the two neighbours, according to a press release.The decision has been taken after a REAP delegation visited Iran and met rice importers with theassistance of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Tehran. The meetings have proved successful andrice exporters expect to get new orders.

However, in a seminar organised recently by REAP at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers ofCommerce and Industry, leading bankers pointed out that the State Bank of Pakistan had yet toremove all hurdles in the way of establishing banking links with Iran.Since the efforts to openoffices in Iran have the backing of the Pakistan government and the Ministry of Commerce,exporters say they are hopeful of getting new business from Iran.

Pakistan, which used to be the top rice exporter to Iran, has seen a significant decline in its sharein the last two years because of the tightening of international sanctions on Tehran. Iran annuallyimports more than $2 billion worth of rice. Pakistan’s share is negligible as it exported 2,234tons in fiscal year 2015, fetching just $1.32 million.Exporters say India has replaced Pakistan inIranian rice markets because of better government-to-government arrangements for trade payments. Published in The Express Tribune, May 17

th , 2016

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/

Holder commits to re-examining VAT on importedmachinery, spares- during Parliament debate on rice motion

A clash in Parliament on Thursday over the state of the rice industry saw Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder committing to a review of the imposition of VAT on imported machinery andspares.

He made the statement while debating a motion in the name of People’s Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C) MP Irfaan Ali regarding the state of the rice industry. While rejecting many of theclaims in the motion, Holder said: ―It is true that VAT is now being charged on importedmachinery, equipment and spares unlike the earlier years but this can be re-looked at and [I] willensure this is done so that recommendations, if considered feasible, can be made to the Ministryof Finance.‖The motion had to be adjourned because of the opening of GuyExpo and debate on it…to continue reading this article, please subscribe. Already a subscriber ? Sign In.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/news/stories/05/17/holder-commits-re-examining-vat-imported-machinery-spares/

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/http://tribune.com.pk/story/1104535/higher-exports-rice-exporters-aim-to-ship-0-7m-tons-to-iran/


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Cows, rice and soil are key to farming emissions cutsPublished on 17/05/2016, 10:03am

More action is needed to cut the carbon footprint of food production in line with a 2C global

warming limit

Dairy cattle: Sustainable intensification can cut climate impact (Flickr/AgriLife Today)

By Ana Maria Loboguerrero Rodriguez

Our food system is not ready to meet the 2C global warming limit agreed by governments. According to research out this week , agriculture alone should be reducing non-CO2 emissionsone gigatonne a year by 2030 in order to meet the newly signed Paris Agreement.Furtheranalysis shows that that current agronomic and policy interventions compatible with food production would achieve only 21 to 40% of the needed mitigation to meet agriculture’s share ofthe target agreed in Paris.Agriculture contributes between 10-12% of global emissions, and has too much mitigation potential to be ignored. 119 countries have pledged to include reducing agricultural emissions intheir action plans, submitted ahead of the Paris conference earlier this year. The will is there –

but do countries have a way?There are many promising solutions in the pipeline that will not only reduce emissions, but alsoensure enough food is grown to feed a hungry world. But they require major investment to bringthem to scale globally. Here are just some of the possibilities.

Sustainable intensification of livestock

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13340http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13340http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13340https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/agricultures-prominence-indcshttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/agricultures-prominence-indcshttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/agricultures-prominence-indcshttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/mitigation-advantage-maximizing-co-benefits-investing-smallholder-adaptation#.VzcPAMeuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/mitigation-advantage-maximizing-co-benefits-investing-smallholder-adaptation#.VzcPAMeuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/mitigation-advantage-maximizing-co-benefits-investing-smallholder-adaptation#.VzcPAMeuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/mitigation-advantage-maximizing-co-benefits-investing-smallholder-adaptation#.VzcPAMeuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/agricultures-prominence-indcshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13340


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Livestock accounts for up to half of emissions in agriculture. Notably, cows produce methanefrom digesting grass.This can be reduced with new breeds of cattle that produce less methane,and recently developed food additives that reduce dairy cow emissions by 30% without affectingmilk yields.Improving livestock feed and feeding practices, allows livestock production to beintensified on a smaller area. Effective manure management, and the cultivation of grasses thataccumulate carbon in soils can reduce emissions by at least 10%.

Preliminary data from the LivestockPlus project (a project conducted in Colombia and CostaRica by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security)suggests that cultivating grasses such as Brachiaria, which supresses the biological process thatturns fertilizer into nitrous oxide, can reduce the emissions of this greenhouse gas to more than60% in urine patches, which are considered ―emission hotspots‖.

Reducing emissions in rice farming Flooded rice systems emit significant amounts of methane. Figures vary, but recent worksuggests that flooded rice contributes about 10% of emissions from the agriculture sectorglobally.Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a management practice in irrigated lowland rice thatsaves water and reduces greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining yields. It entails farmersmonitoring water levels above and below the soil surface and only irrigating when they fall below certain point.Recent studies conducted in Uruguay and Colombia show this cutsemissions 55-65% compared to continuous flooding.Combining AWD with genetically modifiedcrops to use nitrogen more efficiently, management of organic inputs and rice variety selectioncan further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is referred to as AWD+.

Since farmers save money on irrigation costs, AWD+ is becoming the standard conventional practice in some places. The International Rice Research Institute has mapped where in the

Philippines and Vietnam this mitigation practice is most suitable, and maps for other countriesare in process.

Carbon sequestration While this study focuses on non-CO2 emissions from agriculture, we know there is much that can be done to also sequester carbon. The question now under intense research is how much.In its 4thAssessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that 90% ofagriculture’s climate change mitigation potential lies in capturing carbon in soils (carbonsequestration).An initiative proposed by the French government at the Paris climate conferenceaims to increase soil carbon by 0.4% a year, which is estimated to be enough to offsetatmospheric carbon emissions.

Because of the high levels of uncertainty and the ease which sequestration gains can be reversed(by ploughing the land or deforestation, for example), it is important to stay focused on reducingemissions from agriculture as well.

Unlocking financial incentives Farmers, and other actors throughout the food chain, need to be incentivised to reduce emissions.Subsidies and innovative ways of valuing emissions, such as green bonds or auctions of thefuture value of greenhouse gas reductions, could play an important role.Incentives for

https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-potentials-livestock-sector#.VzWxACMrLC9https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-potentials-livestock-sector#.VzWxACMrLC9https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-potentials-livestock-sector#.VzWxACMrLC9http://www.ciatnews.cgiar.org/tag/livestockplus/http://www.ciatnews.cgiar.org/tag/livestockplus/http://www.ciatnews.cgiar.org/tag/livestockplus/http://news.trust.org/item/20130917095314-6smfo/?source=hppartnerhttp://news.trust.org/item/20130917095314-6smfo/?source=hppartnerhttp://news.trust.org/item/20130917095314-6smfo/?source=hppartnerhttps://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/34363/retrievehttps://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/34363/retrievehttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145268http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145268http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145268https://www.climatebonds.net/market/explaining-green-bondshttps://www.climatebonds.net/market/explaining-green-bondshttps://www.climatebonds.net/market/explaining-green-bondshttp://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145268https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/34363/retrievehttp://news.trust.org/item/20130917095314-6smfo/?source=hppartnerhttp://www.ciatnews.cgiar.org/tag/livestockplus/https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-potentials-livestock-sector#.VzWxACMrLC9


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governments and the private sector to meet sustainability standards that include mitigation couldalso make a big difference.

Without proper financing, farmers simply won’t be able to adopt locally appropriate mitigationtools. Support from the Green Climate Fund to help the agriculture sector monitor, report andverify emissions reductions is going to be critical.If we are to meet the 2C climate target, wemust seize the opportunity that mitigation in agriculture presents. Developing a globallyrecognised target for emission reductions in the sector is the first step to guide countries towardsa more sustainable future for our food systems, and our planet as a whole. Ana Maria Loboguerrero Rodriguez is a research program leader at the CGIAR Research

Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/17/cows-rice-and-soil-are-key-to-farming-emissions-cuts/

PhilRice Text Center gains popularity among rice

stakeholders

Posted by Web Team Posted on May - 16 - 2016

The PhilRice Text Center (PTC) posted a 47.3% increase in client registration nationwide for thefirst quarter of 2016.Data shows that from 18,924 registered clients in March 2015, it jumped to27,883 as of March 31, 2016.PTC is a digital platform that provides daily consultation services

https://ccafs.cgiar.org/advancing-sustainable-cattle-certification-in-brazil#.VzcODseuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/advancing-sustainable-cattle-certification-in-brazil#.VzcODseuWaohttps://ccafs.cgiar.org/advancing-sustainable-cattle-certification-in-brazil#.VzcODseuWaohttp://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/17/cows-rice-and-soil-are-key-to-farming-emissions-cuts/http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/17/cows-rice-and-soil-are-key-to-farming-emissions-cuts/http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.philrice.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/PTC_website.jpghttp://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/17/cows-rice-and-soil-are-key-to-farming-emissions-cuts/https://ccafs.cgiar.org/advancing-sustainable-cattle-certification-in-brazil#.VzcODseuWao


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to rice farmers through call and short messaging services (SMS). It also caters to students,extension workers, researchers, and other stakeholders who are inclined to the rice industry.The PTC management considers this a milestone which went far from just less than a hundredregistered clients in 2004 when it started its operations. PTC was initially launched as theFarmers’ Text Center (FTC) by the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA).In 2015,PTC also received an average of 240 SMS per day. Other services it renders are monthly ricetips, weather advisories, promotions, and announcements.

―By responding to the farmers’ queries, we give them informed decisions in their farming practices. We regularly receive positive f eedback and it overwhelms us,‖ said FredierickSaludez, agriculturist and PTC’s main agent.Saludez reported that top queries are on seed qualityand varietal information, pest management, seed availability, and nutrient management.―Salamat po sa mga tips, maganda po ani ko ngayon (Thank you for the rice tips, I got bountiful harvest),‖said Sanny Huelva, farmer-client from Masbate.By sending keywords, for instance Rc222,farmers can instantly receive characteristics of rice varieties such as yield, maturity period,reaction to pests, and eating quality.Top 10 provinces with most ―texters‖ come from NuevaEcija, Tarlac, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan and Isabela. Rounding off the list are the provinces of Agusan Del Norte, Oriental Mindoro, Northern Samar, and Leyte.

PTC was established due to the popularity and economical cost of text messaging in thePhilippines in early 2000. Another rationale for its establishment is to complement the existingagricultural extension services and link farmers to experts and inform them of the new rice production technologies.―The rise in the number of texters implies that our clients perceive the platform useful for their purpose. We highly encourage our partners in the agricultural sector tocontinue promoting the PTC to make rice information more accessible to farmers especiallythose who have little or no access to these information,‖ said Myriam G. Layaoen, head of thePhilRice’s Development Communication Division.

Meanwhile, the PTC team is looking at tapping national telecommunication companies tointroduce upgrade in systems and facilities to further improve the delivery of PTC services.―We are now exploring the possibility of partnering with TelCos to provide us with technicaladvice on system upgrades and eventually help us reach their client base through mass textmessaging,‖ Layaoen added.

To register, just type REGNAMELOCATIONOCCUPATION (e.g.REG JUAN DELA CRUZ LEYTE FARMER) and send to 0920 911 1398http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/

Rice sector predicts a worrying trend

Tue, 17 May 2016

Cheng Sokhorng

http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/author/cheng-sokhorng/72212http://www.phnompenhpost.com/author/cheng-sokhorng/72212http://www.phnompenhpost.com/author/cheng-sokhorng/72212http://www.philrice.gov.ph/philrice-text-center-gains-popularity-among-rice-stakeholders/


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Although data for first four months of this year have shown a slight rise in rice exports, millersand exporters continue to raise concerns on the back of April’s rapid decline. The most recentdata on rice exports released by the Ministry of Agriculture stated that 39,550 tonnes of rice wasexported in April of this year, more than 30 per cent less than the same time last year. Incomparison, March exports only decreased by 14.5 per cent year-on-year. Despite the totalnumber of exports for the first quarter of this year showing an increase of 0.3 per cent, KannKunthy, CEO of Battambang rice miller Brico, said that April signified the beginning of a trend.

―The decrease in rice exports is the result of no [preventative] action being taken from theCambodian Rice Federation or the government‖ he said, adding that millers had already sent aslew of recommendations that could alleviate the sector. Kunthy added that without solutions toaddress the high electricity and transportation costs, Cambodian rice exports will continue todecrease. ―We have already done our duty so the only thing we can do is hope for a solutionfrom the government,‖ he said. ―At this point we cannot decrease our rice price any lower tomake it competitive with declining regional prices.‖ http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-sector-predicts-worrying-trend

The solution to better health and rice self-sufficiency

by Andrew James Masigan

May 16, 2016 (updated)

Share3 Tweet0 Share0 Email0 Share21

Earlier this year, I wrote a rather extensive piece on why the Philippines has not attained riceself-sufficiency despite having the International Rice Research Institute and PhilRice

headquartered in our shores. As I dug deeper into our rice situation, I found out that our problems not only involve rice production per se, but also the very survival of our indigenousrice varieties.See, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world endowed with morethan 3,000 indigenous types of rice. Most of these varieties have DNA strains that date backthree thousand years before Christ. Rice varieties that have not been cross-bred and whoseDNA remain intact are known as ―heirloom‖ or ―traditional‖ rices (yes, ―rices‖ is the pluralform of ―rice‖). These strains have been passed-on from one generation to another along witha plethora of planting traditions, methods and superstitions. Unfortunately, many of these ricesare no longer planted today. The few that are still planted, however, are being cultivated sparsely on lands as small as one hectare, just enough just to feed the farmer’sfamily. This is where the problem lies.

Experts fear that if we do not create a demand for these indigenous rices, farmers willsimply stop planting them. This could spell the permanent extinction of theseheirloom varieties. How unfortunate that will be for future generations.In my personalcapacity, I have organized a project to promote the consumption of both heirloomand unpolished rices precisely to provide our small farmers with a steady flow ofdemand. While laying the groundwork for this project, I crossed paths with PhilRice’Director, Hazel V. Antonio, who, coincidentally, is also spearheading a nationwide project to

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-sector-predicts-worrying-trendhttp://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-sector-predicts-worrying-trendhttp://www.mb.com.ph/author/andrew-james-masigan/http://www.mb.com.ph/author/andrew-james-masigan/http://www.mb.com.ph/author/andrew-james-masigan/http://www.mb.com.ph/author/andrew-james-masigan/http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-sector-predicts-worrying-trend


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promote the consumption of unpolished rice. Evidently, we are two entities in pursuit of thesame goal. We have since began cooperating.

PhilRice has provided me with research materials, access to cooperatives and technicalassistance while I help them disseminate information about their programs while promoting traditional rices in our chain of restaurants. I am a believerthat things don’t fall into place unless they are meant to be. It seems fate is working to pushthis noble cause forward.

BROWN4good

In a future piece, I will tell you more about my project. For now, let me talk about Antonio’sendeavor cleverly named ―BROWN4good.‖ The project is being done under the auspices ofPhilRice, an agency under the purview of the Department of Agriculture. At the heart of the program is the twin purpose of educating the public on the health benefits of brown rice while bringing us closer to self-sufficiency in rice production. BROWN4good uses social media toforward its cause.

For those unaware, ―brown rice‖ is a term generically used for all rices with its layer of branretained. Brown rice is neither refined nor polished and can come in the color black, red, pink or purple.The mechanics of ―BROWN4good is simple. Beginning next month,the public can upload pictures of their meals with brown rice as an accompaniment onfacebook, instagram or twitter. Uploaded pictures should have the hashtag,―#BROWN4good‖, with as many friends tagged as possible.For every hashtag, the Department of Agriculture will provide a brown rice meal to amalnourished child. Antonio affirms that this is the easiest way for us to help fight hunger whiledoing what has become second nature to most – posting their meals on social media.

Health Benefits of Brown Rice

To consume polished white rice is almost like consuming pure carbohydrates. Toconsume brown rice benefits the body in a multitude of ways.As mentioned earlier, brown riceis the whole grain of rice with only the hull or husk removed. It retains its bran (the outer crustof the grain) where a profusion of antioxidants, fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals reside.Those wanting to lose weight will be happy to know that consuming brown rice can hasten theweight loss process. For one, brown rice makes you feel full quicker thereby causing you toeat less.

It is also rich in Manganese and fiber, the former working to synthesize fats while the latterhelps bowels work at its optimum. Fiber is a wonder mineral in that it attaches itself to toxinsand cancer causing substances in the colon. It then flushes them out with regularity. Eating brown rice takes off the bloat from your body.Brown rice is also rich in Selenium, amineral that reduces the risk of arthritis and heart disease by blocking the build-up of arterial plaque.


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Unpolished rice also helps stabilize blood sugar levels. In fact, just half a cup a daycould reduce the risk of acquiring diabetes by 60%. Hence, It is an excellent food choice forthose who already have diabetes and need to manage their sugar levels.Strawberries, blueberries and grapes are among the ―superfoods‖ bursting with antioxidants. Theseantioxidants are extremely beneficial for the body as they quell cellular damage – a common pathway for cancer and a buffet of other diseases. Brown rice is counted in this category.

Closer to Rice Self-Sufficiency

In a previous piece, I explained why the Philippines has failed to become self-sufficient in ricedespite government’s earnest efforts. For those who missed it, the reasons are fourfold. Primary is that the Philippines only has 4.5 million hectares of rice fields as compared to7.5 million and 11 million hectares for Thailand and Vietnam, respectively. Exacerbating thesituation is having more mouths to feed what with our 102 million population. The absence ofgreat water systems like the Mekong river running across our lands is another reason. Ours is anarchipelago with smaller water systems. The fourth reason is the failure of the national irrigationauthority to aptly irrigate our farmlands. To date, NIA has only irrigated 68 percent of our ricefarms despite large appropriations in the national budget.All things told, we were 89 percent self- sufficient in rice as of 2015.The beauty about consuming brown rice is that it has a 10 percent higher milling recovery rateas compared to white rice. This translates to 1.2 million metric tons of additional rice production a year, enough to bridge the production gap.Granted, it is impossible for the nation to completely abandon white rice and in favorof brown. Still, studies show that if Filipinos eat brown rice for just three square meals in onemonth, our rice importation will shrink by 50,000 metric tons per year. This translates tosavings of P812 million.

It benefits the farmers The average rice farmer today earns just 105,000 pesos a year. Typically, they sell their produceto traders as fresh paddy rice at 14 pesos a kilo. After refining, millers sell them to wholesalersfor 38 pesos a kilo. By the time it reaches the market shelves, it is sold for 40 pesos. The ricefarmer, the person who puts the most effort in the process, earns the least in the supplychain. The lion’s share of profits go to the millers, most of whom are composed of largecorporations.

Opting for brown rice over white allows us to skip the milling process entirely. Hence, thefarmers can sell their produce directly to wholesalers, to restaurants or even directly toconsumers thereby keeping the lion’s share of profits for themselves. Even better is that since

most brown rice are considered artisanal, they can command higher prices. Again, the windfallgoes directly to farmers pockets.An increased consumption of brown rice translates to amultiplier effect on the take-home incomes of our farmers.

The benefits of consuming brown rice far outweighs the premium we pay of it and the effort onour part to adjust our eating habits. Every cup consumed benefits yourself, the farmers, thehungry and the country. It is a compelling proposition.***


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Andrew is an economist, political analyst and businessman. He is a 20-year veteran in thehospitality and tourism industry. For comments and reactions, e-mail [email protected] of his business updates are available via his Facebook page (Andrew J. Masigan). FollowAndrew on Twitter @aj_masigan

http://www.mb.com.ph/the-solution-to-better-health-and-rice-self-sufficiency/#MSScqdXPidOYVqLp.99

How El Niño may help Thailand to get rid of its huge rice

stockpile

Thailand’s rice subsidy scheme was the previous government main populist policy, but withintwo years of highly subsidised prices it has turned into a political and economic disaster, leavingThailand with a massive unsold inventory of rice and warehouses filled to the brim

By Olivier Languepin -

May 14, 2016

According to Business Insider, the recent heat wave and subsequent drought in Asia may helpThailand to reduce its huge unsold rice inventory.In 2011, Thailand was the world's largestexporter of rice, accounting for about 30% of the global market.But then prime ministerYingluck Shinawatra introduced a controversial rice scheme where the government would payfarmers almost 50% more than market prices.The idea was that since almost 40% of Thailand'slabor force worked in agriculture, then it would make the average Thai wealthier while alsocreating a rice shortage by taking supply off of the market.Thailand’s rice subsidy scheme wasthe previous government main populist policy, but within two years of highly subsidised prices it

has turned into a political and economic disaster.

Unsurprisingly, Thailand's military leader, General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, dismissed the programadding that alternative measures were needed to boost agricultural development and support tofarmers.

A two fold plan that never unfolded

The rice subsidy policy, known domestically as the rice-pledging scheme, was a two fold plan.First, the price offered to Thai rice farmers was to be raised through direct government purchaseto levels about 50 per cent above the prevailing market price, creating a strong electoral basis for

the Pheu Thai ruling party of Yingluck Shinawatra.Second, the international price was to beraised by reducing Thai exports, as Thailand is normally the top rice exporter in the world.

But the second part of the plan didn't work so well, and Thailand was left with a huge stockpileof unsold rice rotting in packed warehouses, while India and Vietnam were expanding theirmarket shares betting on lower prices.Prices didn't rise as much as the Thai government wasanticipating, and then competitors — India and Vietnam — began to flood the market and lowertheir prices.

http://www.mb.com.ph/the-solution-to-better-health-and-rice-self-sufficiency/#MSScqdXPidOYVqLp.99http://www.mb.com.ph/the-solution-to-better-health-and-rice-self-sufficiency/#MSScqdXPidOYVqLp.99http://www.mb.com.ph/the-solution-to-better-health-and-rice-self-sufficiency/#MSScqdXPidOYVqLp.99


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That left Thailand with a massive unsold inventory of rice and warehouses filled to the brim.Thailand's warehouses could be holding as much as 18 million tons of rice, some of themsmuggled from neighbouring rice-producing countries, especially Cambodia, to take advantageof the above-market prices being offered by the Thai government.But there might finally besome relief in sight. The El Niño of 2015-16 has caused drought conditions across much ofChina, India, and Southeast Asia.And while farmers in Thailand and elsewhere in the region are being devastated by the weather, the Thai government has an opportunity to unload a good portion of its stockpile.

Here's Deutsche Bank (emphasis added):

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Thailand's rice inventory is set to drop by almost 50% to 5.2mn MT in 2016 on the back of a projected decline in domestic output to afive-year low of 15.8mn MT.

And the good news doesn't stop there. Deutsche Bank says (emphasis added):

It is highly plausible, in our view, that Thailand would take this El Nio episode as anopportunity to clear its huge stockpile and regain market share as shipments of rival exporterswill likely be curbed by reduced domestic output

N. Korea pushes for timely rice planting to boost output

2016/05/16 14:09SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is calling on its people to carry out timely rice planting in an effort to boost the country's grain production.The move comes as the country gears

up for the spring planting season in the wake of the rare congress of the Workers' Party of Korea(WPK) that ended last Monday. In the key gathering, the first of its kind in 36 years, the Northannounced various economic projects aimed at improving the economic conditions of theimpoverished country.In an editorial on Monday, the North's main newspaper, the RodongSinmun, called for the people to concentrate all their effort on a rice-transplanting campaign togain a breakthrough in grain production. The paper likened rice farming to a "battle" to increasethe country's grain production.

The Northeast country of more than 20 million has suffered from frequent food shortages as theoutput of rice, its main staple, has not met demand. A lack of fertilizer, power shortages and poorinfrastructure have been cited as causes of the country's troubles.The newspaper said a great

victory in the agricultural frontline is a political struggle for the WPK.Despite the severe droughtlast year, the daily claimed, the country successfully achieved rice planting success and urged allsectors of North Korean society to help out with farming.Then it proposed a term, "the Speed ofMallima," to prompt North Koreans to work harder to attain the country's economic goals as wellas rice planting.The term Mallima, which was coined by the North, means a horse that runs 10times as fast as Chollima, an imaginary horse with wings that can travel at least 400 kilometers aday.North Korea first launched the Chollima Movement in the late 1950s as an economiccampaign to rebuild its economy after the 1950-53 Korean War.


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India's monsoon delay not to affect crop sowing: weather

office

NEW DELHI | By Mayank Bhardwaj

Labourers plant saplings in a paddy field on the outskirts of the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar in this

July 19, 2014 file photo. India's weather office said on Monday the late arrival of the monsoon will not

delay crop sowing and that rains are expected to make rapid progress after their arrival around June 7.

Laxman Singh Rathore, chief of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), also told Reutershe was sticking to the original forecast of above-average rainfall this year after two straight yearsof drought that cut farm income.Monsoon rains, the lifeblood for agriculture-dependent India,typically arrive on the southern tip of Kerala state by around June 1 and cover the entire country by mid-July.On Sunday the IMD said the monsoon would arrive by June 7."There's a semblance

of normality in the forecast that rains would arrive by June 7. In effect, I don't see any impact onsowing or overall agricultural productivity," Rathore said in an interview.Heavy rains havelashed southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the past few days and showers are expectedto hit interior areas of Karnataka state in the next few days, he said.

"Pre-monsoon showers will set the stage for sowing and rains are expected to gather momentumonce monsoon arrives by June 7," Rathore said.Millions of farmers plant rice, cane, corn, cottonand soybean crops in the rainy months of June and July. Harvesting starts from October.Currentweather patterns suggest that the monsoon would make a rapid progress once rains arrive on theKerala coast, said K. K. Singh, chief of agricultural meteorology."At the moment there is causefor concern at all. We are set to have plentiful rains this year," Singh said.The weather office last

month said El Nino - a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that can lead to dry spells in SouthAsia - is fading and giving way to La Nina in which the same waters cool.

The monsoon season delivers about 70 percent of India's annual rainfall. It is critical for thecountry's 263 million farmers because nearly half of their farmland lacks irrigation.Bountifulrains could keep a lid on inflation and also encourage the Reserve Bank of India to cut interestrates after the central bank in April eased its repo rate by 25 basis points to its lowest in morethan five years.(Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj, editing by David Evans)http://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-monsoon-idINKCN0Y71CM

UC Riverside plant geneticist elected to National Academy ofSciences

By Rod Pirniakan on May 16, 2016

http://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-monsoon-idINKCN0Y71CMhttp://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-monsoon-idINKCN0Y71CMhttp://www.highlandernews.org/author/rod-pirniakan/http://www.highlandernews.org/author/rod-pirniakan/http://www.highlandernews.org/author/rod-pirniakan/http://www.highlandernews.org/author/rod-pirniakan/http://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-monsoon-idINKCN0Y71CM


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The National Academy of Science (NAS) has granted membership to University of California,Riverside genetics professor, Julia Bailey-Serres, in recognition of her research on the floodtolerance of rice plants. In 2011, Bailey-Serres, alongside fellow researchers from UC Riverside,UC Davis and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, successfully identifieda gene, SUB1A, which allows certain varieties of rice to survive when completely submerged inwater. ―My group’s role focused on discovering about how that (SUB1A) and the related genesare regulated,‖ Bailey-Serres said. ―We also uncovered how the SUB1A gene works in the plantto enable survival of a long time (two weeks or more) underwater: the mechanism of function. Itturns out that the gene allows the plant to more slowly consume its energy reserves and protectsit during the process of de-submergence, so that shoots can regrow.‖

In addition, rice crops submerged in water face less competition from weeds and require lessherbicide, which will reduce labor costs and environmental harm. Rice is a vital staple foodglobally, second to corn, and a successful harvest can often demarcate the line between survivaland starvation in many impoverished areas. A quarter of the world’s rice crop is cultivated inareas that are prone to seasonal flooding. The identification and exploitation of this characteristicwill provide food security for some of the most vulnerable communities. The International RiceInstitute was quick to apply this research. Between five and 10 million farmers in nationsthroughout South and Southeast Asia are cultivating rice crops that express this gene.

―These new rice cultivars perform very similarly — really indistinguishably — from the samevarieties with the SUB1A gene,‖ said Bailey-Serres.As for her future endeavors, Bailey-Serresintends to continue investigating how plants deal with too little oxygen as a result of flooding,something that has captured her interest for most of her career. ―We are working on themechanism of function of other genes important to flooding tolerance in rice,‖ Bailey-Serressaid. ―One project is to understand how SUB1A and the other genes work together or not. Weare also very interested in the evolutionary conservation of the pathways that are important for

flooding tolerance across plant species.‖

―The call from NAS members woke me up, I went from surprised, to honored, to delighted prettyquickly,‖ Bailey-Serres said when asked about her initial feelings upon being elected. ―UCRalready had three women in the NAS and I am very happy to be the fourth. I am looking forwardto being involved in NAS activities.‖Established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, the NAS is a private, nonprofit organization that is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineeringand Medicine. New members are elected annually by current members based on their continuingachievements in original research. Bailey-Serres is the seventh faculty member from UCRiverside to attain membership in the organizationhttp://www.highlandernews.org/24244/uc-riverside-plant-geneticist-elected-national-academy-

sciences-2/

Scientists invent a cooking hack to cut calories in rice by

over halfBy Ben Kenyon

Everyone loves rice.

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You can't eat a good curry or a chilli con carne without it.But unless you're oneof those lucky ectopmorphs who can fill up on rice at every meal without blowing up like a balloon, then it's best to eat it sparingly.However USscientists have come up with a cooking hack that could eliminate more than 50 per cent of the calories from your rice, according to Delish.The research foundthat this new way of cooking it basically renders some of the starch in the rice

indigestible by the human body.All you have to do is add a spoonful of coconut oil to your ricewater and then leave it to simmer for between 20 to 40 minutes (we told you coconut oil wasincredible stuff). Then you have to refrigerate the rice for 12 hours and it cuts the number of calories you bodytakes in by up to 60 per cent, according to the research presented at the 249th National Meeting& Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Why does it work? Well, rice is made up of two kinds of starch - one that our body can easilydigest and another that is resistant, as we don't have the correct enzymes to do so.The easilydigested starch spikes our blood sugar which, if we're not burning the energy, is quickly stored infat cells.So the trick scientists have created basically shifts the balance in favour of resistant

starches, to stop more being broken down and sending our blood sugar up.

http://www.delish.com/food/a41779/the-cooking-hack-for-healthier-rice/http://www.delish.com/food/a41779/the-cooking-hack-for-healthier-rice/http://www.delish.com/food/a41779/the-cooking-hack-for-healthier-rice/http://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.joe.co.uk/author/ben-kenyon/3http://m0.joe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/16232602/iStock_000069586227_Small.jpghttp://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/spring-2015.htmlhttp://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.joe.co.uk/fitness-health/why-coconut-oil-is-a-secret-weapon-to-losing-belly-fat/56267http://www.delish.com/food/a41779/the-cooking-hack-for-healthier-rice/


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This is where the miracle stuff coconut oil comes in. Boiling a teaspoon of it along with the ricemakes the starch granules resistant to the digestive enzymes and refrigerating the rice helps this process along.The best part is that when you reheat it, it won't alter the calorie-cutting effect ofthe coconut oil.

Can you afford (non-white) rice?

May 16, 2016 12.00PM | Elias Wee

by Elias Wee

CONTROVERSY surrounds the humble bowl of rice. On Friday, May 6, ST reported Health Promotion

Board’s (HPB) chief Zee Yoong Kang referring to a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Its conclusion:

Eating more white rice increases the risk of diabetes. His suggestion: Switch to healthier – wholegrain –

alternatives.According to The Whole Grains Council (TWGC), wholegrain rice has three parts –

endosperm, bran, and germ – intact. (The inedible husk is removed.) Regular white rice only has the

endosperm, because its grains have gone through a polishing process that removes the bran and germ.Fibre, protein, minerals, and vitamins are lost when this is done too.

Making the switch – like flicking on a switch?

Some, including Men’s Health, disagree with Mr Zee. But let’s say you are convinced. You want to

replace white rice with wholegrain alternatives. What is the price for making the switch? Can you afford

it?


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Whether it’s at the hawker centre or at the supermarket, you pay more for alternatives. Compared to white

rice, brown rice costs from 20 cents to $1 more at the hawker centre and 90 cents more per kilogram for

brown rice (house brand) at the supermarket. What about availability? An ST article (May 10) said: ―A

check with hawker centres and food courts in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, and Toa Payoh found that only one or

two stalls at each food centre offer brown rice as an alternative to white rice.‖

As for red rice, which is rarely offered at hawker centres, it is $1.14 more per kilogram at the

supermarket.

Type of

riceBrand of rice

Price ($)

displayed

Price ($) per

kilogram

White Fairprice Thai Fragrant White Rice $5.90 for 5kg $1.18/kg

Brown Fairprice Thai Brown Unpolished Rice $5.20 for 2.5kg $2.08/kg

Red Fairprice Thai Red Unpolished Rice $5.80 for 2.5kg $2.32/kg

Showing 1 to 3 of 3 entries

PreviousNext

Well, presuming the prices are, in part, indicative of their healthier status, do you know what are the

benefits of each ty pe of rice? We break them down so you know what you’re paying for:

.1. White rice

Rice rabbit by Flickr user Ray_LAC. CC BY 2.0.

Not all white rice are the same. An infographic created by ST, referencing the Glycemic Index Research

Unit (GIRU) at Temasek Polytechnic, showed that short-grain rice have a higher Glycemic Index (GI)

than long-grain rice – this means more carbohydrates are broken down to produce higher levels of sugar,

creating greater spikes in blood glucose levels. Such frequent spikes leads to an increased risk of diabetes.

According to epicurious, short grain white rice is typically used for making sushi. Long grain white rice

has two aromatic options: basmati and jasmine (also known as Thai Hom Mali). Typically, basmati rice isused in nasi biryani, while jasmine rice is most common in Chinese rice dishes.

White rice has a plethora of varieties. But check out parboiled rice (or converted rice). Rice, still covered

in the husk, is partially boiled; nutrients from the bran are absorbed by the endosperm. The GI for

parboiled rice is lower than white rice in general, according to Harvard Medical School.

Examples:


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• Budget Long Grain White Rice, 5kg, $5.30 (Fairprice) – $1.06/kg

• Fairprice Thai Fragrant White Rice, 5kg, $5.90 (Fairprice) – $1.18/kg

• Fairprice India Ponni Rice Parboiled, 5kg, $6.90 (Fairprice) – $1.38/kg

• Mulberry Basmati Rice, 5kg, $16.95 (Giant) – $3.39/kg

.2. Brown rice

. 015/366 – Brown rice by Flickr user Arria Belli. CC BY-SA 2.0.

This is the most common wholegrain rice. Brown rice has a more chewy texture and nuttier

flavour. Supermarkets here also sell brown rice in the two aromatic options: jasmine and basmati.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Database, brownrice, when compared to white rice (both long-grained), has more protein, minerals like iron,magnesium, zinc, and vitamins such as vitamin B-6, E, and K. The GIRU shows that brown ricehas a lower GI than white rice. A 2006 study showed that brown rice helps to lower and regulatecholesterol levels too.

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Despite these benefits, why have rice grains been conventionally polished? The bran and germcontains natural oils that go rancid more easily. Hence, it’s recommended to store it in an airtightcontainer.

Examples:

• Fairprice Thai Brown Unpolished Rice, 2.5kg, $5.20 (Fairprice) – $2.08/kg

• ecoBrown’s Unpolished Brown Rice, 5kg, $14.50 (Giant) – $2.90/kg

• Daawat Quick Cooking Basmati Brown Rice, 1kg, $4.80 (Sheng Siong) – $4.80/kg

• Golden Phoenix Germinated* Brown Jasmine Rice, 1kg, $6.05 (Giant) – $6.05/kg

*Refers to unpolished rice allowed to germinate for a night or two, so that the grain ―becomesmore nutritious, easier to chew, and tastier‖. – UN FAO Rice Conference 2004..

3. Red rice

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Red rice by Flickr user matyas X. CC BY-

SA 2.0. Red rice is a wholegrain with a

nutty flavour and firm texture. But it has an

antioxidant, called anthocyanin, that gives

its bran a red pigment. Antioxidants help toguard the body’s cells from free radical-

induced damage. A United Nations (UN)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

report said that red rice has two times more

iron and six times more zinc than brown

rice. Like brown rice, it is also a rich source

of fibre relative to white rice.According to

Health Benefits Times (HBT), red rice was

originally grown in China and was used as

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Today, however, it is cultivated across Europe, Southeast Asia and South America. HBT also said that thenatural red colouring ―leaches out and dyes the rest of the dish‖ red or pink.

Examples:

• Fairprice Thai Red Unpolished Rice, 2.5kg, $5.80 (Fairprice) – $2.32/kg

• Paddy King Red Cargo Rice, 1kg, $3.80, (Giant) – $3.80/kg

• Golden Phoenix Germinated Red Cargo Rice, 1kg, $6.05 (Giant) – $6.05/kg

.4. Black rice

Black rice… by Flickr user storebukkebruse. CC BY 2.0.

Ancient Chinese legend, according to Health Magazine, says that only emperors were allowed to

eat this forbidden rice. The dark hue is a result of its rich antioxidant bran, said the magazine, but it also

has a ―chewier and more intense [flavour]‖.

Black rice is also a nutrient powerhouse. The UN FAO report shows that black rice has three

times more fibre than brown rice, and more protein than white, brown or red rice.

Dietician Fiona Atkinson, who compiled a list of GIs for common Asian foods, found in her list

that black rice porridge had a lower GI than regular, white rice porridge.

Examples:

• Happy Family Black Glutinous Rice, 1kg, $5.50 (Sheng Siong) – $5.50/kg

• Golden Phoenix Germinated Black Cargo Rice, 1kg, $6.30 (Giant) – $6.30/kg

• Simply Natural Organic** Black Rice, 1kg, $8 (Cold Storage) – $8/kg

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** Refers to rice that is cultivated based on a system of farming ―without the use of toxic and

persistent pesticides and fertilizers‖.

5. Wild rice

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup by Flickr user Whitney. CC BY 2.0.

Wild rice is less common. According to TWGC, it is ―difficult to grow, with low yields peracre‖. Originally, it grew in the lakes of Northeastern America and Canada, but now 70 per centof wild rice is commercially farmed in California. It tends to be expensive too.

So why eat wild rice? The USDA database shows wild rice has twice the amount of protein as brown rice. It also has 50 per cent more magnesium, and about three times the amount of zinc. AUniversity of Minnesota study said that it is high in antioxidant levels too.

Examples:

• Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Wild Rice, 0.226kg, $10.85 (Cold Storage) – $48/kg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyinchicago/4534318419/in/photolist-7UFyTM-v3Cd1-7UJPGy-5cWBtu-yh8Gq-euvRHx-9A9q2U-7bMeQ6-avC83n-cFtnAC-cXtGJU-8UEeRm-eH2UN1-fuNYuF-F9C922-fd4szL-bzFLiz-dMaDuy-b9HymX-fcP8Xt-fv4gxQ-dL7VT1-euqDYz-fuNYEM-fcPaXx-dEtjNk-nZQkvK-8NcbVY-fuNYxa-dwCxuw-fv4gnE-oBvpZZ-dwFPr4-fv4gaJ-nZPdDm-fuNYsi-fv4gA1-dwx2zv-dwx2ii-dBX8Ar-dC3hM7-hXXoDf-6Cr1km-7A4VxQ-5sR6rG-cXq4xq-dBX8HH-dC3hZN-dBWRLz-dBX6Bahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyinchicago/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/http://themiddleground.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/14658988860_a379d7fe8e_k.jpghttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyinchicago/https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyinchicago/4534318419/in/photolist-7UFyTM-v3Cd1-7UJPGy-5cWBtu-yh8Gq-euvRHx-9A9q2U-7bMeQ6-avC83n-cFtnAC-cXtGJU-8UEeRm-eH2UN1-fuNYuF-F9C922-fd4szL-bzFLiz-dMaDuy-b9HymX-fcP8Xt-fv4gxQ-dL7VT1-euqDYz-fuNYEM-fcPaXx-dEtjNk-nZQkvK-8NcbVY-fuNYxa-dwCxuw-fv4gnE-oBvpZZ-dwFPr4-fv4gaJ-nZPdDm-fuNYsi-fv4gA1-dwx2zv-dwx2ii-dBX8Ar-dC3hM7-hXXoDf-6Cr1km-7A4VxQ-5sR6rG-cXq4xq-dBX8HH-dC3hZN-dBWRLz-dBX6Ba


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Unless a lot more people – who are financially able – buy wholegrain rice, because they prefer it,only then will its price fall. So in the meantime, while the G has already started waging war ondia betes, it’s the poorer customers who lose out: Even if they want to make the switch towholegrain rice, they’ll have to pay more for a product that has less processing – a price wecannot assume all are willing or able to pay. In food distribution exercises, for example, howoften do you see packets of wholegrain rice distributed?

.How to get more people choosing wholegrain rice?

Try cooking wholegrain rice in vegetable stock or meat broth – this is one suggestion from MrKen Yuktasevi, 35, creative director at Grain Traders, a local cafe that serves brown rice andother wholegrain alternatives. He said that one should just treat whole grains like you wouldwhite rice, and, if necessary, ―eat it with naughty stuff like curry first‖.

What about the children? It’s notoriously difficult to convince them to eat healthy. So how can parents get their children to eat wholegrain rice? ―Start by eating it and loving it yourself‖ is MrYuktasevi’s answer. The father of two believes that parents should set the example – eat healthyas the norm and don’t see it as an ―event‖. He added: ―Eating healthy only works when it’s ahabit, not a have-to.‖

Well, it’s hard if it’s an expensive habit, no?

05/16/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Arkansas Farm Bureau

Soybeans

High Low

Cash Bids 1064 997

New Crop 1066 1025

Riceland Foods

Cash Bids Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - -

New Crop Stuttgart: - - - Pendleton: - - -


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High Low

Cash Bids 484 440

New Crop 485 460

Futures:WHEAT

High Low Last Change

Jul '16 476.50 467.50 474.75 0.00

Sep '16 485.75 476.75 484.00 0.00

Dec '16 501.00 492.25 499.00 -0.25

Mar '17 516.00 507.25 513.75 +0.50

May '17 524.75 516.25 522.25 +0.75

Jul '17 526.50 519.00 525.25 +1.25

Sep '17 532.75 532.75 532.00 +2.00

Dec '17 545.75 538.50 545.00 +1.00

Mar '18 555.25 554.25 555.75 +0.25

Wheat prices showed little life today as corn and soybeans showed only marginal moves. The market

continues to face a bearish demand outlook as exports remain less than impressive and U.S. stocks are

forecast to top 1 billion bu. The market needs to see sales materialize on the current weakening of the

dollar.

Grain Sorghum

http://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG0B2dQDIOZhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4Q6cQSM8dhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4A6cUSI9d


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High Low

Cash Bids 356 350

New Crop 308 302

Corn

High Low

Cash Bids 402 372

New Crop 395 385

Futures:CORN


Jul '16 394.25 386.25 394.00 +3.25

Sep '16 396.25 389.25 396.00 +2.75

Dec '16 400.50 394.00 400.00 +1.75

Mar '17 408.50 402.00 408.25 +2.25

May '17 412.25 407.00 412.25 +2.00

Jul '17 416.25 410.75 416.00 +1.75

Sep '17 410.25 408.75 411.75 +1.50


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Dec '17 414.75 409.75 414.25 +0.75

Mar '18 422.00 419.25 422.00 +0.50

Corn CommentCorn prices closed higher again today as prices found support in stronger oil prices and continued firm

export demand. While new crop corn was unable to close much above support at $4, prices are still near

recent highs. Corn needs further demand support as weakening soybean prices could lead to further

declines. Upside potential remains limited as a bearish supply outlook continues to weigh on prices.

Cotton

Futures:COTTON


Jul '16 61.52 60.62 60.99 0.37

Oct '16 - - - - - - 61.24 -0.08

Dec '16 61.11 60.36 60.48 -0.03

Cotton CommentCotton futures began the week mostly lower. The monthly WASDE report showed the largest ending

stocks in eight years for the 16-17 crop year. That is based upon the March prospective plantings of 9.6

million acres and expectations for relatively favorable growing conditions resulting in average yields of

807 lbs. per acre for a total crop of 14.8 million bales. However, global stocks are projected to decline

6.2% as China releases low-cost, low-quality cotton from their stockpile. China plans to auction 2 million

metric tons of cotton this summer. December closed below trendline support today and could head back

toward support just above 59 cents.

Rice



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High Low

Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -

Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -

Futures:ROUGH RICE


Jul '16 1203.0 1160.5 1193.0 +24.5

Sep '16 1219.5 1183.5 1211.5 +25.5

Nov '16 1229.5 1205.5 1225.5 +23.5

Jan '17 1225.0 1225.0 1239.0 +20.5

Mar '17 1250.0 1245.0 1255.5 +18.5

May '17 1275.0 +18.5

Jul '17 1275.0 +18.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures posted strong gains to open the week on a positive note. Arkansas farmers have not planted

96% of intended acres. The question remains, though, will they stop there? The five year average for this

date is 80%, so if conditions remain favorable, the crop might get bigger. This large crop could limit the

upside potential of the market, however, dry conditions in other rice growing regions of the world could

provide support. July completed a 50% retracement today, which opens upside potential to the 62% level

of $12.46.

Cattle



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Futures:

Live Cattle:LIVE CATTLE


Jun '16 124.250 122.900 123.025 -0.400

Aug '16 119.975 118.850 119.475 +0.750

Oct '16 119.300 118.250 118.900 +0.925

Dec '16 118.475 117.400 118.050 +1.125

Feb '17 117.150 116.250 116.675 +1.025

Apr '17 115.750 115.000 115.275 +0.975

Jun '17 109.050 108.550 108.775 +0.975

Aug '17 106.800 106.750 106.675 +1.375

Feeders: FEEDER CATTLE


May '16 149.575 148.200 148.650 +1.600

Aug '16 149.325 147.500 147.725 +1.475

Sep '16 147.275 145.625 145.850 +1.625

Oct '16 145.450 143.825 143.875 +1.500

Nov '16 141.275 139.675 140.000 +1.250

Jan '17 137.050 135.375 135.425 +1.275

Mar '17 134.900 133.900 133.475 +0.850



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Apr '17 133.900 +0.625

Cattle Comment

Cattle prices closed higher today thanks to continued strong beef prices. As we approach the summer

grilling season the prices continue to firm. Additionally, the continued wide spread between cash and

futures remains supportive of cattle prices.

Hogs

Futures:LEAN HOGS


Jun '16 83.150 81.575 83.025 +1.075

Jul '16 83.600 82.100 83.400 +0.850

Aug '16 82.700 81.650 82.525 +0.400

Oct '16 70.975 70.250 70.450 -0.275

Dec '16 65.450 64.900 65.150 -0.075

Feb '17 68.275 67.800 67.975 -0.225

Apr '17 70.975 70.625 70.675 -0.250

May '17 74.850 -0.250

Jun '17 78.775 78.550 78.550 +0.125

http://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG0B2dQDIOZhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4Q6cQSM8dhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4A6cUSI9dhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG0B2dQDIOZhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4Q6cQSM8dhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4A6cUSI9d


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USA Rice and Partners Make U.S. Products Top of Mind in

Ghana

By Eszter Somogyi

ACCRA, GHANA - The three-year Global Based Initiative (GBI) that USA Rice runs with

partners USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and the American Peanut Council

(APC) has entered its final year and kicked off 2016 activities with foodservice seminars here

and in the city of Kumasi and with high impact billboards in key shopping areas of both

cities.Three hundred and fifty artisanal caterers participated in the seminar in Accra, and morethan 300 took part in Kumasi's activities. Additional outreach took place with culinary students

at polytechnic schools in both cities; the GBI supplied informational booklets to the schools for

use with their students and in developing curriculum.

Session participants were taken through various presentations on U.S.-grown rice, U.S. poultry

and American peanut butter including short videos on the products that covered preparation and

other information. A group leader was also available to answer any questions from the cooks,

and there were many. A highlight of the event was the taste testing. Attendees were given rice

balls made from U.S. rice known locally as "Omo Tuo", fried U.S. chicken pieces and American

peanut butter soup with chicken, all ingredients donated by the local importers. Attendees were surveyed at the conclusion of the seminar and reported overwhelmingly that

they believe U.S.-grown rice is the highest quality for commercial cooking. This good news is

offset by the fact that U.S. imports here have been declining, mostly displaced by low cost, low

quality rice, mainly from Viet Nam.

"Although we don't necessarily see the situation for U.S. rice improving significantly in this

market any time soon, we do see value in educating these students - future chefs and caterers -

early in their professional careers should the market shift or should they find themselves in a

market more hospitable to U.S. rice," said Jim Guinn vice president of international promotion

for USA Rice. "We always leave behind useful information and recipes using U.S. rice, poultry,

and peanut butter, and these materials are utilized in the culinary schools here, keeping our

products top of mind."

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Guinn said the billboard campaign is designed to enhance visibility for these products with

consumers. Seven billboards featuring dishes cooked with U.S. rice, poultry, and peanut butter

have been put up in high traffic areas near markets and will remain up for the next five months.

APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1473

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 12-05-2016

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Apricots

1 Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4625

2 Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4125

3 Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t) 3625

Raisins

1 Californian Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t) 2245

2 South African Thompson seedless raisins, CIF UK (USD/t) 2347

Sultanas

1 Iranian natural sultanas (Gouchan), CIF UK (USD/t) 1858

2 South African Orange River, CIF UK (USD/t) 2897

3 Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t) 1612

Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 14-05-2016

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Jowar(Sorghum)

https://www.agra-net.com/https://www.agra-net.com/


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1 Palitana (Gujarat) Other 1400 1800

2 Betul (Madhya Pradesh) Other 1301 1304

3 Jalgaon (Maharashtra) Other 1900 2281

Maize

1 Bagalakot (Karnataka) Local 1400 1491

2 Jhalod (Gujarat) Other 1500 1500

3 Vaijpur (Maharashtra) Other 1440 1460

Papaya

1 Batala (Kerala) Other 1800 2200

2 Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir) Other 2400 2500

Onion

1 Kannur (Kerala) Other 1400 1500

2 Barnala (Punjab) Other 500 1000

3 Purulia (West Bengal) Other 1100 1300

Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 14-05-2016

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 440

2 Chittoor 453

3 Namakkal 430

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 12-05-2016

http://agmarknet.nic.in/http://agmarknet.nic.in/http://agmarknet.nic.in/http://agmarknet.dac.gov.in/http://e2necc.com/http://e2necc.com/http://e2necc.com/http://e2necc.com/http://agmarknet.dac.gov.in/http://agmarknet.nic.in/


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Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks

1 Atlanta Georgia Yellow 21 21

2 Chicago Colorado Yellow 18 18

2 Detroit Texas Yellow 19 20

Cauliflower Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta California White 17 20

2 Dallas California White 21 24

3 New York Mexico White 18 18

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida Red 26 26

2 Chicago Florida Red 18 18.50

3 Miami Florida Red 12 15

Source:USDA

New technology to better manage rice production in Asian

nations

Swiss-based technology company Sarmap haslaunched a new digital data monitoring systemto reduce vulnerability of smallholders engagedin rice production by setting up an easyaccessible rice information system to bettermanage domestic rice production .Thetechnology is already being used under RIICE

(remote sensing-based information andinsurance for crop in emerging economies) project. (Image source: 9bombs/Pixabay)The multiphase project will focus on major ricegrowing areas in selected Asian countries like

Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in the first threeyears. In the following three years, the activities will be up-scaled to the remaining major rice producing areas of Asia. Objectives for the first phase are:


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• Provision of reliable rice production information in major rice growing areas.• Transfer of appropriate know-how and remote sensing technology to national partners.• Development of a model aiming at improving production forecast by combining remotesensing, in situ and climatic data.• Setting up sustainable crop insurance schemes by developing insurance solutions covering production shortfalls.

• Provision of crop insurance solutions for at least five million rice growing farmers. According to the company, in the long run, rice yields should increase due to better access toinformation about the actual growth status of observed rice crops and the forecasted yields aswell as about damages and forecasted losses of rice crops, hence leading to a better landmanagement by farmers. Additionally, crop insurance take-up by smallholders facilitates theirnegotiation position in applying for loans which eventually leads to increased investments intheir agricultural business.

The basic idea behind the generation of rice acreage using SAR is the analysis of changes in theacquired data over time. Measurement of temporal changes of SAR response due to the rice plants phenological status - an increase in the SAR backscatter corresponds to a growth in therice plants - lead to the identification of the areas subject to transplanting/emergence moment andthe rice growth. The rice acreage statistics are stored in map format showing the rice extent and,in form of numerical tables, quantifying the dimension of the area at the smallest administrativelevel - typically village unit - cultivated by rice. These products are linked to district, region, province and country, so that statistics on any of these administrative units can be produced.

A public-private partnership consortium is implementing the project of which SwissDevelopment Cooperation (SDC) will be one of the consortium members. The consortium is

composed of sarmap providing the necessary remote sensing technology; IRRI (InternationalRice Research Institute) is the public partner and will provide a rice crop growth model and workwith regional partners to put the system up and running at national levels; AllianzRe Switzerlandsupported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) will developinsurance solutions based on the information provided by sarmap and IRRI and pass thosesolutions on to interested national partners as crop insurance schemes. Besides its financialcontribution, SDC role (supported by GIZ) is to institutionally and politically support the partners by facilitating the relations to relevant ministries in targeted countrieshttp://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nations

Myanmar's rice export set to rise despite droughtEleven Myanmar May 15, 2016 4:11 pm

http://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nationshttp://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nationshttp://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nationshttp://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nationshttp://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/new-technology-to-better-manage-rice-production-in-asian-nations


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YANGON - Myanmar expectS to export at least 1.5 million tonnes of rice this fiscal year,according the vice chairman of Myanmar Rice Federation.In April - the first month of the 2016-17 fiscal year, Myanmar earned US$13 million from rice exports. However, drought across thecountry due to El Niño is raising concerns.In the previous fiscal year when Myanmar sufferedfrom floods that destroyed vast areas of rice plantation fields, 1.4 tonnes of whole and brokenrice was exported.

The volume was 400,000 tonnes below the level exported in the 2014-15 fiscal year. Ninety percent of Myanmar’s rice is destined to China

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Myanmars-rice-export-set-to-rise-despite-drought-

30286004.html

Myanmar’s agriculture minister to boost rice production

Monday, 16 May 2016 07:32

Reparing Myanmar’s dams and canals could more than double the supply of water to rice-growing areas and could increase rice exports, stated the country's deputy agriculture ministerImproving the supply of water in Myanmar is expected to increase rice exports. (Image source:lefebvre-jonathan)For two decades, the dams and canals had been neglected and lowered the nation’s production said the

deputy minister. He said repair work will begin with

Thaphan Seik dam – one of the longest dams in

Southeast Asia – in Sagaing Region.―During the

next 100 days, we will deepen dams that have silted

up and repair leaks in canals,‖ he said. ―We will do

everything we can with the budget we have,‖ he

said.Thaphan Seik has been chosen as the first as it

delivered water to most areas in Sagaing,

Myanmar’s second- biggest rice bowl.―We will

deepen the dam so it can store more water and repair

cracks in the canals. One canal can deliver water to

500,000 acres, but because of cracks that capacity has fallen to about 200,000 acres. Our repairs will

enable the dam and the canals to greatly increase the volume of water supplied to farmlands,‖ he said.

http://www.fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/myanmar-s-agriculture-minister-to-boost-rice-

production

MYANMAR'S RICE EXPORT SET TO RISE DESPITE

DROUGHT

5/15/2016

THE NATION MULTIMEDIA (15-05-2016)


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YANGON - Myanmar expectS to export at least 1.5 million tonnes of rice this fiscal year, according the

vice chairman of Myanmar Rice Federation.In April - the first month of the 2016-17 fiscal year, Myanmar

earned US$13 million from rice exports. However, drought across the country due to El Niño is raising

concerns.

In the previous fiscal year when Myanmar suffered from floods that destroyed vast areas of rice plantation

fields, 1.4 tonnes of whole and broken rice was exported. The volume was 400,000 tonnes below the level

exported in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Ninety per cent of Myanmar’s rice is destined to China

Thailand sells rice stockpile, Vietnam may lose buyers

VietNamNet Bridge - Soon after Thailand announced the plan to sell 11.4 million tons of rice in stockpile

over a two-month period, Vietnam’s exporters predicted they would be hurt by the move.

If the Thai government sells all of the 11.4 million tons, this will be the biggest sale campaign in the

history of the world’s biggest rice exporter. The amount is even higher than the average volume of rice


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the country exports every year.Vietnamese rice exporters have said the big sales would force prices in the

world market down and badly affect Vietnam’s exports.

They said some partners have suspended imports because of the Thai announcement.

Nguyen Thanh Long, director of Gao Viet Company, confirmed that the customers who were negotiating

for the company’s rice have halted the negotiations.

The customers are those that want to buy white rice from Asian countries, including China, the

Philippines and Africa.

An analyst said that though Thai old rice in stockpiles is not

competitive with Vietnam’s rice which has higher quality, the

big sales will still affect Vietnam’s rice export.

In the past, Thailand sometimes sold rice from its stockpile,

about 1-2 million tons, but the sale still had an impact on

Vietnam. And now the impact will be much bigger with avvolume 5-6 times higher.Vietnam now sells

white rice at avprice $5-10 per ton lower than Thai rice. However, Long said Thailand will lower the

prices to attract buyers. And this would force down Vietnam’s rice price.

Luong Anh Tuan, director of Thinh Phat Food, also said that loyal markets had stopped negotiating to buy

Vietnam’s rice. They are waiting to see the moves to be taken by Thailand before making a

decision. ―Meanwhile, other partners of Vietnam

17 May ,2016 Daily Global,Regional & Local Rice -Enewsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Documents

17 May ,2016 Daily Global,Regional & Local Rice -Enewsletter by Riceplus Magazine