The Comptroller of Customs, Kwara Area Command, Kehinde Ilesanmi, has said that ban on importation of foreign rice has not been lifted.

At a press briefing in Ilorin, yesterday, the Customs boss said his command would continue to enforce the policy until the country realises the reasons for its declaration.

Kwara Command, at the end of June, reportedly generated N6.2 billion.

“The Federal Government policies on agricultural development in the area of boosting local rice production sustained the fight against smuggling activities and fuelled our resolve to do more.

“I assure you that the fight will continue with sustained momentum, and determination to make more seizure.”

Reiterating the Customs’ core mandate of preventing economic sabotage, the Area Comptroller said his command has devised modern strategies to boost its operational mode.

He noted: “The result of our anti-smuggling activities, coupled with the Command’s renewed drive in utilisation of cutting edge strategies led to 56 seizures of different.”

The impounded items include nine used vehicles of different types, 813 50kg bags of foreign rice, 24,950 litres of petroleum product in 998 jerry cans and 14 kegs of vegetable oil of 25 litres each.

He praised the foresight of the Comptroller-General of Customs for effective leadership, noting that officers and other ranks would, at all times, ensure implementation of the Customs’ most superior boss’ directives.

Ilesanmi stated:“The seizures were successfully accomplished as a result of the renewed determination of Customs CG, Bashir Adeniyi, to rid the country of all forms of illegal importation.

“These positive harvests in the areas of anti-smuggling and revenue generation are a clear testimony of what can be achieved under a brand new leadership of the Service.”

He canvassed more synergies with the media and urged the public to continue giving officers of his command useful information that could lead to the smashing of smuggling syndicates.

In his maiden press briefing, the CG had declared that his tenure would witness remarkable transformation by spearheading innovative projects to unlock the full potential of the Service with strong focus on collaborations, engagement with international organisations, pursuit of cutting-edge technologies that will enhance revenue generation and streamline processes that will strengthen the Service as a crucial contributor to national economy and security.

“I would like to send a note of warning to economic saboteurs to steer clear of Kwara Area Command and engage in meaningful ventures or they will meet their waterloo.

“I commend the patriotic collaboration and tremendous assistance we always receive from traditional leaders, eminent personalities, some host communities and members of the press in our resolute drive against smuggling in the overall interest of our dear nation,” he added.

Traders say price offered under e-auction higher than market rates

The government may reduce the prices of rice offered under the open market sale scheme (OMSS) by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) being sold through e-auction to bulk buyers due to lukewarm response.

Official sources told FE  that ‘whenever there are some requirements for tweaking the policy for reducing prices for OMSS rice, we will consider it,”.

In the first two weekly e-auction for rice held in the last fortnight, FCI could sell only 460 tonne of rice against around 0.4 million tonne (MT) offered under the OMSS. The next e-auction is slated for Wednesday.

Many rice traders FE spoke to said the benchmark price of Rs 31/kg for e-auction fixed by FCI is higher than similar variety of grain available in the market.

“At the same cost, white raw rice is currently being available at the Mundra port, Gujarat for exports besides the FCI’s rice has about 25% broken grain which makes it unattractive for the traders,” a rice trader based in Karnal, Haryana, said.

Average bid price for rice under OMSS last week was Rs 3,110.07/quintal against the reserve price of Rs 3,110.07/quintal.

The official said current grain stocks are above the buffer and sufficient to carry out open market sales.

FCI currently has 25.23 MT of rice,which excludes 14.7 MT of rice yet to be receivable from millers. The rice stock is against the buffer of 13.54 MT for July 1.

The corporation needs 36 MT of rice annually for allocation under NFSA. The new procurement season (2023-24) for paddy begins on October 1.

A food ministry official said that the FCI would continue to sell foodgrains from its surplus stocks till inflationary trend in cereals prices are curbed. The retail inflation in cereal and products category was reported at 12.71% in June, a declined from 16.12% in January.

In the last many years, the rice sold through e-auction have not received encouraging responses while the grain sold states on specific demand without e-auction have received responses from the states.

Due to implementation of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, where additional 5 kg of rice for each of the 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act were distributed during April, 2020 and December 31, 2022, the corporation did not conduct OMSS for rice.

The government last month decided against participation of states in e-auction of wheat and rice which according to food ministry officials to ensure that more traders, processors and retailers participate in the sale.

However the new Karnataka government said that the move was to stall the state’s government Anna Bhagya Yojana where 5 kg rice was proposed to be provided to BPL families. FCI earlier had agreed to supply rice at Rs 34/kg.

Jharkhand has also criticised the government’s decision against providing additional quantities of rice and wheat to states from the central pool which has forced the state government to buy rice from the market at higher price.

Food secretary Sanjeev Chopra last week had stated that 15 states and union territories including Tamil Nadu and Odisha were of the view that the central pool surplus food stock should be used in ‘larger interest of 1400 million population’ and ‘not for a particular section and particular class of people’.

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said his administration was doing everything it could to fulfill his campaign promise of decreasing rice prices to P20 per kilogram.

"Iyong ating hangarin na 20 pesos na bigas [kada kilo] eh wala pa tayo roon, pero ginagawa natin ang lahat," he said in his speech during the nationwide launch of his administration's Kadiwa ng Pangulo program.

(On our dream of achieving rice prices of P20 per kilo, we're not there yet, but we are doing everything we can.)

Since assuming the presidency last year, Marcos has repeatedly vowed that his government was nearing the said goal, amid criticisms from farmers' and agricultural groups that such promise was "impossible" to achieve.

Marcos was in San Fernando City, Pampanga on Monday to lead the nationwide launch of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program. 

Malacañang said all 81 provinces in the Philippines joined the simultaneous launch as they opened their own Kadiwa centers in their localities.

The program, one of Marcos' main initiatives as the concurrent agriculture secretary, aims to decrease prices of agricultural products by giving farmers and the buying public direct access to each other.

"Ang programa ng Kadiwa ay napakasimple lamang... [Ang] ginagawa natin ay pinapalapit natin sa magsasaka ang palengke. Kaya iyang mga middleman at added cost ay binabawasan natin nang husto iyan," he said.

(The Kadiwa program is simple; we are making farmers close to the market and reducing middlemen and added costs.)

After the launch, Marcos said the program has been "successful thus far."

But he noted that apart from decreasing prices, the ultimate goal of the Kadiwa program is to boost agriculture products so that the country has enough food supply to export to other countries.

"As I always remind everyone, just because naglagay tayo ng Kadiwa hindi ibig sabihin sapat na ang ating produksyon... We really have to continue to work very hard, hindi lang makapagsuplay ng agricultural products, ng pagkain, makapag-export pa," he told reporters."

(Just because we launched Kadiwa doesn't mean our production is stable. We have to continue to work very hard not only to supply agricultural products and food, but also to export them.)

The government has already requested Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana for assistance, and surplus paddy nursery sown by several farmers will be procured.

in Punjab, the floods may also increase the Basmati cultivation area, which is crucial considering the shorter duration of Basmati. (Express)

Due to the devastating floods, Punjab may need to retransplant paddy and basmati rice varieties in approximately 1.05 lakh hectares (around 2.50 lakh acres) of land across over half a dozen districts, according to agriculture officials.

By the first week of July, before the incessant rain hit the state, rice cultivation had already covered 86 per cent (27.29 lakh hectares) of the expected area of 31.67 lakh hectares. Sowing on the remaining area was then underway.punjab paddy While paddy transplanting is typically completed in the state by mid-July, some farmers transplant short varieties even by the end of July. (Express)

According to the initial estimates from the Punjab Agriculture Department, which is yet to conduct a special ‘girdawari’ (crop inspection) to gauge the actual damage in collaboration with the Punjab Revenue Department, floodwaters have submerged around 2.37 lakh hectares (5.85 lakh acres) of paddy fields.

Malwa, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Kapurthala districts have experienced the most significant losses. The damage is expected on approximately 44 per cent of the flooded fields. Punjab Agriculture Department Director Gurvinder Singh said the actual damage would be calculated only after the water recedes from all areas.

The government has already requested Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana for assistance, and surplus paddy nursery sown by several farmers will be procured. Additionally, several farmers have come forward with their available nurseries.

According to experts, there is still time to retransplant short-duration paddy and Basmati varieties, including PUSA 1509 and PR-126, both of which have good yields.

While paddy transplanting is typically completed in the state by mid-July, some farmers transplant short varieties even by the end of July. Farmers are waiting for the water to recede so they can proceed with retransplanting, as several parts of the state still have standing water in the fields.

Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of BKU (Dakaunda), stated that due to global warming, there are significant climate changes, and governments must be prepared for any emergencies and make advance arrangements. He added that individual farmers are growing surplus paddy nurseries, and the government is planning that after the floods.

In Punjab, the floods may also increase the Basmati cultivation area, which is crucial considering the shorter duration of Basmati. Punjab had set a target of growing Basmati on 6 lakh hectares this year.

With China's help, the African island nation has ambitions to meet food security needs

The long rainy season has finally ended, and the cool, pleasant dry season has arrived in the central highlands of Madagascar.

At the branch of the China National Hybrid Rice Engineering Research Center in the town of Mahitsy, on the outskirts of the capital city Antananarivo, hybrid rice is ready to be harvested.

Farmers lift the stalks up high and thresh them vigorously, causing the plump grains to fly into the air, filling it with the scent of rice.

As in southern China, rice is the staple food of Madagascar, and the grain has been grown there for a long time. However, due to the lack of high-quality rice seeds and advanced growing techniques, rice production in the country is not fully able to meet people's needs.

Since 2007, China has been working with Madagascar on hybrid rice technology. Some 20 agricultural experts from Hunan province have visited the island's tropical rainforests, highlands and grasslands, sowing hybrid seeds from southern China in every important rice-producing region, helping the Madagascans achieve their dream of self-sufficiency.

The global decline of the rice supply and the impact of El Nino climate pattern have led to a sharp increase in the price of rice for export.

Latest data from General Department of Vietnam Customs shows that in the first half of the year, rice exports reached more than 4.2 million tons and are valued at $2.26 billion, up over 21% in volume and 32% in value over the same period last year.

The export price of rice in June reached an average of $650 per ton, up 9.4% compared to May and 20.8% higher than the same period last year.

In the first six months of 2023, the export price of rice is estimated at $539 per ton, up more than 10% over the same period in 2022 and the highest of the past 10 years.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the reason for the sharp increase is the decrease in supply. The emergence of El Nino has also forced many countries to increase rice purchases to stock up.

The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture forecasts that El Nino will return and severely affect their domestic food production. Indonesia predicts that it may cause widespread drought in the country, so the July-August harvest for agricultural products may drop significantly.

In the first five months of the year, rice exports to the main markets - Philippines and China, both grew strongly at double digits. In addition, rice exports to new markets such as Indonesia, Chile, Turkey, and Senegal recorded a surge from 1,100-16,000% over the same period last year.

Bloomberg reported this week that the Indian government is banning the export of all rice that is not Basmati (a popular rice in South Asia), as prices have been on the rise and they want to control inflation.

Retail rice prices in New Delhi have increased by 15% this year, while the domestic average price has increased by 8%, according to India's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Vietnam Food Association and enterprises believe that if this ban is implemented, global rice prices will increase. In the near future, Vietnamese rice will not only benefit in price but also be favorable for exports.

An enterprise based in Can Tho in Vietnam's Mekong Delta said that export orders were abundant and the price of fragrant rice was increasing the most. This enterprise does not even have enough supply to meet the orders. It is forecast that the rice export market in the second half of the year will reach a peak value.

To ensure domestic and export demand, the agriculture ministry has directed key rice production areas, especially the Mekong Delta, to actively cultivate and prioritize short-duration rice varieties as well as high-quality and fragrant rice varieties suitable for market demand.

Vietnamese rice has been exported to 156 countries and territories, including many high-end rice markets.

Global prices for rice could soar again as the world’s largest supplier, India, considers banning the export of several varieties.

As the cost of the staple reaches an 11-year high, Narendra Modi‘s government is discussing a plan to ban exports of all non-Basmati rice, according to a Bloomberg report.

If implemented, the move would see India banning 80 per cent of all of its rice exports, sending global prices to new highs as the world grapples with soaring food price inflation after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Insiders told Bloomberg the move was aimed at curbing the risk of heightened inflation, particularly ahead of upcoming elections. Indian consumers are battling prices so high that some are crossing the border to buy cheaper tomatoes.

While the rice move could control domestic prices, it carries the risk of causing global costs to surge even higher amid a tight supply.

Consumers in Britain will not be immune to the increases.

“Two-thirds of the rice we import – worth £229.2m last year – comes from climate-vulnerable parts of the world; over half of that (£127m) from India,” said Gareth Redmond-King of the London-based Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

“As impacts worsen, so shortages will drive up the cost of staple foods we import from overseas, which we cannot simply grow here instead,” he said.

“Cutting emissions to net zero is the only route to halting climate change to limit warming and avoid even worse impacts.”

India accounts for more than 40 per cent of the world’s rice exports. Prices jumped to a five-year high in June after the government announced an increase in minimum support prices for farmers.

Last year, India’s move to ban wheat exports led to a global outcry.

It comes amid global concerns over the disruptive El Nino weather phenomenon’s impact on farming, further adding to pressure on prices. The cyclic weather event in the Pacific Ocean is known to increase heat and is worrying researchers as it adds to the worsening climate crisis fuelling extreme weather events.

India has been grappling with repeated heatwaves and erratic monsoons impacting agricultural production. Longer droughts and heavier monsoons, resulting in more rain in a shorter period, have adversely impacted crop production.

Fears of shortages also pose challenges of stockpiling. Rice serves as a vital staple for around half of the global population, with Asia alone accounting for around 90 per cent of the world’s rice consumption. Importing countries such as Indonesia, China and the Philippines have been aggressively stockpiling rice this year.

Mina Bando, a 45-year-old woman farmer in Dhiria village, nestled in the foothills near the Indo-Bhutan border, has become a beacon of hope for her community. 

As the President of a Self-Help Group (SHG) supported by SeSTA, Mina has harnessed her newfound skills and knowledge to address pressing issues faced by her village, which is predominantly inhabited by Adivasi, Bodo, and Nepali communities.

Lack of proper road connectivity and poor agricultural productivity have long plagued Dhiria village, situated in the Baksa district. Until 2015, the villagers lived without electricity, and the absence of macadamized roads made transportation arduous, with the nearest public transport facility situated 10 kilometers away, stated EastMojo.

The village's geographical location frequently exposes its residents to human-elephant conflicts. In response to these challenges, Mina and her fellow villagers often resort to seasonal migration for employment opportunities as casual laborers.

Farming serves as a vital source of livelihood in Dhiria village. However, mounting input costs and stagnating productivity have caused considerable distress among rural households.

Mina's remarkable transformation began when she received leadership and technical training through the SHG. This empowerment has bolstered her confidence, enhanced her mobility, and amplified her ability to advocate for her community's needs in public forums.

Mina told EastMojo, "The most valuable skill I've acquired as a member of the SHG is knowledge about System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and organic agriculture practices. By implementing these techniques, I have successfully reduced input costs and significantly increased paddy production on my two Bigha of land (0.66 acres)."

In just three paddy cycles, Mina's harvest has witnessed a remarkable jump from 3 quintals to 7 quintals. Furthermore, she has adopted organic SRI practices to cultivate indigenous black rice and a variety of vegetables.

This transformative approach to farming has yielded threefold benefits for her family: improved food security, enhanced nutrition, and strengthened seed sovereignty.

Empowered by her newfound expertise, Mina has taken it upon herself to raise awareness about organic farming within her village. She has emerged as a trainer, sharing her knowledge of organic practices and instructing fellow villagers on producing organic fertilizers like Jeevamrut.

Mina proudly states, "Other women often visit our house seeking guidance on SRI and organic practices, and I am happy to assist them. Many women in my village have embraced these new farming techniques and are even teaching their husbands!"

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region has served as the country’s breadbasket for years. Known for fertile soil, the area grows more than half of all rice produced in the country, a staple in the Vietnamese diet. In 2016, however, the delta experienced a devastating drought, leaving 600,000 people without access to fresh water. Rice yields had already been falling for seasons, but the drought represented a tipping point for many farming families. Degraded land, lack of water and pollution caused nearly 1.1 million people to migrate from the region. 

Climate change threatens rice cultivation worldwide

Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of what’s to come worldwide. Climate-induced crises are threatening farmers’ livelihoods and exacerbating global hunger. Approximately 3.5 billion people rely on rice as a staple in their diet, and the grain provides around a third of the calories consumed in low- and middle-income countries. Rice is also becoming increasingly popular in the West, now commonly found in pet food, beer, cereals and other items to meet the rising demand for gluten-free products. 

All of this is impacted by the exponential growth in the global population, and with it, the demand for rice. Rice production will need to increase by an estimated 25 percent by 2050 in order to meet global needs. Meanwhile, approximately 15 million to 20 million hectares of land may suffer water scarcity due to rising temperatures, threatening to greatly reduce the yields and nutritional value of rice harvests. 

Increased water scarcity events would be devastating for rice cultivation, as the crop is extremely water-intensive, each kilogram requiring between 2,000 and 5,000 liters of water (40 percent of the world’s total irrigation water). Rice paddy fields and reservoirs have caused a 233 percent increase in manmade wetlands while natural wetlands have declined by 35 percent, throwing everything out of balance. 

Rice is also a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In fact, rice’s carbon footprint is similar to the international aviation industry. Emissions are largely caused by the conventional field flooding farming method, which prevents oxygen from penetrating the soil and leads to the growth of harmful, methane-emitting bacteria. Additional methane is released from the rotting rice straw left over from the crop in conventional rice farming. 

There is a better way, but the private sector needs to invest in it

If we continue cultivating rice using these methods, climate change-related weather incidents and exhausted resources will certainly cause a shortage, likely leading to a hunger disaster on a global scale. 

After years of research, trial and error, there are now proven methods of sustainable rice production that are adaptive and resilient to climate change, and produce the same yields as conventional cultivation. A study in the An Giang province in Vietnam, the world's fifth largest rice producer, compared harvests between farmers using the more sustainable wetting-and-drying (AWD) field method to those using the conventional field flooding approach. Yields were almost identical, and the AWD method emitted less greenhouse gases and required fewer seeds and fertilizer. 

These green farming techniques are the only pathway that can maintain rice productivity and adapt to rising global temperatures. But more private-sector finance is needed to support and grow these programs. Fortunately, it is no longer a risk for companies to shift to these sustainable methods. In fact, it’s a business imperative. 

At the Global Environment Facility, investments totaling over $600 million continue to grow from the initial cluster of Asian countries and into West Africa under our programs — demonstrating scalability, replicability and financial support from the private sector, which is a vitally needed element for equitably transforming systems.

Why invest in sustainable rice?

Here are some of the top reasons why the time is now to invest in sustainable rice. 

Reducing GHG emissions. There are now proven methods to mitigate rice’s methane emissions by up to 70 percent using simple changes in farming techniques. These modifications include removing rice straw from the fields after harvest, new fertilization and soil amendment regimes, and careful control of the timing, duration and extent of rice field flooding. These transitions are possible through the training and support of rice farmers at the ground level.  

Blended-finance to de-risk investments. There is growing attention on blended finance opportunities to de-risk private-sector investment. Instead of pure grants, which are always in short supply, these investment tools catalyze private-sector investment and foster replicable projects. By combining private and public finance sources — such as commercial investors, donors, and/or multi-lateral trust funds like the Global Environment Facility — project design teams can deploy credit lines, loan guarantees, equity investments and other innovative approaches. Many investments can be aggregated into a larger facility or funding program to help scale and attract private finance in markets where the risks are too high for conventional financial products or local institutions alone. 

Climate resilience. Researchers have discovered effective methods of reducing rice’s reliance on water that are significantly more efficient than conventional farming techniques, creating more climate resilience. For example, a sustainable rice program in Vietnam used a micro-irrigation system that allows water to drip slowly to plant roots instead of the conventional field flooding method. This resulted in water savings of 60 percent to 70 percent and highlighted the power of technical farming assistance to reduce resource exhaustion and provide more consistent yields. 
 
A global network of support. Sustainable rice farming programs are backed by a network of international organizations including the United Nations, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and my organization, the Global Environment Facility. Programs such as the Sustainable Rice Landscape Initiative are well underway to help private companies make the shift from conventional rice farming to green techniques in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s GHG emission targets. The Sustainable Rice Platform helps create customized finance approaches and climate transition blueprints. 

Small farmers are ready. Training and capacity-building for farmers and smallholders have been underway for several years now, paving the way for a systemic transition to sustainable rice production and providing additional assurance for private investors who were reluctant to invest in a country that is too early in this process. Support for farmers can take many forms, such as teaching mechanized harvesting methods in Nigeria, which prevented almost half a ton of food loss and increased farmer profits by approximately $200 per hectare. 

The time is now for the private sector to invest in sustainable rice production — not only to meet global climate policy requirements, but also to ensure that rice farming is able to adapt to our changing planet and that businesses remain profitable. Conventional rice farming methods are a ticking time bomb. The foundation has been laid in terms of developing proven techniques, working with governments to shift national policies, and training farmers around the world. It’s time for CEOs to take the leap, not only to save their businesses, but also to prevent climate and hunger disasters. 

 A farmer works in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua)

YANGON, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Farmers are busy working in paddy fields at Dala Township in Myanmar's capital Yangon, with high hopes for this year's monsoon harvest.

Myanmar produces approximately 14 million tons of milled rice annually, with around 10 to 11 million tons consumed domestically and a surplus of 2 to 2.5 million tons exported to Asian, European, and African countries.

A farmer carries rice seedlings at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/Xinhua)

Women plant rice seedlings in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

Farmers plant rice seedlings in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

A farmer works in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

 A woman walks in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

A farmer works in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

A farmer works in a paddy field at Dala Township in Yangon, Myanmar, July 13, 2023. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua) ■

Rice, a staple food grain in many Asian countries, feeds nearly two-thirds of the human population almost on a daily basis. However, millions of diabetic and pre-diabetic patients are often forced to take the beloved rice off their plates due to the high glycemic index of processed white rice on our supermarket shelves.

But fret not! Scientists have recently shed light on a culinary treasure trove — an endemic Indian rice variety showing immense promise against not only type 2 diabetes but also cardiac ailments.

The variety in question is Joha, an aromatic small-grain winter paddy crop grown in Northeast India, largely in Assam. For centuries, many people in the region have been using this variety as a healthier alternative to regular white rice. Such claims around its anti-diabetic and cardioprotective potential prompted researchers at Guwahati’s Institute of Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (IASST) to explore its unique properties.

“Given that rice is a staple in the Asia Pacific region and also widely consumed around the world, we believe that popularising a rice variety with potent anti-diabetic activity such as Joha could greatly help reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes,” told Rajlakshmi Devi from the IASST to SciDev.Net.

Through in vitro laboratory analysis, the scientists detected two unsaturated fatty acids in Joha rice variety – linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acid. Remarkably, these essential fatty acids, which humans cannot produce on their own, offer a plethora of physiological benefits. Particularly, omega-3 fatty acids have the ability to combat various metabolic diseases, including diabetes, heart ailments, and even cancer!

Intriguingly, scented Joha rice has a perfectly balanced ratio of these essential compounds compared to other widely consumed scented varieties.

That’s not all! Joha rice is also brimming with bioactive compounds, popularly called antioxidants, flavonoids and phenolics, with known efficacy in lowering blood sugar and protecting against heart disease.

In fact, laboratory studies conducted on diabetic rats show Joha rice diet actively lowered blood glucose levels and raised insulin levels compared to diets based on other rice varieties. Surprisingly, the rats on the Joha rice diet could even successfully recover from diabetes and thwart its onset!

By 2045, India’s diabetes burden is set to skyrocket to a staggering figure of 134 million, per the International Diabetes Federation. Therefore, the next crucial step would be to mainstream such little-known healthy rice variety.

Scientists say that Joha packs the punch with not only its protective benefits but also its flavours and tender texture. With a little push from the policymakers, scientists hope that incentivising its cultivation can help it transition from a lab-favourite to a preferred choice for households.

Shortage of paddy, fears of crop being affected by weather factors behind the spike

Prices of Indian rice have increased by nearly 10 per cent over the past couple of weeks in the global market, but still they continue to be competitive as prices of the cereal from other origins have also gone up. However, the high prices have dried up export demand. 

“Indian rice prices have gone up by 5-10 per cent recently but this is the usual case with it during the lean season from July-September,” said BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association of India (TREA).

Prices of parboiled rice, in demand from Vietnam and African countries, have increased from the levels of $380-390 a tonne to $430, he said.

Business dull

Traders said a major reason for the increase in rice prices is that paddy is being quoted higher or reports of its non-availability. 

“There seems to be a shortage of paddy, particularly in the south pushing up prices. There is still no parity in paddy rates compared with rice,” said S Chandrasekaran, a Delhi-based trade analyst.

“Last week, we bought rice, ex-mill, at ₹29,000 a tonne, but now it is quoted at ₹30,500,” said VR Vidya Sagar, Director, Bulk Logix. Prices of 5 per cent white rice have increased by at least $25 a tonne to levels of $490.

“No business is happening as buyers are of the view that prices are high. There are enquiries only for cheap rice from Singapore and East Timor,” said M Madan Prakash, President, Agricultural Commodities Exporters Association (ACEA). 

A trader from North India said paddy prices were shooting up every day, particularly in States such as Chhattisgarh — a phenomenon not seen in the past few years. “The volume of paddy available is also less,” he said. Shortage of paddy is being reported from centres such as Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.

Fear factors

Despite these developments, research agency BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, has cut its average price forecast for rice to 2.9 per cent for CBOT-listed second-month rough rice futures in 2023. The price forecast has been lowered from $17.30 per cwt (hundredweight or 45.35 kg) to $16.80.

“Prices have gone up on fears of floods affecting production of paddy in North India and deficient rainfall lowering the area under the cereal during the current kharif sowing,” said Bulk Logix’s Sagar.

Prices of Sona Masuri, Ponni or idli rice have all increased above $650. “Prices of Sona Masuri and other varieties have gone from $550 to highs not seen in the recent past. Normally, prices of these rice varieties are stable,” said ACEA’s Prakash. 

A section of the trade blames the Chhattisgarh government’s move to hike the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to ₹2,800 a quintal for the spike in prices. 

Reflecting new MSP

TREA’s Rao said rice prices have begun to reflect the MSP fixed by the Centre for the 2023-24 crop year (July-June). The MSP for rice has been increased to ₹2,183 a quintal for the common variety from ₹2,040 last year. 

Traders are, however, unanimous that prices could begin cooling from September onwards. 

Research agency BMI  forecast that the global rice market will loosen through the 2023-24 season, moving from an estimated deficit of 9.9 million tonnes (mt) in 2022-23 to a narrow deficit of one mt. But the “now-confirmed” El Nino could pose a risk and it will support prices in the interim.

Despite these developments, the US Department of Agriculture has estimated India’s rice exports to increase to 24 mt in the 2023-24 marketing season (September-August). It also projected India’s rice production at 134 mt compared with the record 136 mt this season. 

NEW DELHI: Warmer, drier weather because of an earlier than usual El Nino is expected to hamper rice production across Asia, hitting global food security in a world still reeling from the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

An El Nino is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts global weather patterns, and climate change is making them stronger. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this one in June, a month or two earlier than it usually does. This gives it time to grow. Scientists say there's a one in four chance it will expand to supersized levels.

That's bad news for rice farmers, particularly in Asia where 90% of the world’s rice is grown and eaten, since a strong El Nino typically means less rainfall for the thirsty crop.

Past El Ninos have resulted in extreme weather, ranging from drought to floods.

There are already “alarm bells,” said Abdullah Mamun, a research analyst at the International Food Policy Research Institute or IFPRI, pointing to rising rice prices due to shortfalls in production. The average price of 5% broken white rice in June in Thailand was about 16% higher than last year's average.

Global stocks have run low since last year, in part due to devastating floods in Pakistan, a major rice exporter. This year’s El Nino may amplify other woes for rice-producing countries, such as reduced availability of fertilizer due to the war and some countries' export restrictions on rice. Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal are particularly vulnerable, warned a recent report by research firm BMI.

“There is uncertainty over the horizon,” Mamun said.

Recently, global average temperatures have hit record highs. Monsoon rains over India were lighter than usual by the end of June. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday asked his ministers to anticipate a long dry season. And in the Philippines, authorities are carefully managing water to protect vulnerable areas.

Some countries are bracing for food shortages. Indonesia was among the worst hit by India’s decision to restrict rice exports last year after less rain fell than expected and a historic heat wave scorched wheat, raising worries that domestic food prices would surge.

Last month, India said it would send over 1 million metric tons (1.1 million U.S. tons) to Indonesia, Senegal and Gambia to help them meet “their food security needs.”

Fertilizer is another crucial variable. Last year China, a major producer, restricted exports to keep domestic prices in check after fertilizers were among exports affected by sanctions on Russian ally Belarus for human rights violations. Sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine don’t specifically target fertilizers but the war has disrupted shipments of the three main chemical fertilizers: potash, phosphorus, and nitrogen.

Bangladesh found suppliers in Canada to make up for lost potash shipments from Belarus, but many countries are still scrambling to find new sources.

Farmers like Abu Bakar Siddique, who cultivates 1.2 hectares (3 acres) in northern Bangladesh, had enough fertilizer to keep his yields steady last year. But less rainfall meant he had to rely more on electric pumps for his winter harvest at a time of power shortages due to war-related shortfalls of diesel and coal.

“This increased my costs,” he said.

Each El Nino is different, but historical trends suggest scarce rainfall in South and Southeast Asia will parch the soil, causing cascading effects in coming years, said Beau Damen, a natural resources officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization based in Bangkok, Thailand. Some countries, like Indonesia, may be more vulnerable in the early stages of the phenomenon, he said.

Kusnan, a farmer in Indonesia's East Java, said rice farmers there have tried to anticipate that by planting earlier so that when the El Nino hits, the rice might be ready for harvest and not needing so much water. Kusnan, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said he hoped high yields last year would help offset any losses this year.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stressed the need to manage water well in the coming weeks, warning that various factors including export restrictions and fertilizer shortages could combine with the El Nino to “make this a particularly damaging event.”

Baldev Singh, a 52-year-old farmer in northern India's Punjab state, is already worried. He typically sows rice from late June until mid-July, but then needs the monsoon rains to flood the paddies. Less than a tenth of the usual rainfall had come by early this month, and then floods ravaged northern India, battering young crops that had just been planted.

The government has encouraged Punjab farmers to grow rice along with their traditional wheat crops since the 1960s to improve India's food security, even though farmers like Singh don’t typically eat rice and irrigation of rice fields has drained the area's aquifers. But he keeps growing it, counting on the certainty of government purchases at fixed prices.

With rain scarce, Singh may need to dig wells. Last year, he dug down 200 feet (60 meters) to find water.

“Rice has been our ruin ... I don’t know what will happen in the future,” he said.

India is considering banning the export of non-Basmati rice, which could further increase global rice prices due to the reemergence of El Niño.

India is contemplating a potential prohibition on the export of numerous rice varieties. This proposed measure, if implemented, could further elevate the already soaring global prices of this vital food staple, particularly as the disruptive El Niño weather phenomenon reemerges. India is the largest exporter of rice in the world.

Government officials are currently engaged in discussions concerning a plan to restrict the export of non-Basmati rice, as disclosed to Bloomberg by individuals knowledgeable about the matter.  LiveMint could not independently verify the report.

The motive behind this proposal, according to these insiders who requested anonymity due to the confidentiality of the information, is to mitigate the risk of heightened inflation ahead of upcoming elections.

India's decision to ban rice exports will have a significant impact, affecting approximately 80% of the India's rice exports. While this move may potentially lower domestic prices, it carries the risk of causing global costs to surge even higher. 

Rice stands as a crucial staple for approximately half of the global population, with Asia alone accounting for about 90% of the world's rice consumption. 

Concerns over the return of the El Niño weather phenomenon have already driven benchmark prices to a two-year high, heightening fears of potential crop damage and exacerbating the upward trajectory of prices in the global rice market.

India, a dominant player in the global rice trade, holds a substantial share of approximately 40%. In recent times, the country has taken measures to strengthen control over the trade of certain rice varieties. Notably, India implemented a ban on the export of broken rice in 2022. 

Also , a 20% duty was imposed on shipments of white and brown rice, in response to the surge in food staple prices, triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, impacting commodities such as wheat and corn. Furthermore, India has imposed limitations on exports of wheat and sugar, indicating a concerted effort to regulate the trade of these essential food commodities.

Representatives for the food, trade and finance ministries didn’t respond to emails or text messages seeking comment. 

Importers such as Indonesia, China and the Philippines have been aggressively stockpiling rice this year. El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, according to the World Meteorological Organization, threatening to bring drought to many rice-growing regions. A potential ban by India will add to worries over supply.

India’s plan comes after its consumer price inflation quickened in June, mainly due to higher food prices. Bloomberg Economics expects inflation to rebound further with the latest surge in tomato prices — a key ingredient in Indian cuisine — and an increase in the government’s support price for monsoon-sown crops.

BUTUAN CITY – At least 700 rice farmers in the Agusan del Norte town of Las Nieves are set to receive rice seeds under the agriculture development program of the local government with the support of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Agusan.

On Thursday, about 1,000 sacks of certified rice seeds worth PHP760,000 were received by the Las Nieves local government from PhilRice-Agusan and the Butuan Seed Producers Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The seed allocation forms part of the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund of PhilRice and the Department of Agriculture (DA) 13 (Caraga Region).

In an interview Thursday, Las Nieves information officer Michael Mandahinog said the rice seeds would be delivered to the rain-fed rice areas, particularly in nine barangays.

“Providing support to rice farmers is among the priorities of the administration of Mayor Karen Rosales. Las Nieves is among the rice-producing towns in Agusan del Norte,” Mandahinog said.

Las Nieves produced 10,433 metric tons of palay in 2022, he said.

The newly-received certified seeds, which include varieties NSIC RC 160, RC 216, and RC 436, are stored at the municipal warehouse and are ready for distribution by the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) to the beneficiaries.

“The MAO will post the schedules of the distributions to the covered barangays for the information of our farmers who will receive the certified rice seeds for free,” Mandahinog said.

All the 700 recipients are registered at the Farmer and Fisherfolk Registry System of the agriculture department. (PNA)

Fortified rice which was supplied at ₹34/kg is being made available at ₹31/kg and wheat at ₹21.50/kg instead of ₹22.50/kg

 The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has reduced the price of rice and wheat being tendered out under the open market sale scheme (domestic) for registered bulk buyers.

Fortified rice which was supplied at ₹34/kg is being made available at ₹31/kg and wheat at ₹21.50/kg instead of ₹22.50/kg, said Manjeev Kumar Goyal, Deputy General Manager, FCI in Chennai on July 13.  

Addressing presspersons, Mr. Goyal said that the price of rice and wheat had been reduced as a market control mechanism to benefit consumers. Only traders having GST numbers in Tamil Nadu can bid. This is to ensure that the commodities are not resold to traders or middlemen outside the State. The FCI also keeps track of stock position of the millers and traders to doubly ensure this. A minimum of 10 tonnes to a maximum of 100 tonnes can be procured by one person or company, he said.

Ravi Shastri, deputy general manager (operations), said that so far, three tranches of wheat had been offered in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In the latest, 16,000 tonnes of wheat are available for Tamil Nadu and 2,000 tonnes for Puducherry. So far 4,800 tonnes have been sold via 15 depots in the State and 190 tonnes through one depot in the Union Territory. A total of 48,000 tonnes of rice are also available in this tranche. Stocks are bid through https://www.valuejunction.in/fci/ portal.  

At present, FCI’s stock in hand for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for supply under the public distribution system and the noon meal scheme is 8.54 lakh tonnes of rice and 1.11 lakh tonnes of wheat, which is sufficient to meet the requirement for 10 months, Mr. Goyal added.  

KARACHI  - A three-member delegation comprising of quarantine inspectors from the National Health Service, Food Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA), Mexico is visiting Pakistan from 11th to 14th July, 2023 for the inspection of rice establishments to lift ban on import of rice from Pakistan. The visit of the delegation has been organized by TDAP in collaboration with REAP and DPP and our Mission at Mexico.

On the first day of the visit, the delegation inspected two leading establishments of rice in Punjab and also visited Ayub Agriculture Institute and Agriculture University of Faisalabad. They also visiting Rice Research Institute KSK. On 13 and 14th July, the delegation will visit rice establishments in Karachi.

It is pertinent to mention that Mexico granted market access to Pakistani polished rice (low risk goods) in 2012, however, banned import of rice from Pakistan claiming interception of Pakistani rice consignment with Khapra beetle in 2013. Mexico is one of the potential importer of rice and in 2022, Mexico imported $295.3 million worth of rice from the world. With the efforts of Trade Mission at Mexico, DPP, REAP and TDAP, it is expected that (SENASICA), Mexico will consider lifting ban on import of rice from Pakistan and exports of rice to South America will be increased.

July 13 (Reuters) - India, the world's biggest rice exporter, is considering banning exports of most rice varieties, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The government is discussing a plan to ban exports of all non-Basmati rice, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reporting by Yana Gaur in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar.

NEW DELHI — 

Warmer, drier weather because of an earlier-than-usual El Nino is expected to hamper rice production across Asia, hitting global food security in a world still reeling from the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

An El Nino is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts global weather patterns, and climate change is making them stronger. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this one in June, a month or two earlier than it usually does. This gives it time to grow. Scientists say there's a one in four chance it will expand to supersized levels.

That's bad news for rice farmers, particularly in Asia where 90% of the world's rice is grown and eaten, since a strong El Nino typically means less rainfall for the thirsty crop.

Past El Ninos have resulted in extreme weather, ranging from drought to floods.

There are already "alarm bells," said Abdullah Mamun, a research analyst at the International Food Policy Research Institute or IFPRI, pointing to rising rice prices due to shortfalls in production. The average price of 5% broken white rice in June in Thailand was about 16% higher than last year's average.

Global stocks have run low since last year, in part due to devastating floods in Pakistan, a major rice exporter. This year's El Nino may amplify other woes for rice-producing countries, such as reduced availability of fertilizer due to the war and some countries' export restrictions on rice. Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal are particularly vulnerable, warned a recent report by research firm BMI.

"There is uncertainty over the horizon," Mamun said.

Recently, global average temperatures have hit record highs. Monsoon rains over India were lighter than usual by the end of June. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday asked his ministers to anticipate a long dry season. And in the Philippines, authorities are carefully managing water to protect vulnerable areas.

Some countries are bracing for food shortages. Indonesia was among the worst hit by India's decision to restrict rice exports last year after less rain fell than expected and a historic heat wave scorched wheat, raising worries that domestic food prices would surge.

Last month, India said it would send more than 1 million metric tons (1.1 million U.S. tons) to Indonesia, Senegal and Gambia to help them meet "their food security needs."

Challenges finding fertilizer

Fertilizer is another crucial variable. Last year China, a major producer, restricted exports to keep domestic prices in check after fertilizers were among exports affected by sanctions on Russian ally Belarus for human rights violations. Sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine don't target fertilizers but the war has disrupted shipments of the three main chemical fertilizers: potash, phosphorus, and nitrogen.

Bangladesh found suppliers in Canada to make up for lost potash shipments from Belarus, but many countries are still scrambling to find new sources.

Farmers such as Abu Bakar Siddique, who cultivates 1.2 hectares (3 acres) in northern Bangladesh, had enough fertilizer to keep his yields steady last year. But less rainfall meant he had to rely more on electric pumps for his winter harvest at a time of power shortages due to war-related shortfalls of diesel and coal.

"This increased my costs," he said.

Attempting to adapt

Each El Nino is different, but historical trends suggest scarce rainfall in South and Southeast Asia will parch the soil, causing cascading effects in coming years, said Beau Damen, a natural resources officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization based in Bangkok, Thailand. Some countries, like Indonesia, may be more vulnerable in the early stages of the phenomenon, he said.

Kusnan, a farmer in Indonesia's East Java, said rice farmers there have tried to anticipate that by planting earlier so that when the El Nino hits, the rice might be ready for harvest and not need so much water. Kusnan, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said he hoped high yields last year would help offset any losses this year.

Widodo, the Indonesian leader, stressed the need to manage water in coming weeks, warning that various factors — including export restrictions and fertilizer shortages — could combine with the El Nino to "make this a particularly damaging event."

Baldev Singh, a 52-year-old farmer in northern India's Punjab state, is already worried. He typically sows rice from late June until mid-July, then needs the monsoon rains to flood the paddies. Less than a tenth of the usual rainfall had come by early this month, and then floods ravaged northern India, battering young crops that had just been planted.

The government has encouraged Punjab farmers to grow rice along with their traditional wheat crops since the 1960s to improve India's food security, even though farmers like Singh don't typically eat rice and irrigation of rice fields has drained the area's aquifers. But he keeps growing it, counting on the certainty of government purchases at fixed prices.

With rain scarce, Singh may need to dig wells. Last year, he dug down 200 feet (60 meters) to find water.

"Rice has been our ruin ... I don't know what will happen in the future," he said.

Q: I read that red yeast rice is a natural substance to lower cholesterol. Is this better than taking a prescribed medication?

A: In order for a prescribed medication to get FDA approval there must be significant clinical data to demonstrate safety and efficacy. Clinical trials for these medications usually include a large number of patients, and there is typically a fairly long followup. 

For example, one study of lovastatin (a cholesterol-lowering prescription medication), the AFCAPS/TexCAPS study, recruited 5,608 men and 997 women with an average patient followup of more than five years. This study not only looked at lowering cholesterol (it lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol by about 25%), but doing so at the first incidence of a cardiac event (e.g. a heart attack; cardiac events were lowered by 37%). 

Preventing drownings:With summer in full swing, take proper precautions by the water

The overall safety profile of lovastatin was similar to the control arm (those treated with placebo as a comparison group); that is, there were similar rates for the need to stop the treatment due to side effects in both groups. These results were consistent with the earlier EXCEL trial (which recruited 8,245 patients but only followed them for about a year).

This does not mean that there are no possible side effects or issues from taking lovastatin. Side effects reported from lovastatin include muscle pain in 2-3% of patients, headache in 2-3%, nausea in 2-3%, gas/flatulence in 4-5%, constipation in 2-4%, stomach pain in 2-3%, as well as other issues (liver issues, muscle weakness, allergic reactions and others). Interestingly, many people (up to half in some studies) stop their statin cholesterol treatment because they believe it's causing side effects/symptoms.

Red yeast rice (RYR, made by fermenting the yeast Monascus purpureus over red rice) contains monacolin K, which has essentially the same chemical makeup as lovastatin. And there have been some studies of this dietary supplement:

• Short-duration studies done by UCLA (83 people followed for 12 weeks), the American Heart Association (446 people followed for eight weeks), and others noted decreases in LDL cholesterol similar to those seen with lovastatin. 
• A metanalysis (this is when data from multiple small studies is grouped together) adding up to 6,663 subjects followed for up to 24 months came to similar conclusions.
• One large study, the China coronary secondary prevention study (CCSPS), enrolled almost 5,000 people and followed them for 4.5 years, and found a similar reduction in cardiac events as seen with lovastatin (38% risk reduction).

With the exception of the Chinese study on RYR, the other studies were small and of short duration. This is because (at least in part) doing large, long followup studies is expensive. Large studies are required for FDA approval, but dietary supplements are not FDA approved, and hence there are no specific safety and efficacy requirements. 

If you are taking either lovastatin (or other statins) or RYR you need to be cautious taking certain other medications (certain antibiotics, anti-fungal medications and many other medications may have interactions with statins or RYR), minimize alcohol intake, be extra-careful if you have any kidney, liver or certain other conditions, and consult your clinician if you are, or are trying to become, pregnant or are breastfeeding. Care should also be taken to avoid grapefruit juice, as this can alter the absorption of these medications (and many others as well). 

So, noting that there is clinical data to support the use of RYR, why not take that instead of lovastatin (or some other statin)? Maybe it's OK to do this. However, medications approved and regulated by the FDA are required not only to have sufficient data on safety and efficacy for initial approval, but are required to do post-market surveillance to identify possible risks not seen in the initial approval studies. Many people may remember the issues uncovered with Vioxx (a Cox 2 inhibitor) in post-market data that identified an increase in cardiac risk and that led to it being withdrawn from the market. The FDA also requires certain manufacturing and other quality standards.

There may be some issues with RYR (which contains other substances besides monacolin K) that would be more evident if there was post market surveillance like for FDA approved medications. For example:

• The FDA issued consumer warnings in 2007 and in 2013 expressing concern due to the lack of significant evidence about RYR’s efficacy and safety.
• A report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) noted “that the available information on the adverse effects reported in humans were judged to be sufficient to conclude that monacolins from RYR when used as food supplements were of significant safety concern at the use level of 10 mg/day. The panel further considered that individual cases of severe adverse reactions have been reported for monacolins from RYR at intake levels as low as 3 mg/day.”

The lack of FDA oversite of manufacturing and quality may also be an issue:

• The FDA commented about the lack of standardization of preparation methods in its consumer warnings noted above.
• A 2010 study in the prestigious journal JAMA found huge variations in the concentrations of monacolin K (up to a factor of 100 between different “600 mg RYR” commercially available brands, with some containing as little as 0.1 mg of monacolin K per capsule and some having up to 10 mg/capsule). This study tested only one sample from each brand, so it did not look at variability from batch to batch of a given brand.
• The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (part of the National Institutes of Health) noted an analysis in 2021 that showed 36 of 37 RYR products had levels of citrinin (a toxin that can damage the kidneys) higher than the maximum level set by the European Union, including four that specifically labeled themselves “citrinin-free.”

So although it may be OK to take certain brands of RYR instead of a statin, there are also concerns as noted above. There are no guarantees when taking medications, even those regulated by the FDA. But despite some limitations of the FDA, there are many benefits from the work it does. Speak with your clinician to make the best decision for you, and if you do take RYR, try to find data about the specific brand you select, and be careful about switching between brands.

MANILA, Philippines — A local traders’ group has started to sell rice at P38 per kilo in certain areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces amid the upward trend in retail prices of the staple.

Rowena Sadicon, lead convenor of the Philippine Rice Industry Stakeholders Movement (PRISM), said her group sells local well-milled rice to retailers at P38 per kilo, which will be sold by vendors at the same price as part of their social responsibility.

“This P38 per kilo will be included in the regular orders. We have informed our retailers that we will sell them well-milled rice at P38 per kilo and they should sell it without added profit,” Sadicon said.

She said the lowest retail price of the grain in the market is P40 per kilo for imported well-milled rice.

“We still want to sell at P38 per kilo as the lowest price of rice is now at P40 and these are imported broken rice,” Sandicon said.

Among areas where the P38 per kilo rice will be sold are Las Piñas City, Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City and Parañaque as weall as Bulacan and Pampanga.

Sadicon said each customer could avail of a maximum of five kilos of local well-milled rice.

“This is an initiative of a private NGO. At least five kilos a day will be the maximum for every household. We are now coordinating with the local government units and barangays so we can supply the depressed areas,” Sadicon said, referring to a non-government organization.

She said the P38 per kilo rice would be available for three months as the country waits for the harvest in November.

“Based on our meeting, we will continue selling during the lean months until October. Hopefully, by the time the harvest season starts, the retail prices of rice will start to go down,” Sadicon added.

Cathy Estavillo, spokesperson for rice watchdog Bantay Bigas, welcomed the initiative of the PRISM, saying it showed the need to return the function of the National Food Authority (NFA) to import and sell rice at P27 and P32 per kilo.

“The initiative of PRISM in selling P38 per kilo of rice is a big help amid the spike in the retail prices of basic commodities. Poor consumers look for cheap rice in the market. PRISM has mentioned that their initiative will be good until October,” Estavillo said.

She said it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the retail prices of rice are affordable.

“Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Liberation Law should be junked and return the mandate of the NFA to sell P27 and P32 per kilo of rice. The NFA should also buy 25 percent of the local palay production of farmers at a farmgate price of P20 per kilo,” Estavillo said.

Based on monitoring of the Department of Agriculture in Metro Manila markets, the retail price of local regular milled rice is P42 per kilo; well-milled rice, P46; premium rice, P50 and special rice, P60 per kilo.

The retail price of imported well-milled rice is P48 per kilo while special rice is P58 per kilo.

‘Stop chicken imports’

Meanwhile, President Marcos has been asked to stop the importation of chicken as imported meat products are flooding the local market.

Gregorio San Diego, chairman of United Broiler Raisers Association and Philippine Egg Board, yesterday said he personally relayed to Marcos the problem of over importation during a recent meeting with local stakeholders at Malacañang. The meeting, which took place on July 10, was arranged by the National Agricultural and Fishery Council.

San Diego said he also raised the plight of the small and medium poultry raisers who were affected by the over importation of chicken products.

He said his concern on the oversupply of chicken was referred to Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.

With heavy showers in July have meant that, India, which was seeing a 30% deficit in rainfall in mid-June, is now at 2% excess rainfall reading. However, the June deficit has had an effect on kharif acreage sowing which is around 9% lower than what it was last year.

The sowing seen in rice and pulses saw the weakest progress — shrinking by almost a quarter.

“Within pulses, lower acreage of Arhar (Pigeon pea) and Urad (Black lentil) was noted for the same period. Even the sown area of oilseeds, cotton and Jute and Mesta have fallen sharply,” say economists at Bank of Baroda.

Economists at HDFC say that uneven distribution of rainfall is the reason for the blip in sowing.

“This could be due to weak rainfall progress in major rice and tur producing states. Looking ahead, as the majority of the season’s sowing takes place in July, rainfall progress during the month would be crucial,” say economists at HDFC.

Eastern belt states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and in Central (Maharashtra) and Southern region of Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala have received deficient rainfall. Then there is the El Nino effect which might impact the entire monsoon season.

On the other hand, signaling a bounty year for millets, sowing seen in bajra or pearl millet was much more than that of last year. Jowar or sorghum also saw higher sowing, along with coarse cereals – and a marginal growth in sugarcane.

The year of 2023 has been declared the year of millets by United Nations, and apart from the Union Budget push, most state governments like Chattisgarh and Odisha are providing incentives to farmers as a part of their millet missions.

Source: CEIC, Bank of Baroda │ Data as of 7 July 2023

Rainfall, inflation & rate cuts

The slump in sowing might have an effect on food prices, and the prices of vegetables like tomato, chillies and ginger rose sharply in the past few days, in addition to milk inflation which continues to be high. Tur, wheat and rice are also beginning to inch up.

“To reduce the impact of steep increase in tomato prices, some state governments like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have taken supply related measures. Among cereals, sufficient buffer stock of wheat and rice might offer a cushion and keep a check on prices,” said the HDFC report which expects inflation to average at 5% in the second quarter.

Also, in order to encourage pulses production the government has removed the 40% procurement limit on pulses, like Tur, Urad, Masur (red lentil).

“We expect the RBI to continue remaining on pause at its August meeting as the central bank’s inflation projections are on the cautious side and already factor in some upside to the inflation prints going forward. Although, if weather conditions turn for the worse and have a material impact on the inflation outlook, rate cut expectations by the RBI could be pushed back further in 2024,” HDFC believes.

A recent report by Kotak Institutional Equities says that a weak monsoon in July-August could make this a broad-based upside across various food items.

“This may not bode well for market expectations of an early rate cut cycle. We estimate inflation to average around 5% in FY2024 without any significant impact of monsoons and 5.3% in case monsoons were to disappoint and we see a more broad-based pickup in food prices,” Kotak says.

Verra invites proposals for the development of a new VCS methodology or module under VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.0 for the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice production systems.

Verra is initiating the development of a new methodology or module following the inactivation of the UNFCCC CDM rice methodology AMS-III.AU.: Methane emission reduction by adjusted water management practice in rice cultivation.

Practices used in rice production systems that focus on shortening the intermittent flooding period to alternate wet and dry soil conditions, such as midseason drainage and alternate wetting and drying, have a high potential to reduce methane emissions. However, there is some evidence that these activities contribute to increased nitrogen emissions and soil organic carbon losses, which must be taken into account when quantifying the total GHG emission balances of these practices.

Please view the Request for Proposals: Development of a VCS Methodology or Module for the Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rice Production Systems (PDF) for further details, including the scope of work, deliverables, timelines, and requisite skills and qualifications to apply.

MANILA, Philippines — National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Administrator Eduardo Guillen over the weekend called on the public to stop wasting rice amid the possible shortage in supply as the El Niño phenomenon threatens the country’s palay production.

“The wastage of food is a big factor. We are appealing that if we cannot consume the entire one cup of rice, we should only order half (cup). All the stakeholders should help to make the task easier,” Guillen said.

At the same time, Guillen said that local government units (LGUs) should also conduct the necessary preparations to minimize the impact of the dry spell in their respective jurisdictions.

“We are appealing for unity. We call this ‘bayanihan.’ The LGUs can help more as they are the missing link. As a former mayor (of Piddig, Ilocos Norte), I know that LGUs can help as they have their own funds,” he added.

Food supply threat

Farmers’ group Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI) president Danilo Fausto warned that El Niño phenomenon threatens the country’s food supply next year as he criticized the Department of Agriculture (DA) for lack of concrete actions to minimize the impact of the dry spell.

“Their (DA) programs (on El Niño) are clear but the issue is in the implementation,” Fausto said in a radio interview over the weekend.

He noted that farmers’ groups have been urging the DA to implement necessary preparation to ensure that farmers will be able to plant despite the dry spell.

“You need infrastructures. It requires bidding, budget. If you only start to provide funding, it will be too late,” Fausto said.

“The diversion dams, canal need repairs. Lateral canals cannot supply water from the dams because of leaks,” he added.

The PCAFI official noted that 75 percent of the country’s palay production comes from irrigated areas.

“If the government fails to supply water, our palay production will be affected and this will be felt during the first semester of next year,” he added.

Fausto said that aside from palay, also affected by the dry spell are cash crops including vegetables and root crops.

“Cash crops like vegetables, including root crops and onions are being planted near the rivers. If you don’t have water for irrigation, you cannot provide water for the cash crops. Even if you have deep wells, the water will also be affected,” he said.

According to Fausto, the government should not depend on importation as the El Niño is a worldwide phenomenon.

“The dry spell is also happening in Thailand, Vietnam where we import rice. What if we cannot also buy rice from them as the El Niño also affects them. These are frightening scenarios,” Fausto said.

He said that retail prices of food will also increase because of limited supply.

“If there is a shortage in the supply, it will result in the spike in retail prices. The poor or 30 percent and below of the country’s population will suffer because they cannot afford to buy rice. The rich can always buy regardless of the price,” he noted.

Fausto said that the government should hasten the construction of secondary dams, impounding systems to provide water for irrigation.

“This should be done while it is still raining although we are already experiencing below normal rains. The effect of El Niño is really frightening as definitely the result is shortage in the supply of food,” he said.

In a separate statement, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairperson Danilo Ramos said that the government’s El Niño Task Force and the National Irrigation Administration should inform the farmers on the plan of action to address the possible shortage of water supply for irrigation.

“We want to know NIA’s concrete plans on how to help farmers cope with El Niño and how to ensure the availability of rice and food crops despite extreme weather events,” Ramos said.

Livelihood assistance

Guillen said that among the worst-case scenarios being eyed by the NIA is to provide alternative livelihood assistance to farmers who cannot plant because of the dry spell.

“We have an estimate (on the farmers who may be affected by the dry spell). (Under the worst-case scenario) for those who cannot plant, at least they will be given alternative livelihood through the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers) of the Department of Labor and Employment. There is also the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s cash-for-work and food-for-work programs,” he added.

Guillen also called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to provide additional funding for the repair of damaged irrigation facilities.

“We are asking the DBM to increase the budget of NIA so that we can construct and repair our irrigation canals and at the same time, provide livelihood to our farmers,” he said.

Discover the vibrant world of healthy Indian rice varieties with black rice, red rice, and brown basmati. Explore their flavours, health benefits, and culinary possibilities

Welcome to the vibrant world of healthy Indian rice varieties! In a land where rice reigns supreme, there are exquisite alternatives to traditional white rice that not only add a splash of colour to your plate but also provide a myriad of health benefits. We will take you on a captivating culinary journey, introducing you to the alluring Black Rice, the nutrient-packed Red Rice, and the fragrant delight of Brown Basmati. Get ready to explore these fascinating rice varieties and discover a whole new world of flavours, textures, and nourishment that will redefine your perception of rice!

Black Rice - Unveiling the Forbidden Elegance:

Step into the realm of the extraordinary with Black Rice, often referred to as the "forbidden grain." This enchanting rice variety hails from the northeastern regions of India and boasts a rich history. Its deep, dark hue, reminiscent of midnight skies, immediately captures the imagination. The distinct nutty flavour and sticky texture make it a versatile ingredient that can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. But Black Rice is not just visually appealing; it is also a nutritional powerhouse. Packed with antioxidants, fibre, and essential minerals, Black Rice offers a myriad of health benefits, including improved digestion, reduced risk of heart disease, and enhanced brain function. Allow the allure of Black Rice to elevate your culinary creations and nourish your body.

Red Rice - A Symphony of Nutrition and Taste:

Indulge in the symphony of flavours and health benefits offered by Red Rice, a rice variety that exudes warmth and vitality. Cultivated in the verdant fields of southern India, Red Rice enchants with its earthy taste and a vibrant red husk that reflects the essence of the land. Red Rice undergoes minimal processing, ensuring that its natural nutrients remain intact. This rice variety is a treasure trove of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Its high fibre content aids digestion, promotes satiety, and supports weight management. Furthermore, Red Rice possesses anti-inflammatory properties and assists in regulating blood sugar levels. Add a splash of colour to your meals and savour the nutritional bounty that Red Rice brings to the table.

Brown Basmati - Fragrance, Health, and Elegance:

Prepare to be captivated by the fragrant allure and wholesome attributes of Brown Basmati rice. Known for its delightful aroma and slender, elongated grains, Brown Basmati is a staple choice for health enthusiasts. Unlike white Basmati rice, Brown Basmati retains its bran and germ layers, making it a whole-grain powerhouse. Bursting with fibre, vitamins, and minerals, including B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium, Brown Basmati offers a range of health benefits. Its fibre content promotes digestive health, aids in weight management, and supports a healthy heart. With its low glycemic index, Brown Basmati is also a wise choice for individuals seeking to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Let the fragrance of Brown Basmati infuse your meals and elevate your dining experience.

Culinary Adventures with Healthy Rice Varieties:

Now that you're acquainted with the wonders of Black Rice, Red Rice, and Brown Basmati, it's time to embark on some culinary adventures. Here are a few recipe ideas and cooking tips to make the most of these healthy rice varieties:

1. Black Rice Pudding: Transform Black Rice into a luscious dessert by simmering it with coconut milk, jaggery, and aromatic spices like cardamom. Top it off with fresh fruits and nuts for a delightful treat that indulges both the senses and the body.

2. Red Rice Salad: Combine cooked Red Rice with an array of colourful vegetables, crisp herbs, and a tangy dressing to create a refreshing and nutritious salad bursting with flavours. This vibrant dish is sure to be a hit at your next gathering.

3. Brown Basmati Pilaf: Elevate your pilaf game by using fragrant Brown Basmati rice. Sauté onions, garlic, and spices in a pan, then add soaked Brown Basmati rice and cook it to perfection with vegetable broth. Garnish it with toasted almonds and fresh herbs for an aromatic and wholesome delight.

As you journey through the realm of healthy Indian rice varieties, the allure of Black Rice, the vitality of Red Rice, and the fragrance of Brown Basmati will captivate your taste buds and nourish your body. Embrace the richness of these rice varieties' colours, flavours, and health benefits. With their unique qualities, Black Rice, Red Rice, and Brown Basmati have the power to transform your culinary experience and take you on a delightful adventure. So, savour the magic of these rich rice varieties, and let them inspire you to create memorable meals that celebrate both taste and well-being.

The government and policymakers must adopt a global mindset and address technical, economic and environmental challenges related to the production and export of basmati. The policies on quality control must be effectively implemented and rigorously monitored in the proposed zone, right from various stages of production till when the product reaches the consumer. This will ensure success of the zone as a reliable producer of export-quality, globally acceptable basmati rice.

THE initiatives of diversifying from the paddy-wheat cropping system and increasing basmati area and production are being promoted by governments and non-governmental agencies in almost all rice-producing states of the country. The main objective of this push is to achieve greater financial benefits by promoting the export of basmati rice. Basmati has tremendous export potential if the produce meets the desired quality standards. Large-scale production of export-quality basmati and the development of related export infrastructure will require the creation of basmati export zones in the rice-producing states.

The creation of these zones is imperative because the production and maintenance of purity of aromatic basmati rice are dependent on the selection of the right variety of basmati and the agro-climatic conditions under which the crop is grown. The fragrance of basmati is attributed to the presence of aromatic compounds (predominantly 2-acetyl-l-pyrroline), which are formed initially in the plant when it flowers, then get transferred to the grains, where they remain preserved if temperatures remain low during the ripening. This basmati-specific genetic character gets expressed only under specific soil and climatic conditions.

The export zones need to be created in the basmati-growing states/UTs, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The soil and climatic conditions are favourable, with mainly low temperatures during the ripening stage, for producing export-quality basmati. In Punjab, the export zone is proposed to be formed in the northern parts (Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Rupnagar). This zone should have a focused agenda to grow only the recommended basmati rice. In other parts of the state, since the temperatures remain higher, high yield may be obtained but the aroma decreases drastically.

In addition to the production of high-quality basmati, the diversion of areas from longer-duration non-basmati varieties (e.g. PR 126, Pusa 44, grown from June to October) towards shorter-duration basmati varieties (e.g. Pusa Basmati 1121, 1509, grown from early July to October) in this zone will reduce pressure on the rapidly declining water resources of the state.

In the proposed basmati zone, a transparent system needs to be developed regarding the variety of the crop being grown; the cropping system; soil, fertilisers, pesticides, water and energy management; adoption of basmati-specific quality standards at every stage, from planting of crop to maturity; post-harvest handling, processing and marketing. Efficient use of pesticides is a must to curb the accumulation of toxic pesticide residues in soil and plants, which can have an adverse effect on product quality, acceptability and exportability. In the past, basmati exports from India (especially to European Union countries) have suffered due to the presence of higher levels of pesticide residue (especially of tricyclazole and carbendazim pesticides) in rice grains. Plant breeders and entomologists need to play a significant role in recommending eco-efficient pest-control technologies. A well-run and transparent system will instil confidence in foreign buyers who will, in turn, be willing to pay more for high-quality basmati.

Pakistan is our main competitor for aromatic basmati in the global market; it is earning significant foreign exchange by exporting quality aromatic basmati. One of the reasons for Pakistan’s success is its transparent system in this regard, allowing buyers to assess the quality of the product they are purchasing. In Punjab, while basmati rice has good potential in terms of production, the inability to meet quality standards causes loss of confidence among foreign buyers.

The export zones can help in preventing adulteration of grains of genuine basmati. The grains should have about 7-mm length and 2.5-mm breadth; their amylose content should be in the range of 24-32 per cent. The adoption of these standards will deter growers, traders and companies from adulterating genuine basmati with non-basmati rice or other varieties. The quality-conscious international market is already carrying out DNA fingerprinting to identify adulteration material used and ensuring the credibility of the branding of the variety. For this, the setting up of state-of-the-art basmati-specific systems for quality control and infrastructure for processing (drying, milling, grading, packing, procurement, storage, transportation, marketing, etc.) will be essential in the proposed zone.

Basmati is traditionally exported to West Asia, the European Union, the US, South Africa, Tanzania and other nations. As per reports of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India caters to about 65 per cent of the world’s basmati export market. Additional international export markets must be explored through effective market-intelligence networks.

There is hardly any committed agency in Punjab that produces and supplies adequate quantities of ‘true-to-type’ basmati seed. In general, the seed is spread predominantly through farmer-to-farmer movement, resulting in deterioration of purity. A regulated genuine basmati rice seed production and supply system should also be developed in the identified zone to ensure the availability of high-quality seed to growers. For all this, farmers and traders will have to be intensively trained about various technological and economic aspects of producing high-quality basmati, marketing and other aspects so that the produce (raw or processed) is able to compete in the global market.

The government and policymakers must adopt a global mindset and address technical, economic and environmental challenges related to the production and export of basmati. The policies on quality control must be effectively implemented and rigorously monitored in the proposed zone, right from various stages of production till when the product reaches the consumer. This will ensure success of the zone as a reliable producer of export-quality, globally acceptable basmati rice.

Farmers are hopeful for better yield this year compared to the previous years given the gaining momentum in monsoon rain.

The paddy cultivation has started gaining momentum over the past week across the Jammu division with farmers expressing satisfaction over the good amount of rainfall under the influence of Monsoon winds and western disturbance over the region. The farmers are hopeful for better yield this year compared to the previous years.

The cultivation of paddy, especially the world-famous Basmati rice, serves as the sole source of income to a majority of farmers in R S Pura, Marh and parts of Samba and Kathua districts in Jammu region. "Paddy and maize are main crops of the Jammu region which are dependent on rain water…We had good pre-monsoon rains. The Monsoon has also set on time which is good,” Joint Director, Agriculture Department, AS Reen told PTI. He said the sowing of maize that is mostly cultivated in the rain-fed hilly areas was completed sometime back and the frequent rains over the past week are a blessing for the crop.

The rice cultivation in Jammu plains and some parts of hilly areas is in progress. “Watering of fields from canals and tube wells is insufficient and the rainfall is quite essential for the crop, especially Basmati Rice which needs a lot of water for irrigation.”

The Basmati crop takes 160-170 days to reach the harvesting stage and needs a lot of water at crucial stages for a successful crop. Reen said the paddy production of Jammu is around four lakh quintals, while two lakh quintals of rice are procured through Food Corporation of India to meet the local demand.

Maize production is around four lakh quintals and the department facilitates the farmers to sell their surplus produce. He said the production of paddy and maize can go up by 25% to 30%, depending on various factors including best quality seed, proper fertilization and rain water.

“The department is playing its part to ensure availability of best quality seed and fertilizers to the farmers,” he said, requesting the farmers to go for crop insurance to avoid losses in case of any calamity.

"Rains are beneficial for the growth of the paddy. The success of the crop depends on water availability during the next one month and if we had a good monsoon, we are hopeful of a good yield this time,” Darshan Kumar, a farmer from Marh block in the outskirts of Jammu city told PTI.

He said the agriculture department employees are working in close coordination with the farmers to educate them about the newly introduced government schemes. Thakur Dass said rains have brought relief as earlier there was a shortage of water, also affecting the wheat crop.

The agriculture department last week celebrated crop insurance week to launch a mass awareness campaign for maximum enrolment of the farmers under the scheme for Kharif-2023. Director Agriculture, Jammu K K Sharma said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) will go a long way in mitigating the financial risk of the farmers suffering from the crop losses and aid in stabilizing their income.

Highlighting the achievements under the scheme, Sharma said till date one lakh farmers in Jammu division have benefited from PMFBY with the disbursement of an amount to the tune of Rs 96 crore as settlement of claims to these beneficiaries.

The Director said 50,000 farmers have already enrolled under the scheme in Jammu division well before the cut-off date of July 15. He urged farmers to enroll under the scheme to avail the benefits against weather-vagaries for the notified crops, including Paddy and Maize in the Kharif season and Wheat in the Rabi season with a minimal premium of 2% (Kharif) and 1.5% (Rabi season) as per the Scale of Finance.

MUMBAI: Global rice prices, now at their highest in 11 years, are set to rally further after India moved to boost payments to farmers, just as El Nino threatens yields in key producers and alternative staples get costlier for poor Asians and Africans.

India accounts for more than 40% of world rice exports, which were 56 million tonnes in 2022, but low inventories mean any cut in shipments will fuel food prices driven up by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and erratic weather. “India was the cheapest supplier of rice,” B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA), told Reuters. “As Indian prices moved up because of the new minimum support price, other suppliers also started raising prices.”

Rice is a staple for more than 3 billion people and nearly 90% of the water-intensive crop is produced in Asia, where the El Nino weather pattern usually brings lower rainfall.

Yet even before the weather phenomenon can disrupt production, the global rice price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization hovers above an 11-year high.

That comes despite a forecast by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for near-record output in all top six global producers — Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The impact of El Nino is not restricted to any single country; it affects rice output in almost all producing countries,” said Nitin Gupta, vice president of Olam India’s rice business. The price of Indian rice exports has jumped 9% to a five-year high, following a hike of 7% last month in the price the government pays farmers for new-season common rice.

Export prices in Thailand and Vietnam have risen to more than two-year highs since that incentive, aimed at luring the votes of farmers in key Indian state elections this year and a general election next year. In recent months, the prices of sugar, meat and eggs have jumped to multi-year highs worldwide, after producers cut exports to rein in domestic costs.

Despite the forecast for a strong Asian crop, some global trading houses expect El Nino to crimp the output of all key rice producers. “Rice prices have already been rising due to limited supplies,” added Olam’s Gupta. “If production decreases, there will be a rally in prices.”

Global inventories of rice are set to drop to a six-year low of 170.2 million tonnes by the end of 2023/24, as stocks fall in top producers China and India, the USDA says, after the rising demand of recent years.

Prices could rise a fifth or more if yields drop sharply, as El Nino means the second rice crop in almost all Asian nations will be lower than normal, said a New Delhi-based grains dealer with a global trading house. No. 2 exporter Thailand has urged farmers to plant only one rice crop after May rainfall was 26% below normal.

In India, which plants its second crop in November, planting of summer-sown rice was down 26% from a year ago by Friday, as the monsoon brought 8% less rain than normal, government data show. Weather in China, the top producer of the grain, has not been conducive for the early season crop but high stockpiles will balance supply and demand, said Rosa Wang, an analyst with Shanghai JC Intelligence.

Food inflation is always a concern for India’s ruling party, which banned wheat exports last year and curbed those of rice and sugar to bring down prices.

As elections near, the slow start of planting amid rising domestic prices is a concern for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), raising the prospect that it could further curb exports.

“The Modi government is grappling with the task of containing the price rise in wheat, which is why it would not hesitate to impose restrictions,” said the dealer based in New Delhi, the Indian capital.

Non-basmati rice dispatch rise 6% as Africa, West Asia buy more

Indian rice exports were off to a good start in the current financial year with volume of shipments increasing by about a tenth in the first two months to over 3.67 million tonnes (mt) compared with 3.36 mt in the same period a year ago on strong demand for basmati rice.

Basmati rice shipments during this period were up 21 per cent at 8.30 lakh tonnes (lt) against 6.85 lt a year ago. Similarly, non-basmati rice shipments, despite curbs on broken rice and export duty, were up by 6 per cent at 2.84 mt against 2.67 mt.

Basmati shipments to West Asia, the main market for the aromatic rice registered an increase of 13 per cent at 6.15 lt against 5.43 lt a year ago on higher demand from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. However, shipments to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen declined. Exports in dollar terms to West Asia were up 22 per cent at $665 million ($545 million in the year-ago period).

Gain in other geographies

To other geographies such as European Union and Asian countries, basmati shipments more than doubled during these two months. Shipment volumes to the European Union were up 154 per cent at 41,644 tonnes (16,407 tonnes) on demand from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium. The basmati export value to the EU during April-May was up 196 per cent at $52.61 million ($17.74 million). In Asia, countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal among others stepped up the purchase of the aromatic rice with volumes rising to 15,339 tonnes (6,995 tonnes).

Similarly, in the case of non-basmati rice, shipments to Africa during April-May were up at 20.96 lt (15.49 lt), while exports to West Asia recorded a 24 per cent growth at 2.20 lt (1.77 lt). “There is a good demand. Despite certain restrictions, shipments are growing,” said B.V. Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association. India has placed curbs on exports of 100 per cent broken rice and has levied a duty of 20 per cent on white and brown rice exports since September 8, 2022.

SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - South Korea is set to sign an agreement next week with eight African nations to help boost rice production and cut their dependence on imports, Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun told Reuters, amid concerns over food security on the continent.

The move also comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged to revamp South Korea's foreign policy and make it a "global pivotal state" playing a more active role around the world.

Under the "K-Ricebelt Project", South Korea will build facilities in Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya to produce rice seeds that better suit local conditions and have yields two to three times higher than domestic varieties, Chung said in an interview this week.

The minister said during several visits to Africa starting late last year officials told him they desperately needed help.

"It was when food security was a global issue. Rice prices had almost doubled due to supply chain disruptions," Chung said, noting how food imports had squeezed the countries' foreign exchange reserves.

Rice is a staple in West Africa, but local production only meets around 60% of demand, according to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This means the region is very exposed to global price volatility and trade disruptions.

An agriculture ministry official said South Korea planned to spend more than 100 billion won ($77 million) on the food project over the next four years, with a goal of distributing 10,000 tonnes of rice seeds every year from 2027.

"President Yoon Suk Yeol has been very clear about this, that we should come forward to help because we were the ones getting help during the difficult times," Chung said.

South Korea has been able to produce enough rice to meet more than 90% of local demand, though still depends heavily on some other food imports.

Agriculture ministers from the eight participating African countries are due to visit Seoul to sign agreements on the project on Monday.

The United Nations' World Food Programme welcomed the move.

"The K-Rice project will bring outstanding rice varieties and hope to the small farmers in Africa suffering from the climate crisis," Marian Sunhee Yun, the director of WFP Korea Office, said.

($1 = 1,302.3500 won)

Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Ed Davies and Sonali Paul

Rice prices are already at an 11-year high and are set to rally further after India’s move to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for the crop.

In Short

• Rising rice prices raise concerns of food crisis in Asia and Africa
• India's minimum support price hike contributes to global rice price surge
• Supply situation tightens as Indian rice exports face potential decrease

By India Today Business Desk: Several countries in Asia and Africa could soon face a critical shortage of rice as prices continue to surge across the globe.

Rice prices are already at an 11-year high and news agency Reuters reported that they are set to rally further after India’s move to increase the minimum support price (MSP) for the crop. The impact of El Nino on rainfall has further complicated the situation.

India accounts for more than 40 per cent of the world’s rice exports, but any reduction in shipment could drive up prices that have already been impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and erratic weather conditions.

BV Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA) told the news agency that India was the cheapest supplier of rice.

“As Indian prices moved up because of the new minimum support price, other suppliers also started raising prices,” he said.

The report noted that the price of Indian rice exports has jumped to a five-year high of 9 per cent, following an MSP hike of 7 per cent. It is worth noting that export prices in Thailand and Vietnam have risen to more than two-year highs since the MSP hike.

Industry officials have also warned that the supply situation is extremely tight, and any decrease in Indian rice exports has the potential to cause a surge in global prices.

The price surge also poses challenges in building up stockpiles.

While demand from price-sensitive African countries has slowed, some Asian buyers, including Indonesia and the Philippines, have been increasing their purchases from traditional suppliers such as Vietnam.

Indonesia recently signed an uncommon agreement with India to import 1 million tons in the event of El Nino disrupting domestic supply.

El Nino impact

Rice, a staple for more than 3 billion people, predominantly originates from Asia, where the El Nino weather pattern often results in lower rainfall. However, even before the potential production disruptions caused by El Nino, the global rice price index remains above an 11-year high.

Despite near-record output forecasts from major producers such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, some global trading houses anticipate the impact of El Nino on the output of all key rice-producing countries.

Global rice inventories are projected to decline to a six-year low by the end of 2023/24, as stocks fall in China and India, following rising demand in recent years.

If yields drop sharply due to El Nino, the price could rise by a fifth or more, reported Reuters. The second rice crop in most Asian nations is expected to be lower than normal due to the weather phenomenon.

Thailand, the second-largest exporter of rice, has already urged farmers to plant only one rice crop due to below-normal rainfall. Similarly, India has experienced a slow start to planting with reduced rain, raising concerns for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as elections approach next year.

The rice market, once a buyers' market, is now on the verge of becoming a sellers' market if El Nino adversely affects production, according to a Singapore-based deal quoted in the Reuters report.

As the global rice industry navigates these dynamics, attention remains on India's agricultural changes, weather patterns, and their impact on prices and supplies worldwide.

(06/30/23) CROWLEY, La. — With a heat wave gripping Louisiana, scores of farmers sweated, sipped water and shaded themselves with hats and event programs as they toured the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station during its annual field day June 28.

The sweltering conditions proved a relevant backdrop to some of the research featured at the event. AgCenter scientists are trying to find ways to help farmers and their rice crop beat the heat — and two avenues they are exploring are planting earlier in the spring and developing faster-maturing varieties.

Both could allow farmers to harvest sooner so that their rice isn’t exposed to intense summer weather or the risk of tropical storms for too long. They also could help set farmers up for a successful ratoon, or second, crop.

It’s unclear how the current high temperatures and lack of rainfall will affect the 435,000 acres of rice being grown in Louisiana this year.

“It looks like we have a pretty good rice crop out there,” said Ronnie Levy, the AgCenter rice specialist. “Weather conditions still are such that we don’t know how it’s going to end up because of the real hot weather that we’re having right now, so it may affect some of the later-planted rice as far as pollination and grain fill.”

Levy has been studying how rice responds to planting dates ranging from late February to May. Most farmers plant rice in mid-March and April, depending on what part of the state they are in.

“When we plant early, then typically we beat some of these hotter conditions,” he explained. “Rice respirates at night. It actually uses energy to stay cool at night, so it burns some of the energy that it makes during the day. So if we can grow rice under cooler conditions, then we improve the quality and yield of rice.”

Shifting to an earlier schedule has been a focus in the industry in recent years.

“It’s less time in the field, less time for a weather event to cause some damage, less time for pumping and irrigation,” said Adam Famoso, a rice breeder at the station.

He is contributing to the cause by developing rice varieties that grow in a shorter timeframe, allowing for an earlier harvest. One such variety is called CLL19, which is in commercial seed production and could be available to growers as early as next year.

Besides its early maturity, this variety — which is part of the Clearfield system that helps with weed management — has other desirable traits.

“The excitement around CLL19 really centers around yield,” Famoso said. “We see a good ratoon potential on this variety, good milling quality, excellent blast resistance.”

Famoso is excited about two other varieties that are nearing commercial release and could help fill voids in the industry.

One is a conventional, long-grain line called 2207. Farmers have been demanding more conventional options, Famoso said, and this one has good yield potential and grain quality. It also is resistant to blast disease, something that’s not common in conventional lines.

The other variety is 2126, a conventional, jasmine type that has improved yield potential, blast resistance, good milling quality and an appealing aroma.

“Jasmine has really had a lot more attention and interest from the industry, much more demand. Acres have gone up a lot,” Famoso said, adding that much of the aromatic and specialty rice consumed in the United States is imported from Thailand and Vietnam. “What we’re trying to do as an industry as a whole is make people aware that we have locally grown, much more sustainably produced options of jasmine rice grown right here.”

Each of the three up-and-coming varieties have their own unique qualities and fit different production and marketing needs. While the rice station focuses on developing varieties for Louisiana farmers, rice is produced and consumed globally — and about half of Louisiana’s rice is exported.

The industry has been working to recapture markets in Latin America, where consumers prefer rice that is less sticky, Famoso said. He has been working to develop varieties that are palatable to international customers, including Addi Jo, which has high amylose content.

Other stops on the field tour included presentations on rice diseases, insect issues, weed control and hybrid development. After spending the first half of the morning in the field, attendees gathered indoors to cool off and hear from additional speakers before lunch.

“This day allows us to really highlight the research that our faculty work extremely hard on all year long,” station director Kurt Guidry told the crowd, pointing out that the event has been held annually for 114 years.

Located in Crowley, the station is in the heart of Louisiana rice country. Much of the state’s rice is grown in southern Louisiana, and a smaller cluster of production can be found in northeastern parishes.

Michael Salassi, director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, said the rice station — particularly its variety development program — helps farmers remain profitable in the face of many challenges. The station supports an industry that contributes more than $550 million to the Louisiana economy annually, according to the most recent AgCenter figures.

“Rice is no different than any other agronomic crop. Production costs per acre go up every year, market prices go up and down,” he said. “And so the only tool that producers have to stay economically viable over the long run is higher-yielding varieties.”

Jim Harper, president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, noted that every variety of rice grown on his Rapides Parish farm came from the AgCenter breeding program.

Clay Schexnayder, speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives; Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; and Matt Lee, LSU vice president for agriculture, all celebrated wins in the state legislative session that ended earlier this month.

Millions were allocated to the AgCenter in budget and capital outlay bills, Schexnayder said, which will help provided much-needed facility improvements, equipment investments and other items that support research and extension programs.

“The funding for the AgCenter, for these research stations is absolutely critical,” Strain said. “For every dollar spent here, it puts $20 in the economy over a 20-year period.”

Lee said the AgCenter has had a “stellar year.” Besides securing funding at the Legislature, faculty have been doing a good job of bringing in grant dollars, and some administrative changes have been made to better serve the organization and its clientele.

“While LSU Athletics is winning on the field, the AgCenter is winning in the fields with you all, and we’re winning for Louisiana,” Lee said, referring the LSU baseball team’s victory in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, two days prior.

Strain noted the industry’s strong support of the AgCenter, including funding from the Louisiana Rice Research Board. “That’s why we have here the preeminent rice research station in the world.”

He emphasized the importance of expanding rice production and introducing new varieties, especially those offering tolerance to heat, drought and pests. World rice consumption is outpacing production, representing “the greatest challenge of our lifetimes — and the greatest opportunities,” Strain said.

“We must here in the United States grow our production at least 3% a year,” he said. “The rest of the world cannot. They don’t have our science. They don’t have our technology. They don’t have our innovation. They don’t have these centers. And they don’t have you — each and every one of you, from the farmers to the researchers to the extension agents and everybody in between. What happens if we don’t? It’s real simple. A big part of the world will go hungry.”

This year’s field day was dedicated the late Ida Wenefrida, an AgCenter researcher who died in March 2023. Wenefrida arrived at the station as a postdoctoral researcher in 1999 and was known for her smiling, outgoing personality.

“I don’t think we can say enough about how everybody felt about Ida here at the station, both as a coworker and collaborator and as a personal friend,” said Steve Linscombe, the station’s retired director and rice breeder. “She did outstanding work in her research projects, and a lot of it was in collaboration with Dr. Herry Utomo, who was her husband.”

The couple’s signature accomplishment came in recent years with the development of a high-protein, low-glycemic rice variety called Frontière.

MUMBAI: Global rice prices, now at their highest in 11 years, are set to rally further after India moved to boost payments to farmers, just as El Nino threatens yields in key producers and alternative staples get costlier for poor Asians and Africans.
India accounts for more than 40 percent of world rice exports, which were 56 million tons in 2022, but low inventories mean any cut in shipments will fuel food prices driven up by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and erratic weather.
“India was the cheapest supplier of rice,” B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA), told Reuters. “As Indian prices moved up because of the new minimum support price, other suppliers also started raising prices.”
Rice is a staple for more than 3 billion people and nearly 90 percent of the water-intensive crop is produced in Asia, where the El Nino weather pattern usually brings lower rainfall.
Yet even before the weather phenomenon can disrupt production, the global rice price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization hovers above an 11-year high.
That comes despite a forecast by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for near-record output in all top six global producers — Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
“The impact of El Nino is not restricted to any single country; it affects rice output in almost all producing countries,” said Nitin Gupta, vice president of Olam India’s rice business.
The price of Indian rice exports has jumped 9 percent to a five-year high, following a hike of 7 percent last month in the price the government pays farmers for new-season common rice.

Export prices in Thailand and Vietnam have risen to more than two-year highs since that incentive, aimed at luring the votes of farmers in key Indian state elections this year and a general election next year.
In recent months, the prices of sugar, meat and eggs have jumped to multi-year highs worldwide, after producers cut exports to rein in domestic costs.
Despite the forecast for a strong Asian crop, some global trading houses expect El Nino to crimp the output of all key rice producers.
“Rice prices have already been rising due to limited supplies,” added Olam’s Gupta. “If production decreases, there will be a rally in prices.”
Global inventories of rice are set to drop to a six-year low of 170.2 million tons by the end of 2023/24, as stocks fall in top producers China and India, the USDA says, after the rising demand of recent years.

Prices could rice by a fifth
Prices could rise a fifth or more if yields drop sharply, as El Nino means the second rice crop in almost all Asian nations will be lower than normal, said a New Delhi-based grains dealer with a global trading house.
No. 2 exporter Thailand has urged farmers to plant only one rice crop after May rainfall was 26 percent below normal.
In India, which plants its second crop in November, planting of summer-sown rice was down 26 percent from a year ago by Friday, as the monsoon brought 8 percent less rain than normal, government data show.
Weather in China, the top producer of the grain, has not been conducive for the early season crop but high stockpiles will balance supply and demand, said Rosa Wang, an analyst with Shanghai JC Intelligence.
Food inflation is always a concern for India’s ruling party, which banned wheat exports last year and curbed those of rice and sugar to bring down prices.
As elections near, the slow start of planting amid rising domestic prices is a concern for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), raising the prospect that it could further curb exports.
“The Modi government is grappling with the task of containing the price rise in wheat, which is why it would not hesitate to impose restrictions,” said the dealer based in New Delhi, the Indian capital.
Indian curbs would leave other countries struggling to make up supplies, industry officials say.

“The supply situation is extremely tight, and decrease in Indian exports could potentially cause global prices to surge,” said a Singapore-based dealer with a global trading house.
Taken together, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam could raise exports by 3 million to 4 million metric tons, the dealer added.
The price surge also complicates the task of building up stockpiles.
Demand from price-sensitive African countries has slowed, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, an Indian exporter.
But some Asian buyers, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, have been building stocks and increasing purchases from traditional supplier Vietnam.
Last month Indonesia signed a rare pact with India to import 1 million tons if El Nino disrupts domestic supply. Indonesia usually buys rice from nearby Thailand and Vietnam.
“Rice has been a buyers’ market for the past few years, but it could become a sellers’ market if El Nino cuts production,” said the Singapore-based dealer.

Under proposed MoU, South Korea to build Korean rice belt in African countries, known as K-Rice Belt, to help these countries 'cut dependence on rice imports'

ANKARA

South Korea and African countries are expected to sign a "K-Rice Belt" agreement next week to help them grow a variety of crops, including rice.

Ministers from eight African countries, including Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Uganda, Cameroon and Kenya, will arrive in Seoul on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU), according to The Korea Times.

Under the proposed MoU, South Korea will build a Korean rice belt in African countries, known as the K-Rice Belt, to help these countries "cut dependence on rice imports."

The African ministers will also visit Korea's farming equipment manufacturing sites, rice processing plants, and smart farms during their stay in the country to fine-tune joint growth strategies for presentation at the Korea-Africa special summit next year, according to the report.

South Korean Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Chung Hwang-keun last month visited Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa to discuss ways of cooperation for food security in Africa.

They discussed transferring Korea's agricultural expertise, including the K-Rice Belt, and the minister said Seoul will distribute high-yielding and high-quality rice varieties to Africa as well as support infrastructure and technical training through the project.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid

Advance Market Analytics published a new research publication on "Basmati Rice Market Insights, to 2027" with 232 pages and enriched with self-explained Tables and charts in presentable format. In the Study you will find new evolving Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities generated by targeting market associated stakeholders. The growth of the Basmati Rice market was mainly driven by the increasing R&D spending across the world.

Some of the key players profiled in the study are:
KRBL Limited (India), Amira Nature Foods (UAE), LT Foods (India), Best Foods (India), Kohinoor Rice (India), Aeroplane Rice (India), Tilda Basmati Rice (Europe), Matco Foods (Pakistan), Amar Singh Chawal Wala (India), Hanuman Rice Mills (India), Adani Wilmar (India).

Scope of the Report of Basmati Rice
Basmati rice which is traditionally grown in Asian continent, is a long grain rice with aromatic smell and good quality. Basmati rice grown in India and Pakistan are famous around the globe. Basmati rice has been enjoying a premium position among all other rice varieties in the global marketplace, due to superior aroma, delicious taste, and distinct flavor. Rice forms an important part of the Middle Eastern cooking, and is considered as a staple food along with wheat in many countries. Basmati rice is extensively used in a number of lavish rice-based dishes containing layers of rice, meat, sauces & dried fruits.

The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:
by Application (Commercial, Home), Spices (White, Brown), Varieties (Indian Basmati Rice, Pakistani Basmati Rice, Others)

Market Trends:
Increasing efforts of key players to make product available at affordable price
Growing applicability in food industry

Opportunities:
Emerging markets around the globe
Improvement in standard of living
Growing demand for lavish rice-based dishes

Market Drivers:
Increasing demand for premium, high quality and aromatic rice
Rising Population

Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.

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Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Basmati Rice market
Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary - the basic information of the Basmati Rice Market.
Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges & Opportunities of the Basmati Rice
Chapter 4: Presenting the Basmati Rice Market Factor Analysis, Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region/Country 2015-2020
Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Basmati Rice market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile
Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by Manufacturers/Company with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions (2021-2027)
Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source

finally, Basmati Rice Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.

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West Asian country’s share in exports falls

India’s basmati rice exports to Iran, which has been the largest importer of aromatic long-grain rice from the country for several years, have slowed recently, due to a delay in the settlement of payments to the West Asian country under the US’s sanctions.

Rice exporters said that the delays in settlement have been especially long in recent months as rupee reserve built up from the oil exports to India has depleted and a chunk of payments is being routed through third currency payment system using Dirham via Dubai.

“Its a complex process to get payment for basmati rice exports to Iran,” a leading exporter of rice from Haryana said on the condition of anonymity. He said that its would not be easy to replace Iran, which had share of 22% in the 4.55 million tonne (MT) of basmati rice exports from India.

According to trade data, India’s exports of basmati to Iran in the first two months of the current fiscal have veen flat at 0.15 MT compared to the same month’s previous fiscal. The share of Iran in the total basmati rice exports which was 29% in 2019-20 to 18% in April-May in the current fiscal

Rice shipments to Iran had got a boost when India launched a rupee settlement mechanism from April 2012 with Iran to avoid sanctions from the US and EU. As part of the initiative, state-owned UCO Bank tied up with Iranian lenders — Parsian, Pasargad, Saman and EN Banks — for settlements of dues.

The system of rupee settlement continued till 2019 after India stopped buying crude oil from Iran. Importers in Iran are currently settling payments using traders’ accounts based in Dubai.

Out of the total exports of 4.55 MT of Basmati rice last fiscal, the top five countries had the share of Iran (22%), Saudi Arabia (21%), Iran (8%), United Arab Emirates (7%) and Yemen (6%).

Industry sources said that major exporters of basmati rice are has stopped shipment to Iran due to payment settlement issues.

A senior official confirmed that while there is a barter system of rupee payment for India’s exports of banana and imports of apples from Iran, for basmati rice exports most of the payments are through a third currency payment system.

According to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the value of rice exports in FY23 rose by more than 15% on year to a record $ 11.1 billion from $ 9.6 billion in the previous fiscal.

The volume wise the rice shipment grew by 5% to 22.34 million tonne (MT) last fiscal year.

India has been the world’s largest exporter of rice since 2012 and currently has 45% share in global grain trade. India has a share of around 80% global trade of basmati rice.

Currently, India exports more rice more than the combined shipments of the next three largest exporters – Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The United States department of agriculture (USDA), in its June 2023 crop outlook, has stated ‘India is expected to remain the most competitively priced global rice exporter in 2024,’. USDA, while estimating the total rice exports from India to cross 24 MT next calendar year, has stated “this would be the largest amount of rice ever shipped by any country in a single year,”

DAVAO CITY – Some 275 tons of rice will be harvested in the hybrid rice cluster demo project for the wet season in Hagonoy town, Davao del Sur, in September this year, the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) said Thursday.

Evelyn Basa, DA-11 rice program coordinator, said with an expected yield of a minimum of seven tons per hectare, the project can contribute to the country's rice production target for 2027.

Basa credited the initiative to the collaboration among DA-11, the Philippine Rice Board, the Davao del Sur provincial government, and the Hagonoy municipality, whose representatives conducted a ceremonial planting at the demo farm in Barangay Sinayawan.

The 35-hectare farm showcases 24 rice varieties and technologies from different seed companies and growers.

“The demo farm will serve as an avenue for farmers to observe and learn various technologies on cultural management practices, mechanical and seeding, and nutrient management such as the 'Abonong Swak' recommendation that can help them improve their production,” Basa said in a statement.

She said the expected harvest on the third week of September forms part of the culmination activity of the 16th National Rice Technology Forum (NRTF) from Sept. 18-22, 2023.

Meanwhile, Basa said the ongoing distribution of hybrid rice seeds to the members of Irrigators Associations (IAs) and Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations or FCAs aims to increase the adoption of hybrid rice seeds by up to 40 percent.

This is part of the DA's strategy, she said, to reach an average hybrid rice yield level of up to six tons per hectare (ton/ha) in the wet season, and up to eight ton/ha in the dry season in target areas by 2028.

Eligible beneficiaries will be provided fuel subsidies, especially those who own or rent agricultural machinery used for crop production such as tractors, transplanters, harvesters, and shredders. (PNA)

You do not have to replace the staple you have grown up with because alien alternatives may not help you feel full and you may still tend to overeat. But you do have to practise portion control, include proteins and exercise, says Dr V Mohan, Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai

There is a perpetual debate about whether the staple grains that have become the dominant part of a community’s eating habit, like rice and wheat, can lead to the development of Type 2 diabetes among people. Typically, the consumption of rice and wheat depends on the soil and climatic conditions of a region. Which is why people in the east, northeast and coastal stretches of the southern parts of the country have been rice-eaters while those in the western parts have been wheat-eaters since birth. So let me state at the very outset that keeping to a diet regimen depends a lot on the food that guarantees satiety and comfort. Rationing their portions may seem easier than switching over to an alien substitute. That’s why in a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that we did, excess consumption of rice and wheat were expectedly linked to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. But when they had them in limited quantities, the test subjects just seemed fine.

Also, our studies showed that those who did enough physical activity could reduce their risk of diabetes despite having rice and wheat. The first evidence linking excessive consumption of rice or wheat to diabetes came through our cross-sectional study called the Chennai Urban-Rural Epidemiological Study or CURES. We found that those who were in the fourth quartile of rice consumption had a four-fold increase in risk of diabetes compared to those in the first quartile. But since there could be confounders in a cross-sectional study, we did a longitudinal study, where approximately 1,35,000 people were followed for 15 years from five continents and 20 countries. Those who didn’t have diabetes at the beginning of the study but consumed higher quantities of rice through 15 years had a higher chance of developing new onset Type 2 diabetes. Since this was a prospective longitudinal follow-up study, the data was much more powerful and reliable. Finally, we did a randomised clinical trial, replacing white rice with brown rice. We found that in those who were overweight and had signs of metabolic syndrome, there was a reduction in glycaemic responses throughout the day when they had brown rice as a substitute. Moreover, when they combined brown rice with some pulses and legumes or plant proteins, their glycaemic swings reduced. Hence, we concluded that if we could take unpolished or brown rice and include plant proteins, our diet could become healthy.

WHY WHOLE GRAIN RICE

The rice grain has three parts. The hard outer layer is the fibre-rich bran, whose pigmentation determines the colour of the rice, the most common being the brown rice. The nutrient-rich core is the germ (the embryo) of the grain, that grows into a new plant. Bran and germ are rich in protein, fibre, iron, vitamin B and omega 3 fatty acids, in addition to carbohydrates. Endosperm, the tissue that surrounds the embryo, provides nutrition in the form of starch. Covering all this is the inedible protective outer shell, the husk or chaff or hull.

A whole grain contains the entire grain: bran, germ and endosperm (the husk has to be removed before rice can be cooked). It’s nutritious, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential amino acids and fibres. It has a low glycemic Index (a measure of how fast the body converts carbs into sugars) and is better for people with Type 2 diabetes.
It also contains compounds (lignans) that lower blood pressure, fat in the blood and the risk of heart disease. Brown rice has consistently been shown to aid weight loss and help maintain a healthy body weight.

JUNK THE POLISHED GRAIN

Whole grain rice is highly nutritious but has a short shelf life. In order to increase the shelf life of rice, new milling technologies have displaced the healthy whole grain by removing both the bran and germ. The result is highly polished, starchy refined rice—or white rice—which is nutrient-depleted since endosperm is primarily carbohydrates with a little bit of protein. While brown rice has a short shelf life of about six months (unrefrigerated), white rice stays on the shelf for up to five years. The white rice is then processed to improve taste and enhance cooking properties. All this, at the expense of nutrients.

Unlike unpolished brown rice, white rice lacks plant compounds called phytochemicals — such as polyphenols, oryzanol, phytosterols, tocotrienols, tocopherols and carotenoids — as well as vitamins and minerals, that confer protection against cell damage, diabetes, heart disease and cancers. White rice is “empty calories,” since it loses its main sources of micronutrients, fibre, iron, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. With a higher glycaemic index, the carbs in white rice are turned into blood glucose more rapidly than those in brown rice. This is one reason why white rice has been associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, blood pressure and heart disease.

SHOULD WE BE REPLACING RICE OR WHEAT ALTOGETHER? NO

A common mistake most people make is to believe that flattened rice as in poha, puffed rice or that even millets could work for them. But all of these contain about 70 per cent carbohydrates, and their glycaemic load and glycaemic index vary slightly according to the grains used. Besides, if they sit lightly on your stomach, you tend to have larger portions than rice for satiety. This doesn’t work because the caloric load is just the same or may even go up with extra helpings. Many people these days talk about quinoa, which is a pseudo-cereal and only has the advantage of having 16 per cent protein. But it has 62 per cent carbohydrates.

The best way to limit carbohydrate consumption is to add proteins to your meals. Proteins lend satiety and take time to digest, slowing down the entire process of digestion and avoiding blood sugar spikes. Have them in salads and soups, where the protein, in combination with fibre, will further reduce your dependence on carbohydrates to feel full enough. That’s why breakfast foods like idli are good because they use urad dal, which is a protein. However, it is made of rice, so don’t overdo it. Up to two idlis are fine, five are bad news.

Instead of alternatives, I suggest the “follow the plate” principle. This means filling half the plate with non-starchy green leafy vegetables, a quarter of the plate with proteins, preferably plant ones and leaving just a quarter for carbohydrates. Also couple this diet effort with enough physical activity and reduce weight.

• Farmers advised to conserve water, avoid second rice crop
• Prolonged dry spell risks fueling inflation, economic recovery

Thailand is preparing contingency plans to deal with a potential drought that could last years and squeeze global supplies of sugar and rice. 

Rainfall across the nation may be as much as 10% below average this monsoon season, and the onset of the El Niño weather pattern could lower precipitation even further over the next two years, according to government officials. Thailand is facing widespread drought conditions from early 2024, authorities have warned.

The dire outlook has prompted Thai authorities to ask farmers to restrict rice planting to a single crop to conserve water, and sugar producers see output falling for the first time in three years. A drought is certain to fuel inflation in the Southeast Asian nation as the cost of vegetables, fresh food and meat get pricier on reduced harvests and more expensive animal feed.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has asked state-run power utility Electricity Generating Authority and the Office of Natural Water Resources to help draw up contingency plans to conserve water. So far in 2023, the nation’s rainfall has been 28% below the same period last year, according to official data. 

El Niño can lead to drier conditions in parts of Asia and Africa, and heavy rains in South America, damaging a wide range of crops globally. Previous El Niños have resulted in a marked impact on global inflation and hit gross domestic product in nations from Brazil to India and Australia.

Thailand is seeking to nurture a rebound in economic growth that’s already facing headwinds from a slowdown in China, the nation’s largest trade partner, and a prolonged drought may scupper efforts to keep inflation under check. Thailand has already grappled with record heat this year.

“El Niño will pose a bigger worry on growth than inflation,” said Euben Paracuelles, an analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc. “Thailand is a large food exporter, with only half of total output consumed domestically. So the buffers could help limit the near-term inflation impact, alongside government price controls and subsidies.”

If El Niño turns severe, it could shave off 0.2 percentage point of gross domestic product this year because drought conditions could coincide with seasonal production in the second half, especially for rice, Paracuelles said. The central bank forecasts Thailand to clock GDP growth of 3.6% this year, accelerating from 2.6% in 2022.

Annual Rainfall in Thailand

https://www.bloomberg.com/toaster/v2/charts/181f4ce5e349ba2d63f363442b58c9de.html?brand=markets&webTheme=markets&web=true&hideTitles=true

Source: Thai Meteorological Department, Australia Bureau of Meteorology

Footnote: TMD Data Not Available for 2020-22

Power demand in Thailand hit a record in April when some regions saw all-time high temperatures, forcing companies and households to increase the use of air-conditioning to escape the sweltering heat.

The bigger, global impact from below-average rainfall in Thailand will be the hit to crops such as sugar and rubber, and could even threaten the nation’s position as the world’s second-biggest supplier of rice. Shipments tumbled a third to 7.6 million tons in 2019, the first year of the previous El Niño. 

Sugar cane is a sturdy crop, but the nation’s millers have forecast a decline in output. That will cut the supply to the world market and further fuel a rally in refined sugar prices that are hovering around a decade-high.

The nation produced about 11 million tons of sugar in the 2022-23 season and is estimated to have exported about 80% of its output.

Thailand’s lack of long-term mitigation efforts to deal with floods and droughts will likely aggravate the impact of extreme weather on the nation, according to the World Bank. 

“The frequency of floods and droughts, and the high human and economic cost associated with them, make climate change adaptation and water management important in Thailand,” said Fabrizio Zarcone, the World Bank’s country manager for Thailand. “A more robust framework prioritizing risk mitigation planning, investing in water resources infrastructure, and managing land and water use is needed.”

— With assistance by Kevin Dharmawan

The development comes amid demand from African countries that look to India for supply of fully broken white rice, other than parboiled rice.

New Delhi: India is likely to export 290,000 tonnes of fully broken white rice under government-to-government (G2G) route to Mali, a country in West Africa.

The move follows the Indian government’s decision in May to permit exports of fully broken white rice, which was banned from 8 September last year, to other countries to meet their food security needs.

“MEA (the ministry of external affairs) has forwarded a request from the minister of industry and commerce to export 290,000 tonnes of fully broken rice," a senior government official said. 

“The quantity will be exported in two separate lots of 240,000 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes once the Directorate ­General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) examines the issue and announce the policy."

The development comes amid demand from African countries that look to India for supply of fully broken white rice, other than parboiled rice.

This will be an addition to the government permitted broken rice exports of 500,000 tonnes to Senegal and 50,000 tonnes to Gambia in April. The government also allowed to export 200,000 tonnes of the rice variety to Indonesia in April.

African countries rely on India for rice supply as they get it at a cheaper rate as compared to the price offerings by Vietnam, Thailand or Pakistan.

While Thailand is offering 100% broken rice at $523 a tonne, the same variety of rice is being offered by India at $425 per tonne, the benchmark price in the global market. The Indian price includes a 20% export duty. A 5% broken rice is being offered at $468-$472 a tonne by India, whereas Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand are offering it at $488-492, $508-512 and $518 per tonne, respectively. These three countries are offering the 25% broken rice in the range of $458-498. In contrast, India is quoting this variety at $448-452 a tonne, spot trade sources said. These prices are free-­on-­board (FOB).

Queries sent to MEA, commerce and food ministries on Sunday remained unanswered till press time.

Due to an export ban on fully broken rice, Indian exporters cannot sell it to the international market. However, the Indian government on 24 May allowed the exports of broken rice based on permission given by it for shipments to other countries for meeting their food security needs, though the export of broken rice is banned in general. The step was taken by the government after it started receiving requests for the same from foreign ministries.

As the export ban on fully broken rice is on place since September 2022, African nations, which rely on India to meet its 70% rice consumption have switched to non-basmati rice. In the first two months of the ongoing financial year, import of non-basmati rice by African countries have been 35% higher than the corresponding period last year at nearly 2.1 million tonnes (mt), said executive director of All India Rice Exporters’ Association Vinod Kaul.

In April-May of FY24, India’s basmati rice exports were 21% more than the previous year during the same period at 830,858 tonnes, and a 6.1% hike year-on-year at 2.8 mt has been recorded in non-basmati rice exports.

In FY23, India exported a total of 17.79 mt of non-basmati rice, while broken rice exports were 23% lower on year at 3 mt because of a ban on shipments imposed to keep domestic prices down.

An Indian nutritionist said that giving up rice for a month can help lose weight and stabilize blood sugar levels, but only on condition that the rice is not replaced by calories and other grains.

Rice is a staple food for many around the world, and has become an integral part of the daily diet, so much so that many cannot do without at least one serving of rice at every meal. But, studies show that eating rice is not always good for one's health.

While rice provides essential carbohydrates, it is also high in starch and lacking in certain nutrients. According to the "Indian Express" website, excessive consumption of refined white rice can lead to high blood sugar levels and weight gain.

Priya Parma, head of the nutrition department at the Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in India, said that giving up rice for a month can help with weight loss and stabilize blood sugar levels since it is rich in carbohydrates.

Ria Desai, a nutritionist at the Wockhardt Hospital, also in India, explained that completely giving up rice for a month can lead to some weight loss, but only if the rice is not replaced by other grains and calories and the total amount of carbohydrates in the diet is limited, explaining that blood sugar levels will decrease "only during a period of Abstinence" from Rice.

"Once a person starts eating rice again, the glucose levels will start to change again," she said, noting that the important fact is that eating a small bowl of rice in the right way is not harmful to the body.

Muscle breakdown

Experts usually recommend a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods rich in nutrients, so excluding rice from the menu can be temporary to reduce the amount of carbohydrates a person eats.

According to Parma, "rice, a simple carbohydrate, can easily be converted into a complex carbohydrate meal by adding vegetables and protein to the meal. Carbohydrates are very necessary for energy production and not eating them at all can make a person weak because the body starts using protein by breaking down muscles to produce energy which also leads to a deficiency that is rich in vitamins and minerals. That's why the weight loss comes from breaking down muscles and not from burning fat, something that should be avoided."

Important tips

It is recommended to eat limited amounts of white rice and replace it with brown rice. Add fiber to the rice in the form of vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Add proteins: when mixed with certain grains they become proteins that are better absorbed by the body.

Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa on Friday said the government is all set to roll out the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme.

Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa on Friday said the government is all set to roll out the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme, by crediting money to the bank account of the beneficiaries in lieu of the additional 5 kg of rice promised to every member of a BPL household, as sufficient quantity of the food grain is unavailable.

Facing difficulty in procuring large quantities of rice required to fulfil its poll guarantee, the state government on Wednesday decided to pay cash into the beneficiaries' accounts at the rate of ₹34 per kilo, for the additional 5 kg of rice under the free rice scheme. The minister also said that of the total additional 5 kg, the government plans to include 2 kg of ragi (finger millet) and jowar (sorghum) -- instead of rice -- under the scheme in the southern and northern parts of Karnataka respectively, as per requirement, as these grains are considered a staple in these two regions.

In the southern part of the state, the government plans to give 2 kg of ragi and remaining will be rice, while in north Karnataka it will be 2 kg of jowar and remaining will be rice, the minister said. There is adequate stock of ragi available, while the stock of jowar is less, so we will supply as much as we can, after that we will provide a full 5 kg of rice, he added.

"We will get information about the beneficiaries and, based on their inputs in the days to come, if there is demand for more quantities of ragi and jowar from southern and northern parts of Karnataka respectively, changes will be made in the quantity," he said, adding that the government will procure required quantities of ragi and jowar directly from the farmers at MSP rates and stock it.

"From tomorrow, the scheme will begin. To pay to the bank accounts (of beneficiaries), we have information that 99 per cent of them have the accounts. Those without an account but have ration cards will have to open a bank account. We have said we will pay ₹34 per kg, and each person will get (cash for) 5 kg," Muniyappa said. Speaking to reporters here, he said the amount will be paid to the bank account of the beneficiaries until there are enough grains to be distributed.

"The process is on for purchase of rice, as we had said we will supply rice or food grains for the poor..." he added. Pointing out that the chief minister had promised to supply foodgrains from July 1, which is a Congress poll guarantee, Muniyappa said, "To keep up the promise, we are giving money for now." "If the Centre had given rice from the stocks available, for cash payment, the state government would have supplied it from tomorrow," he said, adding, "Our month-long efforts in getting rice despite approaching central ministers and officials have failed."

"There are issues (in procuring rice). We have to issue a public tender. It has not been finalised. Also what kind of rice. We will decide on it and start giving rice as soon as possible," he added. Asked as to how long the government will pay the amount to the account of the beneficiaries instead of supplying rice or foodgrains, the minister said, "I cannot give you a date for now, but I assure you that we will give rice as soon as possible. Giving money is a temporary arrangement." On whether cash would be credited to the bank accounts from tomorrow itself, he said, "Money is ready, we have information about accounts. It will begin from tomorrow."

The Karnataka State Rice Millers' Association (KSRMA) has hinted that the rice prices may be increased in the state by about ₹3 to ₹4 per kg.

Traders and small business owners held protest rallies in several parts of Karnataka and observed a one day strike on Thursday opposing the recent power tariff hike, even as the state's Medium and Large Scale Industries Minister M B Patil appealed to them to cooperate with the state government. He asserted that the power tariff was increased by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) and not the state government.

Traders and small business owners held protest rallies in several parts of Karnataka and observed a one day strike on Thursday opposing the recent power tariff hike, even as the state's Medium and Large Scale Industries Minister M B Patil appealed to them to cooperate with the state government. He asserted that the power tariff was increased by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) and not the state government.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Rice Millers' Association (KSRMA) has hinted that the rice prices may be increased in the state by about ₹three to ₹four per kg. “It is not us who are increasing the price. The power tariff and paddy prices have gone up. The hike will be by ₹three to ₹four per kg across the fine rice varieties,” KSRMA General Secretary S Shiva Kumar said.

Following a call for a 'bandh' given by Hubballi-based Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), industrialists and small traders participated in a protest march in big numbers. Their protests came at a time when the state government started the registration process earlier this week for the 'Gruha Jyoti' scheme offering up to 200 units of free electricity for residential connections.

Carrying banners, posters and placards, the traders and industrialists held marches in the district headquarters of Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Ballari, Vijayanagar, Davangere and Koppal, among others. They shouted slogans demanding that the government roll back the hike. In Belagavi, a large number of traders and small-and-micro industry owners marched up to the office of the Deputy Commissioner with their banners and placards.

KCCI acting president Sandeep Bidasaria claimed that the hike in power tariff has gone up between 50 and 70 per cent, which has deeply impacted small businesses. A protester in Belagavi, a city bordering Maharashtra, alleged that many industries were planning to move out to the neighbouring state due to the drastic increase in tariff.

Many shops were shut and production was stopped in small industries in several parts of the state in response to the bandh call. In the district headquarters town of Bidar, several shops were shut and the main market wore a deserted look following the Bandh. In an attempt to make the protestors see reason, Minister Patil said, “First of all, the power tariff has not been hiked by us. Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, an autonomous body, has increased the power tariff before our government came to power. So we have no connection with the power tariff hike".

According to him, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too has given a statement that the power tariff hike cannot be rolled back. However, Patil told reporters that he would discuss the matter with Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister K J George. “I appeal to everyone, the industries and others, to please cooperate. KERC keeps revising prices from time to time. It follows a procedure. It is not done by the government. They revised the tariff now and will do it in future as well,” the minister said.

Amid speculations that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board was also planning to revise the water supply charges, an official said a BWSSB team apprised Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, on the issues. “We told the DCM that we have not revised the water supply charges for the past 10 years and it's about time to increase the rate given the increase in input costs. The decision has not been taken yet. The matter is under consideration,” the official said.

Aarthi JanakiRaman from Frost & Sullivan explores sustainability in agriculture, focusing on the extent to which rice cultivation shows the way ahead

Rice is amongst the top three crops cultivated globally and is a staple in the diet of more than half the world’s population, making it a crucial commodity in international trade and vital for global food security.

At present, more than 75% of rice (paddy) production comes from Asia, with China, India and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam leading the way.

Although paddy cultivation is indigenous to Asian countries, increasingly, this commercial crop is also cultivated in other geographies in the last decade, with Sub-Saharan Africa gaining a foothold as a rice cultivation hub; the previous five years have also seen an increase in the consumption of rice in the region, making it the fastest growing staple crop.

However, rice cultivation is riddled with challenges and is affected by weather adversities, water scarcity and other abiotic stresses. Additionally, research studies highlight that traditional rice cultivation methods can be touted as one of the main causes of both biodiversity loss and climate change.

Rising temperatures adversely impact productivity and yield

Traditional cultivation requires an uninterrupted water supply, which is becoming a challenge, with water scarcity becoming a norm in various geographies. Rising temperatures and changes in weather patterns also adversely impact productivity and yield, placing an economic burden on farmers. While climate change adversely affects rice cultivation, its production contributes to global warming and climate change risk.

Rice cultivation results in the release of methane gas due to the decomposition of organic matter and the microbes present in waterlogged fields that can hasten the decomposition process, releasing more methane gas into the atmosphere. This contributes significantly to environmental adversity as methane as a greenhouse gas is more potent than carbon dioxide.

Excess use of agricultural aids to improve yield affects soil biodiversity. The rising temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases can increase temperature and result in water scarcity, making it a vicious cycle that can worsen if immediate action is not taken.

Sustainable rice cultivation: Need of the hour

To meet the rising global demand, rice production must increase by at least 25 to 30% in the next two decades. With depleting natural resources and climate change effects being felt, sustainable rice production is the need of the hour. Introducing sustainability in current rice cultivation practices warrants a multi-pronged tactic, right from choosing the right type of seed, irrigation management, integrated pest management and post- harvesting practices and so on.

Small changes, such as deploying direct-seeded rice instead of transplanted ones, can save water and reduce the need for agrochemicals; it needs continuous monitoring of various weed biotypes that can affect yield. Another practice is alternate wetting and drying (AWD) water management; it not only can reduce irrigation requirements from 10 to 40%, but it also helps increase soil biodiversity and potentially reduce methane emissions. However, AWD can yield lower in certain conditions, especially when the soil redox chemistry is altered.

To ensure long-term sustainability, public and private stakeholders are investigating various approaches, one of the foremost being developing and testing climate-resistant seed varieties. Various types that resist heat, water logging, salt/alkali concentration and even multi-stress tolerance have been introduced.

China, India, and other Southeast Asian countries are actively commercializing climate change-ready rice varieties. For example, India has introduced more than 10 to 15 rice varieties that are climate change ready in the last ten years. Advances in synthetic biology and high throughput technologies have helped develop strains with desired characteristics that can withstand abiotic stresses but are also environmentally sustainable.

Organic practices to reduce water requirements

Using organic practices has also reduced water requirements and improved crop resilience and yield. Pilot trials using fragrant rice varieties (Jasmine rice) conducted in Southeast Asia where a combination approach of using organic agricultural aids, AWD, planting fewer seeds per square metre and careful monitoring of soil ecosystem and measuring hydro-biogeochemical reactions have increased yield by 20% at a minimum, while in certain instances, it has even doubled the same.

While multiple success stories prove that changes in current rice cultivation practices can improve the biodiversity and sustainability of rice production, these are still fragmented and small-scale. Therefore, an integrated long-term approach that spans the rice supply chain is needed to achieve large-scale success.

The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) introduced in 2011 by the joint efforts of UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) (1) and IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) (2) has served as a platform that brings multiple stakeholders, including public, private, and non-profit organizations together to develop solutions that can benefit farmers and consumers while ensuring sustainable practices.

The KPIs devised in the voluntary Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation introduced in 2015 (3) have been effective in improving output, ensuring yield quality, reducing post-harvest losses, aligning to sustainable practices and ensuring biodiversity.

Technology as an enabler for sustainable rice production

For farmers to get maximum benefits and to help reduce the environmental footprint using the SRP standards, continuous traceability and monitoring are needed. Changes from conventional practices such as direct seeding or AWD or altering the standard pest control measures must be monitored to get value and to ensure safe output that meets the nutrient requirement of consumers.

Judicious use of biologically derived crop aids, improving soil biodiversity by encouraging the growth of beneficial microbes, integrated energy, irrigation, and pest management practices all contribute towards improving the sustainability of rice farming operations.

With advances in digital farming solutions, monitoring and managing farming steps is easy so that the produce meets food safety standards. Data management solutions are successfully helping farmers manage their day-to-day operations and provide a means for end-to- end traceability of operations; this results in better nutrient management and irrigation schedule.

Better pest management and monitoring of soil threshold levels make adjustment of agrochemical dosage easier, thereby reducing the possibility of leaching and minimizing potential damage to soil biodiversity.

Scientific advances have given a wide range of technologies that can help in smart and sustainable rice farming practices. However, a strong commitment is needed from policymakers and other stakeholders to realize the full benefits. Conducting regular outreach programs for information dissemination on various technology advances ensures technology availability to farmers.

These policies make it financially attractive to implement sustainable farming practices, joint field, and pilot trials to test and commercialize sustainable solutions, to name a few that can help make rice cultivation more sustainable in the next five years.

Top rice exporters saw rates for the staple grain advance this week to a more than two-year peak on supply concerns and continuing high demand.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $495-$505 per tonne, a peak since April 2021, up from $498 last week.

“Exporters are rushing to purchase domestic rice to fulfil export contracts, boosting domestic prices amid tight supplies,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.

Due to unfavourable weather, output from the summer-autumn crop is also not as high as expected, traders said.

Vietnam exported 284,798 tonnes of rice in the first half of June, taking total shipments this year to June 15 to 3.9 million tonnes, customs data showed. Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices rose to $505 per tonne, also an over two-year peak on average, versus $495 last week.

“There are ships waiting to collect rice bound for Indonesia while new rice product has not entered the market,” a Bangkok-based trader said, adding “exporters are struggling to find enough supply in time.”

Asia rice: Vietnam rice prices jump on low supply; traders flag El Nino risks

Another trader said prices could remain at this level due to rising domestic prices.

Thailand’s commerce minister said last week that Thai rice exports could exceed 8 million tonnes this year, larger than the previous 7.5 million-tonne projection.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $397-$405 per tonne, a peak since Feb. 2021, rising from $390-$398 last week.

“Exporters are forced to increase prices because paddy prices are rising. Moreover, the rupee has also strengthened this month, adding additional pressure,” said a New-Delhi-based trader.

India recently raised prices at which it will buy new-season common rice paddy from farmers by 7%.

Neighbouring Bangladesh’s rice production is forecast to increase by 1.8% versus year-on-year to 38.9 million tonnes in the 2023/24 marketing year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Global Food Outlook report.

Among the long list of agriculture initiatives announced in the Rs. 14.4 trillion budget was the blanket duty exemption on agriculture machinery i.e. harvesters, seed planters, trans-planters, and most importantly, dryers for agriculture products but easing this single export can add $5 billion into exports annually.

Only 1 percent of small rice mills out of the total of 800-900 in Sindh province have dryers due to it being cost-heavy with custom duties and high markup loans. Plus, the import restrictions didn’t make it any easy either to import agricultural machinery, but why are the dryers so important?

The dry rice is priced far higher than its wet counterparts in all seasons due to the longer shelf life. “We are often unable to hold and export rice after March because we lack dryers, so we end up selling when the market is paying the least”, a rice trader from Sindh told ProPakistani.

He added that millers are often unable to hold rice for more than one month on the other hand, our regional competitors in India have rice stored for nearly two years as they have better facilities.

On top of that, he went on, higher electricity prices and increased markups of the Export Finance Scheme (EFS) are also hurting exporters while some have opted for solar power to survive this challenging time.

The international market is witnessing the biggest rice shortage in two decades with conflict in Ukraine and weather extremes in China and Pakistan declining production. Prices have seen multiple peaks from $16 per quintal in October when Pakistan’s harvest starts to come in the market to $19.6 per quintal recently, but specific contacts can often price higher for variety and better quality.

Apart from the increased market value, drying also provides security against weather risk and enables exporters to hold their stocks till they can get better rates. But in Pakistan, when rice is harvested from 3 million acres in a one to two months time period, there is no window for conventional drying.

Moreover, wheat sowing urgency is on the horizon around that time and farmers often harvest and sell their paddy even at 21 percent moisture which is bound to discolour in a few months unless dried. Customers are often willing to buy rice from Pakistan at even higher prices than competitors, but our low shelf life beats us in the middle.

Even at the moment, the rice exported from Pakistan is going to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Indian-run processing mills in tax-free zones, and from there, it is being exported around the globe, with their stamps of course. Our traders are making 20–25 percent margins per container despite all of that per our sources, so one can only imagine what Indians are making from that.

Talking about the initiatives in the budget, one trader said that while it’s a good initiative on paper, it will be seen whether the government allows the LCs or not.  The government’s unrealistic numbers presented in the budget have baffled everyone from academics to industry professionals who say that it tried painting the picture of ‘business as usual’ which is far from reality.

If anything, the budget has only increased the economic uncertainty prevailing since last year, and it will take far more than announcements to make the $5 billion rice exports target a reality. Rice is Pakistan’s second-largest export, and it deserves facilitation from all fronts from research to processing.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s rice exports for January-May were at 3.47 million metric tons, up 26.6% from a year earlier, helped by higher global demand and a weaker baht currency, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday.

In May alone, rice shipments jumped by 88% from a year earlier to about 850,000 metric tons.

The ministry earlier put January-May rice exports at 3.4 million metric tons but later adjusted the amount to 3.47 million.

Rice exports are expected to exceed 8 million metric tons for the whole of 2023, beating the ministry’s target, Ronnarong Phoolpipat, head of the ministry’s foreign trade department, told a news conference.

Asia rice: Tight supply, robust demand propels export prices to 2-year peak

Thailand has also seen high rice output this year as Vietnamese exports will be limited after large shipments earlier in the year, he added.

The baht, which has weakened by 1.8% against the dollar so far this year, should continue to support Thai rice shipments, Ronnarong said.

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said this week that the expected rice exports this year would help Thailand become the world’s second-largest rice exporter after India.

In 2022, Thailand exported 7.69 million metric tons of rice, up 22.1% from a year earlier, beating a target of 7.5 million metric tons, with top markets being Iraq, South Africa, China and the United States.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Abia State Agriculture Development Project, yesterday, distributed improved rice seeds and fertilizer to over 90 rice farmers in the state.

The ministry and the project had earlier trained the farmers on climate-resistance practices in yam, cassava, and rice production.

The project’s acting manager, Nnenna Uche, handing over the items to the farmers in Umuahia, the state capital, said the gesture is aimed at improving the crop yield in the state.

Advising them to make judicious use of the items to improve their means of livelihood, she lauded the ministry for partnering the project to train and empower farmers in the state.

Uche also appreciated the governor, Alex Otti for finding her capable of naming the project, adding that under her watch it would deliver on its mandate successfully.

In their respective responses, some of the beneficiaries, Victoria Nathaniel, Eric Evulobi, and Moses Chikere assured that they would put the items to proper use.

They also commended both the ministry and the project for the training which they said had widened their knowledge of modern rice farming.

MUMBAI: India has decided to approve wheat and broken rice exports to few selected countries following their requests to allow the shipments of the grains, the government said in two separate notifications issued late onTuesday.

The South Asian country banned exports of wheat and broken rice in 2022 to lower local prices.

But following requests, India would allow broken rice exports to Indonesia, Senegal and Gambia in 2023/24 financial year started on April 1.

New Delhi also approved request from Nepal and allowed wheat exports in the current financial year.

Indian exporters, which were exporting grains to these countries, need to bid for the allocated quota of wheat and broken rice, the government said in notifications.

BUA restates commitment to supporting local rice farmers for food security in Nigeria.

In a remarkable display of commitment to the Nigerian agricultural sector and the economy, BUA Foods has informed distributors of its rice products that it would maintain prices of its BUA Rice to support efforts at making rice more affordable in Nigeria. According to a statement by the company, this is due to the strong sales potential from the company’s newly upgraded 200,000tonnes per annum rice mill in Kano using locally sourced rice paddy.

According to the company, this decision to maintain prices is as a result of the little reliance on FX for rice production. Prior to the BUA Foods business integration which saw its listing in 2022, the BUA Group Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, had stated that BUA’s goal would be to focus on areas where raw materials can be sourced locally across all its business areas including rice in order to promote food security in Nigeria and support the government in national development.

According to a key distributor in Kano, he said distributors were excited by this development and were sure that BUA Foods in its usual fashion would crash the rice prices further as it had consistently done with its other food products like flour, sugar, and pasta.

By prioritizing local agricultural resources, BUA Foods is not only supporting Nigerian farmers but also contributing to the nation’s self-sufficiency in rice and sugar production through backward integration.

BUA Foods steadfast commitment to its vision has gained recognition and appreciation from stakeholders across the industry. The company’s efforts to bolster the Nigerian agricultural sector have garnered praise, positioning BUA Foods as a leader in the drive towards sustainable food production.

The upgraded rice mill and parboiling plant will further enhance BUA Foods’ rice production capacity, enabling the company to meet the growing demand for its high-quality rice products whilst remaining committed to delivering excellence and ensuring that consumers have access to top-notch rice that is locally produced.

As BUA Foods continues to make significant strides in advancing the Nigerian rice industry, the company remains focused on building strong relationships with farmers, empowering local communities, and contributing to the overall development of the nation’s agricultural landscape.

MUMBAI: India has decided to approve wheat and broken rice exports to few selected countries following their requests to allow the shipments of the grains, the government said in two separate notifications issued late on Tuesday.

The South Asian country banned exports of wheat and broken rice in 2022 to lower local prices.

But following requests, India would allow broken rice exports to Indonesia, Senegal and Gambia in 2023/24 financial year started on April 1.

New Delhi also approved request from Nepal and allowed wheat exports in the current financial year.

Indian exporters, which were exporting grains to these countries, need to bid for the allocated quota of wheat and broken rice, the government said in notifications.

CBOT wheat to test resistance $7.16-3/4

Indonesia has signed an agreement with the Indian government to potentially import 1 million tonnes of rice if the El Nino weather pattern hits domestic supply, media quoted the trade minister as saying on Friday.

Congress workers will be staging protests across the State on Tuesday condemning the decision of the BJP government at the Centre for denying rice to Karnataka.

The Congress government in Karnataka, which is struggling to procure rice for its ambitious Anna Bhagya scheme, on June 19 received a ray of hope after the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Punjab agreed in-principle to supply the requisite quantum of rice even as the State government is trying to procure rice from national-level cooperative agencies.

As the politics over rice continues, Congress workers will be staging protests across the State on Tuesday condemning the decision of the BJP government at the Centre for denying rice to Karnataka.

Under the Anna Bhagya scheme, the State plans to enhance free rice given per person in the BPL card from current 5 kg to 10 kg. The total supply of 10 kg is estimated to cost the exchequer ₹840 crore monthly and ₹10,092 crore annually, said a note from the Chief Minister’s Office. The Anna Bhagya scheme is slated for launch on July 1.

Punjab’s offer to supply rice came after the AAP-Karnataka unit took the initiative and intimated the State government that Punjab had enough quantum of rice and was also willing to supply to Karnataka in the federal spirit. AAP-Karnataka convenor Prithivi Reddy said that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke on Monday morning during which Mr. Mann conveyed that Punjab would be ready to supply rice.

“It is unfortunate that the foodgrains are rotting in godowns, and the Centre is showing step-motherly attitude towards the non-BJP ruled States. AAP has come forward to help because the scheme is aimed at mitigating the problems of the poor,” he told The Hindu.

While the Karnataka government has announced July 1 as the launch date for Anna Bhagya, doubts still remain about its launch after the Food Corporation of India (FCI) refused to provide 2.28 lakh tonnes required to launch the scheme after initially agreeing to supply the same. Since then, the State has been scouting for rice in other States. While Telangana and Andhra Pradesh expressed inability to supply, Chhattisgarh government expressed willingness to supply 1.5 lakh tonnes. Karnataka is looking to purchase rice at ₹34 a kg along with a transport cost of ₹2.6 per kg, which is the cost that it would incur if it had bought rice from FCI.

Cooperative agencies

Meanwhile, reiterating that the Centre was indulging in politics over supply of rice, Mr. Siddaramaiah on Monday told presspersons that efforts are on to get the price list from National Co-operative Consumers Federation, National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation and the central pool to procure rice for the pro-poor scheme. “We will take details of the quantum of rice that these agencies can supply. We will try to procure rice through the tender also.”

He said that the cost and other modalities are being worked out with Punjab for supply of rice, and the Chief Secretary is in touch with Punjab officials.

When his response was sought on whether the State had time to procure rice to ensure the launch on July 1, he said: “The State government is making sincere effort to implement the scheme on July 1. The Centre has the stock, and it has to make up its mind to supply to us. Irrespective of politics over supply, we will implement Anna Bhagya.”

Mr. Siddaramaiah also said that if the State decides to provide 2 kg of either ragi or jowar, the stock in the State will last for six months. “Even then, the State government has to supply 3 kg of rice in addition to 5 kg being supplied now.”

Rice Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) meeting at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Headquarters in Islamabad was led by Dr. Imtiaz Hussain, Member of PARC’s Plant Sciences Division. During the meeting, Dr. Hussain underscored PARC’s dedication to assisting both public and private sector institutes as well as seed companies in the evaluation and introduction of rice hybrids and varieties.

Attendees included representatives from the Federal Seed Certification, national and multinational seed companies, provincial seed councils, as well as rice scientists from research institutes at the provincial and federal levels.

The committee members were provided with a comprehensive overview of fifty-one proposals for rice hybrids/varieties by Dr. Muhammad Yousuf, National Coordinator Rice of PARC. Following thorough discussions and careful considerations, the VEC recommended 14 high-yielding rice hybrids from private seed companies for the cultivation in Pakistan.

Furthermore, the National Institute of Genomics and Biotechnology (NIGAB) of PARC introduced four fine rice varieties that demonstrated significantly higher grain yield compared to the currently grown varieties. These fine rice varieties were also endorsed by the VEC for cultivation in Pakistan, with the aim of enhancing farmers’ productivity and profitability.

In addition to the above recommendations, the VEC also suggested the cultivation of Sona Super Basmati, a long-grain variety measuring 9.5 mm, and Vital Super Basmati developed by RRI, Kala Shah Kaku. Vital Super Basmati is notable for its high levels of zinc and iron enrichment.

During a meeting with rice scientists, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC, expressed his confidence in the positive impact that the introduction of these high-yielding rice varieties would have on rice productivity and the profitability of farmers across the country.

Dr. Waseem ul Hassan, representing the Ministry of Food Security and Research applauded the efforts of rice scientists in Pakistan for their achievement in releasing the biofortified Basmati rice variety, along with the four high-yielding fine rice varieties.

Furthermore, representatives from seed companies lauded PARC for establishing a transparent testing procedure for evaluating rice hybrids and varieties, recognizing the subsequent benefits it brings to farmers and the rice sector in Pakistan.

New discovery set to boost disease-resistant rice

Newswise — Rice that is resistant to some of the worst crop-destroying diseases but can still produce large yields could soon become a reality for farmers worldwide.

A University of Adelaide researcher is part of an international team which has identified a new gene variant in a type of rice that can be modified to improve the performance of the crop.

“Rice is the most widely grown crop in the world but serious bacterial and fungal diseases such as rice blast and bacterial blight are a major threat to the industry,” said co-author Associate Professor Jenny Mortimer from the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine.

“By identifying a specific gene called RBL1, we may have cracked the code for developing rice crops that are resistant to these destructive diseases without the yield penalties often associated with disease resistance.”

In an international collaboration led by researchers at Huazhong Agricultural University, China and University of California Davis, USA, researchers identified a rice variety that already had strong resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases but produced poor grain yields. They showed that this plant was mutated in the gene RBL1.

“Using existing genome-editing technology, the team then generated 57 gene variants from this type of rice and tested their immunity against several strains of rice blast and bacterial blight. We found that one variant of RBL1 had broad-spectrum disease resistance but unlike other varieties, it was still able to produce large yields in small-scale field trials,” said Associate Professor Mortimer, who is a researcher at the University’s Waite Research Institute.

The research has been published in the journal Nature and also indicates the RBL1 gene may play a role in the plant’s defence system by interacting with the cells that stop fungal infections from spreading.

In 2021/2022 about 520 million tonnes of rice were consumed worldwide.

“This is an exciting development because rice is a staple food for more than a third of the world’s population and crop disease is a constant threat to this food source,” said Associate Professor Mortimer.

Australians alone are estimated to consume around 300,000 tonnes of rice each year; half comes from imports while the remainder is grown here. The Australian rice industry has the ability to produce up to one million tonnes of rice each year.

While the new gene identified in this research has promising traits, more field trials are needed to test the immunity and yield of the RBL1 gene in other rice varieties.

Initial work also indicates that this gene is important in disease resistance in other staple crops, and future research will explore this.

“Rice crops with higher yields are needed to meet growing global demand and the results from this study could help shore up food supply in the future,” said Associate Professor Mortimer.

Journal Link: Nature 14 June 2023REQUEST AN EXPERT

ISLAMABAD: The Rice Evaluation Committee of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council on Monday recommended 14 high-yield rice hybrids from private seed companies for cultivation in Pakistan.

In addition, the National Institute of Genomics and Biotechnology (NIGAB) of PARC has introduced four fine rice varieties that have demonstrated significantly higher grain yield compared to the currently grown varieties.

These fine rice varieties were also endorsed by the Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) for cultivation in Pakistan, with the aim of enhancing farmers’ productivity and profitability.

In addition to the above recommendations, the VEC also suggested the cultivation of Sona Super Basmati, a long-grain variety measuring 9.5mm, and Vital Super Basmati developed by the Rice Research Institute at Kala Shah Kaku. Vital Super Basmati is notable for its high levels of zinc and iron enrichment.

The committee members were given a comprehensive overview of fifty-one proposals for rice hybrids and varieties by National Coordinator Rice of PARC, Dr Muhammad Yousuf.

During a meeting with rice scientists, PARC Chairman, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali expressed his confidence in the positive impact that the introduction of these high-yielding rice varieties would have on productivity and the profitability.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2023

MANILA  -The country’s rice farms have seen little improvement in the use of machinery and equipment even if the government poured in billions of pesos for farm mechanization in previous years.

The farm mechanization level of rice farms in the Philippines stood at 2.68 horsepower per hectare (hp/ha) in 2022 compared with 2.31 hp/ha in 2013, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) reported.

With just a 16-percent improvement over a nine-year period, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) flagged several factors behind the slow uptick in farm mechanization efforts.

“We are coming from a low base, so the absolute increase appears surprisingly small given the billions spent each year under RTL-RCEF (Rice Tariffication-Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund) and other programs for farm mechanization. It is possible that the machines are not being properly maintained and become unutilized after a few years,” said FFF national manager Raul Montemayor.

Another possibility is that “farmers are hesitant to buy machines unless given to them for free because the low prices of palay brought about by excessive imports discourage investments,” Montemayor said, adding that rising fuel costs could be another disincentive.

PHilMech said among the regions, Cagayan Valley recorded the highest mechanization level at 3.51 hp/ha while the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had the lowest level of 0.93 hp/ha.

In other regions, the farm mechanization level in terms of hp/ha were as follows: Cordillera Administrative Region at 2.35; Ilocos Region, 3.09; Central Luzon with 2.62; Calabarzon with 3.36; Mimaropa with 2.22; Bicol Region with 2.98; Western Visayas with 2.76; Central Visayas with 3.02; Eastern Visayas with 2.41; Zamboanga Peninsula with 1.59; Northern Mindanao with 2.3; Davao Region with 2.59; Soccsksargen with 1.72; and Caraga Administrative Region with 1.65.

“The increase in the country’s farm mechanization level can be attributed to the impact of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Mechanization Program that is now in its fifth year of implementation,” PHilMech executive director Dionisio Alvindia said in a statement on Friday.

“Ultimately, addressing postharvest issues and pushing mechanization still form the core of farm modernization in the Philippines, hence PHilMech will continue to push technologies that will further level up the farm mechanization level of the country,” added Alvindia.

The government earmarks P5 billion or half of the P10 billion collected annually from rice tariffs for PHilMech to implement the mechanization part of RCEF from 2019 to 2024.

RCEF is a component of the Rice Tariffication Law that liberalized rice trading and lifted quantitative restriction on importing rice.

PHilMech has been batting for the extension of the RCEF-Mechanization Program beyond 2024, noting this provision has made little or no impact in boosting the rice industry.

Last month, Alvindia said the P30-billion fund for distributing farm machinery under RCEF could only cover 14 percent of the 2.7 million hectares of rice lands across the nation.

“If you ask me, the interventions we provided covering only 14 percent did not have as much impact,” he said back then.

Between 2019 and 2022, PHilMech distributed a total of 22,844 units of various farm machines to 10,633 farmers’ cooperatives and associations and local government units.

Most of the machines were for land preparation (12,644 units), such as four-wheel tractors, one-hand tractors, floating tillers and farm implements/attachments.

For crop establishment, 3,387 units of machines were distributed composed of precision seeders, walk-behind transplanters and riding-type transplanters.

Meanwhile, 1,338 units of facilities were given for drying and milling.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the rice would be delivered once Indonesia’s reserves neared depletion.

JAKARTA – The government has agreed to import 1 million tonnes of rice from India in a move that it says is necessary to ensure a sufficient supply of the staple food amid an increased risk of poor harvests this year.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the rice would be delivered once Indonesia’s reserves neared depletion.

“We have to import rice, however unpopular it is, take the initiative,” said Zulkifli on Thursday as quoted by Kompas.com, acknowledging that rice imports were often opposed by local farmers.

The minister said the government was seeking to keep the price of rice stable amid the potential impacts of this year’s El Niño climate phenomenon, which could worsen harvests.

The hot, dry weather that El Niño causes is expected to threaten food production throughout Asia.

“If the price [goes up] during El Niño, we must have enough stock [to bring it down again]. That’s why I signed a memorandum of understanding with India for 1 million tonnes that we can procure anytime,” said Zulkifli.

In late May, Zulkifli opposed the import of garlic despite calls from the National Food Agency (Bapanas) to bring down soaring prices amid low garlic stocks nationwide. He said the country should reduce its reliance on imported goods in favor of local producers.

“We want exports. Let’s not get used to importing goods. We should reduce any imports that can hamper our economy,” Zulkifli told reporters, as quoted by Tempo.

Prior to the deal with India, the government had, since December 2022, ordered a total of 500,000 tonnes of rice from countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan.

According to Bapanas, Indonesia is expecting to import around 2 million tonnes of rice this year.

The government’s import plan has rattled farmers. Smallholders in East Java and Central Java told The Jakarta Post on March 27 that they opposed plan, saying it would put downward pressure on farmgate prices.

Farmers have faced difficulties over the past months, including elevated fertilizer prices caused, in part, by supply issues stemming from the Ukraine war.

Some experts have urged the government to refrain from importing rice and wait until August to get clearer picture of state production this year.

Rice procurement may be more difficult than usual, as some countries, including Vietnam, are seeking to limit their exports of the commodity.

Vietnam recently announced it would, by 2030, export just 4 million tonnes of rice annually, down from the current 7.1 million tonnes.

The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) said it was not worried about Vietnam’s export policy shift, as other producing countries, such as India, Pakistan, Thailand and Myanmar could readily fulfill domestic stocks, Bisnis.com reported.

ISLAMABAD-The Agricultural Engineering Institute (AEI) of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) organised a seminar and training programme for rice growers at Daska, Sialkot for enhancing rice yields through education and training on the advantages of utilizing specialized machinery for rice cultivation and harvesting. The seminar was also aimed to highlight the drawbacks of traditional methods, said a press release issued here. Prominent participants comprised of Dr Asif Ali Mirani, DG, AED, PARC, Dr Hafiz Sultan Mehmood, Director, AEI, NARC along with experts, researchers, engineers, program leaders and representatives from agricultural organizations. Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC, emphasized the significance of rice as Pakistan’s second major cash crop, following wheat and highlighted the need of using modern farming equipment and high-yielding varieties to enhance productivity and combat the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector. Rice cultivation primarily takes place in fertile regions of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, providing a livelihood for a significant number of farmers, he said, adding that as compared to wheat, rice mechanization in Pakistan was relatively low, leading to delays in sowing and reduced yields due to manual labor. Moreover, labor shortages caused by urbanization and industrialization pose a significant challenge for farmers, he added. Dr Ali suggested that adopting mechanization and utilizing head-feeding combine harvesters could provide viable solutions to tackle these issues. During the fiscal year 2021-22, he said rice cultivation encompasses a land area of 3,537 thousand hectares, yielding a total of 9.323 million tons. 

KARACHI: Russia has confirmed registration of another 15 Pakistani mills for export of rice to Russia. This will help further escalate the rice exports, which have already earned $2.5 billion for the exchequer during last fiscal year.

According to Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia (Rosselkhoznadzor) has confirmed registration of 15 rice mills for export of rice to Russia.

Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance of Russia has give green signal to Pakistan’s Department of Plant Protection (DPP), Ministry of National Food Security and Research Pakistan that it has completed registration of 15 more rice companies with Rosselkhoznadzor as upgraded and recommended by DPP and now they can export rice to Russia.

REAP urges govt to help it achieve $5bn rice exports

This marks a huge success towards boosting exports of Pakistani rice and overall economy of the state. The Russian Federation had put a ban on import of rice from Pakistan in 2019 on pest interception in rice consignment.

However, it lifted ban in 2021 after corrective measures taken by DPP in the rice establishment with respect to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, however, it only approved 4 compliant rice mills for import of rice from Pakistan based on inspection report of its technical delegation and asked for additional information and measures for the remaining rice facilities.

DPP took special steps to upgrade 15 more rice mills by implementing Standard Guidance Document as per requirements of the Russian Federation.

The tireless efforts including guidance, repeated technical compliance audits were put in this direction by DPP to ensure and enable these companies to export rice through improvement in food safety and phytosanitary measures besides quality, storage and packaging. Now, 19 rice enterprises from Pakistan ca export rice to the Russian Federation.

Reap said that this is a huge achievement of the Pakistan government where the Department of Plant Protection under the MNFSR in close collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce became able to pitch increased rice exports to the Russian Federation.

This brings good news especially to the rice farmers of Punjab and Sindh, as their main source of earning is based on these exports. Moreover, Pakistan being the agrarian economy can also look for enhancing exports in other domains as well by improving quality standards as per global markets.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and an international team of scientists have used the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas to create disease-resistant rice plants, according to a new study published in the journal Nature June 14.

Small-scale field trials in China showed that the newly-created rice variety, developed through genome editing of a recently discovered gene, exhibited both high yields and resistance to the fungus that causes a serious disease called rice blast. Rice is an essential crop that feeds half of the world's population.

Guotian Li, a co-lead author of the study, initially discovered a mutant known as a lesion mimic mutant while working as a postdoctoral scholar in Pamela Ronald's lab at UC Davis. Ronald is co-lead author and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center.

"It's quite a step forward that his team was able to improve this gene, making it potentially useful for farmers. That makes it important," Ronald said.

The roots of the discovery began in Ronald's lab, where they created and sequenced 3,200 distinct rice strains, each possessing diverse mutations. Among these strains, Guotian identified one with dark patches on its leaves.

"He found that the strain was also resistant to bacterial infection, but it was extremely small and low yielding," Ronald said. "These types of 'lesion mimic' mutants have been found before but only in a few cases have they been useful to farmers because of the low yield."

Working with CRISPR

Guotian continued the research when he joined Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China.

He used CRISPR-Cas9 to isolate the gene related to the mutation and used genome editing to recreate that resistance trait, eventually identifying a line that had good yield and was resistant to three different pathogens, including the fungus that causes rice blast.

In small-scale field trials planted in disease-heavy plots, the new rice plants produced five times more yield than the control rice, which was damaged by the fungus, Ronald said.

"Blast is the most serious disease of plants in the world because it affects virtually all growing regions of rice and also because rice is a huge crop," Ronald said.

Future applications

The researchers hope to recreate this mutation in commonly grown rice varieties. Currently they have only optimized this gene in a model variety called Kitaake that is not grown widely. They also hope to target the same gene in wheat to create disease-resistant wheat.

"A lot of these lesion mimic mutants have been discovered and sort of put aside because they have low yield. We're hoping that people can go look at some of these and see if they can edit them to get a nice balance between resistance and high yield," Ronald said.

LONDON, ENGLAND — The International Grains Council (IGC) during its annual meeting in London this week discussed its latest global crop forecast, projecting record soybean and rice production in marketing year 2023-24, while forecasting total grains ending stocks to drop to a nine-year low.

With large corn and sorghum outturns more than compensating for reduced wheat and barley harvests, the IGC sees global grains production expanding by 40 million tonnes year-on-year to 2.294 billion tonnes. However, consumption is expected to expand by 2% year-on-year, from 2.254 billion tonnes to 2.302 billion, on increased uptake across food, feed and industrial sectors, causing ending stocks to further tighten.

The IGC forecasts a slowdown in grain trading in 2023-24 at 408 million tonnes, down from 411 million the previous year, due mainly to expected smaller wheat flows. Wheat output is seen declining by 20 million tonnes, to 783 million, while trade is projected to fall by 6 million tonnes, to 194 million.

Global soybean production is forecast to rise by 9% year-on-year, to a record 403 million tonnes, in 2023-24, the IGC said. Boosted by demand for soy products, consumption was seen advancing to a fresh high as well, while inventory accumulation was anticipated, including gains in key exporters. While growth was expected to moderate, world import demand was predicted at a peak of 173 million tonnes.

Regarding other oilseeds, the IGC said another above-average global rapeseed/canola crop was anticipated, with sunflowerseed output potentially recovering.

Against the backdrop of anticipated acreage gains and improved yields in Asia, world rice production was projected to increase by 2% year-on-year, to a record of 521 million tonnes in 2023-24, with modest increases in uptake and stocks predicted, the IGC said. Trade was predicted to edge up in 2024 on demand from African importers.

The IGC also updated members on other developments during the conference. With a goal of providing more up-to-date and detailed data on bulk seaborne trade in wheat, the WTO and the IGC have developed a new dashboard (https://globaltradedata.wto.org/), launched on May 31. It will be updated every two weeks and offers an interactive monitoring tool comprised of close to 3,000 datasets, covering delivered, in transit and loading volumes, as well as logistics-related information.

Despite its limitations, seaborne shipping data offers unprecedented opportunities for the analysis of trade and logistics, as countries respond to changing market environments, the IGC noted, adding that the project envisages a further expansion to include other key commodities.

The IGC Secretariat also appraised members of the extension of its price data series for pulses and oats, as well as its cooperation with MED-Amin in developing an early warning system, in part related to the durum market.

Other IGC projects for the upcoming year include:

• Updating and developing models of global supply and demand for ethanol and biodiesel, respectively.
• The further expansion of its collection, coverage and monitoring of real-time shipping data, to include other grains, soybeans and rice.
• Additional analysis of trade in grains, rice and oilseeds, focusing on the identification of vulnerabilities and bottlenecks in global food supply chains, while also enhancing dialogue between producers and importers.

The Council appointed Anita Katial, incoming agricultural counsellor for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, London, as chairperson for 2023-24. Hamed Oussama Salhi, first secretary (Agriculture), Embassy of Algeria in London, was appointed vice chairperson. 

Prices of rice exported from Vietnam scaled a more than two-year peak this week on tight supplies, with traders also flagging concerns over the likely hit to output from the El Nino weather pattern.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $498 per metric ton on average, a peak since April 2021, and higher than the $490-$495 last week.

Domestic paddy prices gained on tight supplies, and concerns about El Nino this year has weighed on the production outlook, traders said.

The country’s rice exports in January-May rose 30.8% from a year earlier to 3.62 million metric tons, valued at $1.9 billion, customs data showed.

Early signs of hot, dry weather caused by El Nino are threatening food producers across Asia, with a US forecaster also confirming the onset of the phenomenon this month, and predicting droughts in parts of Asia.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were unchanged at $490-$495 per metric ton, not far from the above $500 levels scaled in May.

New supply hasn’t entered the market while there is export demand, and with erratic weather prompting flooding and droughts, prices will stay strong, said a Bangkok-based trader.

Short supply, and a government move to hike procurement rates, also pushed up prices of the 5% broken parboiled variety from top exporter India to a more than three-month high of $390-$398 per metric ton, versus $388-$395 last week.

Supplies from the winter-sown crop have fallen sharply in the last few weeks, pushing paddy prices higher, said a Mumbai-based trader.

India last week raised the price at which it will buy new-season common paddy from farmers by 7%.

Asia rice: Vietnam rice prices jump on low supply; traders flag El Nino risks

Domestic prices of the staple in Bangladesh, meanwhile, stayed elevated despite good harvests and stocks, and Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said the country would increase subsidized rice sales from July to help the poor struggling with high inflation.

Rice is one of the staple foods globally, ranking third after wheat and maize in terms of production and consumption. It contributes over 20% of the total calorie intake of the human population.

In sub-Saharan Africa rice ranks fourth in production after sorghum, maize and millet. Nigeria is the continent’s leading rice producer and produces over 46% of west Africa’s harvest.

The country is also a big consumer. Nigeria is one of the world’s largest markets for parboiled rice, consuming on average US$4 billion worth of it each year.

With production of 5.4 million metric tonnes in 2022 and consumption of almost 7 million metric tonnes, Nigeria had to import the shortfall.

There are various reasons it’s difficult for Nigeria to produce all the rice it needs. High inflation and production costs, insecurity, policy uncertainty, and artificial scarcity caused by middlemen are some of them. Also, some consumers prefer the imported varieties.

Another major reason is water scarcity. The soil for rice cultivation should ideally be slightly wet and this can be achieved by rainfall or irrigation. In parts of Nigeria there’s already a shortage of water for drinking, so people don’t use this precious resource on a thirsty crop.

A possible solution to the problem is to use wastewater for irrigation. Around the world, the idea is growing that wastewater can be a resource rather than something to be discarded.

As a researcher working on wastewater treatment for reuse to increase rice production, I believe Nigeria ought to embrace the idea. It could boost rice production and enhance food security. It would also help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger before 2030.

In this article I offer five steps towards this.

Wastewater for irrigation

Information is scanty on the amount of wastewater generated in Nigeria but Lagos, the most populous state, produces 350 million gallons (1.3 billion litres) of wastewater daily.

If one-quarter of that water were to be recycled for rice production, nearly 75% of Nigeria’s rice shortage would be eliminated. This is based on an estimated average water applied of 450mm, and maximum consumptive water use of 3.35mm/day to produce 1.36 tonnes per hectare from a rice field in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria.

In many parts of the world, especially in developing countries such as China, India and Mexico, wastewater has become an important source for agricultural irrigation. It is estimated that 20 million hectares of cropland are irrigated with wastewater globally, accounting for nearly 10% of the irrigated agricultural land.

Israel recycles nearly 90% of its wastewater and uses most of it for irrigation. Europe recycles 60% of its wastewater. Most African countries, except Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, are yet to tap into the benefits of wastewater treatment for reuse, especially for agriculture.

Different methods of wastewater treatment have been tried for use in irrigation with various degrees of success. The most cost-effective is treatment using plants, known as phytoremediation. This process uses various types of plants to remove, transfer, stabilise or destroy contaminants in soil and wastewater. It is economically feasible, environmentally and eco-friendly, prevents erosion, and improves soil fertility.

Nigerian rice production

Based on my research I suggest Nigeria could increase rice production by following these steps.

1. Identify reliable sources of wastewater supply

For wastewater to be a major alternative source of water for rice irrigation, it has to be reliable and dependable. So, the first step is to identify sources and ascertain their reliability. Rice has to be irrigated for a minimum of 90 days (depending on the variety).

2. Structured harvesting of wastewater

There needs to be an organised way of collecting wastewater. In an organised society, waste is collected strategically and sorted to make processing and recycling relatively easy.

3. Wastewater treatment using phytoremediation

Phytoremediation is the use of plants and associated soil microbes to reduce the concentrations or toxic effects of contaminants in the environment. It is widely accepted as a cost-effective environmental restoration technology.

All the different categories of wastewater (domestic, industrial and so on) should be treated before administering to plants, except aquaculture wastewater, which already has nutrients that are beneficial to rice crop growth. Extreme caution must be taken when using wastewater for irrigation, especially on some vegetables and fruits that tend to accumulate contaminants that could harm human health.

4. Increase rice cultivation using wastewater for irrigation

Administering the treated wastewater into rice fields in a pre-determined manner and quantity is necessary for growth and optimum yield. Irrigation scheduling can ensure rice cultivation all year round irrespective of climatic variability.

5. Increase land under cultivation using irrigated wastewater

Rice is cultivated on about 3.7 million hectares of land in Nigeria, representing 10.6% of the 35 million hectares of land under cultivation, out of a total arable land area of 70 million hectares. Out of the 3.7 million hectares under rice cultivation, 77% is rain-fed. The area could be tripled (11.1 million hectares) using treated wastewater. This would lead to higher grain yield, which would increase availability, lower prices and ensure self-sufficiency.

The world is awash in rice with global stockpiles at close to record levels. El Niño’s arrival will put those reserves to the test.

The weather pattern usually brings hotter and drier conditions to Asia, which produces and consumes 90% of the global rice supply. Thailand, the world’s second-biggest exporter, has already asked farmers to reduce their planting because of lower rainfall.

Historically, rice yields have been lower during El Niño years, and in some cases, much less. Last week, the US announced the official arrival of the weather phenomenon, with a high chance of it exceeding moderate strength. The stronger the current cycle is, the more likely rice supplies will be affected.

“What we feel will happen this year is that the market will become a seller’s market,” said Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporter’s Association, in an

interview. “Not to the extent where there’s a shortage, but supply will definitely go down.”

The world’s stockpiles of rice are forecast to drop 5% to 173.5 million tons this season, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Importers are starting to become wary, ramping up purchases in recent months. Vietnam, the world’s third-largest exporter, shipped 40% more rice to the Philippines in the first four months of 2023 compared with a year ago. Exports to China surged more than 70%, and to Indonesia by almost 2,500%, according to Vietnam’s Customs Department.

Numbers from Thailand paint a similar picture with rice exports increasing over 18%, according to the Thai Commerce Ministry.

The outlook for the rice crop in India, the world’s top exporter, is highly dependent on the southwest monsoon. Rainfall is forecast to be normal this year, which will likely support production. However, El Niño has historically led to deficient rainfall in India, adversely affecting agricultural output and driving up food prices.

Even with the onset of El Niño, overall rice harvests this year are forecast to remain steady, at 512.5 million metric tons. according to the USDA. Rising demand is responsible for the expected drop in stocks.

“There is no rice shortage today,” said Jeremy Zwinger, founder and chief executive officer of agricultural research firm The Rice Trader. “If anything, there is a massive rice surplus and fears that the crops, which look good, may face some issue from weather.”

It’s important for countries to maintain healthy strategic stocks, Zwinger said. “Vietnam must be careful as they are exporting rather aggressively as well, and stocks are a bit tight.”

Feature: China's experience strengthens food security, promotes poverty alleviation in Uganda

WAKISO, Uganda, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Robert Sagula could not have imagined how different his life would be when he started to learn growing rice from Chinese experts more than 50 years ago.

At the age of 70, he still goes to his rice field in Butaleja district in eastern Uganda every day. He said thanks to Chinese experts, rice yields in his field rose dramatically, bringing more money to his family. Now he is able to afford to take his children to good schools, and he even opened a shop in his village with what he earned from growing rice.

In the past five decades, thousands of farmers in Butaleja district have participated in training on rice farming, and they turned the region into one of the main production areas, where rice is sold to different parts of the country and also exported to neighboring Kenya.

Richard Waya, another farmer living in the same district as Sagula, told Xinhua that in the 1970s, the Chinese experts taught people in the Butaleja district how to grow rice in nursery beds and later transplanted them into the field. "The results have shown that when you grow rice in lines, the yields are much higher. The Chinese people have contributed to life-changing (achievements) in Butaleja," Waya said.

Rice production in Uganda was given more impetus after China, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Uganda signed an agreement as a South-South cooperation program. The agreement, which has been implemented in a phased manner, has helped farmers in rural areas in Uganda gain agriculture technology, according to Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture.

By the end of the second phase of the program in 2017, about 3,000 farmers have been trained in increasing production in cereals, horticulture, aquaculture and livestock, according to the ministry.

During the first and second phases of the project, Chinese hybrid rice variety and foxtail millet variety were introduced to farmers in Uganda. Yields of the new hybrid rice reached about 10 tonnes per hectare, almost four times that of local varieties, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, a 220-million-U.S.-dollar China-Uganda Agricultural Cooperation Industrial Park was established in the central part of the East African country. According to the FAO reports, many farmers across the country are praising the agricultural cooperation with China.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, leader of the Chinese agriculture team, told reporters Monday that during the third phase of the program, which started in November 2022, more than 9,600 farmers, mostly youth and women, will attend the training program. He said the Chinese experts encouraged local farmers to look at agriculture in a commercial way instead of subsistence.

FAO Representative in Uganda Anthony Querido said over the years, there is evidence that cooperation with China and Uganda under the South-South cooperation framework is yielding positive results in the agriculture sector, which has been a driving force in increasing food security and promoting poverty alleviation in the country. 

This photo taken on June 12, 2023 shows a rice fish pond at the Aquaculture Research and Development Center in Kajjansi, Wakiso District, Uganda. Rice production in Uganda was given more impetus after China, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Uganda signed an agreement as a South-South cooperation program. The agreement, which has been implemented in a phased manner, has helped farmers in rural areas in Uganda gain agriculture technology, according to Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

Workers carry fish in bags for release to rice fish ponds at the Aquaculture Research and Development Center in Kajjansi, Wakiso District, Uganda, on June 12, 2023. Rice production in Uganda was given more impetus after China, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Uganda signed an agreement as a South-South cooperation program. The agreement, which has been implemented in a phased manner, has helped farmers in rural areas in Uganda gain agriculture technology, according to Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

Dar es Salaam. Rice processing in the country has received a boost following the introduction of a new processing technology known as Colour Sorter.

The Colour Sorter machines have the ability to sort out unwanted solid materials using higher-resolution sensors, leaving the rice grains clear and of high quality.

The technology is an initiative of a Japanese company called Satake, which has entered into an agreement with local processors for supply and maintenance. Processors say they are optimistic that the rice sorting technology will open more export markets to Tanzania-produced rice, whose quality has been the stumbling block.

“We once organised ourselves and started exporting rice to Dubai. Unfortunately, we did not last long. Our rice consignments were rejected as they were deemed substandard,” said a rice processor who identified himself as Mr Juma.

The Director of Mechanization and Irrigation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Anna Mwangamilo, encouraged farmers to grow more rice to help the government achieve the 2019–2030 National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) phase II.

“The aims of NRDS are to sustain rice self-sufficiency, contribute to regional self-sufficiency, be a rice market leader, and be well positioned to become competitive through improvement of quality, quantity, and value of the produced rice,” she said yesterday. In recent years, rice yield has risen, but quality has remained a challenge. The main goal of NRDS II is to make Tanzania sufficient and a major exporter of rice to the East Africa Community (EAC) and the Middle East.

According to Mwangamilo, the new technology will greatly boost rice export market share, quality, and production. The government anticipates that the technology will increase the rice industry’s competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

Mr Indrabhuwan Singh, CEO-Group Operations at Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (MeTL), said that Africa and Tanzania in general have the potential to feed the world in the next two decades if a strong agricultural value chain is created.

“The country has a lot of potential because its strategies and projects are implemented accordingly. Thus, we need to use technology, be efficient and accurate to boost productivity and quality for local and foreign markets,” he said.

Mr Singh noted that by 2050 the global population is going to reach 9 billion therefore there is a need for transformation of technology in cultivation.

It is believed that griculture connectivity by using modern technology would contribute and unlock more than $500 billion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030.

Though retail inflation fell to a 25-month low of 4.25% in May, retail price inflation rates of rice, wheat and some pulses, such as tur, remained high.

New Delhi: Though retail inflation fell to a 25-month low of 4.25% in May, retail price inflation rates of rice, wheat and some pulses, such as tur, remained high. Despite this, food inflation was down to an 18-month low of 2.91% overall, Business Standard reported.

“In line with wheat inflation, the rates of price rise in other related products were also high despite a slight moderation in May. For instance, baked breads saw inflation moderating to 10.36 per cent in May, against 11.34 per cent in the previous month. Similarly, inflation in suji came down to 11.15 per cent from 12.82 per cent and in maida to 14.36 per cent from 17.02 per cent,” the newspaper report said.

According to The Telegraph, economists have warned that subpar monsoon could mean higher food inflation in the coming months. “The development of El Nino conditions would be closely monitored as these could lead to a subpar monsoon and impact kharif yields and rabi sowing, and thereby impact crop output and food inflation,” Aditi Nayar, chief economist at Icra, stated.

In April, inflation based on the consumer price index was at 4.7%.

On June 12, a day before the May inflation numbers were released, the government imposed stock limits on wheat for traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors, Business Standard reported. The new rules came into effect immediately and will be in place till March 31, 2024. This is the first time in 15 years that such a rule has been made, the newspaper stated.

The government also decided to offload 15 lakh tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers and traders from the central pool in the first phase under the Open Market Sale Scheme, The Telegraph reported.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo handed out four tons of new superior rice seed varieties that can adapt to drought as part of the efforts to anticipate El Niño-induced drought.

“Indonesia will be confronted with drought because of El Niño,” he noted in a statement on Sunday.

“Because of this, we have to take real actions to maintain agricultural productivity amid the global food crisis,” he affirmed.

The minister symbolically handed over the seed assistance while attending an event in Padang, West Sumatra.

The four tons of rice seeds were distributed to several provinces of South Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, and West Sumatra.

The distributed rice seed comprises several varieties: Inpago 9, Inpago 12, Inpago 13 Foriz, Cakrabuana, and Inpari 42.

These superior varieties are resilient to the lack of water availability, have a long age, and can produce above eight tons per hectare of rice.

The seeds are stock seeds (SS) and extension seeds (ES) produced by Rice Instrument Standard Testing Center's (BBPSI Padi's) Source Seed Management Unit (UPBS), Bengkulu Instrument Standard Implementation Center, and Riau Instrument Standard Implementation Center.

In a bid to increase the number of superior quality rice seeds, Acting Head of the Agriculture Instrument Standardization Agency (BSIP) Fadjry Djufry stated that his side will provide assistance.

The BSIP has work units in every province that will help increase the number of seeds in accordance with the standards.

Djufry emphasized that the use of superior-quality seeds by farmers should be optimized to boost production and adapt to climate change.

PHNOM PENH, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 118,041 tons of milled rice to China in the first five months of 2023, earning 77.4 million U.S. dollars in revenue, said the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF)'s press release on Thursday.

"China is the main export market for Cambodian milled rice, which accounted for 42.43 percent of Cambodia's total rice export volume (during the January-May period of 2023)," the press release said.

CRF President Chan Sokheang said that China is a huge market for the commodity.

"The federation will continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Commerce to ensure that annual milled-rice sales to China top 400,000 tons each year," he said.

According to the press release, Cambodia exported 278,184 tons of milled rice to 50 countries and regions during the first five months of this year, generating 191.6 million dollars in revenue.

Milled rice varieties included premium aromatic rice, fragrant rice, long grain white rice, parboiled rice, and organic rice, it added.

The news release said the Philippines is a new market for Cambodia's milled rice, and the kingdom exported its first-ever big volume of 2,575 tons to the Philippines in May. 

After touching multi year high, prices of select agricultural products like rice and sugar are trading at close to the 10 to 15 years high. Neither it first, nor the last time that this trend has been visible. More important is whether this trend is sustainable, if yes, than what it means for companies which are part of the whole chain, either as consumer or supplier. Another important issue is whether retail investors should look at these stocks as tactical plays or as long term investment. To understand whether the up trend would be sustained or not, we have to look at the reasons for why prices are moving upward.

First, is the Ukraine war, which led to logistic issues at some important ports. Second, countries are becoming more protectionist. Third,sudden changes in climatic conditions lead to a drop in production of rice.

War will get settled, hopefully sooner than mater, but if the prices stay at elevated levels, protectionist policy will get a further push as no government would want food inflation to stay at higher levels, especially for locally produced agricultural products.

As far as climatic changes are concerned, they keep happening in different parts of the world and impact different crops. The only thing which may happen is that the frequency of these disturbances may get higher.

The current wave of rising prices brings in a mixture of head and tailwinds. Companies which are exporting rice and that too branded are likely to gain. Companies where 

agro products like sugar and rice go as inputs are likely to face some pressure on margins.

When we looked at companies in the sector, of the four companies, only two had ratings from analysts. Given the fact that most of these companies are in small cap space they don't get much attention from institutional investors. But if one looks at the price performance of these stocks in the last month it is clear that the street is smelling the aroma of basmati rice.

The data used in screening down these stocks has been gathered from Refinitiv’s Stock Report Plus. The data used in screening the following 4 stocks has been gathered from the latest Refinitiv’s Stock Reports Plus report dated June 9, 2023.

https://et-infographics.indiatimes.com/graphs/qI4lW/1/
About Companies

KRBL Limited is a basmati rice processing company. The Company is engaged in seed development, contract farming, procurement of paddy, storage, processing, packaging, branding and marketing of basmati rice. It operates in Domestic Agri-division, which includes agricultural commodities, such as rice, Furfural, seed, bran and bran oil, and others; and Power division, which includes power generation from wind turbine, husk-based power plant and solar power plant. The Company's geographical segments include Sales within India and Sales outside India, including the Middle East and Other than the Middle East. The Company offers its rice under a range of brands, including India Gate, Nur Jahan, Telephone, Train, Unity, Lotus, Lion, Doon, Aarati, Shubh Mangal, Al Wisam, Al Bustan, Alhussam, Blue Bird, City Palace, Necklace, Southern Girl, Taj Mahal Tilla, Bemisal and Indian Farm, among others. It exports its products to Saudi Arab, Iran, Iraq, Yemen Republic, Kuwait, and others.

LT Foods Limited is a consumer food company. The Company operates through the manufacture and storage of rice segment. It operates in three principal geographical areas of the world: India, America, Europe and other countries (Rest of the world). The Company is primarily in the business of milling, processing and marketing branded and non-branded basmati rice and manufacturing of rice food products in the domestic and overseas market. Its operations include procurement, storage, processing, packaging and distribution. The Company is also engaged in research and development to add value to rice and rice food products. The Company's rice product portfolio comprises brown rice, white rice, steamed rice, parboiled rice, organic rice, quick-cooking rice, value-added rice and flavored rice in the ready-to-cook segment. Its brands include Daawat, Heritage, Devaaya, Chef Secretz and Rozana, which cater to a diverse customer portfolio.

Chaman Lal Setia Exports Limited is a company which is engaged in the business of milling and processing of basmati rice. The Company exports to approximately 80 countries around the world, which included European, Middle eastern, American, Asian and many other markets. The Company has a manufacturing unit located in Karnal, Haryana, which has an installed capacity of approximately 12 metric tons per hour, this facility is a state of art and automated rice processing unit. The Company also has grading and sorting facilities in Amritsar, Punjab, and Kandla, Gujarat. The Company processes rice in-house and uses a parboiled, raw, steam process. The Company's brands include Maharani, Mithas and Begum basmati brands. It is also involved in selling non-basmati rice under its brand Green World A romatic Rice. The Company also sells other products, such as Maharani Diabetics Rice and Basmati Rice Plus, and organic products, such as Maharani - Brown Basmati Rice.

Kohinoor Foods Limited is a company that is engaged in the business of manufacturing, trading, and marketing food products. The Company's assortment of food products includes Basmati Rice, Wheat Flour, Ready to Eat Curries and Meals, Simmer Sauces, Cooking Pastes to Spices, Seasonings and Frozen Food. It also offers Pure Ghee, Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese), Ready Mixes, Namkeens and Sweets. Its Basmati Rice includes Premium Basmati, Organic Basmati, Brown Basmati, Special Rice and Sela (Parboil) Basmati. Its packaged food includes dairy, biscuits and cookies, pickles, dry fruits and rice brain oil. The Company offers its products under the Kohinoor brand name. The Company's offerings are preferred by connoisseurs across the globe ranging from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to the Middle East and southeast Asian countries.

Stock Reports Plus, powered by Refinitiv, is a comprehensive research report that undertakes an in-depth quantitative analysis to generate standardized scores for each of the five key components. A simple average of these scores is then normally distributed to reach an average score. Each stock is ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. A score of 8 to 10 is considered positive, 4 to 7 is neutral and 1 to 3 is given a negative outlook.

In addition to these scores, the report also contains trend analysis, peer analysis and mean analysts’ recommendations to help an investor make better & informed investment decisions.

Disclaimer: The views, scores, research and investment tips expressed herein are not that of Economic Times (“ET”) or its management and have been gathered from various third-party sources. ET does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. The content provided herein including any output of tools/analysis is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or construed as an investment advice. ET advises users to check with a certified professional before making any investment decision.

June 8 (Reuters) - Prices of rice exported from top hub India jumped to their highest since early March this week, driven by tight supplies and a move to raise the government-mandated price for paddy, while rates for the staple from Thailand eased on lower demand.

India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $388-$395 per tonne, up from last week's $375-$380.

India on Wednesday raised the price at which it will buy new-season common rice paddy from farmers by 7% to 2,183 rupees per 100 kg.

"Paddy prices have gone up in the local market in the last one month anticipating a hike in support prices. It is ultimately pushing up rice export prices," said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, an exporter.

Neighbouring Bangladesh imported 634,000 tonnes of rice to ensure food security in the first 11 months of the current financial year ending in June, data from its food ministry showed.

Bangladesh, which often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by natural calamities, doesn't need to import rice in the coming fiscal year given good domestic yield, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder had said.

Thailand's 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $490-$495 per tonne, slightly down from last week's $495.

Demand was still flat and additional supply was expected next month during the harvest, a Bangkok-based trader said.

Another trader said demand from African countries has been quiet because Thai prices were higher compared to India, while prices were supported by concerns of droughts and exports to Indonesia.

Vietnam's 5% broken rice rates were unchanged at $490-$495 per tonne.

Traders said they are speeding up rice purchases from farmers to fulfil export contracts for the year.

State media cited the Vietnam Food Association as saying that high prices have encouraged farmers to invest more in the summer-autumn crop.

King Norodom Sihamoni has provided four tractors and donated $5 each to farmers of Popel commune in Kampong Chhnang province to speed up their paddy cultivation during the rainy season.

The King also distributed 25kg of rice noodles and other daily essentials, including canned fish and fish brine, to 234 families of the Popel commune in Boribor district of Kampong Chhnang province. The children also received a surprise Royal gift of $2.5 each.

Kong Sam Ol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace, handed over the tractors as he visited the farmers on behalf of the King to monitor the progress in farming.

Sam Ol, also the representative of the King, shared the details of the King’s assistance to the struggling farmers of Popel commune.

Sam Ol said that the King’s humanitarian gesture will help the farmers who have started ploughing the fields in a slow pace to speed up their work and it will make their cultivation easier than before. The donation of tractors and money shows the King’s thoughtfulness to improve the lives of the poor people.

Popel commune chief Chea Sobon said yesterday that the King always assists the farmers and other communes in Boribo district had already benefitted from the tractors the King had provided them.

Sobon said, “Farmers in Popel commune are grateful to the King for providing them with tractors as it will speed up their work by 60 to 70%. Previously they were using  cattle to plough their paddy field. Once the ploughing is done, the tractors will be sent back to the Royal Palace.”

Thanking the King for providing tractors, Thoeun Saroth, 36, said that it will benefit the families who have been struggling without cattle to plough their rice fields. Some farmers take tractors on rental basis to speed up their farm work.

“I want to thank both the King and Kong Sam Ol for helping farmers in Popel commune. I wish the King long life and prosperity,” she added.

Exporters have expressed concerns over expected water shortage for rice and cotton crops during the current Kharif season.

Pakistan’s rice and textile exports are declining during the current year, and they are feared to drop further if enough water is not available for crops, exporters said.

The experts responded to a report of Indus River System Authority (IRSA) saying that the country is facing a significant water shortage of 37% during the current Kharif season, which could affect important cash crops.

Hamid Zaman, Chairman (North Zone) of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), told WealthPK that constant decline in cotton production was already hurting the country’s textile sector and exports.

“Decline in cotton production is directly hitting Pakistan’s exports, employment and in come of the people besides increasing trade deficit,” he said.

Hamid called upon the government to take measures for water conservation in the country.

“Agriculture is the backbone of the economy as it provides raw material to industry and ensures food security,” he said. 

The APTMA representative said textile producers have to pay $400 million to import one million bales of cotton. “Imported cotton is expensive and it also impacts the competitiveness of the textile sector,” he added.

Hamid said that government should help farmers to grow cotton crop.

“According to an estimate, Pakistan was losing at least $5 billion directly on account of low production of cotton,” Hamid said, adding that increase in cotton production will have a direct impact of $1 billion per 1 million bales.

According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, production of cotton declined by 35.49% in Pakistan due to various reasons during last 12 years.

Chela Ram Kewlani, Chairman of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), said while talking to WealthPK that the federal and provincial governments should take measures to ensure availability of water for important crops during the coming season.

He pointed out that the export of rice was already on a declining trend during the current fiscal year. 

“Rice export dropped by 11.17% in terms of value and 19.49% by quantity during first 10 months of the current fiscal year,” Kewlani said.

The REAP chairman said rice crop was damaged by floods last year, and now another calamity is feared in shape of water shortage.

Kewlani said that exporters were expecting rice exports to grow over $2.8 billion during the current fiscal year (2022-23) after getting encouragement from record exports of $2.51 billion during last fiscal year. However, he said, initially the floods, and then the water shortage shattered their hopes.

He urged the government to re-consider the water distribution formula for the coming seasons to avoid such situations in future.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan spent $1.828 billion to import 776,394 metric tons (MT) of raw cotton during 2021-22.

Pakistan’s rice exports increased by 23% during the fiscal year 2021-22 compared to the exports of 2020-21, PBS reported. During 2021-22, over 4.877 million metric tons of rice valuing $2.511 billion was exported against 3.684 million metric tons worth $2.041 billion during 2020-21.

LAHORE: In a significant move to enhance rice production, the Punjab government has announced a target of cultivating rice across 5 million acres of land this year.

Secretary of Agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahoo unveiled this plan during the inaugural meeting of the Rice Management Group held at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.

Secretary Sahoo emphasized utilizing all available resources to achieve this production milestone. He highlighted that rice caters to the nation’s population’s nutritional needs and serves as a crucial source of foreign exchange earnings.

During the meeting, it was revealed that rice cultivation in Punjab witnessed a notable increase of 6.7% over the past three years. In the fiscal year 2022-23, rice was cultivated over an area of 5.4 million acres, resulting in a production yield of 5.57 million tons. Pakistan generated $3.05 million in foreign exchange by exporting 4.87 million tons of rice.

To support the national plan for increasing rice production per acre, the Punjab government has introduced subsidies for registered farmers. A subsidy of Rs1500 per bag is provided for Basmati varieties, while Rs1000 per bag is offered for non-Basmati varieties.

Additionally, the government grants Rs30,000 per acre for cultivating demonstration plots in selected districts of Punjab. Modern machinery is being provided to progressive farmers and service providers in designated districts to promote mechanized agriculture and make effective use of paddy residue.

The Secretary further directed the availability of standardized agricultural inputs in the market during the paddy cultivation season. He emphasized the cancellation of licenses and agencies of dealers selling non-standard agricultural inputs. The meeting also stressed the need for special measures to boost paddy exports.

Prominent figures present at the meeting included Additional Secretary Agriculture Task Force Punjab Muhammad Shabir Ahmed Khan, Director General Agriculture Extension Dr Muhammad Anjum Ali, Chief Scientist Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad Dr Muhammad Akhtar, Director General Agriculture Pest Warning Punjab Rana Faqir Ahmed, Principal Scientist Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku Syed Sultan Ali, Director Agricultural Information Punjab Muhammad Rafiq Akhtar, Director Agriculture Adaptive Research Mushtaq Ali, Director Agriculture Extension Gujranwala Javed Akhtar, and Director Agriculture Extension Gujarat Dr Irfanullah, along with progressive farmers from the rice zone.

The Punjab government’s comprehensive strategy aims to significantly enhance rice production, ensuring food security and boosting the economy through increased export potential.

Since 2016, when Cao Xi returned from Brazil to his home in the city of Jilin, Jilin province, he has been working to develop his business and help fellow residents prosper.

The 34-year-old was admitted to the finance department of Xiamen University in Fujian province in 2007 and continued his studies at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland after graduating in 2011.

After obtaining his master's degree in 2012, he started a successful international trade business in Brazil.

He returned home in 2016 to visit his family and stayed for several months to care for his grandfather, who had fallen ill.

"It was also an opportunity to spend more time with my childhood friends," he said. "I was really happy to be able to be together with my family and friends."

At the same time, Cao saw that agriculture and rural tourism in Jilin were thriving as a result of the country's rural vitalization efforts. "I felt I could take advantage of more opportunities and had a greater chance to develop if I came home to stay," he said.

So Cao started a business in his hometown.

With 5 million yuan ($722,000), he and three friends set up the Yitian Ecological Agriculture Technology Co, an organic rice planting cooperative in Dasuihe village, in early 2017. They rented 300 hectares of farmland to grow rice.

"We chose to plant rice in Dasuihe because it has fertile farmland and convenient transportation to the city," he said.

At first, his parents didn't support his decision.

"At the time, I had finished immigration proceedings in Brazil," he said. "They thought that I should make my life where I had achieved success, as I had been to college and lived overseas. Working in agriculture wasn't the modern solution."

Eventually, Cao convinced them that he was doing the right thing. "I explained the favorable national policies that are encouraging the development of new agriculture, which may bring huge business opportunities," he said. "Additionally, I want to help the villagers earn more money."

Cao grew up in the city but has lots of relatives living in rural areas, so he has many memories related to farming.

"However, I had difficulties at first because I didn't have much professional agricultural knowledge or experience," he said.

He spent time learning about agriculture, especially about rice planting, such as how to improve the quality of crops.

His company cooperated closely with several local agriculture research institutes and colleges, focusing on technological development. They developed their own take on integrated rice growing, which involves raising ducks, crabs and fish in paddy fields, that can help organic rice grow in an eco-friendly fashion.

"Agriculture is ancient, but agricultural technology and business models are constantly changing," he said. "I can combine my financial knowledge with traditional agriculture and contribute to the development of agriculture."

Cao turned to mechanization and intelligent planting.

"Now, our 300 hectares of farmland only need 100 farmers for centralized planting. In the past, that same amount of land would have been worked by more than 2,000 people," he said. "The annual income for every household has increased by 20,000 yuan."

To attract more customers, Cao and his team turned to make sales through a variety of channels, including livestreaming, e-commerce platforms and group customization.

"Environmentally friendly agriculture is fundamentally different from traditional agriculture, so we need to pay more attention to individuality and branding," he said. "To package the rice, for instance, we chose kraft paper decorated with farm scenes, which has been well received."

In 2019, the company rebuilt some farmhouses around the village and developed a rural tourism project.

Covering an area of 60,000 square meters and with an investment of 8 million yuan, it includes traditional residences serving as homestays, fish and lotus ponds, an art theater, an agricultural products exhibition center, a professional rural-style video shooting venue, a plum wine production area and a storage cellar.

"With support from local governments, we hope to create a leading rice brand in the province," he said. "At the same time, through the rural tourism project, we can integrate resources to create a rural tourism alliance that will lead more farmers down the path of wealth."

YANGON (Xinhua): Myanmar's rice exports declined to 46,786 tonnes in May, compared to 94,691 tonnes recorded in the same period last year, data by Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) showed on Tuesday (June 6).

The South-East Asian country also exported 63,920 tonnes of broken rice last month, compared to 58,815.5 tonnes exported a year earlier, the MRF data showed.

Turkiye was the top buyer of Myanmar's rice in May, with 11,376 tonnes, while Belgium was the top buyer of broken rice during the cited period, with 25,925 tonnes.

In May, Myanmar exported its rice and broken rice to Turkiye, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, China and other countries.

The South-East Asian country, which has a long coastline, has shipped most of its rice and broken rice via sea routes.

Myanmar earned US$853.472 million from the exports of more than 2.2 million tonnes of rice and broken rice during the 2022-23 fiscal year, showed the MRF data.

In Myanmar, rice is the most cultivated crop followed by beans and pulses.

OLATHE, Kan. (June 5, 2023) – To meet the demands of today’s high-yielding rice varieties and tighter harvesting windows faced by farmers, John Deere offers a new rice package for model year 2024 X9 1000 combines that can harvest up to 3,200 bushels per hour.

The rice package features enhanced wear parts of key components inside the combine. The tougher coatings and stainless-steel parts can better withstand the abrasiveness of hybrid rice varieties when compared to previous models.

While harvesting rice, MY24 X9 1000 combines equipped with the rice package can provide up to 65% more harvesting capacity while using 20% less fuel when compared to John Deere S790 combines. This increased harvesting capacity is possible thanks to the dual separator of the X Series that’s built to handle high crop volume without sacrificing grain quality. This ensures smooth crop flow during harvest, even in downed rice.

The grain tank on the X9 1000 can hold up to 420 bushels of rice so farmers can spend more time harvesting and less time stopping to offload grain.

To learn more about the new rice package for X9 1000 combines, farmers should visit their local John Deere dealers or Deere.com for details.

Agricultural Technology: Mechanization boosts rice harvest in south China's Hainan

Today marks the Mang Zhong, or "Grain in Ear" in English, a traditional Chinese solar term that signifies the ripening of crops, and a busy time for farmers. We zoom in on China's only tropical province of Hainan, which is looking to achieve high-efficiency agriculture in conditions not experienced elsewhere in the country. The province is increasing investment in mechanisation and smart technology to increase rice production. LIN WO has the story from Hainan.

Farmers in Hainan have been busy harvesting and drying rice. Hainan's grain planting area amounts to about 144,000 hectares, with about 80 per cent devoted to rice. By the end of May, about one-third of the rice crop had been harvested.

BAI FENGZHEN Co-founder Hainan Wutianjia Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. "We expanded the planting area through made-to-order farming and transferring management of large areas of land to the professional agricultural cooperative, which has also improved farmers' enthusiasm for grain planting."

This year, Hainan received 29.5 million yuan of subsidies from the Chinese central government and almost six million yuan from the provincial government for mechanisation to improve production. Meanwhile, 10 cities and counties, such as Haikou, Sanya and Wenchang have promoted the use of photovoltaic-controlled irrigation technology. More than 80 5G intelligent irrigation projects have been built, benefiting more than 6,000 hectares of land.

LI PENG Chief Agronomist Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture & Rural Affairs "We will continue to strengthen staff training for agricultural production, and formulate policies to attract more personnel and more investment."

Farming and production in Hainan will be further helped by the proposed Sanya Southern Breeding Mechanized Scientific Research Center and the Danzhou International Research and Development Center for Tropical Crops and Agricultural Mechanization. They will focus on key agricultural processes and mechanization technologies.

LINWO, Sansha Satellite TV in Hainan for CGTN.

CLEVELAND, MS – Last week, a group of Congressional staffers visited with rice farmers Joe and Michael Aguzzi and Kirk Satterfield, along with Mississippi State University Rice Extension Specialist Dr. Hunter Bowman at the Aguzzis’ farm.

The Aguzzis shared the history of their family’s rice farm and rice production in the Mississippi Delta, while Bowman talked about the agronomics of producing rice and the uniqueness of the crop.

Satterfield, who serves as chair of USA Rice and the Mississippi Rice Council, spoke to the record-high production costs and stagnant rice market prices rice farmers have faced over the last two years, which is why they needed and are currently receiving special assistance for the 2022 crop year. He also provided an overview of international trade and market issues that impact the U.S. rice industry, including the egregious actions of bad trade actors like India and the benefit that normalized trade with Cuba would offer for the industry.

With the 2023 Farm Bill on the horizon, Satterfield told the staffers that rice farmers need a strong farm safety net, and that means much-needed improvements to the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program by specifically increasing the rice PLC reference prices. He underscored that an adequate PLC program is critically important to U.S. rice farmers because it helps level the playing field for rice that is highly subsidized by our global competitors.

“I relish any opportunity to visit with Congressional staff, but I especially appreciated this group making the trek to the Mississippi Delta to see rice country in action and discuss issues our industry is facing,” said Satterfield. “We’re hopeful these staffers will return to Washington understanding the importance of our domestic rice industry and that they will help us tackle these pressing issues, particularly with Farm Bill reauthorization this year.”

Congressional staffers were led by Mississippi Farm Bureau’s Justin Ferguson and included Halee Fisher and Harlea Hoelscher of the House Agriculture Committee, and Semaj Martin-Redd (Rep. Trent Kelly, MS), Anna May (Rep. Michael Guest, MS), Murray Miller (Rep. Bruce Westerman, AR), and Blake Nolan (Rep. Mike Ezell, MS).

LAHORE : A meeting of the committee to carry out the latest research on development of quality seeds of rice, wheat and cotton was held at committee room of PU Vice-Chancellor's office. Rice Research and Development Board Chairman, Punjab, Shahzad Ali Malik, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Director Prof Dr Shakeel Ahmad and other officials participated in the meeting. Addressing the meeting, Shahzad Malik stressed the need for immediate steps to increase per acre yield of field crops through higher yielding varieties which is possible by rewarding breeders through a lucrative incentive package/scheme. He highlighted that out of five major field crops rice, maize, cotton, wheat and sugar cane, only two crops, rice and maize performed well due to high yield varieties with the main contribution of private sector. He said rice and maize helped Pakistan to achieve local demand, export earnings and import substitution. Malik reiterated that solution of the current situation lies in the agro-based economy and we need to focus on it seriously.

The state government has expanded the supply of fortified rice, aimed at addressing malnutrition, to 31 districts of Karnataka without conducting any biomarker tests or studying the pros and cons.

In April 2022, the government, under its ‘Poushtika Karnataka’ (Nutrition Karnataka) programme, decided to provide fortified rice on a pilot basis. It involves grinding broken rice into powder and fortifying it with micronutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, and then shaping it into rice-like kernels for beneficiaries in 14 districts. Based on the findings, the programme was to be implemented across the state. From April 2023, over 4.44 crore people are receiving fortified rice under the centrally-sponsored programme.

However, multiple sources in Food & Civil Supplies and Women & Child Development departments confirmed to DH that they have not conducted any study to ascertain if fortified rice has addressed the intended purpose of minimising anaemia, malnutrition and others.

Scientists are divided over supplying iron-fortified rice under various schemes of the public distribution system including Antyodaya, priority household cards, Anganwadi, and mid-day meals.

While a section of experts fears that an irrational supply of iron- a 'non-friendly chemical'-could cause more harm, others argue that India is supplementing fortified rice as per the advice of the World

Health Organisation and within the permissible limits.

Dr Anura Kurpad, member of NITI Aayog's National Technical Board on Nutrition and Professor at St John's Medical College, Bengaluru, says in principle, supplying fortified rice to a poor population is a great idea.

"But doing this in an imprecise way by supplying all through a mandatory system is not so great. This

could provide excess iron supplement to a large proportion of beneficiaries, particularly men whose

requirements are lower and whose diets do not need additional iron content, and this is is a worrying

factor," he says.

He says several studies have shown that providing an excess of iron content, especially to men, can have a cascading effect (as they cannot easily excrete iron from body). His study of data from a national survey of children has also found that adolescent children with higher iron stores, as measured by serum ferritin levels, run a risk of higher blood sugar levels, which in the long run has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, dyslipidemias, and high blood pressure. Giving an iron supplement through fortification to children will increase body iron stores over time, and there is need for caution and precision in giving iron only to those who need it. A mandatory blanket provision will not do this.

"Without screening or surveying patients, the government through PDS is providing fortified rice to two- thirds of its population. The amount of iron that will be delivered to a beneficiary will be 10 mg per day, from each iron-fortified food. Apart from this, it is also providing iron and folic acid tablets to women (60 mg per week) and children. Given that men and women need only 10-15 mg of iron per day, one serving of iron-fortified rice will supply the entire daily iron requirement for men, and most for women. Eating two fortified foods simultaneously-like fortified salt along with rice-will double the amount

ingested iron to 20 mg per day. To this, we must add the iron from iron tablets supplied to women and children, plus the natural iron in the usual foods that are eaten, like green leafy vegetables and millet. There is no defined time limit to the fortification programme, nor any plan to test when this should be rolled back. The prolonged consumption of fortified rice can result in high iron stores along with oxidative stress resulting in harm to the body. Without monitoring the consequences, we could be putting a large proportion of the population in harm's way," he warns

Unlike other medications that are clinically provided under supervision (including consumption of iron

tablets) where the dosage is for a specific period, the government has not mentioned a plan or

indicators for tapering of fortified rice consumption, he adds The government, as recommended by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has

been mixing one kg of fortified rice in one quintal of normal rice.

Countering Dr Kurpad's argument, Dr Prashanth Thankachan, an expert in micronutrients at St John's Research Institute, says the iron from fortified rice being provided in PDS is one-third (4.5 mg) of the total daily requirement. "In a country with a lack of diversity in food consumption, supplying iron fortified rice is a low-cost, safe and effective means of addressing malnutrition," he says. At least 14 countries including the United States of America, Canada and Bangladesh are supplying fortified rice since 2000, None of these countries have reported any adverse impact, he says.

"A person with no iron deficiency will not absorb additional iron into the body even if present in the food and, therefore, the risk of adverse events is nonexistent. The classic example is of salt fortified with adine to tackle iodine deficiency in the country, fodine deficiency has come down drastically in India, he says

A couple of days ago, the World Health Organisation in its Switzerland assembly passed a resolution

aking nations to increase supply of fortified food grains at the earliest to improve micronutrient levels among children and women,

Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar, Additional Director (Vigilance & Public Distribution) of the Food and Civil

Supplies Department, says they are awaiting a study from Path Foundation regarding the benefits of

fortified rice.

Path Foundation is funded by the Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation that is promoting the use of fortified rice in India.

"As of now, the state government does not have any report on the pros and cons of fortified rice. The centrally-sponsored scheme is being implemented based on several scientific studies conducted across the world. It has proved efficient in improving haemoglobin and nutrition levels in children and pregnant women," he says.

Path Foundation office-bearer Satyabrat informed DH that they have not conducted biomarker tests but meta-analyses on beneficiaries.

Experts say there is no proof to suggest that the consumption of fortified rice improves malnutrition as

the iron content in 'chemically laced rice is low.

Kalaburagi Women and Child Welfare Department Deputy Director Naveen Kumar U says the department is not completely dependent on fortified rice. "We are trying to mitigate malnutrition and anaemia at multiple levels, including providing eggs, bananas and others. So, it is difficult to say if the

changes witnessed in the district are due to fortified rice," he says.

Kalaburagi was among the 14 districts selected on a pilot basis and received 1.33 lakh metric tonnes of

fortified rice. It ranks among districts with high levels of malnutrition. Dr Anura Kurpad said instead of supplying iron-fortified rice, the government should encourage the

consumption of fruits and provide nutritious supplements based on screening.

Rice growers say still handed poor seeds from state-picked suppliers despite years of complaints.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Smallholding rice growers, many of them poor, have again called for an urgent reform of the government’s national paddy policy following piles of complaints that state-picked companies are still handing out poor-quality seeds, even as they enjoy millions of ringgit in taxpayers subsidies.

PeSawah, the association representing paddy farmers, said rice growers from Penang, Kedah, and Negeri Sembilan have lodged complaints about seeds that were either badly damaged or wouldn’t grow, which could potentially lower yields and affect income for families that are already struggling to cope with living cost pressure.

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“For your information, this isn’t the first case, various parties including PeSawah have highlighted the problem of the poor quality of these paddy seeds supplied by these selected companies for the last four years,” said Abdul Rashid Yob, one of the group’s executive committee members, in a statement.

“Apart from the poor quality of seeds we’ve faced other problems such as inadequate supply and exploitative pricing. How many more complaints must we farmers lodge, it’s as if they’re ignoring us.”

He alleged it is a problem that has dragged on for years because suppliers are the benefactors of a licensing and quota system that chose them based on patronage, ultimately guaranteeing them “millions of ringgit in subsidies” even if the quality of seeds they supply is poor.

Rice is a staple food among Malaysians, making it one of the most important food crops in the country.

Still, local growers can produce just up to 65 per cent of the rice supply needed to meet local demand, relying on imports from countries like Thailand and Vietnam to make up the shortfall.

Because of this, rice production continues to operate under a largely protected system that is meant to keep prices “stable”, which policy analysts said has placed nearly the entire rice production chain, including rice milling and provisions of inputs for growing like pesticides, seeds and fertilisers, under the control of just several companies.

These companies receive millions of ringgit in yearly subsidies meant to absorb the cost of inputs. Padiberas Nasional Berhad, a former state-turned-private enterprise that currently controls up to two-thirds of the rice supply market, said up to 12.5 per cent of the annual federal budget goes into subsidising rice production.

Abdul Rashid said this could be one of the factors that make suppliers feel they are insulated from scrutiny.

“We are convinced this lackadaisical attitude of the seed suppliers who care little about the fate of poor farmers is because of this licensing and quota system whereby at every season they are easily guaranteed millions of ringgit in profits from government subsidies that go straight into their coffers,” he said.

“This means regardless if the quality of seeds they supply are poor or good they still get to claim subsidies. This is further enabled by poor enforcement and monitoring.”

Today’s statement came as farmers have for years tried to push for the government to abolish the limited licensing system so the supply of paddy seeds can be opened up.

Abdul Rashid said PeSawah’s members also want regulators to allow seed sharing, a progressive idea pushed by grassroots groups worldwide because it helps promote genetic diversity, maintain the quality of crops, helps cut the cost of seeds for farmers and increase their access to a wider variety of other crops.

“And we want the subsidies for paddy seeds to be channelled directly towards farmers too,” he added.

“This way farmers will have more options and there can be competition that acts as assurance of quality and price.”

MANILA, Philippines — The government should prioritize the competitiveness of local palay farmers amid the flooding of imported grains, according to a farmers’ group, as it pointed out that achieving rice self-sufficiency would be short-lived if it lacks profitability for producers.

In a radio interview yesterday, Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) national manager Raul Montemayor said that while President Marcos’ target of achieving 97.5-percent rice self-sufficiency in five years is “technically” achievable, local farmers would still compete with the unabated influx of imported rice under the rice tariffication law (RTL).

“Under the rice tariffication law, the government cannot prevent the importation of rice. It did not impose a ceiling on the importation. The law only stated that all agencies of the government are barred from preventing the arrival of imported rice,” Montemayor added.

Marcos has approved the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program, which seeks to achieve the highest possible rice self-sufficiency level by implementing various strategies.

The Masagana Rice Industry Development Program is similar to Masagana 99, a program implemented in 1973, during the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s administration, that sought to address rice shortage and boost production.

“Technically, (we can achieve rice sufficiency in 2027) as our shortfall for one year is only about 10 to 15 percent, and it is easy to achieve if we can increase the rice plantations and increase the palay yield per hectare,” Montemayor said.

He noted that during the implementation of Masagana 99, many farmers suffered huge debts.

“Normally, if you want to increase the yields, you will invest on fertilizer, inputs, you will borrow. Based on the experience of farmers during the Masagana 99 period, their yield increased, but they were left with huge debts,” Montemayor said.

For the FFF leader, the government should make sure farmers can compete with the retail price of imported grains.

“We can be self-sufficient, but the market is still open to cheap rice imports. Local farmers, with the low cost of imported grains, will be forced to bring down their farm gate price just to compete with imported rice,” he said.

He added that the Philippines has a commitment under the World Trade Organization to allow an open market for rice trading without the intervention of government.

“The government should first fix the cost of production of our farmers, their competitiveness, before targeting self-sufficiency. Otherwise, it will be short-lived, the self-sufficiency will not last as farmers will suffer losses,” he said.

Because of the RTL, the country imports 20 to 25 percent more of the rice needs as against the 10 to 15 percent of actual needs.

“This is the reason why the farm gate price of palay is down during the harvest season,” Montemayor said.

Based on data from the Bureau of Plant Industry as of May 25, at least 1.6 million metric tons of imported rice had arrived, where the bulk or 1.4 million MT came from Vietnam, from January to May this year.

Montemayor expressed belief that the government’s target to bring down the farm gate price of rice to P8.13 per kilo will actually dissuade farmers from planting.

“If you will offer P8 per kilo, it will not entice farmers as the cost of production is actually at P12, P13 (per kilo),” he said.

“The approach of Masagana 99 was good as it had fertilizer, technical advice, credit, lands under the CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program). It was discontinued during the administration of (the late former president Corazon) Cory (Aquino) as the implementation of the program was no longer comprehensive,” he added.

Montemayor emphasized that the government should learn from the mistakes from the past.

“A good slogan is not enough if no concrete program is offered. President Marcos should task officials to consult with farmers. Officials may succeed in impressing the President through the slogan, but if there is no detailed evaluation, the past mistakes will just be repeated,” he said.

Masagana 99 was able to address the rice shortage, but was dogged by credit program issues, according to experts.

Thailand’s rice output this year may drop by as much as 6%, to between 25.1 and 25.6 million tonnes, due to the impacts of the El Niño weather phenomenon, according to a forecast by the Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC).

KRC predicts that total rice production this year will be between 32.7 and 33.2 million tonnes, when combined with about 7.6 million tonnes from the second crop, which will be enough for domestic consumption and exports, which are expected to see an increase from last year.

It warns that the anticipated rice output may be much lower if the drought is prolonged and causes more damage to the crops.

KRC warned that the El Niño phenomenon this year, if it is further prolonged, will cause a substantial drop in water levels in numerous reservoirs, which will have an impact on both main and second-crop cultivation next year, as it urged agencies concerned to adjust their water management plans immediately, to ensure that there is sufficient water for cultivation and other purposes.

Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department is urging farmers in the Chao Phraya river basin to suspend second crop cultivation.

KRC said, however that, due to the attractive export price and global demand for Thai rice, many farmers still want to plant their second crop, despite the risk of a water shortage.

According to the department, about 19,600,000m3 of water, including about 7,000,000m3 for the Chao Phraya river basin alone, have been discharged into about 1.59 million hectares of rice fields under the 2022-23 water management plan.

New Delhi: The state government of Manipur has requested the Union government to lower rice prices to ₹3,200 a quintal from ₹3,400 amid tension in the state, three government officials aware of the matter said.

On his visit to Manipur on Thursday, home minister Amit Shah announced a relief and rehabilitation package for the state in the wake of ethnic violence. Shah said the Centre has sent 30,000 tonnes of rice in addition to the state’s quota to ensure uninterrupted supplies of essential commodities.

A state government official said there are no food security concerns in the state. However, the state will lift an additional 30,000 tonnes of rice at ₹3,200 per quintal from the Food Corp of India (FCI) over three months from June in addition to its monthly lifting of a little less than 12,000 tonnes.

This is because of the current poor law and order in the state that is hampering agricultural activity, and to ensure food supply to people who are not yet covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the 10 hill districts on 3 May to protest the demand of the Meitei community, that accounts for 53% of Manipur’s population and primarily inhabits the Manipur Valley, for scheduled tribe (ST) status, causing the deaths of more than 80 people.

Property worth crores of rupees has also been destroyed in the violence, leaving thousands homeless.

The escalation in violence in Manipur has its roots in an over=10-year-old demand by the Meitei community for the ST tag. The immediate reason for the violence is an order by the Manipur High Court directing the state government to recommend to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry by 29 May, an ST tag for the community.

Rice under the public distribution system (PDS) will be given to the people of Manipur at ₹32 per kg instead of ₹34 if Union government approves the request. Further, the state will pay the FCI for this rice.

The Union food and public distribution ministry had in January issued detailed guidelines on the open market sale scheme (OMSS) domestic (D) for both rice and wheat. In the guidelines, it mentioned that states may be allowed to purchase rice, including the fortified variety, from FCI at ₹3,400 per quintal without participating in e-auctions.

However, the state has 45,405 tonnes of rice in the godowns of FCI and state agencies, according to FCI’s stock position data.

Emailed queries sent to the Union Department of Food and Public Distribution, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution department of Manipur and Resident Commissioner Manipur on Thursday remained unanswered till press time.

As on 16 May, the Union food and public distribution department’s grains procuring agency has a total 20.4 million tonnes (MT) rice across India against the operational and strategic reserve norm of 13.5 MT as on 1 July.

In the ongoing kharif marketing season (April-September), FCI has procured 73.7 MT paddy, and nearly 6.3 MT rabi paddy till 2 June, latest procurement data from the FCI showed.

Vietnam will develop and diversify rice export markets with a reasonable, stable, and effective scale, market and product structure under a strategy recently approved by the Prime Minister.

The Strategy on Development of Vietnam's Rice Export Markets until 2030 sets the targets of improving the value of exported rice, and reducing export volume by 2030 to about 4 million tonnes with a turnover of about US$2.62 billion.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that last May, Vietnam shipped abroad some 1 million tonnes of rice valued at US$489 million, raising rice export volume and value in the first five months of this year to nearly 3.9 million tonnes and US$2.02 billion, representing year-on-year increases of 40.8% and 49%, respectively.

In the first four months of this year, the Philippines was Vietnam’s biggest rice importer, making up 42.4% of the market share.

Among Vietnam’s 15 biggest rice buyers, Indonesia experienced the sharpest rise in value (26.3 times), according to the ministry.

Under the strategy, Vietnam's rice sector will also increase exports of high-quality rice. Specifically, between 2023 and 2025, the proportion of low- and medium-grade white rice will not exceed 15%; high-grade white rice will account for about 20%; fragrant rice, japonica rice and specialty rice 40%; sticky rice 20%; rice products with high added value such as nutritious rice, parboiled rice, organic rice, rice flour, rice-processed products, rice bran and some other rice by-products 5%; and rice with brand names 20%.

Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman and CEO of Phuoc Thanh IV Trading - Production Company Limited, said the adjustments are suitable, explaining that the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's rice bowl, reduced the number of rice crops to only one from three.

Experts said intensive processing will help Vietnam raise its rice value by multiple times, noting it requires investment in science-technology to put the grain on market shelves in Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said up to 85% of Vietnamese rice varieties are high-quality ones. Therefore, prices of Vietnamese rice have exceeded those of Thailand to stand at US$485-US$495 per tonne.

Given requirements of markets and free trade agreements, the research of high-quality rice varieties with affordable prices has proven effective in rice production, especially in terms of food security, he said. VNA

Rice exports have increased by 49% year-on-year in the first five months to US$2.02 billion, the highest growth in 10 years.

It grew by 40.8% in volume terms to 3.9 million tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Philippines was the biggest buyer with 1.29 million tons, a 40.6% increase. Exports to Indonesia rose by 26 times.

On average, a ton fetched $517, a 5.8% increase from last year.

Vietnamese rice producers are having a bountiful year with high yields and rising demand in traditional markets such as the Philippines, China and Malaysia, Nguyen Ngoc Nam, chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, said.

There were also sharp spikes in exports to southern African countries, he told VnExpress. Some fragrant Vietnamese rice varieties are also popular in some niche markets, he added.

Vietnam is seeing increased opportunity since major competitors India and Thailand are being affected by El Nino, the warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean.

The Russia-Ukraine war has also caused an increase in global food stocking.

Vietnamese producers said there has been a surge in orders in recent months but not enough supply for exports.

Exports are forecast to reach 6.5 million tons at most this year, down 8.4% from last year, according to the Vietnam Food Association.

02 Jun 2023 --- Food commodity prices declined in May amid significant drops in quotations for most cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products, reports the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 124.3 points in May, down 2.6% from April and 22.1% below the all-time high reached in March 2022. 

The FAO Cereal Price Index declined 4.8% from the previous month, led by a 9.8% drop in world maize quotations due to a favorable production outlook and sluggish import demand. 

Grain deal pushes down prices
World wheat prices also declined, by 3.5%, reflecting ample supplies and the new extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. 

In contrast, international rice prices continued to increase in May, sustained by Asian purchases and tighter supplies in some exporting countries, such as Vietnam and Pakistan. 

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index dropped 8.7%, averaging 48.2% below its year-earlier level. International palm oil prices fell markedly from April, as protracted weak global import purchases coincided with rising outputs in major producing countries. 

World soy oil prices fell for the sixth month amid a bumper soybean crop in Brazil and higher-than-expected stocks in the US. Meanwhile, rapeseed and sunflower oil prices continued to decline on ample global supplies.

The FAO Dairy Price Index declined by 3.2% from April, led by a steep drop in international cheese prices due mainly to ample export availability amid seasonally high milk production in the northern hemisphere. 

The FAO Sugar Price Index posted its fourth consecutive monthly increase, up by 5.5% from April and reaching a level nearly 31% higher than a year earlier. The jump reflected tighter global availability, rising concerns over the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on next season’s crops, and shipping delays amid strong competition from soybean and maize in Brazil. 

The FAO Meat Price Index also rose by 1.0%, driven primarily by a steady high Asian import demand for poultry meat and persistent supply tightness for bovine meat in the US.

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos aims to achieve 97.5 percent rice sufficiency in five years through a program that bears the name of an agriculture initiative launched during the time of his late father and namesake.

The roadmap of the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program, which seeks to achieve the highest possible rice sufficiency level by implementing various strategies, was approved last Wednesday, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

Marcos, also the agriculture secretary, cited the roadmap’s target during a rice industry convergence meeting in Quezon City also last Wednesday.

“This convergence meeting, I think, has given us a good roadmap to follow, but many can still happen between now and our goal of having a 97.5-percent self-sufficiency in rice,” the President said.

“I don’t think you have to be 100 percent… But I think 97.5 (percent), I think is a good enough number. We can feel that… We can say that we are able to feed, at least we have enough harvested rice,” he said, adding that other necessary niche products will account for the remaining 2.5 percent.

“You do not have to really go to 100 percent because the three percent is for ‘niche products’, the organic, special grain, Japanese rice and the like,” the Chief Executive said. “We do not need to provide that. But with 97 percent, we can say that we can feed all our countrymen with enough rice supply.”

The PCO said the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program is designed “to support rice farmers, increase rice production, and strengthen the rice value chain.” It will be carried out through several strategies like climate change adaptation, farm clustering and consolidation, value chain approach and digital transformation.

Its name is similar to that of Masagana 99, a 1973 program that sought to address rice shortage and boost production. According to experts, Masagana ’99 was able to address the rice shortage but was dogged by credit program issues. The program was discontinued in 1984.

Marcos also enumerated various measures to boost agricultural production and assist the farming sector during the meeting. Through convergence, assets, resources, funding and technology could be made readily available to farmers, he said.

“The importance of consolidation is key. That really is the first step. We cannot do all of the other things that we want to do until we organize our farmers,” the President said, noting that mechanization, the adoption of new farming technologies and digitalization would be helpful to farmers.

Rice, Maize help Pakistan achieve local demand, export earnings, says RRDB Chairman

LAHORE    -    Rice Research and Development Board Punjab (RRDB) Chairman Shahzad Ali Malik Wednesday an­nounced ‘Shafi Malik Plant Breed­ers Award’ of Rs 10 million each for breeders from private and public sector who develops the best quality high yielding seeds of rice, cotton and wheat.

Talking to the media here, Malik stressed the need for immedi­ate steps to increase yield per acre of field crops through the best varieties which is pos­sible by rewarding breeders through a lu­crative incentive pack­age/scheme. Shahzad Ali Malik highlighted that out of five major field crops Rice, Maize, Cot­ton, Wheat and Sugar Cane, only two crops, Rice and Maize performed well due to high yielding varieties with the main contribution of pri­vate sector. He said Rice and Maize helped Pakistan achieve local de­mand, export earnings and import substitution. Going one step forward Shahzad Ali Malik on behalf of the Guard Agricultural Research and Services for first time in the history of private sector made announce­ment of three cash rewards of Rs 10 million each to encourage the breed­ers. He added that breeders may be from the public or private sector whose variety be­comes commercially successful on the basis of at least 10 percent increase in sale and production for three years. However, the incentive would not be for varieties approved on paper only and not being found commer­cially successful. For rice crop this reward is for inbred (open pollinated) and for hybrid varieties with Average Grain Length 8mm or above. This an­nouncement would go a long way to help boost the research and produc­tion of cotton, wheat and rice seed varieties that would bring revolu­tion in increasing per acre yield.

MUMBAI/HANOI /BANGKOK/DHAKA: Prices of rice exported from top hub India edged higher this week from a near six-month trough as weaker rates attracted buyers from other Asian countries, while comparatively higher rates in Vietnam posed risks to demand in the near term.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $375-$380 per tonne, up from the last week’s $374-$378.

“Buying from Asian countries has improved a bit because of lower prices, although the majority of buyers are still on the sidelines,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Neighbouring Bangladesh, which often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by natural calamities such as floods, doesn’t need to import rice this year, its food minister said.

“There is a good harvest in the country, so there is no need to import rice,” Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder told reporters. Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $490-$495 per tonne, unchanged from a week ago, which was the highest level since late April.

“Trading activity is quiet as some buyers are slowing their purchases due to high prices,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said. Vietnam’s rice exports in the first five months of this year are estimated to have risen about 40.8% from a year earlier to 3.9 million tonnes, government data showed on Monday.

DGFT AMENDS EXPORT POLICY CONDITION OF BASMATI AND NON-BASMATI RICE

DGFT has made amendment in Policy condition of Sl. No. 55 & 57, Chapter 10 Schedule-2, ITC(HS) Export Policy, 2018 for export of Basmati and Non-Basmati rice.

DGFT amends Export Policy Condition of Basmati and Non-Basmati Rice

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued an amendment in Policy condition of Sl. No. 55 & 57, Chapter 10 Schedule-2, ITC(HS) Export Policy, 2018 for export of rice (Basmati and Non-Basmati) via issuing Notification.

The Notification Stated as, “In exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 (No. 22 of I 992), as amended read with para 1.02 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, the Central Government hereby makes the following amendment to the Notification No. 27/2015-2020 dt. 17.08.2022, with immediate effect policy condition at SI.No. 55 and 57, Schedule 2 of ITC (HS) Export Policy, 2018 for export of rice (Basmati and Non-Basmati).”

The following policy conditions shall be amended/added to the existing entries of Chapter 10 at SI.No. 55 and 57:-

Effect of Notification:

Existing notification No.27/2015-2020 dated 17th August 2022 is amended to the extent that export of Rice (Basmati and Non-Basmati) to EU member states and other European Countries namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and United Kingdom only will require Certificate of Inspection from EIA/EIC. Export to remaining European countries will not require Certificate of Inspection by Export Inspection Council / Export Inspection Agency for export from the date of this notification for a period of six months.

Rice producers can now apply for Rice Production Program payment.

More than a year ago, members of the rice community began working with Sen. John Boozman, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, and his staff for an assistance program to alleviate skyrocketing fertilizer, fuel, and input costs. Now this funding has finally come to fruition with a $250 million Rice Production Program which was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed last winter.  

Kelly Robbins, executive director at Arkansas Rice, said, “We are extremely thankful for Senator Boozman and his staff who were instrumental in making this a reality. We are also appreciative of USA Rice and farmers in the rice community around the country for working together to encourage our members of congress to be supportive of this effort.” 

Applying for Payment 

The payment is based on all planted and prevent plant rice acres in 2022, and farmers in all six rice producing states will receive these proceeds. Producers should check their mail and expect to receive a pre-filled, FSA-174, Rice Production Program Application, if they have not received it already. For those who prefer not to wait, these forms can be printed at your local FSA office.  

Farmers should ensure the pre-filled form is accurate based on their 2022 rice acreage, and there are 60 days to complete the application with a July 10, 2023, deadline for submission. Forms can be returned by mail, or Robbins said farmers are welcome to return the forms directly to their FSA office. 

It should be noted this is not a first-come, first-serve basis. Robbins said that the USDA is directed by legislation that mandates all the funding to be spent. Rice producers can expect to receive up to $125,000 per operation. For larger qualifying operations, up to a $250,000 limit is available, and an FSA-510 exemption form is required.  

Trade awaits DGFT order on policy renewing fully broken rice shipments

India will likely export 75,000 tonnes of fully broken white rice under government-to-government (G2G) deals to Senegal, Gambia and Djibouti soon, traders have said.

The move follows the Indian government’s decision last week to permit exports of fully broken white rice — which were banned from September 8, 2022 — on the basis of permission given by it to other countries to meet their food security needs.

“However, the policy is yet to be announced by the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade,” said Rajesh Paharia Jain, a New Delhi-based trader.

Earlier shipments

The development comes amidst demand from African countries which look to India for supply of fully broken white rice, besides parboiled rice. 

Earlier in March, the Government permitted exports of 2.5 lakh tonnes of broken rice to Senegal and one lakh tonnes to Gambia. In addition, about 10,000 tonnes of the rice variety were permitted to be shipped to Djibouti, Ethiopia. 

The development augurs well when demand for rice from South-East Asia is a bit slack. The slackness in demand is despite Indian prices being far more competitive to the rates offered by Thailand or Vietnam or Pakistan. 

“Indian origin rice is still cheaper than Vietnamese and Pakistani origin rice. It is widely accepted unlike in the past and despite a 20 per cent duty on free-on-board (FOB) value which is $65-75 depending upon the grades,” said Jain.

Enquiries taper

“Though we are competitive, Indian rice prices have gained of late. But overall, prices are a bit unstable,” said VR Vidya Sagar, Director, Bulk Logix. 

“After we shipped a good quantity to South-East Asia, enquiries have tapered down now,” said M Madan Prakash, President, Agri Commodities Exporters Association (ACEA). 

“For unexplained reasons, there is some dullness in rice exports to South-East Asia. Maybe, they will pick after June,” said S Chandrasekaran, a Delhi-based trade analyst.

Jain said 5 per cent broken white is ruling at $480 a tonne and 25 per cent broken at $460. The offer price includes the 20 per cent export duty. 

In contrast, Thailand is quoting these varieties at $511 and $494, respectively. Vietnam is offering these at $498-502 and $483-87, respectively. These prices are free-on-board (FOB). 

India’s advantage 

Sagar said demand for Indian rice will continue as in the previous years since its prices are lucrative. “India is centrally located and freight charges too are below compared to Thailand or Vietnam. People are also buying,” he said.  

On the other hand, parboiled rice is quoted over $80 a tonne cheaper than the nearest competitor, said Jain. “We are offering parboiled rice around $385 f.o.b for July and August shipments,” he said, adding that demand from other countries for the parboiled rice is shifting to India.   

India is offering 5 per cent broken parboiled rice at $385 a tonne f.o.b, while Thailand is quoting at $523 and Pakistan $583-87. 

Record output 

India’s rice exports are expected to be boosted by a record production of 135.54 mt this crop year to June against 129.97 mt last crop year. Rice production gained during the rabi season and will likely be good during the ongoing zaid season between rabi and kharif sowings. 

This crop year, kharif production was 1 mt lower compared to last crop year as deficient rainfall in key growing regions of West Bengal, Odisha, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand were affected.

As a result, the Government imposed 20 per cent export duty on white rice shipments from September 8, 2022, and banned fully broken rice exports, which was relaxed last week. However, it exempted basmati and parboiled rice exports from any curbs. 

Jain said Bangladesh is expected to be in the market for importing rice under G2G deals. 

Credit: iStock

Kuttanad, set at an elevation of 2.2 m below sea level, is the lowest point of India. Covering Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, the region is also known as the Rice Bowl of Kerala as rice farming is the major practice here. Many must not be aware of the fact that Kuttanad is among those places in the world where farming is done below sea level.

The best way to experience Kuttanad is via houseboats. Every visitor here gets easily enchanted with countryside views and paddy fields. Traversing through Alappuzha backwaters via houseboats, you’ll be mesmerised with the views of the swaying coconut trees. Once here, you’ll get to experience the authentic side of rural India and the traditional country lifestyle.

Credit: iStock
Kuttanad farmers are noted for Biosaline Farming (growth of plants in saline groundwater or soil). In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared this farming style as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).

The region is served by four prime rivers, namely Pamba, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala. The place is also noted for its famous boat race in the Punnamada Backwaters, known as Vallamkali.

How to reach?

Credit: iStock
By air: The nearest airport to Kuttanad is Cochin International Airport, which is about 85 km from Alappuzha.

By rail: Alappuzha railway station is the nearest to the region.

Visiting the pretty little hamlets in the region can be a life changing experience. And, if you are here during the harvest season, nothing better! This time, you can see hundreds of farmers working in the fields.

JITRA: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry will explore saltwater rice cultivation methods in an effort to increase the country’s rice production.

Its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said his office had held discussions with relevant experts, including professors in China, regarding the technology that could be used for producing rice here.

“We are still in the early stages of discussions,” he said.

Mohamad said it took China four years to conduct a study on the method before it could be implemented.

“There is no reason why Malaysia should not have enough rice in the future,” he told a press conference after an engagement session with Harumanis Kodiang Entrepreneurs at the Harumanis Farm Collection Centre, Kampung Pida 3, Kodiang near here yesterday, Bernama reported.

He said irrigation and care were among the factors why there was a low yield of rice production in Kedah compared with Sekinchan, Selangor, thus requiring effective action to increase the yield in the rice bowl state.

“You cannot do rice cultivation part-time; in Sekinchan, rice farmers do it as a permanent job. In Kedah, we want to go in that direction. (However) we cannot blame the farmers either because the irrigation system is also important.

“We cannot survive on five tonnes per hectare. In Sekinchan, we get between eight and 10 tonnes per hectare. If we can get six tonnes or more, we will have enough rice in Malaysia. Now, farmers have taken this seriously,” he added.

Mohamad said the method of planting rice through a large-scale scheme such as in Sekinchan could be practised by rice farmers in Kedah with the help and cooperation of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority and Padiberas Nasional Bhd.

Rice exports to certain European countries exempted from mandatory inspection certificate for 6 months

India on Monday deferred the mandatory requirement of a certificate of inspection by export inspection agencies for shipping both basmati and non-basmati rice to certain European countries by six months. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said that it is amending a notification dated August 17, 2022, to the extent that export of rice (basmati and non-basmati) to EU member states and other European countries namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and UK "only" will will require certificate of inspection from Export Inspection Council/Export Inspection Agency.

"Export to remaining European countries will not require a certificate of inspection by the Export Inspection Council/Export Inspection Agency for export from the date of this notification for a period of six months," the DGFT said.

It was earlier stated by the directorate to make the certificate must for export to these countries from January this year.

EIC is the official export certification body of India which ensures quality and safety of products exported from India.

IMARC Group, a leading market research company, has recently releases report titled “Rice Seed Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028.” The study provides a detailed analysis of the industry, including the global rice seed market share, size, trends, and growth forecasts. The report also includes competitor and regional analysis and highlights the latest advancements in the market.

How big is the rice seed industry?

The global rice seed market size reached US$ 6.8 Billion in 2022. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach US$ 9.5 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% during 2023-2028.

what is rice seed?

A rice seed refers to the whole cereal grain with the outer hull and a single rice kernel. It is generally available in different variants, such as arborio, basmati, brown, white, jasmine, etc. Among them, the open-pollinated variety (OPV) refers to the seeds produced via the natural pollination of the parent rice plant. In contrast to this, hybrid seeds include purebred sterile seeds of rice fertilized with pollen from a different rice variety. Rice seeds are also available in transgenic and non-transgenic variants, which are genetically modified to improve the functional properties of the crop.

What are the growth prospects and trends in the rice seed industry?

The elevating consumption of rice as a staple food crop across the globe is among the key factors catalyzing the rice seed market. Moreover, the rising adoption of organic rice-based farming practices is augmenting the need for OPV seeds to meet the escalating food requirements of consumers, thereby propelling the product demand. Besides this, the increasing adoption of hybrid rice seeds is acting as another growth-inducing factor.

Furthermore, various technological advancements, such as the utilization of genomics and microbiology to produce seeds that have inherited resistance to bacterial blight pathogens, are fueling the market growth. Apart from this, the growing utilization of silico mapping and arraying technologies for producing desired seed characteristics is anticipated to drive the rice seed market over the forecasted period.

Rice Seed Market 2023-2028 Competitive Analysis and Segmentation:

Competitive Landscape with Key Players:

The competitive landscape of the global rice seed market has been studied in the report with the detailed profiles of the key players operating in the market.

Key Companies in the market: 

• BASF SE
• Bayer AG
• Corteva Inc.
• Limagrain
• Mahyco Private Limited
• Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL Group of Companies Pvt Ltd.)
• Rallis India Limited (Tata Chemicals Limited)
• Rasi Seeds (P) Ltd.
• Savannah Seeds Private Limited (RiceTec AG)
• SL Agritech Corporation
• Syngenta Group (China National Chemical Corporation)
• UPL Limited

Key Market Segmentation:

The report has segmented the global rice seed market on the basis of type, grain size, hybridization technique, treatment and region.

Breakup by Type:

• Open Pollinated
• Hybrid

Breakup by Grain Size:

• Long
• Medium
• Short

Breakup by Hybridization Technique:

• Two-Line System
• Three-Line System

Breakup by Treatment:

• Treated
• Untreated

Geographical Analysis:

• North America: (United States, Canada)
• Asia Pacific: (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others)
• Europe: (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others)
• Latin America: (Brazil, Mexico, Others)
• Middle East and Africa

If you need specific information that is not currently within the scope of the report, we will provide it to you as a part of the customization.

Vietnam aims to cut its rice exports to four million tonnes a year by 2030, the government said in a document detailing its rice export strategy, down from 7.1 million tonnes last year.

Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter, after India and Thailand.

The move is aimed at 'boosting the exports of high-quality rice, ensuring domestic food security, protecting the environment and adapting to climate change,' according to the government document, dated 26 May and reviewed by Reuters.

Rice export revenue will fall to $2.62 billion (€2.4 billion) a year by 2030, down from $3.45 billion (€3.2 billion) in 2022, the document said.

"Although Vietnam's rice farming area is shrinking due to climate change and some farmers are switching to growing other crops and raising shrimp, the strategy appears to be too aggressive," a rice trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said on Saturday.

The trader said some rice farmers in the Mekong Delta are turning parts of their fields to fruit farms, growing mangoes, grapefruit, jackfruit and durian, but the vast majority remain dependant on rice.

The trend toward cultivating shrimp has been taking place in the area for years as rising seawater triggered by climate change brings significantly increased salinisation in the Mekong Delta region.

Rice Export

Vietnam will diversify its rice export markets to reduce its reliance on any country, the government document said. The Philippines has long been Vietnam's biggest rice buyer, accounting for 45% of its shipments last year.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr at a regional meeting in Indonesia this month that Vietnam was willing to supply rice to the Philippines for the long term at reasonable prices.

By 2025, 60% of Vietnamese rice exports will be shipped to Asian markets, 22% to Africa, 7% to American markets, 4% to the Middle East and 3% to Europe, the document said. By 2030, Asian markets will account for 55% and Europe 5%.

'Vietnam will seek to boost rice shipments to markets that have high demand for quality grains and markets that Vietnam has signed free trade agreements with,' the document said.

Pesticides

The document said Vietnam will also seek to cut residues of plant protection products including pesticides in its rice.

The Vietnam Food Association, which represents rice processors and exporters, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The government said Vietnam will focus on the production of high-quality, fragrant and glutinous rice, while reducing the production of low-quality grains to 15% of total output by 2025 and to 10% by 2030.

"I doubt the strategy will materialise, as rice production depends on supply and demand, not on a government decision," another rice trader in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang said.

Rice exports from Vietnam in the first four months of this year rose 40.7% from a year earlier to 2.9 million tonnes, according to government customs data.

Agricultural Ministry said the country will achieve foodgrain production of 3305.34 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) in the current agricultural year

The Centre is estimating record production of rice, wheat, maize, soybean, rapeseed and mustard, and sugarcane, according to the “third advance estimates of production of major crops” released by the Union Agriculture Ministry here on May 25.

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, releasing the estimates, said the country will achieve foodgrain production of 3305.34 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) in the current agricultural year. He credited farmers, the ability of researchers and the farmer-friendly policies of the Centre for Growth. The assessment of production of different crops is done based on the feedback from States.

Among foodgrains, the Centre expects cultivation of 1355.42 LMT of rice, 1127.43 LMT of wheat, 111.66 LMT of bajra, 547.48 LMT of coarse cereals and 359.13 LMT of Maize. In 2021-22, the production of rice was 1294.71 LMT and the production of wheat was 1077.42 LMT. The total foodgrain production is likely to be higher by 149.18 LMT as compared to 2021-22. The increase in rice could be 60.71 LMT and in wheat, it will be 50.01 LMT.

The Centre expects the production of 275.04 LMT of pulses. The production of Moong is estimated at 37.40 LMT which is higher by 5.74 LMT when compared to the previous year’s production. “The production of soybean and rapeseed and mustard is estimated at 149.76 LMT and 124.94 LMT respectively, which is higher by 19.89 LMT and 5.31 LMT respectively than the production in 2021-22. Total oil seeds production in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at a record 409.96 LMT which is higher by 30.33 LMT than the previous year’s oilseeds production,” the Union Agriculture Ministry said in a release.

Total production of Sugarcane in the country is also likely to hit record levels of 4942.28 LMT. “The production of sugarcane during 2022-23 is higher by 548.03 LMT than the previous year’s production,” the Centre said. The Production of Cotton is estimated at 343.47 lakhbales (of 170 kg each) and production of Jute & Mesta is estimated at 94.94 lakhbales (of 180 kg each).

MUMBAI/ HANOI/BANGKOK/DHAKA: Rice prices exported from Vietnam climbed their highest level since late April this week, aided by low supplies, while rates for the staple grain were flat in other major hubs on lacklustre overseas demand.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $490-$495 per tonne, compared with a range of $485-$495 a week ago. “Supplies are low and exporters are focusing on fulfilling the contracts signed with Indonesian buyers,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. Preliminary shipping data showed 213,000 tonnes of rice were to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City port during the May 1-29 period, with most of the rice heading to the Philippines, Indonesia and Africa.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $495-$500 per tonne, slightly lower from last week’s $500, their highest since January. Demand has been subdued, said a Bangkok-based trader, adding, the markets are awaiting harvest of the next crop for additional supplies.

In top exporter India, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an arm of the trade ministry, said that the South Asian nation could consider supplying broken rice to other countries only through diplomatic channels.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was unchanged from last week’s $374-$378 per tonne, with rates pressured in part by a depreciation in the rupee, which increased traders’ margin from overseas sales. Additionaly, “demand is weak for the past few weeks. Buyers are delaying purchases,” a Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh-based trader said.

Neighbouring Bangla-desh’s procurement drive of the newly harvested rice is in full swing, agriculture ministry officials said.

The government has a target to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice from local farmers from May 7 to Aug. 31. The government buys rice from local farmers to ensure a support price, build stocks for state welfare programmes and meet emergency needs.

Minister G. Kamalakar says broken rice percentage in Rabi CMR to be finalised soon

Rice millers of Telangana, who are part of the exercise of custom milling of paddy to supply rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), have requested the Centre to allow supply of boiled rice this Rabi season keeping in view the welfare of farmers.

At a meeting with Minister for Civil Supplies G. Kamalakar and authorities of the State Civil Supplies Corporation here on Thursday, representatives of the rice millers expressed concern over the Centre’s decision not to accept parboiled rice in Rabi and it was causing loss to them with forced supply of raw rice. They said they were not hopeful of giving even half the quantity of raw rice target given for Rabi.

The Minister, on the other hand, asked the millers to cooperate with the State Government and supply custom milled rice before the deadline. He assured them that the State Government would take a mutually agreeable decision on the broken rice percentage in the Rabi CMR.

Asking the millers not to cause problems to farmers under any circumstances and made it clear that the government would not allow reduction of paddy weight having fair average quality and also unload paddy brought to mills without any delay. He stated that broken rice percentage in the Rabi CMR would be finalised after taking the interim report of an expert committee on it based on paddy varieties to the Chief Minister’s notice.

Representatives of millers appealed to the Centre to rethink over its decision against accepting parboiled rice in Rabi as the milling industry was facing serious problems due to it. They explained that paddy grain would be broken during its formation stage itself in the Rabi season due to high temperatures and the Centre had taken the decision against parboiled rice without considering the fact.

They also expressed concern over their portrayal as enemies of farmers although they were playing a key role in taking the paddy produced by farmers as finished product to consumers. They said they were not reducing weight of paddy with fair average quality and noted that repeated untimely rains this season was making paddy discoloured and out-turn as raw rice would not be even 50%.

Commissioner of Civil Supplies V. Anil Kumar, General Manager of TSCS Srinivas Rao, president of the rice millers association Gampa Nagender, general secretary A. Sudhakar Rao, working preisdent B. Prabhakar Rao, treasurer Chandrapal and district president of the association participated in the meeting.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released the 10-month goods trade report card, laying bare the abysmal state of rice exports over the now concluding fiscal year 2022-23. Although many commentators have been quick to attribute blame for poor export performance to the devastating floods, there may be more to the story.

Regular readers may recall that forecast for national production during marketing year 2022-23 was lowered by 40 percent during last quarter of CY22 in the aftermath of devastating floods that affected cultivation of the crop in southern region of the country, but mainly in the Sindh province. Recall that crop production in Sindh is now responsible for nearly 30 percent of national output, of which over 90 percent are coarse rice varieties primarily geared towards the export markets.

Export of coarse rice varieties such as IRRI-6, IRRI-9, and hybrid rice contribute up to 75 percent of annual rice export revenue. In turn, coarse rice varieties constitute up to 85 percent of rice exports by volume, with the remainder contributed by export of the higher value basmati rice which contributes significantly lower volume. Thus, destruction of coarse rice crop in Sindh had put a major dampener in rice exports at the very onset of the rice marketing year, which begins in earnest upon harvest between Oct – Nov.

However, coarse rice varieties were never going to be the export play for calendar year 2023. After the resolution of short-lived frenzy from India surrounding rice export bans/duties upon delayed upward revision in the rice exporting giant’s domestic output, the pressure in the global trade markets had already eased to a major extent (especially in the H2-CY22). Remember, India alone contributes up to 40 percent of global rice exports (compared to 8 percent for Pakistan) and improved supplies there means more calm for rest of the world market. In fact, USDA estimates now suggest that world trade volumes have remained largely unchanged during MY22 and MY23, despite the price pressure and volatility witnessed for much of CY22.

Instead, for Pakistan – the bulk of export revenue were to stem from the export of significantly higher value basmati rice. Recall that basmati rice belt is predominantly situated in the north-eastern districts of Punjab province in the doab regions of Indus and its tributaries. As such, no widespread losses to basmati rice production were reported from northern and central Punjab districts in the aftermath of the 2022 monsoon floods.

Meanwhile, a significant upward swing in basmati prices in the western export destinations resulted in prices increasing by at least 50 percent during the ongoing marketing year (over the preceding 12-month period), that too in dollar terms. This rise at first followed an upward in demand post resumption of global commercial activity in 2021, and then due to tightened supplies from the only other exporting region – the Indian Punjab and Haryana states belt. However, basmati export quantum during the 10MFY23 from Pakistan has witnessed a seemingly inexplicable slump of 25 percent, declining 0.65 million metric tonnes (MMT) last year to barely 0.47 MMT during current fiscal year to date.

This slump especially comes as a surprise as it has been not been accompanied by any significant decline in local production. Meanwhile, basmati rice – which is the predominantly consumed variety in the local market –has witnessed prices in the domestic market already double over the last 12 months. This suggests that prices in the local market are fast adjusting to the rise recorded in the global market, but the absence of exportable surplus suggests that demand failed to weaken.

Of course, seemingly plausible explanations such as rising smuggling pressure from Afghanistan, Central Asian ‘stan states, and even Iran are presented to explain away the poor performance of official exports despite significant profit margin on offer upon exporting from official channel, given both higher prices fetched in western and Gulf destinations, the arbitrage offered by currency depreciation, and concessionary financing advanced by SBP on export of basmati variety only.

So, where in lies the truth? It is hard to know. One answer may be found in the oft repeated hypothesis that Pakistan’s actual basmati rice production is significantly lower than officially reported, which could explain why the astonishing rise in local prices amid record breaking inflation did not weaken domestic consumption. Another hypothesis offered by way of explanation is that smuggling from border regions may not necessarily offer higher profitability, but allows export of Pakistan’s (generally perceived) low quality basmati, which has higher aflatoxin and other contaminant levels – which would otherwise face high non-tariff barriers in the more sophisticated western markets.

It is hard to know where the truth lies. However, given the over 50 percent rise in basmati prices over last year, lower export market volume will indeed be remembered as a golden opportunity missed.

Rice prices exported from Vietnam climbed their highest level since late April this week, aided by low supplies, while rates for the staple grain were flat in other major hubs on lacklustre overseas demand.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $490-$495 per tonne, compared with a range of $485-$495 a week ago.

“Supplies are low and exporters are focusing on fulfilling the contracts signed with Indonesian buyers,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.

Preliminary shipping data showed 213,000 tonnes of rice were to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City port during the May 1-29 period, with most of the rice heading to the Philippines, Indonesia and Africa.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $495-$500 per tonne, slightly lower from last week’s $500, their highest since January.

Demand has been subdued, said a Bangkok-based trader, adding, the markets are awaiting harvest of the next crop for additional supplies.

In top exporter India, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an arm of the trade ministry, said that the South Asian nation could consider supplying broken rice to other countries only through diplomatic channels.

Asia rice: Thai prices hold near 4-month high, traders flag climate-led risks

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was unchanged from last week’s $374-$378 per tonne, with rates pressured in part by a depreciation in the rupee, which increased traders’ margin from overseas sales.

Additionaly, “demand is weak for the past few weeks. Buyers are delaying purchases,” a Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh-based trader said.

Neighbouring Bangladesh’s procurement drive of the newly harvested rice is in full swing, agriculture ministry officials said.

The government has a target to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice from local farmers from May 7 to Aug. 31.

The government buys rice from local farmers to ensure a support price, build stocks for state welfare programmes and meet emergency needs.

This variant’s productivity is higher than other conventional varieties. Moreover, it ripens early and resists wind due to stronger stems, and skirts drought.

NEW DELHI:  A new paddy variety that developed from two Philippines varieties will transform the crop production in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. The rice productivity in these states has reached stagnated. Indian agricultural scientists at Benaras Hindu University (BHU), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Philippines, developed a new rice variety Malviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1. 

This variant’s productivity is higher than other conventional varieties. Moreover, it ripens early and resists wind due to stronger stems, and skirts drought. “According to Indian Council of Agriculture Research assessments this variety’s productivity is around 55-64 quintal per hectare, which is twice the average productivity in India,” says Dr Sarvan Kumar Singh, lead scientist at the BHU who developed the variety, told this newspaper.

India’s average production of rice is around 29 quintals per hectare. The other scientists associated with the effort are Dr Jaya Sudha, Dr Dhirendra Kumar Singh, Dr Akansha Singh from BHU, and Dr Arvind Kumar and Vikas Kumar from IRRI. Scientists used two IR-series rice varieties, indigenous to the Philippines, to develop Malviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1 (MMSD). One of the varieties of the IR-series was IR-8, which was considered ‘miracle rice’ in the 1970s and helped increase global food production to counter hunger.

“The MMSD variety will revolutionise the Indian rice field, at least in eastern Indian states like Bihar, UP and Odisha,” says Dr Sarvan. According to ICAR assessment, MMSD has an encouraging response in Bihar, UP and Odisha. The production of grains was higher than 10% in these states compared to other states. This variety takes 115 days to ripen, and grain quality is better than the existing variety, which would help fetch higher prices to growers.

“During the de-husking, hulling, and milling process, the head rice (whole rice) recovery percentage is 63.5%, whereas conventional rice gets broken more and reduces the market value,” says Sarvan Kumar. 

Better ripening, more yield

A team of scientists from BHU and IRRI develops an early ripening variety of rice from the Philippines’ variety

Two Philippines’ varieties of IR-series used to develop Malviya Manila Sinchit Dhan-1

The new variety takes 115-118 days, produces 55-64 quintal per hectare, whereas existing varieties takes 135-160 days with less production.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 25) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Thursday said it is confident that rice supply in the country will be enough even during the lean months of July to September.

“If we are going into the lean months and we have a good buffer of about 60 days plus the production during that period and then import arrivals so I think we are confident that we will have a good supply for the lean months,” DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

Earlier, agricultural groups warned of a looming rice crisis due to the El Niño phenomenon this year, which is projected to emerge beginning June.

Sebastian said the DA has so far recorded 1.48 million metric tons (MT) of imported rice and a carryover stock from last year of around 1.8 million MT. The agency also expects 5.7 million MT in total local harvest from January to June.

“Malaki 'yung ating projected na (We have a big projected) supply for the first six months, and we are expecting we will have at least remaining stock by end of June that will be good for about two months,” he pointed out.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is also agriculture secretary, said in April that he sees no rice crisis in the country, but the option to import should always remain open.

One of the chief executive’s campaign promises was to bring down the per kilo price of rice to ₱20. Marcos said in March that the government hopes to achieve this “as soon as possible” despite hurdles, like the weather. 

Past and present government officials have said it may be difficult to achieve this immediately due to funding issues and situation in the market.

According to Sebastian, lowering the price of rice is possible, but it should be market driven.

“We are not going to dictate it, but what we can do is we can help our farmers reduce their costs, improve the value chain… para makita natin (so we can see) if our cost of production and the cost of the value chain will be lower baka pwede nating mapababa yung presyo, but ₱20 maybe mahirapan tayo doon (maybe we can lower the price, but ₱20 may be difficult),” he explained.

Latest government data showed the price of local commercial rice in Metro Manila markets ranges from ₱34 per kilo to ₱60 per kilo depending on the variant of local rice, and ₱40 to ₱58 for imported rice.

NEW DELHI, May 24 (Reuters) - India could consider supplying broken rice to other countries only through diplomatic channels, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, an arm of the trade ministry, said in an order on Wednesday.

India banned overseas shipments of broken rice and imposed a 20% duty on exports of various other grades in September 2022 amid concern over production because of below-average monsoon rainfall in key growing states.

China was the biggest buyer of India's broken rice, with purchases of 1.1 million tonnes in 2021. Beijing used to import that variety mainly for feed purposes.

Though India might consider requests for supplies of broken rice to some countries case by case, New Delhi does not plan to lift the ban on broken rice exports, a government source said.

A 90% likelihood of an El Nino weather pattern developing during this year's June-September monsoon season has raised the possibility of less than normal rain in 2023.

Rice is Pakistan’s second staple food and fourth-biggest export after Knitwear, Readymade garments, and Bed wear, but its production declined by 41 percent during 2022-23, coming in at 5.5 million tons according to the data published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The primary reason was devastating floods that knocked off 80 percent of expected rice production in Sindh which contributes to nearly a third of national output. Rice is also facing severe challenges from climate, weeds, and pests.

The true potential of any crop’s success is hidden in its seeds and hybrid rice is a potential answer to these barriers.

Hybrids for rice first surfaced during the 1970s when Dr Yuan Longping and his team averted a catastrophic famine in China making it the biggest rice producer in the world. He is still remembered as the second leader of the Green Revolution along with Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug.

Globally, rice has two main subspecies, Japonica and Indica. The Japonica rice comes from temperate & high-altitude environments, is short & stickier when cooked, and is cultivated in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Indica rice on the other hand is long, non-sticker (separate after cooking), and is grown in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Southern China, and Africa. In Pakistan, all cultivated varieties from basmati, extra-long grain, and coarse rice belong to the Indica species.

In traditional varieties, plants have both male and female parts on the same flower and reproduce through self-pollination, but hybrid rice is produced by crossing two different parents. It causes a process called heterosis, producing more spikelets (rice flower unit) per unit area and increased grain weight, yielding 20-30% more in comparison to traditional cultivars.

The hybrid rice program was formally initiated in Pakistan during the 1990s at Rice Research Institute, Kala Shah Kaku (RARI) in a combined effort with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). In 2021, the government approved Pakistan’s first Basmati Rice Hybrid developed at RARI and directed the auction of the licenses for marketing and distribution.

“Developing Basmati Hybrids is quite challenging because we have to protect its famous length and aroma” stated Dr Shawaiz Iqbal, Senior Scientist at RARI. He explained that the approved variety KSK111H has a yield potential of 115 maunds/acre and holds all the other features of basmati rice.

Although the process of commercializing is stalled after the government shuffle since the process of auction is yet to be outlined.

Lahore-based Guard Agriculture Research & Services is another industry leader in hybrid rice in Pakistan with a 74 percent market share. They have successfully developed and marketed half a dozen hybrid cultivars all having production potential of 120 maunds/acre and resistance against disease, shattering, lodging, and heat.

One of the key aspects of rice hybrids is increased yield from the same unit area of land. Pakistan is the fifth-largest country by population in the world and will soon cross Indonesia for the 4th spot. It is a double-edged sword putting pressure on existing food production while leaving less agricultural land on the other hand.

Our only shot at the food security of future generations is to ensure a vertical increase in production and hybrid cultivars are the key to that challenge. The second major threat to Rice production is looming climate change and resulting water scarcity. Rising temperatures are also a precursor to an increased occurrence of diseases and pests.

Hybrid cultivars provide us with the opportunity to effectively cope with these challenges without putting more pesticides and other agrochemicals in the field and further threatening the biodiversity and sustainability of the ecosystem. Hybrids can break the yield barriers and escape drought as well due to their shorter life span.

For example, all the rice hybrids introduced by Guard Agriculture Research are resistant to Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB). They can also sustain against salinity and water logging, which is increasingly ravaging our lands due to floods and mismanagement of water resources.

Lastly, hybrid rice will not only ensure domestic food security but will also fuel exports with increasing demand for this important cereal internationally especially the coarse types. Although hybrid rice gets lower prices in the local market in comparison to basmati, companies like Guard Agriculture assist farmers in exporting their produce.

The prime challenge in their widespread use is affordability both to farmers and the country. Being hybrids, farmers will have to buy their fresh seeds every year. If farmers cultivate the same seed from the previous year’s hybrid crop, the crop will produce inconsistent results and surely will not achieve ideal yields.

“The performance of Chinese hybrids is subject to specific climate as they are not all locally adopted, unlike our domestic cultivars”, added Iqbal.

He maintained that these hybrids are also vulnerable to climate change as happened during 2020 heatwaves, especially in September when temperature shifts affect flowering significantly.

He also argued that there is a need to protect the heritage of basmati rice by limiting the cultivation of these hybrids to Lower Punjab and Sindh, out of the Kallar Tract Rice belt (Narowal, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Kasur, Sheikhupura, etc).

Pakistan is the largest importer of hybrid rice in the world and has failed to indigenize its production despite years of collaboration with international actors, especially China. It drains foreign exchange from an agricultural-rich country that is always struggling to keep up with the balance of payments.

Government and private institutions must work on the technology transfer of hybrid rice which will not just ensure the indigenization of hybrids & save foreign reserves, but will also create huge local employment opportunities and will be relatively affordable due to domestic production.

The prosperity of farmers became one of the keys in improving food productivityJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) established cooperation with seed producers to develop a high-yielding rice variety Witagen that is resistant to pests.

Head of BRIN's Genetic Engineering Center, Ratih Asmana Ningrum, noted in a statement, Thursday, that the cooperation is expected to help in increasing the number of options for high-quality rice seeds.

This can support national food security in addition to helping the agriculture sector to better handle the impacts of climate change.

"We expect that this seed (variety) will be beneficial for farmers in the provision of superior seeds and will certainly be beneficial in strengthening domestic food security," she noted.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation was inked by BRIN, PT Wilmar Padi Indonesia (WPI), and Syngenta on April 12, 2023.

Under the scope of the MoU, activities that will be conducted include selecting superior seed varieties that can adapt to the environment in Indonesia.

Also being conducted are research and development in genetics, rice seed testing and evaluation, field test as well as production and distribution of superior rice seeds produced through cooperation with farmers.

According to PT WPI's Rice Business Head Saronto, the use of superior and quality seeds is one of the factors supporting success in rice farming.

The development of new varieties is expected to contribute in improving farmers' prosperity and strengthening national food security.

"The prosperity of farmers became one of the keys in improving food productivity," he noted.

Development of the Witagen variety is a food cultivation strategy amid the challenges of climate change.

The phenomenon poses a major challenge to rice farmers, such as in the form of the emergence of attack patterns from disease pests that are hard to predict and erratic rainfall.

This causes a decline in productivity due to rice varieties that are vulnerable to attacks from disease pests and plants dying due to extreme weather.

"Farmers should be assisted based on their needs, so that their productivity improves," Saronto noted.

Echoing this statement, Syngenta Indonesia's Seed Business Head Fauzi Tubat stated that the use of quality seeds is one of the keys to success in plant cultivation.

"Through this cooperation, we are committed to providing quality rice seeds for farmers to improve rice productivity in Indonesia," Tubat noted.

Feature: Legacy of Chinese "Father of Hybrid Rice" continues amid food security concerns

by Xinhua writers Liu Kai, Yan Jie

MANILA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Amid rising concerns about global food security, the legacy of Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping, also known as the Father of Hybrid Rice, continues at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

Yuan's hybrid rice was first introduced on the international stage at IRRI, which is located at the foot of the hills and inactive volcano in Laguna province, about 60 kilometers south of the Philippine capital Manila, even before his invention revolutionized global hunger, lifting billions of people out of poverty.

Jauhar Ali, a hybrid rice breeder at IRRI, is one of the rice scientists inspired by the Chinese agronomist who died on May 22, 2021.

One of Ali's photos on Facebook shows him smiling brightly in the middle of a rice field, celebrating Yuan's birthday in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, when he was invited as an IRRI expert to an international conference on rice research held in Changsha.

"That's a memorable, touching moment," said Ali, who had known Yuan since the late 1980s when the Chinese scientist went to India, Ali's birth country, to support local rice research.

Indeed, Yuan's story with IRRI, a leading research organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science, dates back to the 1970s.

Yuan's pioneering research on hybrid rice began in 1964. After nine years of painstaking research and intensive testing, his team successfully cultivated the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain in 1973.

In 1979, he attended an international rice research conference held by IRRI in the Philippines, where he debuted his research on hybrid rice to the world.

Three years later, when participating in another meeting of IRRI, Yuan was reputed as the "Father of Hybrid Rice" by his peers worldwide.

Ali treasures a digital archive of selected papers from that conference in 1979, among which Yuan's co-authored paper "Hybrid Rice Breeding in China" is well presented.

"So Professor Yuan Longping came and presented this to the world. Eventually, everyone started. This spark ignited a fire across the entire world and people all started working on hybrid rice," Ali told Xinhua in an interview.

Over four decades, hybrid rice technology has been promoted in more than 60 countries and regions, with millions of hectares of farmland growing hybrid rice, feeding billions of people on the planet.

"With the hybrid rice, you can see at least not only the production of more food, but at the same time, you save on the input cost side," said Hans Raj Bhardwaj, research director and head of the rice breeding innovations platform at IRRI.

According to IRRI, rice is the world's most important staple food for some 4 billion people. Rice farming is deeply associated with poverty, with about 900 million of the world's poor depending on rice as producers or consumers.

However, rice farming is now threatened by climate change, including higher temperatures, more frequent droughts, flooding, and rising sea levels. IRRI warns that reduced global rice production may endanger food security and hamper low-income consumers and producers emerging out of poverty.

"One way to mitigate that challenge is to develop varieties of the plants, which can tolerate the stress, but can still produce adequate yields," said Bhardwaj, adding much of the research today is "focused on some of those stressed rates, whether it could be droughts, heat, or floods."

The headquarters of IRRI, founded in 1960, is part of a 190-hectare property consisting of experimental rice fields, laboratories, screen houses, glass houses, and phytotron, among others.

Ali, who started working at IRRI in the early 2000s, is head of a program developing extreme-weather-tolerated rice varieties. He attributed his career motivation to the inspiration of Yuan, whom he described as "a down-to-earth person" and a "very kind-hearted, true gentleman."

"Yuan is not only the 'Father of Hybrid Rice', but also the father or grandfather of all rice researchers," said Ali.

"All credit goes to Dr. Yuan Longping. And we must all feel so grateful for his invention, his drive, and the efforts he put behind promoting and developing this technology," said Bhardwaj.

"It certainly helped with food security, reducing hunger and malnutrition. So this is one of the most significant or important technologies which has a large impact on food production and food security," he added. 

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government says the recently commissioned large-scale Integrated Rice Mill will expand domestic rice production as well as achieve self-sufficiency in the country.

The event, which took place at Sheda, Kwali Area Council, Abuja recently, was in line with the federal government’s mandate to achieve food sufficiency, security and income generation.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, revealed that for the past eight years, the government has intensively promoted and supported agricultural development in the country through the Anchor Borrower’s Programme, the Grain Aggregation Centers amongst others.

He noted that these programmes demonstrate the federal government’s commitment to addressing critical infrastructural projects and in keeping with the ideals of the Change Agenda, which is geared towards economic diversification from oil and gas to agricultural sectors.

President Buhari pointed out that “we have witnessed the rapid increase in domestic rice production from the incentives given to farmers and processors over the period as a resolution of leveraging our potentials, producing what we consume and patronising locally made products”.

Speaking further, he emphasized that the country’s paddy yield per hectare has significantly increased to the extent of being adequate for raw material production.

He, therefore, encouraged Nigerian farmers to invest in any aspect of agricultural value chains by using the available incentives, and undertake agribusiness to aid food production in the country.

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mustapha Baba Shehuri, emphasized that the plant mill commissioned was one of the 10 Integrated Rice Mills that President Buhari approved under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model based on the “build, operate and own”.

The Minister commended Messr. Ocean Glory (Development partner) for their full support to ensure the successful delivery of the mill, adding that the successful execution had acted as a catalyst for the speedy delivery of the remaining mills located in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Niger and Ogun States.

He expressed optimism that the remaining nine Rice Mills would be commissioned soon.

In his goodwill message, the representative of the FCT Minister, the Secretary for Agric and Rural Development, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, pointed out that the occasion marked a momentous step towards achieving the goal of self-sufficiency in rice production and transforming the Agricultural land scale for a great nation.

MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has urged the Department of Education and the national government to hasten the release of one-time rice assistance to all public school teachers and ensure that its quality is fit for human consumption.

In a statement issued yesterday, the ACT said it has received complaints from teachers in Nueva Ecija, Mindoro and Bacolod City that the rice given to them were inedible.

Meanwhile, rice provisions for the rest of the regions have yet to be released to teachers, according to the group.

“Our teachers were extremely dismayed with the quality of the rice they received as they were no longer edible. The rice given (to teachers) in Mindoro were yellowish and have a foul smell. The rice distributed in Nueva Ecija were blackish and appeared to be rotten while the rice distributed in Bacolod City were infested with bugs, thus, were just fed to the hens,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said in Filipino.

As per Administrative Order No. 2, series of 2022, signed by President Marcos on Dec. 16 last year, all government employees, including public school teachers, are entitled to a one-time P25-per-kilo rice allowance from the national government.

“This rice provision was ordered by the President last year, but we are now nearing the end of May, and yet, the majority of our teachers has yet to receive any rice allowance,” Quetua said.

He added that they also received reports that in some regions, teachers had been asked to sign acknowledgment receipts already even if the rice assistance had yet to be given to them.

Quetua noted that the government spent around P1.183 billion for the rice assistance of almost 1.83 million government employees and public school teachers, which translates to P25 per kilo of rice found to be inedible by recipient teachers.

MANILA, Philippines — A senior official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) yesterday gave assurance that the rice supply during lean months is enough with the two-month inventory at the end of June 2023.

In a radio interview, Agriculture Undersecretary for rice industry development Leocadio Sebastian noted that more than 1.4 million metric tons (MT) of imported rice also arrived in the country from January to May 11, 2023.

“Based on our monitoring, we have a good harvest for the first semester. We don’t see any shortage as the volume of imported rice is also high as more than 1.4 million metric tons have already arrived,” he said.

Sebastian made the assurance following an earlier warning from the Federation of Free Farmers on the possible rice crisis during the lean months – July, August and September – when production is low.

“We still have local production at that time and we expect more imported rice to arrive in the coming months, so our supply will be enough,” he said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority has said that the country’s rice inventory remained on a downward trend, declining by 14 percent in March. Its latest data showed a total rice inventory of 1.41 million MT as of March, which is 13.7 percent lower than the previous year’s level of 1.63 million MT. Similarly, this is 7.5 percent below the previous month’s stock of 1.52 million MT.

Meanwhile, Sebastian also assured the public that the retail prices of the staple would stabilize amid the spike in the cost of the grains in the past months.

“There was an increase in the cost production of our farmers because of the high prices of fertilizer but we also expect the prices to stabilize,” he said.

Based on monitoring of the DA in Metro Manila markets, the retail price of local regular milled-rice ranged between P34 and P42 per kilo; local well-milled rice, between P39 and P47 per kilo; local premium rice, between P40 and P49 per kilo; and local special rice, between P48 and P60 per kilo.

Meanwhile, imported regular milled rice range between P37 and P38 per kilo; imported well-milled rice, between P40 and P46 per kilo and special imported rice, between P50 and P58 per kilo.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Kristine Evangelista said that she personally monitors the retail price of regular milled rice.

“I monitor the retail price of regular milled as it will be a cause for concern if there is no P34 per kilo. As of now, we still have P34 based on our price monitoring,” Evangelista said.

Govt concerned about elevated domestic prices.

To safeguard consumers from any spike in domestic prices in the coming months, the government is understood to have decided against lifting the ban on exports of wheat and wheat products such as atta this year.

It is not considering lifting the prohibition on shipment of broken rice either. The export tax of 20% on white rice imposed in September 2022 will also likely stay through this fiscal.

Retail inflation in wheat and rice stood at 15.46% and 11.37% respectively in April.

“We are keeping the option of imposing stock-holding limits to improve supplies,” an official told FE. “We are still competitive globally despite export taxes on certain varieties of rice,” the official said, negating the chances of any relaxation on export restrictions.

India’s rice exports rose by more than 15% on year to a record $11.1 billion in FY23 and 22 million tonne (MT) in terms of volume despite imposition of restriction on rice shipments.

The ban on shipment of wheat in May 2022 except on shipments under government-to-government arrangements for food security — was necessitated by a drop in the production of the cereal in the 2021-22 crop year (July-June) and procurement by government agencies dropping 56.6% to only 18.8 MT against 43.3 MT purchased from the farmers in the 2021-22 season (April-June).

In September, India, the world’s biggest rice exporter with 40% share in global trade, had imposed ban on broken rice exports and put 20% export tariffs on the non-basmati and non-parboiled rice, a measure that was aimed at improving domestic supplies amid expectation of a decline in production in 2022-23 crop season (July-June).

However, in February this year, the agriculture ministry estimated rice production for the 2022-23 crop year at a record 130.83 MT.

A high-level inter-ministerial committee has been monitoring prices of essential commodities on a regular interval.

Currently, the mandi prices of wheat are ruling around the minimum support price (MSP) of `2,125/quintal for 2023-24 season.

Sources said that with the government buying more than 26 MT from farmers under the MSP operations in 2023-24 season so far, up 39% on year, there would be sufficient grain available to carry out open market sale of the commodity for bulk purchasers if prices rise.

The government is also likely to initiate open market sale of wheat from July if there is a spike in prices in the coming months. As per earlier policy, the Food Corporation of India has been selling surplus wheat to bulk buyers such as flour millers and food companies during the lean season (January-March).

The procurement of rice in the 2022-23 season (October-September) by FCI and state agencies has crossed 51.56 MT so far against total purchase during previous year’s 57.58 MT.

As on May 18, FCI has wheat and rice stock of 31.95 MT and 27.14 MT respectively. Buffer for July 1 is 27.58 MT (wheat) and 13.54 MT (rice).

For implementation of the national food security act, the government needs 36 MT of rice and 18.4 MT wheat annually. Current grain stock of 59 MT includes 15.3 MT of rice yet to be received from millers.

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique (PNA) – Vegetables, fruits, and other commodities sold at lower prices, including President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) rice sold at P20 per kilo, are available in 16 Kadiwa trading stores in Antique.

Engr. Israel de Guzman, general manager of the Jubilee Agila Bayanihan Agriculture Cooperative in Antique, in an interview on Friday, May 19, said 16 trading posts or Kadiwa retail stores have been established in seven municipalities of the province.

They can be found in Pandan, Libertad, Sebaste, Hamtic, Tibiao, Sibalom, and Belison with two or three stores either at the town proper or in barangays, he said.

“We first established the Kadiwa store in Pandan on March 8 this year. Mayor Tomas Estoperez Jr. was interested in opening the Kadiwa store in his hometown because of the low prices of rice and vegetables being offered by the traders to the farmers,” he said.

He said that to make the enterprise sustainable, they have come up with a scheme that an indigent can only buy two kilos of rice from the store daily so that others would also have the chance to purchase the staple food.

“We also encourage those who want to acquire the low-priced rice to first buy P100 worth of vegetables to help farmers,” he said.

Apart from selling agri-fishery products at affordable prices, he said farmers can also sell their produce at a higher rate. Farmers can now sell newly harvested palay, for instance, at P18 per kilo compared to the P15 per kilo offered by traders.

Their ampalaya produce is bought at P55 per kilo, thrice higher than the buying price of traders, and sold at P60 a kilo.

Kadiwa stores also bought onions at a maximum price of P90 per kilo and sold to buyers between P100 to P120 for every kilo.

Kadiwa is a marketing initiative of the Department of Agriculture that aims to provide a direct link between the producer and consumer, reducing intermediaries, thus farmers earn higher while fresh quality and quality products are made affordable to the consuming public.

PBHF creates awareness to enhance the output of basmati rice in Pakistan with quality seeds and pesticides

Pakistan Basmati Heritage Foundation (PBHF), a consortium of Basmati rice exporters, arranged seminars to create awareness amongst the growers and other stakeholders of the rice value chain for improving productivity and food safety through the usage of certified seeds and judicious application of pesticides.

The seminars held at Narowal and Mandi Bahauddin were attended by the farmers, exporters, and representatives of Ebro Foods (an international grain company) and Eurofins providing testing, certification and other facilities to exporters.
Juan Parious Soto Commercial Director of Ebro Foods speaking on this occasion said that better crop productivity for higher volumes through certified seeds & monitoring of pesticides residue was very important since Import Tolerances (IT) were being revised periodically by the European Union (EU), USA & Gulf countries.
He said that our products are going to the high-end market and we have to keep the pesticide residue below the IT standards.

Antonio Hernandez Chairman of Ebro Foods (Ebro, Herba & Tilda) told the audience that being the world’s largest importer of basmati rice he was ambitious to double the Basmati rice import. Tariq Mahmood Focal Person of Ebro Foods &CEO of GRS added that Compliant Exportable Basmati rice means purity, quality, traceability & food safety.
Dr Alexander Zahm MD Eurofins Germany along with Dr Werner Nadder Former MD Eurofins shared the comparison of export dynamics of Basmati rice between India & Pakistan including rapid alerts generated for pesticides & aflatoxin.
Sh. Adnan Aslam Co-convener of PBHF and Executive Director of MAP Rice welcomed the foreign guests for visiting Pakistan & shared a snapshot of the rice sector, particularly basmati rice. He apprised the participants regarding the potential of exports by boosting rice productivity while keep ensuring food safety.
Imran Sheikh & Raja Arslan Khan National Coordinators of PBHF moderated both seminars & explained the context of the visit of international buyers. He underlined the usage of certified seed & responsible use of pesticides to meet import tolerance standards.
REAP Senior Vice Chairman Haseeb Khan and MC member Ali Narang shared their insights for increasing the share of basmati rice exports in the global market through new seeds and pesticide stewardship.
Samee Ullah Naeem Former Chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan threw light on the importance of agriculture and advised the policymakers to devise farmer-centric policies for transforming the agriculture sector. He said that we need to focus on producing more food including rice per unit of land. Address the water & agrochemicals in the challenging scenario of the scarcity of above with added climate change & multiple risk factors, he emphasized.
Dr. Anjum Ali Buttar DG Agri. Ext. briefed about the insights & outcomes of the PM Emergency Rice Productivity project for promoting mechanization, & certified seeds.
Dr Ihsan ul Haq, Dr Amir Mumtaz & Dr Farrrukh Mehboob Program Leaders of IPM, Post-Harvest & Ecotoxicology respectively from the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) sensitized the participants on the safe & responsible use of agrochemicals in rice production for ensuring food safety & quality.
Shahid Tarer Convener (PBHF) & MD Galaxy Rice explained about the vision of PBHF in bringing together all supply chain actors for better integration of forward & backward basmati rice value chain through solution-oriented strategies to address underlying challenges of the rice sector. He briefed the participants about the role of PBHF in establishing the National Chapter of SRP in Pakistan.
Javed Iqbal & Dr. Irfanullah Warraich Divisional Directors Agri. Ext Gujranwala & Gujrat addressed farmers on good agriculture practices for obtaining better yields & income. He appreciated the PBHF for implanting SRP standards & digitization of traceability from farm to fork.
Rana Faqir Ahmed DG of Pest Warning & Quality Control sensitizes farmers on the importance of the right application timing based on pest ETL (Economic threshold level) & PHI (Pre-harvest interval) to keep rice grains free from pesticide residues. Dr. Hiz Jamali from Asian Development Bank & Dr. Kashif Salik from Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) also participated.

PR 126 was the most popular rice variety last year, occupying 22% of the total cultivation area.

Rice experts of Ludhiana’s Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have advised farmers to transplant 25-30-day-old nursery of the PR 126 variety between June 25 and July 10 and 30-35-day-old nursery of other rice varieties after June 20.

PR 126 was the most popular rice variety last year, occupying 22 per cent of the total cultivation area followed by PR 121, which occupied 14 per cent of the area, according to the university.

Dr G S Mangat, additional director, research (crop improvement), and senior rice breeder Dr Buta Singh Dhillon said that PR 131 was highly sought after in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur, whereas PR 128 gained momentum in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Patiala districts.

Besides, PR 126 has also been the choice of farmers in all districts. Next in popularity is PR 131, the seed of which is in great demand in Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Bathinda districts and is replacing PR 114, said Dr Mangat.

In addition, farmers of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, SAS Nagar and SBS Nagar prefer the PR 130 variety, which has been developed by crossing two varieties, namely PR 121 and HKR 47, according to Dr Dhillon.

“Taking 105 days to mature after transplanting, it possesses long, slender, clear and translucent grains with high total and head rice recoveries. The variety resists the attack of all the 10 presently prevalent pathotypes of bacterial blight pathogen in the Punjab state and its average paddy yield is 30.0 quintals per acre,” he added.

Dr Mangat said that about a dozen rice varieties recommended by the university yielded more during late sowing. These varieties were cultivated on about 70 per cent of the paddy area in the state, he added.

“As per the survey conducted by PAU, PR varieties’ yield was high when sowed near June 25, whereas PR 126 performed better when sowed in July. Their early transplanting resulted in lower yield due to the high temperature and more attacks of insect-pests such as false smut and sheath blight. Basmati, when attacked by stem borers and planthoppers, resulted in crop loss to farmers due to the delay in the adoption of control measures,” Dr Dhillon said.

MUMBAI/HANOI/BANGKOK/DHAKA: Prices of rice from Thailand held near a four-month high this week helped by domestic buying, while traders across Asian hubs flagged concerns over a potential hit to output from the emergence of the El Nino weather pattern this year.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices rose to about $500 per tonne from $498-$500 last week, its highest since January. “Prices have gone up due to more internal demand,” a Bangkok-based trader said. Prices should stay strong for some time, amid a strong baht, because the new harvest is taking some time to be released, another trader said, adding there could be less output from other countries due to climate-related risks.

Triggering concerns about crop production globally was the possible onset of El Nino, when ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean rise above normal.

Traders in Vietnam also warned of the adverse impacts on global rice production this year. Vietnam’s 5% broken rice were offered at $485-$495 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from last week. “Domestic supplies are running low, while demand remains high,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said, adding “output from other rice producing countries, including Myanmar and Pakistan, are lower this year.”

Meanwhile, farmers in some Mekong Delta provinces have started sowing for the summer-autumn crop, a trader said. The El Nino phenomenon could also impact the crucial monsoon season in top exporter India.

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers preparing to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows rice fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This aerial photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

This photo taken on May 18, 2023 shows farmers driving an agricultural vehicle to transplant seedlings of rice in fields of Chahe Town in Fengnan District of Tangshan city, north China's Hebei Province. Fengnan District is expected to sow 130,000 mu (8666.7 hectares) of rice this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

May 18, 2023 (MLN): Rice prices in Asia, one of the most consequential metrics in global commodity markets – have the potential to climb to multiyear highs, as Bloomberg reported.

Supplies may be challenged this year as weather risks build, mainly hotter-than-normal temperatures already seen, and, as 2023 unfolds, the possibility of a crop-scorching El Nino event, it added.

Rice is the region's key staple and an important component of local Consumer Price Index (CPI) baskets.

It further added that Thailand, an exporting powerhouse has reportedly asked growers to harvest a single crop this season, instead of the usual two.

That stands to reduce output just as external demand climbs if harvests elsewhere miss expectations, especially in Indonesia or the Philippines, it said.

The price of one the Thailand's benchmark grades advanced to $515 per ton this week, on course for a third monthly gain, it noted.

Should it top January's peak of $523 per ton, that would be the most in more than two years, and a further climb above $579 per ton would be a decade high.

MANILA, Philippines — Palay production in Nueva Ecija, the rice granary of the country, will drop by 30 percent if the super diversion canal in the province will not be repaired, according to a group of irrigators.

National Confederation of Irrigators Association treasurer and board of trustees member Dante Lazatin said around P1.5 billion is needed to fund the restoration of the super diversion canal in Nueva Ecija.

“We will have a problem, especially with the impending El Niño if the super diversion canal is not fixed,” Lazatin said.

He said 17,000 hectares of rice fields would have no access to irrigation with limited supply of water from the canal.

“The super diversion canal can provide 60 cubic meters per second of water, but we can only supply a maximum of 43 cms because of its damage,” Lazatin said.

He appealed to President Marcos to act on requests for the government to provide funds for the repair of the water channel.

Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto said palay production would drop by 315,000 metric tons if the 17,000 hectares of rice fields in Nueva Ecija will have no access to irrigation.

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s rice inventory remained on a downward trend, declining by 14 percent in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

Latest data from the PSA showed that total rice inventory stood at 1.41 million metric tons as of March, 13.7 percent lower than the previous year’s level of 1.63 million MT.

Similarly, this is 7.5 percent below the previous month’s stock of 1.52 million MT.

Households had more than half of the total inventories at 57.6 percent, while commercial warehouses held about 35.1 percent. Supplies from the National Food Authority depositories comprised 7.3 percent of the total.

On a monthly basis, rice stocks inventory in households, commercial warehouses and NFA depositories all declined – by 7.5 percent, 8.7 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Earlier, the Department of Agriculture forecast supply deficits of rice, corn, raw and refined sugar, pork and fish this year.

For rice, 10.4 percent of the demand equivalent to 42 days is the projected deficit. The government plans to import some three million metric tons of rice to fill the gap.

A deficit of 2.8 million MT is also seen in yellow corn, 73,546 MT for refined sugar, 309,100 MT for pork and 648,300 MT for fish.

The government’s Interagency Committee on Inflation and Market Outlook has recommended timely and data-supported importations to fill the supply gap.

It also called for the strategic prepositioning of rice buffer stocks in time for the El Niño, improvement and expansion of the Kadiwa program and fast-tracking the distribution of targeted subsidies to fishers and farmers in the short term.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Association for the Administration of Rice Quotas, Inc. (AARQ) recently donated $250,000 to The Rice Foundation, a 501c(3) organization that represents all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to further the well-being of its members and ensure the long-term sustainability and future competitiveness of U.S. rice.

The Foundation receives funding from several sources, however since it’s creation many years ago, funding from the AARQ has been extremely important.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of AARQ, I would like to say that the recent decision was made as a show of confidence in the good work of The Foundation,” said Chris Crutchfield, CEO of American Commodity Company in California, and chair of the AARQ Board of Directors.  “It’s been a trying couple of years for AARQ, and we could not make the normal disbursements to The Foundation.  However, collective fiscal responsibility through those times made this donation possible and we anticipate a return to engagement with AARQ as a normal course of business.”

The AARQ is a not-for-profit corporation that manages the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for milled rice granted by the European Union (EU-27) and the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States.  Since 1996, the AARQ has conducted open auctions to allocate the 38,721 metric ton milled rice TRQ and the proceeds of those auctions are distributed to The Rice Foundation and the state rice research boards.

Over the past two years, sales of U.S. rice to the EU and UK have been lacking so funds generated by these sales have been almost non-existent.  Recently these sales have increased which allowed for this donation.

“The donation at this time is a godsend for The Rice Foundation as we had been struggling financially,” said Texas rice farmer Timothy Gertson who is chair of The Rice Foundation Board of Directors.  “This generous funding will allow for a continuation of the Foundation’s work of identifying and financing research projects, and supporting leadership and education programs, both areas that are critical for the U.S. rice industry.”

Manila to Host World's Largest Rice Congress: Co-organized by Philippine Agri Dept & IRRI

The Philippine government considers rice to be a priority area for achieving food self-sufficiency and improving the livelihoods of Filipino farmers.

The sixth edition of the International Rice Congress (IRC) will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Philippines on 16-19 October-2023. The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Philippines has committed to supporting the organization of the world's largest gathering focused on rice-based food systems. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will co-host the event.

The upcoming IRC in 2023 will provide an opportunity to learn about recent advancements in genetic, digital, and nature-based solutions. These insights will be invaluable in addressing the diverse challenges faced by the rice industry in the Philippines, according to Leocadio Sebastian, the DA Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development.

The IRC, which began in 2002, serves as a platform for scientists, experts, and decision-makers from the public, private, and government sectors to develop evidence-based solutions for the global rice sector. Rice is a critical commodity that serves as a staple food for over half of the world's population. Hence, it is crucial for farmers, consumers, and government decision-makers to collaborate and find sustainable solutions.

The IRRI Director General, Jean Balié, expressed excitement about showcasing cutting-edge technology, breakthrough studies, and innovations from around the world during IRC 2023. However, Balié also emphasized the need to focus discussions on holistic science-based solutions to address the combined impacts of climate extremes, potential rice crises, conflicts, and economic shocks on the rice value chain. The conference aims to bring together long-time partners, collaborators, as well as new players in the agricultural, climate change, and nutrition sectors to foster knowledge exchange.

The theme for this year's IRC is "Accelerating Transformation of Rice-Based Food Systems: From Gene to Globe." It aims to highlight solutions and innovations that can address critical issues related to agriculture and climate change, food and nutrition security, environmental sustainability, and human and economic development.

The conference presents a unique opportunity to gather leading experts from the agricultural industry, research and development, academia, and civil society. It allows for networking and collaboration among individuals and organizations, harnessing their potential to find areas of cooperation.

During the previous IRC, approximately 1,500 delegates from 64 countries participated. The event saw the presence of high-level representatives from organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development, as well as the governments of India, Uganda, and Singapore.

Notable companies like Bayer Crop Science and Corteva Agriscience, along with NGOs like Oxfam, were also in attendance. The conference featured over 300 poster presentations and showcased at least 400 research presentations covering various studies conducted worldwide.

Farmers will heave a sigh of relief because new rice varieties have been introduced by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) rich in high yields for mass production.

The move is a $500,000 five-year partnership project between the Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) and CSIR-CRI to provide improved rice seeds for farmers. 

The new rice varieties will be cultivated on 100-hectare land at the Council’s project site at Dawhenya in Accra.

Speaking to Citi News, Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Lim Jung Taek indicated that the project will complement government Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme.

“We produce a lot of rice varieties which include high yields variety, we want to provide the highest variety to the Ghanaian market. We hope to contribute to the success of rice production in Ghana,” Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Lim Jung Taek.

A rice farmer, Richard Martey expressed his excitement and indicated that the new rice varieties will generate a lot of income for them.

“It’s a promising variety, and I’m told the taste is palatable. It is going to increase our yields component, we will also have a lot of money in our pockets,” Richard Martey noted.

Two flood-resistant rice varieties are helping farmers in Africa to improve productivity, with huge potential returns for countries affected by climate change, agricultural food experts say.

Scientists at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) say the rice they developed could survive for more than two weeks under complete submergence, whereas existing rice varieties die after one week of flooding.

The experts found that it can generate up to two tons per hectare more than rice varieties vulnerable to flooding.

"Until recently, no flood-tolerant rice varieties existed in Africa and farmers suffered enormous losses due to floods," says Venuprasad Ramaiah, head of the International Rice Genebank at the IRRI.

"Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania are among the most flood-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa."

Ramaiah says the new varieties also produce a higher yield than existing types, even in drier periods.

"Their cultivation is expected to generate income that is comparable with other improved varieties in the market, in years with no floods," he added.

Ramaiah explains that a gene for submergence tolerance (SUB1 gene) was created and transferred into flood-susceptible African rice varieties.

Baboucarr Manneh, director-general of AfricaRice, tells SciDev.Net that the SUB1 gene was discovered in 1996 and scientists began transferring it into the farmer-preferred variety in the early 2000s. The first high-yielding submergence-tolerant rice variety called "scuba rice" was released in 2009 in Asia.

"This goes to show that the technology has been validated and proven successful and what we're doing is taking it further to tailor the needs of Sub-Saharan African rice farmers," says Manneh.

During the flood season, the new varieties sustain productivity, helping farmers maintain a stable income in both stressed and non-stressed years.

Rice-producing African countries such as Tanzania are highly vulnerable to climate change but rice farmers are particularly vulnerable to the crop as it suffers harsh climatic impacts including drought and flooding.

Financial rewards

"Most African countries have an ambitious plan to be self-sufficient in rice and potentially become the new rice bowl of Asia, but flooding poses a threat to these ambitions," Ramaiah adds.

Ramaiah said that the two released varieties have reached more than 30,000 farmers in Nigeria.

"We are not stopping there yet," says Ramaiah, adding that IRRI and AfricaRice are working with private seed producers, millers, rice traders, farmer cooperatives, and community organizations to design distribution schemes to get the rice to farmers in areas of need.

"With improved flood-tolerant rice varieties, smallholder farmers in the region are able to adapt better to the floods that used to destroy their crops, ensuring farmers' yields and income."

Ramaiah says the innovation has the potential to generate at least US$3 billion in returns for African countries experiencing flooding in the next five years.

Olawale Ojo, managing partner at Agricatalyst Innovations in Nigeria, tells SciDev.Net that flood-tolerant rice varieties could increase farmers' income, build climate resilience, and bring a US$43 return for every dollar invested.

He says funding for agricultural technologies is crucial for food security in Africa, adding, "Expanding the distribution of these varieties in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit farmers and improve their livelihoods."

The IRRI/AfricaRice innovation won US$150,000 this month (May 1) at the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech in the United States.

"With the winning prize, there is now the potential to expedite the positive results from field condition tests… and scaling up of adoption pathways," says Manneh.

Provided by SciDev.Net

Balochistan Agriculture Secretary Umaid Ali Khokhar said that the supply of free rice seeds to the farmers in four districts of Balochistan has been commenced and 60 thousand farmers will be provided with the best rice seeds till May 31. “Farmers should also increase production by adopting modern methods of agriculture,” he said while addressing a ceremony to provide free rice seeds to farmers with the help of Asian Development Bank and FAO in Naseerabad Division on Tuesday.

DG Agriculture Irfan Ali Bakhtiari, FAO Balochistan Chief Waleed Mehdi, Asian Development Bank Pakistan Banaras Khan, Deputy Commissioner Naseerabad Ayesha Zehri, FAO Project Officer Waheed Anwar, Spokesman Agriculture Department Abdul Karim Jafar were also present. Secretary Agriculture Umaid Ali Khokhar thanked the officers of FAO, the Asian Development Bank, the District Administration, and the agriculture department who worked hard day and night to bring this effort to the final stages of successful completion in this project.

He said that after last year’s floods, the Balochistan government distributed the best wheat seeds worth 2.2 billion rupees to the entire province for free. “By the grace of Allah, it was found that for the first time in history, Balochistan has produced about one lakh metric tons of wheat more than its requirement as Balochistan requires 15 lakh metric tons of wheat. He further said that after achieving self-sufficiency in wheat, the Department of Agriculture is starting a project for the entire Balochistan with the support of the Asian Development Bank to provide solar tube wells and solar panels through the on-farm water management department.

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday called for research on high-yielding, climate-resilient rice seeds, and for increased technical assistance to farmers to help them produce high-quality rice that meets market demand.

Addressing the graduation ceremony of the Royal University of Agriculture, Prek Leap National Institute of Agriculture and Kampong Cham National School of Agriculture and senior government officials at Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital, the Premier said, “High-quality seeds and sufficient water irrigation are essential for high rice yields,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Hun Sen called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and relevant ministries and institutions to work closely together to research and develop high-quality, commercially viable seeds for farmers.

The premier advised relevant officials to continue zoning for appropriate agricultural crops and to offer technical assistance to farmers and agricultural cooperatives.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries launched a new fragrance rice variety, Champei Sar 70 (CPS 70), on Wednesday after nearly a decade of research and development.

CPS 70 is a fragrant rice variety that matures after three months. It was developed from an award-winning Cambodian rice variety, Phka Rumduol, and CNi9024.

Global demand for fragrant rice is high, and it accounts for more than 60 percent of Cambodia’s total milled rice exports. The Kingdom aims to export 1 million tons of milled rice by 2025.

Cambodia’s rice cultivation in 2022 covered 3.40 million hectares and the total yield was 11.62 million tonnes.

The Kingdom exported 176,581 tons of milled rice in the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 3.5 percent from the same period in 2022, according to a report from the Cambodia Rice Federation.

Cambodia earned $126 million from milled rice exports in the first quarter of this year. It exported milled rice of different varieties, including premium aromatic rice, fragrant rice, long grain white rice, parboiled rice, and organic rice.

Agriculture is a major contributor to the Cambodian economy, accounting for nearly a quarter of GDP in 2021. It also employs over a third of workforce, with women making up more than half of those employed in agriculture.

There are some Ayurvedic facts about rice which will clear the misconceptions you might be having about rice. An Ayurvedic expert took to her social media and shared some Ayurvedic facts about rice which you need to know right away.

Rice is one of the staple foods of all Indians and people in our country consume it on a regular basis. An excellent source of carbohydrates, rice keeps a person energised and also satisfies the hunger pangs. However, there are certain facts associated with rice which make people avoid the staple food of our country. Especially, the people who are on a weight loss diet, avoid eating rice on a regular basis.

However, there are some Ayurvedic facts about rice which will clear the misconceptions you might be having about rice. An Ayurvedic expert took to her social media and shared some Ayurvedic facts about rice which you need to know right away.

Dr Vaishali Shukla wrote while sharing, “Facts about Rice you need to know.”

Rice is not fattening - When rice is eaten in moderate portion, as per appetite and along with right quantity of pulses or vegetable, it will not lead to weight gain. On the other hand, if you are over eating rice, it can lead to weight gain.

Red rice is the best quality - As per Ayurveda, red rice is the best quality of rice, It is good for people seeking for nourishment, weight loss, or are diabetic.

Rice aids digestion - It is always better to eat a rice-based dinner since the food gets completely digested before one goes to bed.

ISLAMABAD: The prices of essential kitchen items have witnessed a mix trend during this week past against the previous week, revealed a survey carried out by Business Recorder, here on Saturday.

The wholesalers and retailers at different markets said that prices of some of the items remained on the high side; however, prices of some kitchen items also witnessed a decline during the last week past.

The survey noted that prices of tomatoes, wheat flour bag 20 kg, potatoes, cooked daal, eggs, rice, masoor, maash, milk fresh, sugar, and curd increased during the week past as compared to the precious week while a decline was observed in the prices of average onions, chicken, LPG, garlic, pulse gram, and mustard oil.

Chicken price went down from Rs 16,500 per 40kg in the wholesale market to Rs 16,000, which in retail is being sold at Rs415 against Rs425 per kg, while chicken meat is being sold at Rs650 per kg against Rs680 per kg, egg price went up from Rs 7,300 per carton to Rs 7,350, while in retail, eggs are being sold in the range of Rs275-285 per dozen.

Sugar price has went up slightly from Rs5,700 per 50kg bag to Rs5,750 in wholesale market which in retail is being sold at Rs132-135 per kg.

Wheat flour price witnessed an upward trend as its price went up from Rs 2,690 per 20kg bag to Rs 2,700 per bag. Normal quality wheat flour bag is being sold at Rs 2,140 per 15kg bag against Rs 2,130 in the wholesale market, which in retail is being sold at Rs 2,156 per bag.

Rice prices witnessed an increase as best quality basmati rice is available at Rs 12,720 per 40kg bag against Rs 12,700 per 40kg bag, while the retailers are selling at Rs350-360 per kg, normal quality Basmati price went up from Rs 10,600 per 40kg bag to Rs 10,610, which in retail is being sold at Rs290-300 per kg against Rs290-295 per kg.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

• Thai farmers asked to grow one crop this year instead of two
• It’s an early sign of the weather pattern hitting food output

Thailand, the world’s second-biggest rice exporter, is asking farmers to grow only one crop this year — instead of the usual two — as a likely El Nino looks set to reduce rainfall. 

Rice is highly water-intensive and is dependent on irrigation and enough precipitation. It’s an early sign of how the disruptive weather pattern is threatening global food production. The resulting drop in rice output also has the potential to push up prices of a staple food for more than half the world’s population.

The request was reported in the Bangkok Post, which cited Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources.

The emerging El Nino is already contributing to severe heat that’s roasted Southeast Asia in recent weeks. The weather pattern typically results in hotter, drier conditions in many parts of Asia. As well as rice, it’s a risk to output of crops including palm oil, cocoa and sugar, of which Thailand is also a major producer.  

Thai sugar production may drop to the second lowest since 2009-10 in the season that runs from October, trader Czarnikow Group Ltd. said in a note.

The Thai wet season, which normally begins in the third week of May, will start a bit later this year with a period of intermittent rain in June, the Bangkok Post reported. The national water agency has developed a management plan for the country’s dams to help preserve water, which would require close cooperation from all, especially farmers.

Prices of rice in major exporter Thailand climbed to a near four-month high this week, while Vietnam rates steadied closer to their best level in over a year, buoyed by increasing orders from neighbouring countries.

In the first four months of 2023, Vietnam saw a 23.4% jump in shipments from a year earlier to 1.85 million tonnes, government customs data showed.

They rose 80% from March to 961,608 tonnes in April.

“Trading activity is robust as exporters are pushing their purchases to fill signed contracts,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at a regional meeting that Vietnam was willing to supply rice to the Philippines for the long term at reasonable prices.

Philippines is Vietnam’s largest buyer. Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $485-$495 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from last week yet close to highs last seen in April 2021.

In Thailand, 5% broken rice prices rose to their highest since January at $498-$500 per tonne, from last week’s $485, with traders attributing the rise to increasing demand and a strengthening baht.

A stronger domestic currency makes exports from the country expensive in dollar terms.

Bangladesh’s agriculture ministry advised farmers to harvest 80% of paddy and other crops to limit damages during cyclone Mocha, which is expected to make landfall this weekend.

Producing around 35 million tonnes annually, Bangladesh often requires imports to cope with shortages of the staple grain caused by floods or droughts.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety prices were unchanged at $376-$380 per tonne, their lowest since December.

“Demand is weak. Supplies from the winter crop are also getting delayed because of untimely rainfall in the last few weeks,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Thai farmers have been asked to grow only one rice crop this coming season as rainfall will be below average because of the El Nino weather pattern, said the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR).

Bangkok (VNA) - Thai farmers have been recommended to grow only one rice crop this coming season as rainfall will be below average because of the El Nino weather pattern, said the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR).

ONWR Secretary-General Surasee Kittimonthon said that the rainy season, which normally begins in the third week of May, will start a bit later this year with a period of intermittent rain in June.

“We can provide water to farmers for the first rice crop, starting in the rainy season,” he said. “But for the second or third crops, we would like farmers’ cooperation to grow other plants that need less water to help limit the water shortage.”

On May 11, the office discussed water management for the rainy season with the Royal Irrigation Department, the Meteorological Department, the Department of Water Resources, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and other agencies.

As a result of El Nino, Surasee said rainfall may be 5% less than average. Heavy rainfall will be seen from August to September, covering 60-80% of the country.

He said that at least two tropical storms would hit the country in August and September, which can top up water in some dams. He also warned of heavy rain in the North, the Northeast and the East this weekend as Cyclone Mocha will reach Myanmar on May 13./.

Authorities advise against second crop as El Nino will reduce rainfall this year

Farmers are being asked to grow only one rice crop this coming season as rainfall will be below average because of the El Nino weather pattern, says the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR).

The rainy season, which normally begins in the third week of May, will start a bit later this year with a period of intermittent rain in June, said Surasee Kittimonthon, the ONWR secretary-general.

The agency has devised a water management plan for the country’s dams to help preserve water. Its success, he said, would depend on close cooperation from all stakeholders, especially farmers, to save water.

“We can provide water to farmers for the first rice crop, starting in the rainy season,” he said. “But for the second or third crops, we would like farmers’ cooperation to grow other plants that need less water to help limit the water shortage.”

The ONWR on Thursday discussed water management for the rainy season with the Royal Irrigation Department, the Meteorological Department, the Department of Water Resources, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and other agencies.

As a result of El Nino, Mr Surasee said rainfall would be 5% less than average. Heavy rainfall will be seen from August to September, covering 60-80% of the country.

He said that at least two tropical storms would hit the country in August and September, which could top up water in some dams. He also warned of heavy rain in the North, the Northeast and the East this weekend as Cyclone Mocha would reach Myanmar on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the royal irrigation department said the water in the resorvior of the bhumibol dam in tak province was currently at 43% of capacity, while the figure for the sirikit dam in uttaradit was 22%.

KARACHI: Rice exporters have strongly opposed a ban on rice cultivation in the various districts of Sindh province. Chela Ram Kewlani Chairman, Haseeb Ali Khan Senior Vice Chairman, Habibur Rehaman, Vice Chairman and Managing Committee Members of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) in an urgent meeting held on Wednesday strongly opposed the decision of Sindh Government regarding ban on rice cultivation in various districts of Sindh Province.

Chela Ram said that nowadays, the country was facing a severe economic crisis and direly needed foreign exchange to avoid the default and support the country’s economy. However, on the other side the government policies are discouraging exports.

He said that rice was the second largest export commodity and earner of over $2.5 billion valuable foreign exchange annually for the country. Further, rice was a surplus crop for export purposes, as it was not the mass staple diet, he added. “We are already facing crop shortage this year and due to this ban, it is very difficult to achieve our export target of over $2 billion,” he mentioned.

Chela Ram has appealed President of Pakistan Arif Alvi, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Ministers for Commerce Naveed Qamar and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to review this decision, so as to get maximum rice crop for export purpose and fetch the much-needed foreign exchange for the country. He has requested the Sindh Government that Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Muhammad Khan and Sukkur were mainly rice growing areas and there was no justification to ban rice cultivation in those areas.

SINGAPORE — Asia's rice output is set to climb this year as higher prices spur farmers to expand acreage and use more fertilizer, easing supply concerns after production suffered its first decline in seven years last year.

Production from recently harvested off-season rice crops in India and Thailand, the world's top two exporters, has exceeded last year's levels, and farmers are gearing up for main crops to be planted in coming months, with prices hovering near two-year highs.

Major northern hemisphere producers, including India, Pakistan and Thailand, will start planting their main crops this month and next, said Shirley Mustafa, an economist at the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Higher production

A greater area will be planted with rice "in response to increase in rice prices, and greater access to fertilizers could sustain an output expansion from these crops", Mustafa said.

Production from winter-sown rice in India rose to 22.8 million metric tons from 18.5 million tons a year ago as above-average rainfall in September-October allowed farmers to expand the cultivation land.

In Thailand, output from this year's off-season crop is expected to rise to 5.1 million tons, up 24 percent from a year ago, the FAO said.

Globally, the area under rice cultivation is forecast to climb to 165.70 million hectares in 2023-24, from 163.74 million hectares, the International Grains Council said. World production is projected to climb to 521.49 million tons, up from 509.30 million tons.

"Prices are higher, and we are expecting that to encourage plantings for the 2023-24 crop, particularly in the major exporters," said Peter Clubb, a market analyst at the IGC.

Rice producers, encouraged by higher grain prices and lower costs of crop nutrients, are also expected to use more fertilizer to boost yields.

Prices of fertilizers fell in the January-to-March quarter as supply from Belarus, the third-largest potash exporter, resumed and costs of key inputs, including nitrogen, fell from 2022 highs.

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) thanked the Punjab governor on Monday for honouring the private sector for developing two new varieties of rice seeds. In two separate letters to Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Guard Rice Shahzad Ali Malik, LCCI President Kashif Anwar said it was a matter of great pride that Guard Agriculture Research institute had proved that Pakistani researchers have all abilities to compete with the global partners. “The recognition will highlight the excellence of Pakistan’s agricultural research on the global stage,” he remarked.

He said that development of these new rice seed varieties showcased the innovative efforts and dedication of Pakistani researchers in enhancing agricultural productivity and contributing to the country’s agricultural sector. This achievement not only benefits the farmers by providing them with improved seed options but also strengthens Pakistan’s position in the international agriculture market.

The LCCI president said that agricultural research played a crucial role in addressing global food security challenges, improving agricultural productivity, promoting sustainable farming practices, and ensuring the overall well-being of rural communities.

He said that the global population was growing rapidly, and agricultural research was essential to develop innovative techniques and technologies that could increase food production. He said by studying plant genetics, crop breeding, and optimizing farming practices, researchers could develop high-yielding and disease-resistant crop varieties, improve irrigation methods, and enhance agricultural systems to meet the growing demand for food.

It is important to note that Punjab Seed Council has approved the open pollinated extra-long grain rice varieties Guard 101 and 102 that ensured around 25 per cent higher per acre yield.

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with the entire business community, congratulated Shehzad Ali Malik on this well-deserved award and expressed confidence in the continued success and advancement of Pakistan’s agriculture sector through dedicated research and development efforts.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 – The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is working with researchers and industry players to tame rising cases of fake basmati rice.

KEBS managing director Bernard Njiraini says the agency is working with farmers, suppliers, researchers, and government bodies to protect the local basmati rice industry.

Local universities and international researchers will also be roped in to develop innovative solutions, including advanced sensor technologies and blockchain-based traceability systems that will detect fake grains.

The above cutting-edge approaches, it said, will empower consumers to verify the authenticity and quality of the basmati rice they purchase, fostering trust and driving demand for genuine, unadulterated products.

Evans Nyaboga, senior lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Nairobi, highlighted the crucial role of advanced scientific techniques in tackling rice adulteration and counterfeiting.

He explained that utilizing nucleic acid drives is key to ensuring rice varietal authenticity and integrity.

“Rice is the most important grain for human nutrition and caloric intake worldwide, as well as a major staple food in Kenya. In order to prevent adulteration, it’s essential to accurately and quickly determine the rice variety,” Nyaboga said.

“This statement emphasizes the importance of applying cutting-edge scientific methods to safeguard the quality of rice in Kenya and beyond,” added Nyaboga.

Additionally, KEBS is implementing educational campaigns to raise awareness among farmers and suppliers about the long-term consequences of Basmati rice adulteration.

The initiatives will provide practical guidelines on best practices for harvesting, processing, and marketing Basmati rice, ensuring that Kenyan farmers and suppliers can thrive in a competitive global market.

Sheila Kemboi, a laboratory analyst, highlighted the advanced methods developed to detect and quantify Basmati rice adulteration.

Whereas a DNA-based method offers a high throughput solution for rice sector professionals and government agencies, a bio-chemical method allows standards bodies like KEBS to determine exact blending percentages as per East African and Kenyan Standard KS2086-2009 and KS2087-2009 ratios.

“By harnessing the power of science and technology, we can safeguard the genetic diversity of Basmati rice genotypes commonly grown in Kenya, paving the way for the development of high-yielding, high-quality, and aromatic varieties that will elevate the economic well-being of our farmers and strengthen our nation’s food security,” Kemboi asserted.

Food commodity prices rise amid “worrisome” rice hikes and Ukraine export uncertainty, reveals FAO

08 May 2023 --- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Food Price Index has increased amid higher international quotations for sugar, meat and rice. According to the FAO’s latest figures, the benchmark index of global food commodity prices rose in April for the first time in a year. 

Meanwhile, prices for wheat, maize, dairy products and vegetable oils are in decline.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points in April 2023, up 0.6% from March.

At that level, the Index was 19.7% below its level in April 2022 but still 5.2% higher than in April 2021.

“It is important that we continue to closely track the evolution of prices and the reasons for price increases. As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices,” comments FAO chief economist Maximo Torero. 

“At the same time, the increase in rice prices is extremely worrisome, and it is essential that the Black Sea initiative is renewed to avoid any other spikes in wheat and maize,” he adds.

Sugar and meat prices rise 
The FAO Sugar Price Index rose significantly by 17.6% from March, reaching its highest level since October 2011. The sharp increase was due to reduced production expectations and outcomes in India, China, Thailand and the EU caused by dry weather conditions and a slow start of the sugarcane crop harvest in Brazil.

Another factor is higher international crude oil prices, which can increase demand for sugarcane-based ethanol.

The FAO Meat Price Index also rose by 1.3% during the month, driven primarily by higher pig meat quotations, followed by poultry prices, which increased amid Asian import demand and production curbs spurred by animal health issues. 

International bovine meat prices also increased due to a decline in cattle supplies for slaughter, especially in the US.

Declines still prevalent 
In the meantime, price indices for other major food commodity categories, except rice, continued their declining trend.

The FAO Cereal Price Index dipped 1.7% from March and averaged 19.8% below its April 2022 value. 

International wheat prices declined 2.3% due to sizable exportable availability in Australia and Russia. 

World maize prices fell 3.2% as supplies in South America seasonally increased with ongoing harvests. On the other hand, against a backdrop of reduced yields caused by higher input costs and adverse weather, especially outside of Asia, sales to Asian buyers sustained an increase in international rice prices.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 1.3%, registering its fifth consecutive monthly decline. World palm oil prices were stable, while quotations for soy, rapeseed and sunflower oils fell with seasonal harvest pressure from Brazil’s potentially record soybean crop.

The FAO Dairy Price Index dropped by 1.7%, impacted by the persistent slack global import demand for milk powders and higher cheese export availability in Western Europe.

Production and trade forecasts
In a new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, FAO adjusted its world wheat production forecast for 2023. The global outturn is now pegged at 785 million metric tons, the second largest on record. However, it is down from last season primarily on declines in Australia and Russia from their record 2022 outputs.

Brazil’s production is expected to reach a record high for maize, while that of Argentina is projected to drop below average levels due to prolonged dry conditions and heat waves. 

Conducive weather conditions have bolstered yield expectations in South Africa, which expects the second-highest harvest on record.World maize prices fell 3.2% as supplies in South America seasonally increased with ongoing harvests.

Meanwhile, 2023/24 prospects for rice production along and south of the equator are mixed, largely due to the regionally varied impact of the La Niña event. In the future, the possible emergence of the El Niño phenomenon during the northern hemisphere summer will need to be closely watched. 

FoodIngredientsFirst recently reported that La Niña has left the global atmospheric scene after a three-year presence. That could relieve some drought-affected areas, such as the Horn of Africa, but may spell trouble for other regions.

FAO raised its earlier projection for world trade in cereals in 2022/23 to 472 million metric tons, now some 2.2% below its record level in the previous season. 

Further, global wheat trade is forecast to rise 2.3%, while global trade in coarse grains will likely be 5.5%. International trade in rice in 2023 is predicted to contract by 4.4% year-to-year.

Last week, the European Commission announced “exceptional and temporary preventative measures” to allow some nations to limit the import of foodstuffs coming from Ukraine and ease logistical bottlenecks. The restrictions to free food circulation will apply to wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed and can be enforced in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, effective from May 2 until June 5, 2023.

World cereal utilization in 2022/23 is forecast at 2,780 million metric tons, and worldwide stocks by the close of the season stand at 855 million metric tons. Based on these latest forecasts, the 2022/23 global cereal stocks-to-use ratio would stand at 29.8%, down slightly from 30.8% during the previous 12 months. However, these levels still indicate a relatively comfortable supply globally, FAO underscores.

A study led by researchers at Peking University in China suggests that extreme rainfall will significantly threaten global food production due to climate change and the accompanying extreme weather events.

The paper, "Extreme rainfall reduces one-twelfth of China's rice yield over the last two decades," published in the journal Nature Food, used long-term weather observations and multi-level rainfall manipulative experiments to explore the magnitude and mechanisms of extreme rainfall impacts on rice yield.

The study found reductions due to extreme rainfall were comparable to those induced by extreme heat over the last two decades, projecting up to 8.1% in lost yield by the year 2100. Jonathan Proctor has published a News & Views article in the same journal issue discussing the study.

Researchers designed a comprehensive series of conditional rainfall experiments to isolate the mechanisms related to extreme rainfall impacts. In the experiments, four rainfall levels of intensity and event frequency were used to observe the impacts on three different growth phases; vegetative, reproductive, and ripening.

Under various conditions of rain intensity, water volume, plant exposure and nitrogen manipulation, with multiple controls, the researchers could differentiate biophysical and biochemical mechanisms operating on distinct growth phases.

Extreme rainfall with high intensity damaged plant tissues directly in some instances. In other scenarios, high-volume rain limited nutrient uptake by washing out or waterlogging soil. There was also a clear sign that during the reproductive phase extreme rainfall was preventing successful pollination.

Rainfall simulations across China showed that physical disturbance induced by extreme rainfall was the most critical yield determinant across 47% to 95% of rice sowing areas, accounting for approximately an 8% reduction in yield already, separate from the projected 8.1% reduction by the end of the century. The authors suggest that future farmers of China could choose areas to sow that will be less affected by increases in extreme weather events.

A substantial percentage of humans live in China, with more than 18% of all humans calling it home. Conditions that affect the food supply of China have wide-ranging impacts on economies, agriculture and water usage around the world.

China currently imports rice from Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Burma, Thailand and is Asia's largest buyer of California rice. Each of these regions will have their own issues with crop yield due to a changing climate, so understanding the mechanisms behind these impacts helps all producers better prepare for an agricultural future that is changing along with the climate.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will implement a new rice production program that will aid farmers based on 2022 planted and prevented planted acres. USDA has the authority and funding to provide up to $250 million for this program.

Beginning this week, eligible Arkansas rice farmers will receive pre-filled applications from the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

“We are incredibly grateful to Senator Boozman for advocating on behalf of rice farmers,” said Arkansas Rice Federation Chairman David Gairhan. “We experienced sky-high input costs and antiquated rice prices last year on our farms and many farmers haven’t recovered. We work hard every day to grow a staple crop that we can share with our neighbors in Arkansas and around the world.”

Once completed, farmers should return their applications and all additional forms to their local FSA county office by July 10.

The initial payments will be made at a reduced rate of one cent per pound. If there are any remaining funds, a second payment may be issued to eligible farmers. A prevented planted factor of 60% will be applied if applicable.

Ganjam Collector Dibya Joyti Parida inaugurated a Sachetanata Rath here on Wednesday to sensitise the public on ‘Vitamin Rice’ (FRK Rice) under World Food Programme, CYSD.

The chariot will visit every block and NAC of the district till May 13.

The basic objective is to explain to the people about the use and benefits of FRK rice and its impact on health. During these 11 days, the chariot will cover a total of 11 blocks and districts. The Chief CSO, Ganjam in a notification issued on Tuesday requested the DEO, DSWO, BDOs, CDPOs, and the entire EOs of ULBs of Ganjam district to extend necessary support and cooperation for successful conduct of the IEC activities in the district.

Prices of rice exported from top hub India fell for a third straight week on sluggish demand, while Vietnamese rates eased off two-year highs in quiet trading after a long holiday.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $376-$380 per tonne on Thursday, compared with $378-$382 last week.

“Buyers are postponing purchases as prices are coming down. They want to see how much prices could fall further,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $485-$495 per tonne, down from $495-$500 a week ago - a level last seen in April 2021.

“Trading activity has not picked up following a long holiday that ended on Wednesday,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. Vietnam’s April exports nearly doubled year-on-year to 1.1 million tonnes, according to the government’s General Statistics Office, with shipments in the first four months of 2023 rising 43.6% from a year earlier, valued at $1.56 billion.

Bangladesh’s rice output from the summer crop was likely to exceed the target and hit 22 million tonnes, as farmers raised acreage to cash in on higher prices, agriculture ministry officials said.

Retail prices of coarse rice ranged from 65 to 70 taka ($0.6107-$0.6576) per kilogram this week.

The summer-sown crop, or ‘Boro’, usually makes up more than half of Bangladesh’s typical annual output of around 35 million tonnes.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices slipped to about $485 per tonne.

Prices had jumped to a more then two-month high of $490-$495 per tonne last week, driven by demand from Indonesia and due to depleting local supplies with the harvest season coming to an end.

Exporters were still fulfilling shipments to Indonesia after an increase in orders since last week.

“Prices should remain at this level for a while as supply slows near the end of harvesting period,” said a Bangkok-based rice trader.

Heavy rain triggered by climate change is forecast to reduce rice production in China by 8 per cent by the end of the century

Extreme rainfall made more intense and more frequent by climate change poses a major risk to China’s food security, according to a new study which forecasts an 8 per cent fall in rice yields by the end of the century.

China is the world’s largest rice grower, producing around 214 million tonnes a year. It is a staple foodstuff for the majority of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

Studies have warned that increasingly severe droughts – driven by climate change – will cause a decline in yields over the coming decades, but little research has been done on the potential impact of extreme rainfall on the crop.

Jin Fu at Peking University, China, and her colleagues used data from nationwide observations and field experiments to model the impact of extreme rainfall on current and future rice yields across the country.

They found that extreme rainfall has already reduced rice yields by 8 per cent compared with a world without human-made warming, a reduction comparable in magnitude to the impact of extreme heat.

In the coming decades, yields are expected to fall a further 8 per cent under climate scenarios in which average temperatures rise by 2 to 3°C by the end of the century.

“Extreme rainfall is normally an overlooked disaster for food security,” says Fu. But she says it “could really cause a big disaster” for food production in China and beyond.

Heavy rain affects rice crops in two main ways. Firstly, excess water in paddy fields dilutes nitrogen levels in soils, leading to slower growth and lower yields. Meanwhile, torrential rain can damage the delicate flowers, disrupting the plant’s grain production.

Fu says the study’s findings are conservative assessments because the modelling didn’t account for the additional impacts on yields of stronger winds, lower levels of sunshine and colder temperatures that can accompany rainy weather.

The findings suggest other countries in South-East Asia that also grow a lot of rice could see even larger declines in yield, because climate models suggest they will suffer even more intense rainfall than China.

Fu says research is now needed to establish whether farmers can mitigate some of the negative impacts of extreme rainfall, by shifting the location of paddy fields to part of China less likely to be affected, co-planting rice with upland crops that could do well when rice fails, such as maize, or applying more nitrogen fertiliser to fields to compensate for the additional rainfall.

Allison Thomson at the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, a non-profit organisation based in the US, says: “I think this type of research is important not just to quantify the impact on food security, but also to help us better understand what adaptations are needed – so knowing what the impacts might be, how can farmers better prepare to minimise the impact of these extreme rainfall events in the future?”

Tired of Cuban Inefficiency

The area of La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, was the main bet of the collaboration between both countries

By Mercedes Garcia (14ymedio)

HAVANA TIMES – The residents of La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, glued their eyes and ears to national television this weekend while the news of the official visit of senior Cuban officials to Vietnam was presented.

The tone disseminated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was exalted. “For Vietnam we are still willing to give even our blood,” Roberto Morales Ojeda, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party and former Minister of Public Health, said in Ho Chi Minh City.

What many residents in La Sierpe expected was a mention that would give them hope for the return of the Vietnamese technicians, who, in the middle of last year, broke their collaboration agreement with the Island to support rice production in the area and packed their bags to go home.

“With the departure of the Vietnamese we all felt a loss,” laments Diosdado, 68 years old and a resident in the vicinity of the Agroindustrial Company of Granos Sur del Jíbaro. “They arrived 20 years ago but got tired, because this was worse than plowing the sea; it was plowing in a sea of inefficiency,” says the farmer, one of the producers of the municipality who benefited from the agreement between the two countries.

The collaboration project began in 2002, and, in addition to providing equipment and machinery to Cuban producers, it kept dozens of Vietnamese specialists and technicians in Cuba. The area of La Sierpe was the main focus of this collaboration, and dikes were built, canals were cleaned and local specialists were trained.

But, over the years, the performance of the rice fields failed to meet the expectations of the Vietnamese, who also had to deal with the clumsy state bureaucracy, the lack of a stable supply of fuel and the inefficiency of the Agroindustrial Company. The final blow to the relationship occurred last year, when the hydrocarbon crisis deepened.

“The Vietnamese technicians demanded a quota of fuel to keep working, advising and connecting directly with what was happening in the fields,” Diosdado tells 14ymedio. “But the amount they needed almost never arrived, and then they were told that they had to supply it themselves, buy it abroad and bring it to the Island.”

In the end, “the Vietnamese did not renew the contract, as they had in previous years, and the technicians left,” an employee of the administrative area of the Agroindustrial Company tells this newspaper. “The Communist Party bosses gathered us at the beginning of this year to tell us that the Vietnamese were leaving, and they warned us not to say anything about it.”

The company’s national employees were faced with a problem. “They had to be sent to look for farmers in the area who wanted to request part of the rice cultivation area in usufruct, in order to save the current campaign, but they could not be told why the Vietnamese were no longer there,” explains the state worker.

“But it hasn’t stopped there. Now we are in the middle of a dispute with Vietnam because, since the agreement was not renewed, they want to take back a lot of the equipment they had brought,” he says. “Without those machines, we will have to go back in time to harvest the rice.”

In the nearby Mapos Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC), which was also part of the project, some affiliated producers feel the departure of the Vietnamese is the prelude to the collapse of the sector in the province. “What had been achieved was the result of their insistence and industriousness,” acknowledges a local farmer, who prefers anonymity. “They were very persistent people, who got up in the morning and immediately went to the fields. They followed every step of the rice crop.”

“It was possible to improve performance a lot after they arrived,” admits the farmer. “Now there are almost no more than three tons of grain per hectare, but when the project with the Vietnamese was at its best, back in 2015, up to five tons per hectare were extracted. It seemed that we were never going to lack rice in the province, and it’s hard to believe the situation we’re in now.”

In the Sancti Spíritus agricultural markets this week one pound of the grain was sold at 160 pesos [$7]. “And it’s not even good rice;  it has a high percentage of broken grains, and customers buy it because there’s nothing else, but it’s a product that looks more like animal feed than something to put on a table at home,” he says.

In the port of Nuevitas, Camagüey, another employee of the commercial department confirms that “the Vietnamese took out a good part of the rice that was harvested in La Sierpe to export it. It was part of the agreement: they kept a percentage of the harvest and sold it on the international market.” According to this source, the non-payments on the Cuban side were due to tons of the product that were left for national consumption, but the expense was never repaid to Vietnam.

In December of last year, when the Vietnamese had already left, the official press alluded to the debacle that the sector was experiencing and predicted that for the cold season it was intended to plant only about 7,500 hectares of the up to 13,000 that they had reached with the Vietnamese collaboration. They added that La Sierpe had been “hit” by a “contraction of resources that endangers a scenario of optimal development in Cuba for the cultivation of rice.”

“Of the 7,500 hectares provided for in the cold-planting plan until February, around 2,600 hectares are protected, but for the rest there are no inputs. The producers are going to risk planting the area by alternative, biological means,” Edemir Hernández Meneses, technical productive director of the Agroindustrial Company, acknowledged at the time.

Reality seems to have further sunk the poor forecasts. “We didn’t get the seeds on time, and there is no fuel to irrigate or to transport the workers, not to mention the fertilizers. There were farmers who risked planting without knowing if they were going to be able to get what was necessary to achieve the harvest, but most said no, rice cannot be grown this way,” says Diosdado.

“Today’s visit to the Coop Mary market and the Smart N Green Joint Stock Company shows us how much more we can do in Cuba,” Morales Ojeda, writing from Vietnam. posted enthusiastically on his Twitter account on Monday. Thousands of kilometers from there, in the plains of Sancti Spíritus, rice farmers also know what to do, but they don’t have the resources to achieve it.

BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- In a laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in northern Beijing, researchers are busy tagging and editing genes in rice, a key component of the complex breeding process of green super rice (GSR).

As its name suggests, this variety of rice boasts high yields while remaining environmentally friendly.

"We apply the method of genetic screening to put the quality or the traits that we need in the rice," said Xu Jianlong, a professor at the Laboratory for Molecular Rice Breeding under the Institute of Crop Sciences, CAAS.

Since 2008, under the support of Chinese government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the laboratory began to develop GSR varieties to boost the agricultural development in resource-poor areas in Africa and Asia.

"We have been breeding different GSR varieties that are able to adapt to different ecological environments in different countries. In Africa, for example, we breed varieties that are more resilient to drought and high temperature, while in Southeast Asia where typhoons are common, we produce rice that is resilient to collapse and diseases such as bacterial blight," Xu explained.

According to the expert, when super typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013, all crops of local rice varieties at the island of Leyte were wiped out. "However, the GSR8 variety we trialed planting there showed better tolerance to flooding, drought and salt damage, with a harvest of 1.2 tons per hectare."

The Philippine government then decided to promote the use of GSR8 seeds, resulting in the rapid expansion of GSR variety to cover 430,000 hectares in 2014. As of 2018, the GSR varieties have been promoted in the Philippines for a total of 1.09 million hectares, accounting for 22.64 percent of the country's rice acreage. By 2021, the cumulative area of GSR varieties reached 10.8 million hectares in the Philippines.

Successful stories were also found in other Asian countries. The NIBGE-GSR1, which was promoted in Pakistan, has an average yield of about 9.5 tons per hectare, compared to 7 tons for the local variety. Currently, six GSR varieties, including NIBGE-GSR1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and NIAB GSR39, have been certified by the Pakistani authorities, according to CAAS.

Xu Jianlong (2nd R), a professor at the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, explains how to conduct seed selection of green super rice at a farm in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, Nov. 13, 2022. (CAAS Institute of Crop Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)

For the CAAS experts, the roll-out of the GSR in Africa has been quite challenging, since the agricultural infrastructure there is relatively poor.

With the technical support of CAAS, Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd., attached to Chinese construction company CGCOC Group, has developed the GSR variety GAWAL R1 to help increase rice production. Validated in Nigeria in 2017, GAWAL R1 yielded about 30 percent more than the local variety Faro 44. With its popularization, the average rice yield across Nigeria rose from 1.98 tons per hectare in 2019 to 2.5 tons per hectare in 2022.

"We will make more efforts to help West African countries establish rice seed industry systems and ease their tight food demand," Xu said.

According to CAAS, over the past decade, 78 GSR varieties developed by the GSR project group have been tested, certified, and promoted in 18 countries and regions in Africa and Asia, with a cumulative planting area of over 6 million hectares, benefiting over 1.6 million farmers.

China's experience in rice cultivation and production has made a significant contribution to the food security of Asian and African countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which launched nearly 10 years ago, Xu said.

As for their future plans, the expert believes that it is very important to "teach them how to breed rice" instead of just "giving them rice."

Currently, 58 postgraduate students from 15 countries are pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in Chinese research institutes.

"Also, we have provided advanced training in GSR breeding techniques to nearly 943 scientists and technicians from 15 countries, and there will be more training in the days to come," Xu said.

The expert believes that using Chinese technology to ensure food security in developing countries is of great importance to the BRI construction and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

"Our ultimate goal is to help farmers in those countries become self-sufficient in rice production," Xu added.  

Rice millers are not entitled to directly contact the farmers for the paddy procurement process, says Civil Supplies Minister

Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Karumuri Venkata Nageswara Rao on Wednesday said that at least 30 mobile mini rice mills would be deployed to determine the percentage of broken rice in the presence of the farmers in the Godavari region from May 4.

Mr. Venkata Nageswara Rao reviewed the paddy procurement, and challenges of the farmers and rice millers during a meeting held here in West Godavari district on Wednesday. Officials and rice millers from across the Godavari region were present. 

“The 30 mobile mini rice mills will process the paddy on the field and determine the broken rice percentage before the paddy is procured by the State government. It will clear the doubts of the farmers and the rice millers on the percentage of broken rice in the Godavari region,” Mr. Venkata Nageswara Rao told the gathering.

The Minister added that the farmers are yet to understand that they should not visit the rice mills during the paddy procurement exercise, with the farmer’s role ending with handing over of the yield to the Rythu Bharosa Kendra.

“In West Godavari district, we have seized two rice mills after the rice millers invited the farmers to visit the rice mills to discuss the broken rice percentage. The rice millers are not entitled to directly contact the farmers for the paddy procurement process,” said Mr. Venkata Nageswara Rao.

Gunny bags

The West Godavari Rice Millers Association has pledged to supply 20 lakh gunny bags to be supplied across the Godavari region from May 4. 

On the pending payment of ₹33 crore in the Godavari region, the Minister stated that the payment was unsuccessful due to a mismatch of banking details of the farmers.

Civil Supplies Corporation Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Veera Pandyan, Joint Collectors of East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, Kakinada, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts and rice millers were present.

Arkansas Rice Farmer Discusses Needs for Farm Bill Safety Net Improvements before Senate Ag Panel

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rich Hillman, an Arkansas rice farmer and member of the USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors, testified before the Senate Agriculture Commodities, Credit, and Trade Subcommittee during a hearing Tuesday on Farm Bill commodity programs.

The hearing, which was split into two panels, featured leaders from two general farm organizations as well as 10 commodity organizations. One theme became evident from the hearing – U.S. farmers need an improved safety net.

Hillman focused his testimony on the need to increase and index the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program rice reference prices to ensure rice farmers have a reliable safety net – USA Rice’s number one priority for the 2023 Farm Bill.

He reviewed the rice financial situation over the past several years and the extraordinarily dire situation rice farmers faced in 2022.

“Rice was not as fortunate as many other commodities that saw large run ups in market prices in 2020 and 2021 all while contending with an unprecedented increase in costs of production,” said Hillman. “A Texas A&M University study in 2022 predicted two-thirds of rice farms would have negative net cash farm income for the 2022 crop year. USDA also reports a more than 30 percent increase in operating costs for 2022. On our farm that was even higher.

“Thank you all, and particularly Senator Boozman, for providing vital assistance to rice farmers for the 2022 crop year in the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill. It was truly critical for rice farmers.”

Hillman then spoke to the inadequacies of the current rice reference prices.

“Current cost of production is nowhere near 2012 levels – when the current PLC reference price was calculated, and established in the 2014 Farm Bill, rendering the program unworkable for rice presently,” Hillman told the Subcommittee members. “The importance of economies of scale has only become more evident. To keep pace with capital and other costs, we must farm more land and take on more risk.”

He expanded on why a strong farm safety net is important for rice farmers.

“As a high-cost input crop subject to severe global market distortions due to predatory trade practices of foreign countries, U.S. rice farmers are more vulnerable to the impacts of inflation and global events that have caused cost increases to fuel, fertilizer, labor, as well as the highest interest rates many farmers today have ever experienced.”

Hillman also noted that rice is one of the most government-manipulated commodities in the world, and the egregious actions of countries like India that put U.S. rice farmers at a disadvantage.

“The PLC program has traditionally been our true safety net. It’s allowed us to better compete on a lopsided global playing field impacted by foreign subsidies, tariffs, and non-tariff trade barriers. India subsidizes its rice producers by upwards of 90% and injected billions to offset escalating input costs.”

Hillman’s underlying message to the Subcommittee was simple: “USA Rice strongly believes reference prices under PLC need to be meaningfully increased and indexed to provide a safety net that remains relevant over the long haul to ensure the long-term viability of the U.S. rice industry.”

In response to a question from the Subcommittee’s ranking member, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), on the need to increase the rice PLC reference prices Hillman explained that costs to produce a crop of rice are “out of control” and that U.S. rice farmers can compete against any other farmer around the world, but U.S. rice farmers cannot compete against foreign governments that step in and over-subsidize their rice producers-one of the leading factors to why U.S. rice farmers need a functioning farm safety net.

In FY23, India exported 17.79 million tonnes (MT) of non-basmati rice as compared with 17.3 MT in FY22, while broken rice exports were 23% lower on year at 3 MT because of a ban on shipments imposed to keep domestic prices down.

New Delhi: India’s rice exports are expected to decline in this financial year as the impact of export curbs starts showing. This may cause India to lose its position in the global trade market, exporters said.

India’s non-basmati rice exports hit a record high in FY23.

But exports are seen declining in FY24 as the impact of a 20% export duty on non-basmati varieties is expected to start reflecting from April onwards, said Vinod Kaul, executive director of All India Rice Exporters Association.

In FY23, India exported 17.79 million tonnes (MT) of non-basmati rice as compared with 17.3 MT in FY22, while broken rice exports were 23% lower on year at 3 MT because of a ban on shipments imposed to keep domestic prices down.

In value terms, non-basmati rice exports were 4% higher on year at $6.36 billion, as per the official data.

“Execution of an export order takes a few months, and coming months will define the course of exports for the ongoing financial year started April," said Kaul.

Despite the ban, the Centre allowed 400,000 tonnes of shipments on requests from traders and embassies. Broken rice exports will decline to zero this year unless there is a change in the duty structure, Kaul said. For semi and wholly milled rice exports, a 15-20% drop is expected.

“The loss of around 5 MT is expected to shake India’s position in the global market, providing an opportunity to competitors such as Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan," Kaul said.

“Regaining that market for India will be next to impossible Therefore, it has a long-term impact as far as the trade is concerned."

India, the largest rice exporter, accounts for about 40% in the global trade.

Queries sent to the ministries of food, commerce and agriculture remained unanswered at press time.

Its rice prices in the global market are more attractive for than those of Vietnam and Thailand, which shields weaker economies in Africa like Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon.

India’s 25% broken rice is quoted at $442 per tonne, while 5% broken rice of Thailand and Vietnam at $487 per tonne and $480 a tonne, a Delhi-based dealer with a global trading firm said, requesting anonymity.

“The decision of imposing a ban on broken rice is justified to an extent that the share of broken rice in ethanol production is only 11% as compared to 65% from molasses, a by-product of sugar. The target of 20% ethanol blending by 2025 cannot be met by sugarcane alone. As a result, the government is also exploring the potential of other food grains like maize to meet the target" said a Bengaluru-based expert associated with a global trading firm.

To meet domestic requirements under Ethanol Blending Programme, India had allowed grain-based ethanol and in 2020-21 (December-November), Food Corporation of India has also been allowed to sell rice to ethanol plants for fuel ethanol production.

A farmer-led organization on Tuesday, May 2, called on the national government to protect the rights of small-scale farmers and support organic farming.

“We call on the national government and the local government units (LGU) to listen to the small farmers and support organic farming,” said Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) Visayas Regional Management Team Chair Rodolfo Cortez on Tuesday.

The peasant group stressed that government support is essential for the entire country to find a "more sustainable way" of achieving safe and affordable food for all Filipinos.

Along with its calls to support organic farming, the organization welcomed the Supreme Court’s issuance of writ of Kalikasan, halting the commercial release of genetically modified rice and eggplant products.

MASIPAG, along with other peasant organizations and advocates, previously stated that genetically modified crops pose threat not only to consumers’ health but also to the environment.

“[W]e strongly believe that [genetically modified] rice or golden rice and Bt eggplant will not benefit us, and will do more harm than good,” Cortez furthered.

In relation to its calls regarding organic farming, MASIPAG urged the national government and all local government units (LGUs) across the archipelago to grant the passage of an ordinance that will prevent the entry of genetically modified crops, saying that this would protect the farmers’ and consumers’ right to healthy and safe food.

• Luckily, there is product which can easily make in a minimum time.
• There's a little-known feature to stop your pack of rice from falling over as it heats up.
• The creator who discover this unique life hack explained

When you are in hurry to cook something you always look something which is convenient and cooked fast.

3

The creator who discover this unique life hack explained.

Luckily, there is product which can easily make in a minimum time, Women who loves microwavable rice has recently discovered the 'life-changing' tip that makes the process even easier.

According to the video shared on TikTok, there's a little-known feature to stop your pack of rice from falling over as it heats up.

The creator who discover this unique life hack explained: 'I was today years old when I discovered this hack.'

She then go for the golden veg micro rice before gently pulling apart two tabs to create a stand.

In the caption, the parent added “I was today years old when I discovered this life hack anyone else not realize that if you pull these bits open at the bottom of the rice, it stands up and doesn’t fall over in the microwave”

 'No more falling over,' the mum praised as she showed off the results.

In a laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in northern Beijing, researchers are busy tagging and editing genes in rice, a key component of the complex breeding process of green super rice (GSR).

As its name suggests, this variety of rice boasts high yields while remaining environmentally friendly.

"We apply the method of genetic screening to put the quality or the traits that we need in the rice," said Xu Jianlong, a professor at the Laboratory for Molecular Rice Breeding under the Institute of Crop Sciences, CAAS.

Since 2008, under the support of Chinese government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the laboratory began to develop GSR varieties to boost the agricultural development in resource-poor areas in Africa and Asia.

"We have been breeding different GSR varieties that are able to adapt to different ecological environments in different countries. In Africa, for example, we breed varieties that are more resilient to drought and high temperature, while in Southeast Asia where typhoons are common, we produce rice that is resilient to collapse and diseases such as bacterial blight," Xu explained.

According to the expert, when super typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013, all crops of local rice varieties at the island of Leyte were wiped out. "However, the GSR8 variety we trialed planting there showed better tolerance to flooding, drought and salt damage, with a harvest of 1.2 tons per hectare."

The Philippine government then decided to promote the use of GSR8 seeds, resulting in the rapid expansion of GSR variety to cover 430,000 hectares in 2014. As of 2018, the GSR varieties have been promoted in the Philippines for a total of 1.09 million hectares, accounting for 22.64 percent of the country's rice acreage. By 2021, the cumulative area of GSR varieties reached 10.8 million hectares in the Philippines.

Successful stories were also found in other Asian countries. The NIBGE-GSR1, which was promoted in Pakistan, has an average yield of about 9.5 tons per hectare, compared to 7 tons for the local variety. Currently, six GSR varieties, including NIBGE-GSR1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and NIAB GSR39, have been certified by the Pakistani authorities, according to CAAS.

For the CAAS experts, the roll-out of the GSR in Africa has been quite challenging, since the agricultural infrastructure there is relatively poor.

With the technical support of CAAS, Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd., attached to Chinese construction company CGCOC Group, has developed the GSR variety GAWAL R1 to help increase rice production. Validated in Nigeria in 2017, GAWAL R1 yielded about 30 percent more than the local variety Faro 44. With its popularization, the average rice yield across Nigeria rose from 1.98 tons per hectare in 2019 to 2.5 tons per hectare in 2022.

"We will make more efforts to help West African countries establish rice seed industry systems and ease their tight food demand," Xu said.

According to CAAS, over the past decade, 78 GSR varieties developed by the GSR project group have been tested, certified, and promoted in 18 countries and regions in Africa and Asia, with a cumulative planting area of over 6 million hectares, benefiting over 1.6 million farmers.

China's experience in rice cultivation and production has made a significant contribution to the food security of Asian and African countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which launched nearly 10 years ago, Xu said.

As for their future plans, the expert believes that it is very important to "teach them how to breed rice" instead of just "giving them rice."

Currently, 58 postgraduate students from 15 countries are pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in Chinese research institutes.

"Also, we have provided advanced training in GSR breeding techniques to nearly 943 scientists and technicians from 15 countries, and there will be more training in the days to come," Xu said.

The expert believes that using Chinese technology to ensure food security in developing countries is of great importance to the BRI construction and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

"Our ultimate goal is to help farmers in those countries become self-sufficient in rice production," Xu added.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas is known for producing rice and while the weather has provided some issues, farmers are ahead of schedule.

Arkansas farmers have planted over 30% of the 1.2 million rice acres as of mid-April, nearly two-thirds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Jarrod Hardke, the extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, says while Arkansas has seen its fair share of rain and storms, Northeast Arkansas can keep on working without much delay.

“With lighter rains, they’ve been able to keep hammering away,” Hardke explained. “There are a lot of growers up there who are either done planting rice or are about to be.”

While planning is always good, it can present some issues down the road.

“The issue is going to be managing all of those crops in a timely manner during the season, and then getting all out of harvest when they begin to stack on top of each other,” Hardke said. “They’ll be some interesting dynamics as the season plays out.”

Copyright 2023 KAIT. All rights reserved.

Exports hits a new high in FY23 despite levy of 20% duty and reduced offtake by Asian majors

Indian non-basmati rice exporters hope to sustain the record-high shipments this fiscal as witnessed in the 2022–23 fiscal. In 2022-23 fiscal, shipments touched a new peak in volumes and value on the robust demand for the cereal.

Indian non-basmati rice exports, despite a levy of 20 per cent duty, a ban on broken rice and a decline in purchases by Asian buyers such as Bangladesh and China, touched a record 17.78 million tonnes valued at over $6.35 billion in 2022–23. In the previous year, non-basmati shipments were at 17.26 million tonnes valued at $6.12 billion. Overall, Indian rice exports in FY23 stood at over 22.28 million tonnes valued at over $11.13 billion.

African demand

The higher demand for Indian non-basmati rice from traditional buyers from African countries such as Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, and Senegal helped offset the decline in off-take from Asian customers such as Bangladesh, China, Nepal, and Vietnam.

Benin, with purchases exceeding 1.55 million tonnes, was the largest buyer of non-basmati rice , compared with 1.52 million tonnes a year ago. Cote d’Ivoire at 1.21 million tonnes (0.93 mt a year ago), Senegal at 1.33 mt (1.09 mt), and Togo at 0.94 million tonnes (0.67 mt) were among the large African buyers. China reduced its rice purchases to 1.5 mt (1.63 mt), while Bangladesh almost halved it to 0.84 mt (1.62 mt) whereas Nepal also reduced the offtake sharply at 0.76 mt (1.38 mt) and Vietnam at 0.64 mt (0.70 mt) during the year. India gained market share from Pakistan, which had a bad crop last year.

“We expect to maintain the same figures both in value and volumes this year as there is strong demand for Indian rice,” said BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association, commenting on the export outlook. There is no other country that can replace India as a rice supplier, he said. India accounts for about 45 per cent of the global rice trade.

Despite the levy of a 20 per cent duty last year, the demand for Indian rice is intact. “With shipments of 22 million tonnes in 2021–22, we clocked $10 billion, and last year we clocked over $11 billion with almost the same volumes. The higher value is because of the duty,” Rao said.

On potential concerns about El Nino in the upcoming kharif season, Rao said it is unlikely to have any impact on the supplies. Even last year, weak rains in eastern India, mainly in Bihar and parts of West Bengal, did influence output, but higher supplies from other States, including Telangana, offset the impact, he said.

The first colonizers of the Red Planet might be living on rice grown in the Martian soil, suggests a new study.

Although Matt Damon, who played Mark Watney in the hit film "The Martian," starts growing potatoes, researchers think gene-edited rice will be a better bet.

One of the biggest challenges to growing food on Mars is the presence of perchlorate salts, which have been detected in the planet’s soil, or regolith and are generally considered to be toxic for plants.

Peter James Gann, a doctoral student in cell and molecular biology, said that the project began when he met Dr. Abhilash Ramachandran for coffee in the student union of the University of Arkansas.

They formed a team that began looking into the problem and experimented with different types of rice.

They used 'Martian' soil, a basaltic-rich soil mined from the Mojave Desert, called the Mojave Mars Simulant, or MMS, which was developed by scientists from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

They grew one wild-type and two gene-edited lines of rice with genetic mutations that better enable them to respond to stress, such as drought, sugar starvation or salinity.

These varieties were grown in the MMS, as well as a regular potted mix and a hybrid of the two.

While plants were able to grow in the Martian simulant, they were not as developed as those grown in the potting soil and hybrid mix.

Replacing just a quarter of the Martian simulant with potting soil resulted in improved development.

The team also experimented with the amount of perchlorate in the soil, finding that 3 grams per kilo were the threshold beyond which nothing would grow, while mutant strains could still root in 1 gram per kilo.

Their findings, presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference,

suggest that there might be a way forward for different genetically modified rice to be grown in Martian soil.

And even if the idea never reached the red planet, Dr. Ramachandran said he had met with Australian scientists looking to find ways to overcome high salinity in their soil.

He said: “We could use Earth as a terrestrial analog before the seeds ever get sent to Mars.”

Talking of their first meeting, Mr Gann, a doctoral student said: “He was new here at the university, and we shared the things we were doing in our respective laboratories.

"Since he works on planetary science, and I specialize in cell and molecular biology, we decided to try out plants.”

Next they plan to experiment with a newer Martian soil simulant called the Mars Global Simulant, as well as other rice strains that have increased tolerance for higher salt concentrations.

An important part of the research will be determining to what degree perchlorate may be leeching into the plant from the soil.

Farther down the road, the researchers would like to introduce rice into a closed habitat chamber and place it in a Mars simulation chamber that replicates the temperature and atmosphere of the planet.

Mr Gann is pleased with how his initial conversation with Dr Ramachandran has turned out.

He added: "Relevant and interesting research can emanate from talking to strangers over a cup of coffee or a glass of beer."

Arkansas is the nation’s top rice producer and during the last several growing cycles planting has started slowly. This has been due to the unusual weather and heavy rains that have pelted the state. Not this year.

Rice growers, particularly in northeastern Arkansas, are far ahead of schedule. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state’s growers had planted 33% of their 1.2 million planned rice acres as of mid-April, about two-thirds better than the five-year average of 20% for this point in the season.

Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said USDA’s estimate is likely conservative.

“Based on conversations with agents and growers and my own observations, I thought we were pretty close to 40% planted on Monday (April 24),” Hardke said. “By Wednesday (April 26), I realized I was probably underselling it. At this point, we could be bumping 60% planted rice acreage by the end of the (last) week.”

Although much of the region has experienced substantial rainfall and tornadoes throughout the spring, the northeastern corner of the state has seen more moderate rains that have managed to keep soils moist without bringing work to a halt, he said.

“Growers up there got a lot of land preparation done in the fall, so they were ahead of the game anyway,” Hardke said. “With the lighter rains, they’ve been able to keep hammering away. There are a lot of growers up there who are either done planting rice or are about to be.”

Of course, that has not been everyone’s experience. While rice growers in the central-east corridor made substantial progress early in the season, heavy rainfall and tornado-related destruction slowed and even reversed progress for those growers. Planting progress in the southeastern corner of the state has also slowed significantly in the last two weeks.

Hardke said that while this year’s rice planting is far ahead of the five-year average at this point, it’s still not in the top three years over the past decade.

“Now, if by next Monday, we’ve jumped another 25%, we’re going to be in the neighborhood of some of the absolute fastest planting we’ve ever had,” he said. “You might call this extraordinary progress.”

A typical side-effect of a successful early-plant year is that growers will expand rice beyond their original planned acreage. Hardke said that growers seem to be acquiring additional seed where available.

“In any given year, our final acreage for long-grain rice will go back to what kind of April we have. And so far, it’s been a pretty good one,” he said. “Barring a major stoppage, I think we could hit 1.4 million acres of rice planted.”

While there are no inherent drawbacks to completing planting quickly, Hardke said aggressive planting earlier in the season can lead to management challenges when harvest approaches.

“Guys are planting anything and everything they can get in the ground right now,” he said. “They’ve been planting rice, beans and corn. Some guys are completely done with all three crops already. The issue is going to be managing all of those crops in a timely manner during the season, and then getting them all out at harvest when they begin to stack on top of each other. They’ll be some interesting dynamics as the season plays out,” he said.

Arkansas rice accounts for more than 47% of total U.S. rice production, with rice grown in 40 of the state’s 75 counties, primarily in the eastern half of the state. Arkansas has consistently harvested more than one million acres since 1983. It has a more than $1 billion impact on the state’s economy.

* Initiative is part of cooperation project between department of agriculture and rural affairs of central China's Hunan province and Dominican Agriculture Ministry's department of international cooperation

A team of Chinese experts is imparting China’s rice-growing technology in the Dominican Republic to help the country improve the yield and quality of rice.

Since October, the three-member team has been experimenting on 1.3 hectares of land provided by the Dominican National Rice Training Center in Banao, a town some 80 km northeast of the capital Santo Domingo.

The initiative is part of a cooperation project between the department of agriculture and rural affairs of central China’s Hunan province and the Dominican Agriculture Ministry’s department of international cooperation.

“We have selected five local varieties of rice for field cultivation, and those varieties have entered the binding and uprooting stage,” Chinese agricultural expert Yu Yunxiang told Xinhua.

The resulting crop, said Yu, will be studied to analyze the state of rice output and growth in a tropical country with abundant rainfall, heat, flat terrain and fertile soil, which are favorable natural conditions for rice-growing with great production potential. Meanwhile, high temperatures and humidity make crops prone to pests and diseases, so more observation and research into potential solutions are needed, he added.

“Starting in June, we are going to select from 18 Chinese hybrid rice varieties, five high-yield, high-quality and stress-resistant ones that will be used for demonstration in two paddy fields of about 6.6 hectares,” said Yu.

The seeds to be planted in these fields were specially brought from Hunan, the cradle of Chinese hybrid rice and one of the first Chinese provinces to develop cooperation projects with the Dominican Republic after diplomatic relations were established on May 1, 2018.

Agricultural machinery and equipment from China will also be used, along with planting technology that should help the country improve its level of mechanized production, and prevent and control diseases and pests that harm agricultural production.

“We expect the average yield of demo varieties to increase by 25 percent compared to local varieties,” Yu said.

Agricultural cooperation is expected to go beyond rice to include premium Chinese vegetables to be planted in other parts f the Dominican Republic.

The goal is to promote cultivation techniques for these high-yield vegetables in greenhouses to raise local production levels and help the Caribbean country earn more foreign revenue by exporting agricultural goods.

“We are optimistic about cooperation because the prospects are very good,” Yu said. Julio Cesar Lopez, an experienced agronomist at the Dominican Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research, said China has outstanding experience in growing rice and the Dominican Republic aims to absorb as much of this knowledge as possible “so that our producers make progress.”

“We want to combine the efforts of a culture like China, which has been consuming and producing rice for thousands of years, with what we have to get the best out of it,” Lopez said.

The Caribbean country is just taking its first steps in cultivating hybrid rice because producing seeds is hard work, he said. This initiative also hopes to reduce production costs as much as possible so Dominican producers can expand their profit margins delivering better rice to the market, he added. The Dominican Republic is self-sufficient in rice production, with an average annual output of approximately 600,000 tons roduced by some 300,000 farmers.

Perfect for the region’s cold climate, Mushkbudij, an aromatic rice variety of Kashmir, is all set to hit foreign markets as the agriculture department is expanding the cultivation area in the valley due to its huge demand.

Mushkbudji, an aromatic variety of rice grown only in the valley has already gained GI tag while conservation of the rice variety has been appreciated at state and centre level by awarding a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh as “Genome Saviour Community Award”.

Around 30 years back, Mushkbudji rice variety of Kashmir was grown on a large scale. However, its cultivation took a back seat when exotic varieties, which were giving more returns to farmers, were introduced in the valley.

The revival programme started way back in 2007 with the survey of niche areas where these strains could be traced out through different sources.

Under the revival programme, village Sagam in Kokarnag belt and adjoining villages were identified for demonstration on purified Mushk Budji. In the process of popularizing variety among farmers in mid belts of district Anantnag an excellent example of coordination between SKUAST-Kashmir, department of agriculture and the farming community could be seen.

According to the figures there was around five thousand quintal production of Mushkbudij rice in the last three years in Kashmir valley.

“Mushkbudij rice production in Anantnag, Ganderbal and Baramulla district in 2020 was 14.54 quintals, in the year 2021 it was 17.45 quintals while in 2022 it was 17.38 quintals,” figures revealed.

Figures state that Anantnag district in south Kashmir alone produces 44.86 quantals. “Besides Anantnag, Baramulla and Ganderbal, the cultivation of Muskbudji rice will be expanded to Kulgam and Kupwara districts also,” the date shows

It shows 244 hectares of land under cultivation of Muskbudji rice in 2020, 248 hectares in 2021 and 280 hectares in 2022. “For next five years the proposed plan for expansion of Muskbudji rice in Kashmir valley is 999 hectares of land,” the data states.

Dr. Tasneem Mubarak, Chief Scientist Agronomy MRCFC—SKUAST-K said that Mushkbudji was a traditional crop in Kashmir but due to blast disease and new varieties with high yield and disease resistance, people abandoned it.

Leaf blast affected the production following which SKUAST-K started a programme for its revival and all strains were collected, and screened.

He said that all such areas are being identified where the environment is favourable for it so that it can be cultivated. “University developed a blast resistant version of Mushk Budji that can be tried in plain areas but it is still under testing. Demand for it is growing with each passing day,” Tasneem said.

Director Agriculture Kashmir Chowdhary Muhammad IIqbal said that Muskbudji rice has got GI tagging and more and more areas are being brought under cultivation. “There is a demand for the same in the international market,” he said. Iqbal said that there were 120 hectares under it and we have taken it to 500 hectares and efforts are on to increase it to 1000 hectares, he said. He said that it costs around Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per quintal. (KNO)

Recent climatic conditions in parts of Pakistan and China have led to sudden rise in the price of rice. Will this bring an opportunity for rice exporting companies of India and also the retail investors ?

Prices of select agricultural products like rice and sugar are trading at close to the 10 to 15 years high. Neither it first, nor the last time that this trend has been visible. More important is whether this trend is sustainable, if yes, than what it means for companies which are part of the whole chain, either as consumer or supplier. Another important issue is whether retail investors should look at these stocks as tactical plays or as long term investment. To understand whether the up trend would be sustained or not, we have to look at the reasons for why prices are moving upward.

First, is the Ukraine war, which led to logistic issues at some important ports. Second, countries are becoming more protectionist. Third,sudden changes in climatic conditions lead to a drop in production of rice.

War will get settled, hopefully sooner than mater, but if the prices stay at elevated levels, protectionist policy will get further push as no government would want food inflation to stay at higher levels, especially for locally produced agricultural products. As far as climatic changes are concerned, they keep happening in different parts of the world and impact different crops. The only thing which may happen is that the frequency of these disturbances may get higher.

The current wave of rising prices brings in a mixture of head and tailwinds. Companies which are exporting rice and that too branded are likely to gain. Companies where 

agro products like sugar and rice go as inputs are likely to face some pressure on margins.

When we looked at companies in the sector, of the four companies, only two had ratings from analysts. Given the fact that most of these companies are in small cap space they don't get much attention from institutional investors. But if one looks at the price performance of these stocks in the last month it is clear that the street is smelling the aroma of basmati rice.

The data used in screening down these stocks has been gathered from Refinitiv’s Stock Report Plus. The data used in screening the following 5 stocks has been gathered from the latest Refinitiv’s Stock Reports Plus report dated April 30, 2023.

About Companies
KRBL Limited is a basmati rice processing company. The Company is engaged in seed development, contract farming, procurement of paddy, storage, processing, packaging, branding and marketing of basmati rice. It operates in Domestic Agri-division, which includes agricultural commodities, such as rice, Furfural, seed, bran and bran oil, and others; and Power division, which includes power generation from wind turbine, husk-based power plant and solar power plant. The Company's geographical segments include Sales within India and Sales outside India, including the Middle East and Other than the Middle East. The Company offers its rice under a range of brands, including India Gate, Nur Jahan, Telephone, Train, Unity, Lotus, Lion, Doon, Aarati, Shubh Mangal, Al Wisam, Al Bustan, Alhussam, Blue Bird, City Palace, Necklace, Southern Girl, Taj Mahal Tilla, Bemisal and Indian Farm, among others. It exports its products to Saudi Arab, Iran, Iraq, Yemen Republic, Kuwait, and others.

LT Foods Limited is a consumer food company. The Company operates through the manufacture and storage of rice segment. It operates in three principal geographical areas of the world: India, America, Europe and other countries (Rest of the world). The Company is primarily in the business of milling, processing and marketing branded and non-branded basmati rice and manufacturing of rice food products in the domestic and overseas market. Its operations include procurement, storage, processing, packaging and distribution. The Company is also engaged in research and development to add value to rice and rice food products. The Company's rice product portfolio comprises brown rice, white rice, steamed rice, parboiled rice, organic rice, quick-cooking rice, value-added rice and flavored rice in the ready-to-cook segment. Its brands include Daawat, Heritage, Devaaya, Chef Secretz and Rozana, which cater to a diverse customer portfolio.

Chaman Lal Setia Exports Limited is a company which is engaged in the business of milling and processing of basmati rice. The Company exports to approximately 80 countries around the world, which included European, Middle eastern, American, Asian and many other markets. The Company has a manufacturing unit located in Karnal, Haryana, which has an installed capacity of approximately 12 metric tons per hour, this facility is a state of art and automated rice processing unit. The Company also has grading and sorting facilities in Amritsar, Punjab, and Kandla, Gujarat. The Company processes rice in-house and uses a parboiled, raw, steam process. The Company's brands include Maharani, Mithas and Begum basmati brands. It is also involved in selling non-basmati rice under its brand Green World A romatic Rice. The Company also sells other products, such as Maharani Diabetics Rice and Basmati Rice Plus, and organic products, such as Maharani - Brown Basmati Rice.

Kohinoor Foods Limited is a company that is engaged in the business of manufacturing, trading, and marketing food products. The Company's assortment of food products includes Basmati Rice, Wheat Flour, Ready to Eat Curries and Meals, Simmer Sauces, Cooking Pastes to Spices, Seasonings and Frozen Food. It also offers Pure Ghee, Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese), Ready Mixes, Namkeens and Sweets. Its Basmati Rice includes Premium Basmati, Organic Basmati, Brown Basmati, Special Rice and Sela (Parboil) Basmati. Its packaged food includes dairy, biscuits and cookies, pickles, dry fruits and rice brain oil. The Company offers its products under the Kohinoor brand name. The Company's offerings are preferred by connoisseurs across the globe ranging from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to the Middle East and southeast Asian countries.

Stock Reports Plus, powered by Refinitiv, is a comprehensive research report that undertakes an in-depth quantitative analysis to generate standardized scores for each of the five key components. A simple average of these scores is then normally distributed to reach an average score. Each stock is ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. A score of 8 to 10 is considered positive, 4 to 7 is neutral and 1 to 3 is given a negative outlook.

In addition to these scores, the report also contains trend analysis, peer analysis and mean analysts’ recommendations to help an investor make better & informed investment decisions.

Disclaimer: The views, scores, research and investment tips expressed herein are not that of Economic Times (“ET”) or its management and have been gathered from various third-party sources. ET does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. The content provided herein including any output of tools/analysis is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or construed as an investment advice. ET advises users to check with a certified professional before making any investment decision

The group says the propagation of Golden Rice and Bt eggplant must be stopped to protect rice diversity against the threat of gene contamination

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), a network of farmer-scientists, has called on local governments to take the lead in preventing the commercial release of genetically modified crops Golden Rice and Bacillus thuringiensis eggplant, citing potential dangers. 

The call came even as the Supreme Court en banc issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the release of the genetically modified crops on April 18. 

MASIPAG-Mindanao coordinator Leo Fuentes said, “The government should promote safe, healthy, and sustainable food production by supporting genuine pro-farmer agriculture and a pro-people food system.” 

Fuentes warned of the irreversible damage the genetically modified crops bring to the environment, rice and eggplant biodiversity, and human health. 

Instead, the group has been promoting the consumption of thousands of traditional varieties of crops developed and cultivated by small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples. 

In the writ, the High Tribunal required the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), and heads of the Bureau of Plant Industry under the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine Rice Research Institute, and the University of the Philippines–Los Baños to file a verified return within 10 days from service. 

MASIPAG national coordinator Alfie Pulumbarit hailed the SC decision. “We welcome this move by the Supreme Court in issuing the Writ of Kalikasan on Golden Rice and Bt eggplant and its recognition that these genetically modified crops pose a grave danger to our environment and health,” he said. 

The group had sought a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) against the DA to stop the commercial cultivation of Golden Rice and Bt eggplant until proof of safety, and compliance with legal requirements is shown.

Pulumbarit said. “It is urgent that the propagation of Golden Rice and Bt eggplant be stopped as our local rice diversity and associated biodiversity are at stake with the threat of gene contamination from these genetically modified crops.”

MASIPAG had also sought the declaration of all biosafety permits for Golden Rice and Bt eggplant to be declared null and void and prodded the DA to conduct independent risk and impact assessments on the products, and obtain prior and informed consent from farmers and indigenous peoples.

In its October 12, 2022 petition, MASIPAG asserted that Golden Rice and Bt eggplant were genetically modified organisms that pose risks to the environment and the health of consumers. 

The group alleged that Golden Rice was modified by inserting a gene from maize and a gene from bacteria extracted from soil. 

Golden Rice was developed by Ingo Potrykus in Zurich and Peter Beyer in Germany from 1991 to 2000. It was bought and patented by the transnational agrochemical corporation Syngenta. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported its food testing for US$10 million.

The rice has been promoted by the DA and IRRI as a new type of rice that contains beta carotene, a source of vitamin A that could help address malnutrition.

MASIPAG has also claimed that Bt eggplant was harmful since the genetically modified crop produces its own toxin to kill insects that usually consume and damage regular eggplants. – Rappler.com

The Federal Government has revised Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) for Implementation of ECOW CET (2022-2026), raising tariffs on importation of rice as well as wheat. The 2023 revised document, raised tariff on rice packing of more than 5kg or in bulk and in packing of 5kg or less to 60 per cent from 50 per cent.

Similarly, importation of wheat or meslin flour now attracts 70 percent tariffs as against 50 in 2022-2026 ECOWAS CET. This was stated in a document by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed.

The document titled ‘Revised Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) for Implementation of ECOW CET (2022-2026), 2023 fiscal policy measures, according to reported by BusinessDay.

The document read “This is to confirm that his excellency Mr President has approved for the implementation of the 2023 fiscal measures made up Supplementary Protection Measures (SPMs) for the implementation of ECOWAS Common External Tariff 2022-2026 and revised excise duty rate on alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco products as well as introduction of excise duty on Single Use Plastics (SUPs)”, she said.

Last year, the Minister of Finance ha issued a Circular communicating that President Buhari has approved the implementation of the 2022 Fiscal Policy Measures which comprise Supplementary Protection Measures (SPM) for the enforcement of the Economic Community of West Africa States Common External Tariff (ECOWAS CET) 2022 – 2026, and excise duties on goods such as non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and tobacco products, and telecommunication services with effect from 1 April 2022.

CET is the application of the same customs duties, import quotas and preferences by a group of countries in a customs union. The said import duties, quotas and preferences are applicable to good entering the region of the customs union irrespective of the country of first entry of the goods. The Common External Tariff is one of the principal instruments for harmonising ECOWAS Member States and strengthening its Common Market.

After a long tortuous wait, Lagos State government has assured residents that the commercial sale of Eko Rice will commence by the end of this month.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Rice Mill Initiative, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, who disclosed this during an agreement signing with the Lagos Commodities and Future Exchange (LCFE) and key capital market operators, said the rice was used by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for palliatives, adding that the development is meant to lay a foundation that subsequent administrations can work on and leverage.

While noting that the agreement is meant to provide sustainable finance to the ecosystem through the generation of tradable financial instruments, Fashola said the partnership was a historic development that would ensure liquidity to support the continuous supply of paddy for the rice mill in Imota and availability of finished rice in the market.  

“The Eko rice is already in the system and the good thing is that this partnership will create direct access to it for everyone and also ensure sustainability. The rice was used by Mr. Governor for palliative and by the end of this month; the commercial sale of Eko rice will hit the market.

“What we are doing is laying a foundation that subsequent administrations can work on and leverage. So, this partnership is a win-win for everybody,” Fashola said.

“Our par-capital consumption of rice is the highest in Nigeria and it is one of the highest in Africa. It is about 40 kilogramme per person per year and that is almost 50kg of rice per year and if that is multiplied by our population of over 22 million, the demand for rice in Lagos will be better situated,” he said.

Describing the rice as the best in Nigeria today, Fashola said the Lagos rice mill in Imota has come to challenge the status quo with regard to the quality of rice, adding that there was a need to ensure the ceaseless flow of raw materials to make it function optimally.  
 
“If we do not have rice paddy, which is our major raw material, then the entire equipment and infrastructure we have in Imota will be useless. This partnership, therefore, is about how to sustain the continuous flow of paddy into Imota.

“Imota mill will be requiring over 200,000 tonnes of paddy, yearly. It is not cheap. In Nigeria as of today, that is going into almost N100b, and N100b of taxpayers’ money being taken from the government will not be the easiest to do in any financial year, but with the partnership with Commodities Exchange, we can maintain the flow of paddy to the mill, as it continues to run, we have a comparative advantage of having a good price and at the same time, the finished rice becomes available in the market,” he said.

The Special Adviser, who lauded Governor Sanwo-Olu for the vision, strong support, and leadership that has brought about the consummation of the partnership and other stakeholders, said the state has become the first sub-national that will have such an engagement with commodities exchange.

“A lot has been said about the consumption of rice in Lagos and I am sure everyone would have had to eat rice in the course of this week.”

Earlier, the Managing Director of LCFE, Mr. Akinsola Akeredolu-Ale, said its duly licensed capital market professionals are already working on various financial instruments to deepen the Rice Value Chain.

“Investors are eager to start investing in the rice mill and other rice-backed commodity instruments. Exchange aggregators have already started supplying paddy to the mill and more are en route to the mill as we speak,” he said.
 
Akeredolu-Ale added that the signing ceremony represented a great stepping-stone to building stakeholder confidence for a great reception of the financial instruments by the capital market, assuring that the exchange would drive the support of the market towards the ecosystem. 
 
He added that the liquidity would be raised in batches, with N5b targeted for the first batch, while N30b is expected to be raised within six months and thereafter the N100b yearly target.

Pakistan’s basmati rice exports surged strongly in March 2023, if reports from PBS are to be believed. Dollar earnings against monthly basmati exports were up 17.2 percent against same period last year, and 39.3 percent against Feb 2023, suggesting some reprieve for country’s exports amid an across-the-board decline or stagnation elsewhere. But will it be enough?

Don’t let the headline numbers fool you. Basmati rice exports make up a little over one-fourth of total earnings from rice exports each year, bulk of which are contributed by export of other rice varieties such as IRRI, and hybrid rice. In absolute terms, basmati rice exports average under $0.7 billion per annum, against annual rice export revenue of $2.25 billion over the last several years.

Meanwhile, coarse rice exports were down in Mar 2023, declining 9 percent compared to same month last year, and 21.4 percent against Feb 2023. Even though prices are on the rise, the country recorded its worst March for coarse rice exports, barring the Covid years.

No doubt, the price impact has been strong during the ongoing fiscal. For the 9MFY23 period ending Mar 2023, average unit price for the 2.8 million metric tons of total rice exported stood at $570 per ton, which is the highest in well over a decade. Average unit price for all rice exports during 9MFY22 stood at just $500 per ton last year, The rise in unit price is broad based, with basmati unit prices rising by 21 percent over same period last year (9MFY22) and coarse rice average export unit price rising by 12 percent.

But the rising tide of higher prices will most certainly won’t lift the full year export revenue higher than last year. In volume terms, Pakistan’s coarse rice exports are at their weakest in a decade, standing under 2.5 million metric tons against 3.1 million metric tons against during the 9MFY23 last tear. Overall export earnings may very well shy away from the $2 billion dollar mark, far cry from $2.5 billion breached during FY22.

Export prices of rice from Thailand jumped to their highest in more than two months this week on growing orders and depleting supplies as the harvest season nears end, while rates in top exporter India fell for a second week to mid-January lows.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $490-$495 per tonne, their highest since the week to Feb. 3. Last week, they were quoted at $480 per tonne.

Traders attributed the rise in Thai rates to exchange rate fluctuations, an increase in orders from Indonesia, and dwindling supplies.

Indonesia bought some 500,000 tonnes of rice, supporting prices, a Bangkok-based trader said.

Thailand’s rice exports in the first quarter of 2023 were at 2.06 million tonnes, up 18.48% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Monday.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $378-$382 per tonne this week, down from last week’s $382-$388 range, and hitting their lowest since Jan. 13.

Demand is sluggish and prices are coming down, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, a leading rice exporter in India.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $495-$500 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from a week ago, when they matched levels last seen in April 2021.

“Supplies are getting thinner as the main harvest of the year has ended,” a trader based in the Mekong Delta An Giang province said, adding that the next harvest would arrive at the end of May or early June.

Traders, however, increased purchases from farmers in anticipation of higher demand from foreign markets.

Vietnam exported 2.37 million tonnes of rice this year, as of April 15, up 33.7% from a year earlier, according to the country’s Food Association.

Mishtann Foods is a homegrown agro-food product company with a primary focus on various types of Basmati rice, wheat and pulses segment.

Shares of Mishtann Foods were in the focus on Thursday after the company announced that it has incorporated a new subsidiary in the United Arab of Emirates (UAE) to import Thai rice and Jasmine rice from Thailand. Shares of the company nudged higher during the session, before giving up gains.

BSE-listed Mishtann Foods has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary company named 'Grow and Grub Nutrients FZ – LLC' in UAE to focus on international trade with increased exposure in various untapped markets in its growth journey across geographical boundaries, the company said in an exchange filing.

According to a report from Fitch Solutions, Rice production for 2023 is set to log its largest shortfall in two decades. The war crisis in Ukraine, coupled with weather woes in rice-producing economies like China and Pakistan is likely to contain the supply for paddy-crop. Mishtann Foods will import Thai rice and Jasmine rice from Thailand through its subsidiary.

This expansion is a significant milestone for our company as it will enable us to expand our area of operations and reach out to a new customer base by providing them with wider options and serving our customers better, said Hitesh Patel, Managing Director, Mishtann Foods.
"The new subsidiary will allow us to tap into new markets and leverage the existing relationships that we have built with our customers across geographical borders. It will enable us to strengthen our position as a leading agro-products company in India and abroad," he said.

Shares of Misthann Foods rose about 2 per cent to Rs 7.94 on Thursday, before it saw profit booking and dropped to Rs 7.52 levels by falling 3.71 per cent. The company was commanding a market capitalization of little more than Rs 750 crore during the session.

Mishtann Foods is a homegrown agro-food product company with a primary focus on various types of Basmati rice. The company also has a sizable presence in the wheat and pulses segment. The company's rice processing facility is located near Ahmedabad, Gujarat which has an annual capacity of 1 lakh metric tonnes.

In RMS 2022-23, the procurement was 188 LMT. However, till 26 April 2023, wheat procurement during RMS 2023-24 is 195 LMT.

The procurement of wheat during the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2023-24 has already surpassed the total procurement of RMS 2022-23.

In RMS 2022-23, the procurement was 188 LMT.  However, till 26 April 2023, wheat procurement during RMS 2023-24 is 195 LMT.  This has largely benefitted the farmers. The MSP outflow of about Rs 41,148 crore has already been made to about 14.96 lakh farmers during the ongoing wheat procurement operations.

Notably, a major contribution in the procurement comes from three wheat procuring states of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh with procurement of 89.79 LMT, 54.26 LMT and 49.47 LMT respectively.

One of the major factors contributing to the progressive procurement this year is the grant of relaxation by the government of India in quality specifications of wheat being procured, in view of untimely rains leading to luster loss. This will reduce the hardship of farmers and check any distressed sale.

The Centre has also allowed all the states to open procurement centres at the village/panchayat level and to carry out the procurement through Cooperative Societies/Gram Panchayats/ Arhatias etc. in addition to already existing designated procurement centres, for better outreach.

In addition, rice procurement is also progressing smoothly. The combined stock position of wheat and rice in the Central Pool has surpassed 510 LMT which puts the country in a comfortable position to meet its requirements of food grains. With the ongoing procurement of wheat and rice, the food grains stock levels are on the rise in government granaries.

LAHORE: Pakistan’s food trade balance was a deficit of $3.6 billion in the Financial Year 2022. Compulsion to import food commodities along with Pakistan’s perilous shortage of foreign reserves in the wake of global commodity price levels and transport congestion leads to apprehension of great food insecurity in the years to come — tougher for the poor.

This has been claimed in a report ‘State of Pakistan’s Agriculture’ launched by the Pakistan Business Council (PBC).

It states that the massive rise in global commodity prices since 2022 has brought a wave of inflation to Pakistan turbo-charged with sharp depreciation in the value of the rupee.

“As a result, food inflation has persisted at historic highs and rendered food less accessible to the poor. This comes in the context of two factors that have been eating away Pakistan’s food security over the years: (i) rising population means a rising food requirement, while (ii) yields have stagnated in many crops,” stated the report.

The report mentions that Pakistan cannot tackle the issues of the 2020s with the institutional and commercial mechanisms of the 1960s.

“No crop typifies agriculture’s issues better than wheat. Wheat is the only crop that the government actually purchases in Pakistan. The government announces a support price at which it will purchase wheat ‘from farmers’ every season. But this purchase process is captured by middlemen so most farmers do not get the full support price.”

“The government borrows hundreds of billions of rupees to purchase this wheat—the original circular debt—and stores it in government godowns. This wheat is later sold to flour millers in the name of cheap flour for the poor,” reasoned the report.

But enforcement is weak, so the government ends up attempting to subsidise flour at its utility stores as well.

“This institutional mechanism was put in place in the 1960s to help Pakistan achieve self-sufficiency in wheat. Pakistan achieved this self-sufficiency in the 1980s and, since then, this mechanism has become a source of economic stagnation for Pakistan’s agriculture sector,” stated the report.

The report further states that the capture by middlemen is so strong that efforts to transition this rigid system to a more market-based wheat value chain have all floundered and the most unfortunate outcome is that the system neither rewards wheat quality nor greater yield.

“So, wheat yields have stagnated close to 3 tons per hectare (30 maunds per acre) when progressive farmers within Pakistan are achieving 4.5 tons per hectare and other countries are achieving even more,” reveals the report, adding that as a result, despite so much government involvement in the crop, no serious investment in wheat seed development, mechanization, storage, and processing stands on the ground.

“In fact, wheat imports have become common. A sharp contrast is seen in the maize and rice crops which have hardly any government intervention: maize yields have tripled over the past two decades completely on the steam of the private sector.”

“In rice, exporters have brought high-yielding hybrid seed to farmers and invested in mechanization. The scale of business opportunities in agriculture is enormous. Just three crops—wheat, rice paddy, and maize—have a farm-gate value of about $12 billion of which nearly $1 billion is lost in quality and quantity due to traditional drying practices, sub-optimal warehousing, unfair market practices, and traditional logistics,” stated the report.

The report suggests that for such business opportunities to be realized agriculture’s business model has to change from government-driven to private sector-driven, from rigid to entrepreneurial, from traditional to technology-based, and from patronage to global competition.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Chairman Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Rice Association (PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik Tuesday said that despite climatic damage to major crops such as cotton and wheat, most of the rice crop has remained unhurt by flood devastation.

Talking to a delegation of progressive farmers led by Momin Ali here today he said It is really a blessing that the cash crop of rice has survived the onslaught of floods and can fetch a substantial amount in export earnings, while most of the other summer crops were destroyed. Despite the floods and various other challenges being faced by the economy, exporters are gearing up for rice shipments as much as possible.” About flood damage, he said Punjab’s rice belt remained nearly unscathed. He said Sindh too had a similar rich crop but unfortunately it was partly wiped off.He brushed aside the rumours on social media that Pakistan should ban rice exports as the crop had been totally damaged. “No iota of truth in such baseless news. The varieties we export are not consumed locally, as those are used in feed mills only. Therefore, the ban is not required at all,” he emphasised. PHHSA Chief Shahzad Ali Malik pointed out that there was a surplus stock of Basmati and non-Basmati varietiesas well as maize.

He said rice of production has increased due to use of quality seeds as farmers are using hybrid seeds that produce good quality rice and increase output. He said the Governor Punjab Eng Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman has felicitated the Guard Agricultural Research and Services for evolving two new more best quality varieties of rice in private sector for help boosting cash crop production in the country besides earning direly needed foreign exchange.

He said Punjab Seed Council after successful completion of thorough process approved ” Open Pollinated” extra long grain rice varieties Guard 101 and Guard 102 that ensures 20-25 percent higher per acre yield with maturity within 90 days of sowing.He said new varieties are beneficial for the country due to high exports potential and attractive for farmers due to the low cost and higher per acre yield.

Shahzad Ali Malik said “we have been engaged in rice seed research since 1989 in collaboration with Chinese in private sector without any government support” and contributing lots for the country. He said we have already successfully developed 5-Hi tech Hybrid rice seeds varieties which suit to our climate and giving better production. He said we along with rice, are also conducting research and development on cotton and wheat Hybrid seeds in collaboration with Chinese academic institutes and hoped to make a breakthrough.

First, Let’s Talk About Rice and its Production in Nigeria

By Abdulsalam Mahmud

It is what most citizens, especially little children, of our beloved nation savour. They often relish to have it on their menu. Either at home or outdoors. At social events, ceremonies, in eateries and during all kinds of cultural and religious festivals.

Rice is what many will instantly order for. Because it is what they will love to eat. In Nigeria, many farmers cultivate rice. While some do it on a subsistence level, others go commercial.

Commercial rice farmers cultivate the staple food on large acres. Those who engage in subsistence rice farming need not have a plot of land, that is so massive.

Nigeria is among world nations that tremendously cultivates rice. Though the agricultural commodity is imported into the country, on a gargantuan scale.

There are however, many unknown things and interesting facts about the popular foodstuff. They may be a common knowledge to a few, but a majority will eagerly wish to know.

Okay, here they are. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or less commonly Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As a cereal grain, domesticated rice is the most widely consumed staple food for over half of the world’s human population, particularly in Asia and Africa.

It is the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production, after sugarcane and maize. Since sizable portions of sugarcane and maize crops are used for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most important food crop with regard to human nutrition and caloric intake, providing more than one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans.

There are many varieties of rice and culinary preferences tend to vary regionally. Unfortunately, the production and consumption of rice is estimated to have been responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.

There are factors that affect the growth and production of rice. They include environment, soil properties, biotic conditions, and cultural practices.

Environmental factors include rainfall and water, temperature, photoperiod, solar radiation and, in some instances, tropical storms. Soil factors refer to soil type and their position in uplands or lowlands. Biotic factors deal with weeds, insects, diseases, and crop varieties.

Rice contains carbohydrates, which gives energy, but it can also raise blood sugar. Again, rice is one of the oldest cereal grains in the world, and people have grown it for at least 5,000 years.

It is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population, and 90% of the world’s rice comes from Asia.

White rice is the most common type, though brown rice offers more health benefits. Brown rice comes in a variety of shades, including reddish, purplish, or black.

Rice requires warm, moist conditions for growth and is grown world-wide in tropical and warm temperate habitats. Rice has a typical grass structure with a series of leaves that form a false stem through which emerges the main stem when the plant flowers and fruits.

Rice reproduces sexually, producing bisexual flowers that develop into fruits (cereal grains) after pollination and fertilization. Aside from being an essential source of food, rice also plays a significant role in the economies of many countries.

Rice farming is a vital industry worldwide, with an estimated 150,000 varieties of rice cultivated globally. Rice farming originated in Asia more than 5000 years ago.

According to historians, rice was first domesticated in the Yangtze River valley in China. From China, rice cultivation spread to other parts of Asia, such as India, Southeast Asia, and Korea. Rice farming also spread to other parts of the world through trade routes, such as Africa and Europe.

Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in Africa, producing about 8,435,000 tonnes annually, followed by Egypt, Madagascar, Tanzania and Mali, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Ironically, Nigeria is the 3rd highest importer of milled rice in the world, importing about 2 million metric tonnes of rice into the country.

Rice farming is one of the most lucrative types of farming in Nigeria. The staple food crop is also one of the most consumed staple foods and important cereal in Nigeria. It is estimated that almost 7 million tonnes of rice are consumed per year, in the country.

In July 2015, when the Federal Government announced plans to place a ban on the importation of rice into the country, Nigeria’s local rice production started experiencing growth.

The demand for locally-produced rice (then) also increased. At the time, the ban placed on the importation of rice caused the price of foreign rice to soar, turning the attention of Nigerians to locally produced rice.

Suddenly, an opportunity for interested individuals, farmers, organisations and even some state governments to go into rice production, was created.

Rice mills like Abakali rice, Lake (Lagos and Kebbi State) rice, Anambra rice, Labana rice, as well as the production of Babban Gona’s rice and many others, are among the producers of rice in Nigeria. There are abundant opportunities in the rice farming sector, for intending rice farmers.

In Nigeria, rice farming is common in the north. But the major rice-producing States are Kano, Gombe, Niger, Kebbi, Ebonyi, Anambra, Nasarawa, and Ogun.

The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) are the two popular bodies that coordinate the essential activities happening in the country’s rice industry.

RIPAN, in particular, has remained unwavering in its commitment to boosting the local production and processing of rice. It has, among other things, advocated administrative policies and programmes that will enhance rice farming and processing in the country.

In summary, RIPAN is one association that has contributed a lot to the growth and development of Nigeria’s rice industry. Already, few of the rice processors’ feats have been highlighted in this piece. It cannot be exhausted.

But again, there is always another time to talk about issues of vital discourse in the country’s rice industry, together with the activities of its key stakeholders, like RIPAN. I am sure the opportunity will come. Very soon!

PHNOM PENH, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 176,581 tons of milled rice in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, up 3.5 percent from 170,539 tons in the same period last year, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said in a report released on Tuesday

The Southeast Asian country made 126 million U.S. dollars in revenue from export of the commodity during the January-March period this year, the report said.

Exported milled rice varieties included premium aromatic rice, fragrant rice, long grain white rice, parboiled rice, and organic rice, it said.

China remained the top buyer of Cambodia's milled rice, purchasing 84,773 tons or 48 percent of Cambodia's total milled rice export in the first quarter, the report said, adding that Cambodian rice had been shipped to 41 countries and regions.

CRF President Chan Sokheang has set the full-year milled rice export target for the country at 750,000 tons in 2023, and 1 million tons in 2025, saying that China is a large market.

"The federation will continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Commerce to ensure that annual milled-rice sales to China top 400,000 tons each year," he said recently. Enditem

To determine if the farmers were adapting to the long-term climate changes, researchers used the quantile regression models — 60 years of data sets on precipitation, temperature, length of the growing season as well as crop yield — to create separate models for short and long-term crop responses.

Indian farmers have been able to adapt to temperature changes for their rice and maize crops but not for wheat, a study that has been published in the Agricultural Economics journal states. The study by researchers from the University of Illinois, US, examines data over 60 years to assess the adaptation of Indian crops to climate change. It states that there is a large disparity when it comes to agricultural vulnerability between developed as well as developing countries.

"Increased precipitation enhanced rice yield, but adversely affected wheat and maize yields," said Madhu Khanna,  an agriculture and consumer economics professor, who is also an author of the study.

Researchers also found that farmers have been customising strategies across various regions and crops. "For example, heat-prone districts fared better to higher temperatures compared to districts in colder regions," Khanna said.

The researchers conducted a similar study in the US as well. "It's interesting that the results of this study are telling us that in both countries, although there is a negative impact of climate, crops are adapting," Khanna said, adding that the effects differ across crops and the types of effects they adapt to.

Khanna added that, usually, studies look at year-on-year changes to measure the effects of climate change. However, these represent variations in weather and not climate, the researcher said.

The researchers from the University of Illinois examined India's major food grains to understand the climate change effects — long and short-term — on crop yields.

Weather changes are short-term, such as a warm or cold day or a sudden thunderstorm. However, when it comes to climate change, these variations can be long-term. "We were looking to see if the effect of short-term deviations in extreme temperature and precipitation are significant when compared to their long-term averages and if their effects are absent in the long term as farmers adapt to climate change,” Khanna said.

To determine if the farmers were adapting to the long-term climate changes, researchers used the quantile regression models — 60 years of data sets on precipitation, temperature, length of the growing season as well as crop yield — to create separate models for short and long-term crop responses.

According to the analysis, if temperature differences did not affect either model, that meant there were no adaptations made by the crops. While, if the impact on the short-term model was worse, then it meant the farmers had been able to smooth out and adapt to the effects.

“The impacts are higher at the lower tail of the distribution, but are lower at the upper tail of the distribution,” Surender Kumar, a professor of economics at Delhi University, said.

The study found that farmers who worked in less productive areas (lower tail of the distribution) had a different response from those who worked in higher yield areas. The former took more measures for adaptation because of higher impacts.

"Higher productive regions have better irrigation facilities and are less dependent on the monsoon, and so the difference between long-term and short-term impacts is negligible,” Kumar said.

According to the study, there are two ways the farmers can adapt -- the farmers can change their management practices or the varieties are hardier. The study suggests action could be taken to improve the seed varieties as well as educate farmers on how to adapt to climate change.

"We need to take a holistic view of all the various ways in which changing climate effects yield, which is obviously a very challenging and complex problem, and understand that focusing on particular dimensions of climate change and adapting crops may not be sufficient," Khanna said.

By Steve Linscombe with additional reporting from Josh Hankins and Kane Webb

RICE COUNTRY, USA – Rice planting along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana is mostly done, and the crop is rapidly progressing.  In Texas, conventional rice planting is mainly completed, with the majority of organic fields still to be planted.  Overall, the crop looks fairly good, with many fields approaching permanent flood.  East of Houston, which normally plants a little later, is about 70 percent planted with recent showers slowing down progress.

In southwest Louisiana, the crop is basically planted although some crawfish ponds are being drained to be planted to late rice.  There have been challenges in several fields, with some stand issues due to chinch bugs and seedling disease.  Weather conditions in the region have  been less than ideal recently, slowing the crop and delaying some herbicide and fertilizer applications.  There have been isolated instances of herbicide injury with newer technologies.  In north Louisiana, the crop is approximately 20-30 percent planted but a large part of the remainder will likely be planted this week.  Many north Louisiana growers are having to replant corn acres after the recent freeze event.

Rice specialists in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri report “normal” planting progress in those states.  Dr. Jarrod Hardke, with the University of Arkansas, estimates the state is 40 percent planted, noting that southeast Arkansas has had a few more weather-related challenges, while a few rice farmers in other regions are finished planting.  Mississippi is about 25 percent in the ground, according to Dr. Hunter Bowman with Mississippi State University, but he estimates the state will be 50 percent complete by the end of this week.  In Missouri, planting is between 40-50 percent complete, with the southern Bootheel pushing 70 percent, according to Dr. Justin Chlapecka with the University of Missouri.  All three specialists say up to now, the early crop looks fairly good for the most part.

Florida is about 50 percent planted to date.  Early dry conditions have recently changed to excessive rainfall and rice there is currently being water-seeded.

Field work is just getting underway in California.  While the excessive rainfall and snowpack this winter has allowed for increased acres compared to last year, recent rains have delayed field preparation.

Most states will see an increase in rice acreage this year compared to last.  The exception is west of Houston in Texas, where acreage will decrease due to a shortage of water available from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

KARACHI: Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has asked the federal government to devise a long-term strategy with consultation of all stakeholders to achieve $5 billion rice export target.

Chairman REAP Chela Ram Kewlani said that the rice sector has potential to export $5 billion rice annually, but there is a need to devise a long-term policy to gradually increase the rice exports.

While talking to media, he informed that despite multiple challenges rice exporters are earning over $2 billion annually precious foreign exchange for the country and still there are many opportunities to increase the rice exports.

However, quality seeds, subsidies, agricultural input and aggressive marketing are required to enhance rice exports, he said.

As per Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan’s rice exports grew 23 percent to reach $2.511 billion in FY21 compared with $2.041 billion in FY20. Pakistan exported 4.877 million tonnes of rice in FY22 against 3.684 million tonnes in FY21, recording a growth of 32.35 percent.

Chela Ram said that in the current economic conditions, exporters are facing a number of challenges and need government’s support to further enhance the exports. Pakistani farmers are still using outdated seeds, due to which Pakistan’s per acre production is very low compared to other countries, he mentioned.

There are a number of agricultural research centres and institutes in the country; however, no new variety of rice has been introduced during the last many years. There is a need to import new rice varieties from the Philippines and other countries to enhance the per acre yield, he suggested.

He further said that Pakistan’s rice sector is facing multiple challenges including seeds development, storage and higher cost of production. The federal government must take farmer friendly measures to support the rice exports by enhancing cultivation area and providing quality seeds to farmers for an improved and higher crop yield, he added.

Development and introduction of new rice varieties is the most important thing to increase the crop production and earn more foreign exchange for the country, which is already facing a cash crisis and needs higher inflows to avoid default.

The REAP has planned to increase rice exports up to $5 billion in the next few years, but it needs serious efforts from the government’s side to achieve this goal, Chela Ram said.

He said that Pakistan has very stiff competition in the world market and despite that African countries, China and EU Countries are leading buyers of Pakistani rice as quality of our rice is better than the rice of other competitors.

He also urged the government to support the rice exporters to explore new markets for the rice exports. Iran is also a good market for Pakistani Basmati rice, but due to the non-availability of the banking channel, Pakistan exporters are unable to export rice to neighbouring country Iran”, he mentioned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

KOTA: The popular Basmati rice of Bundi is aiming for the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag with the joint support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Consortium for Industry Development and Awareness (CIDA) which held a one-day workshop for rice millers and other stakeholders to discuss the registration of the produce in Bundi on Friday.
CIDA and NABARD have jointly decided to file an application for the GI tag of the Basmati variety. At the workshop, a presentation was made on the history of the Bundi rice, evidence and documentation required for the GI tage to millers, district industry officials and other stockholders, said CIDA secretary Prasun Jain.
'No efforts made earlier by millers to apply for GI tag'
Due to the absence of the geographical marker, local millers were unable to export the product directly and had to depend on exporters from Haryana and Delhi, reducing the brand value. However, no efforts were made earlier by local millers to apply for the GI tag and CIDA initiated the process, he said.
The rice is produced in over 67,000 hectares in Bundi and is exported to Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as well as big businesses in India and abroad, CIDA president Dr Rohit Jain said. The rice recorded a business of Rs 1,800 crore in 2022, including Rs 1,400 crore through exports. Over 6,000 people were directly or indirectly employed in rice production in the district, he said. Famed as 'Dhan Ka Katora', production has increased from 52 lakh quintals last year to 80 lakh quintals in the current district, Jain said. The rice bears similar characteristics and quality of popular Basmati variants available in the country, he said. Neeraj Goyal, who presides over a Bundi rice business association, said that there were 26 millers currently operating in Bundi.

LAHORE: Basmati exp­o­rts staged a strong rebo­und surging by 45 per cent to 64,274 tonnes in March from 44,137 tonnes in February despite 25pc damage to the last crop due to floods and heavy rains.

In dollar terms, rice exports jumped by 39pc to $69,475 in March from $49,875 in February.

Non-basmati export, how­e­ver, registered a dec­line of 35.5pc to 328,344 tonnes in March against 509,271 tonnes in Febr­uary. The fall in exports in dollar terms was around 21.3pc.

Total rice exports during March stood at 382,618 tonnes valuing $243,632, while Pakistan exported a total 2,907,322 tonnes of rice to earn $1,598,261 during the period July-March 2022-23.

Of them basmati variety was 428,404 tonnes worth $456,361 and non-basmati 2,478,918 tonnes valuing $1,141,900.

Rice trade expert Ha­mid Malik says with the current export trend Pak­istan will be able to cross the $2bn export target.

An official of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) said export figures in terms of quantity may be down but the way the crop has been affected, the foreign sales are comparatively satisfactory as exporters are getting fair prices.

“Ever high export prices and demand are there in the foreign markets. Tho­ugh the crop is less in quantity but in terms of the value we are set to cross the $2bn mark.”

Last year Pakistan exported rice worth $2.5bn, historically the highest figure.

There is a very encouraging situation on the export front but local businesses are severely hit as scarcity of foreign exch­ange is preventing the import of machinery and material meant for value-addition.

“Machinery imports are stuck up. Things that are ultimately meant for exports are blocked. Letters of credit for planters, harvesters, and rice processing machines are not being opened. The companies working on sustainable production agriculture are being disallowed to import solar panels,” the official says requesting not to be named.

However, Momin Malik, Director of Seeds at Guard Agricultural Research and Services Ltd, says as basmati rice are getting a good price, particularly in the international markets, there is a growing trend of plating basmati this year instead of non-basmati varieties, which had been claiming the basmati acreage for the last few years.

Also due to delays in wheat harvesting because of late sowing as well as low temperatures in March slowing down the crop’s maturing process, the sale of rice seeds of coarse varieties has declined by over 10pc. For, he explains, the window for reaping a third crop of hybrid rice, between wheat and basmati rice, has narrowed down because of delay in wheat harvesting.

Rice export prices from Vietnam jumped to two-year highs this week, fuelling worries about demand from top buyers as supplies draw down, while Bangladesh advised farmers to harvest paddy sooner in the northeastern region on flash floods threats.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice prices were offered at $495-$500 per tonne, matching levels last seen in April 2021, and up from a range of $465-$470 a week ago.

Traders said that the country’s winter-spring harvest – the largest of the year, has ended.

“Demand for Vietnamese rice remains strong, while domestic supplies are running low,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

“With prices staying this high, we think buyers including the Philippines might slow their purchases.”

The Philippines is Vietnam’s largest rice buyer.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh advised to harvest paddy quickly in wetland areas in the northeastern part of the country on chances of flash floods due to the heavy rains predicted in neighbouring India’s Meghalaya state, agriculture ministry officials said.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $382 to $388 per tonne, down from the last week’s $385 to $392, with declines this week mainly attributable to a depreciation in the rupee.

“Export demand is quite stable. Asian buyers were active in the past few days,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $480 per tonne, down slightly from last’s weeks range of $485 to $490.

Markets have been muted after the Songkran holiday to mark the Thai new year.

The country’s rice exports in the first two months of 2023 were up 38% on the year to 1.4 million tonnes, a government spokesperson said this week.

From China to the U.S. to the European Union, rice production is falling and driving up prices for more than 3.5 billion people across the globe, particularly in Asia-Pacific – which consumes 90% of the world’s rice.

The global rice market is set to log its largest shortfall in two decades in 2023, according to Fitch Solutions.

And a deficit of this magnitude for one of the world’s most cultivated grains will hurt major importers, analysts told CNBC.

“At the global level, the most evident impact of the global rice deficit has been, and still is, decade-high rice prices,” Fitch Solutions’ commodities analyst Charles Hart said.

Rice prices are expected to remain notched around current highs until 2024, stated a report by Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research dated April 4.

The price of rice averaged $17.30 per cwt through 2023 year-to-date, and will only ease to $14.50 per cwt in 2024, according to the report. Cwt is a unit of measurement for certain commodities such as rice.

Given that rice is the staple food commodity across multiple markets in Asia, prices are a major determinant of food price inflation and food security, particularly for the poorest households.

“Given that rice is the staple food commodity across multiple markets in Asia, prices are a major determinant of food price inflation and food security, particularly for the poorest households,” Hart said.

The global shortfall for 2022/2023 would come in at 8.7 million tonnes, the report forecast.

That would mark the largest global rice deficit since 2003/2004, when the global rice markets generated a deficit of 18.6 million tonnes, said Hart.

Strained rice supplies

There’s a short supply of rice as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as bad weather in rice-producing economies like China and Pakistan.

In the second half of last year, swaths of farmland in the world’s largest rice producer China were plagued by heavy summer monsoon rains and floods. 

The accumulated rainfall in the country’s Guangxi and Guangdong province, China’s major hubs of rice production, was the second highest in at least 20 years, according to agriculture analytics company Gro Intelligence.

Similarly, Pakistan — which represents 7.6% of global rice trade — saw annual production plunge 31% year-on-year due to severe flooding last year, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), labeling the impact as “even worse than initially expected.” 

Workers cultivate rice seedlings at an agricultural service station in Hangzhou in east China’s Zhejiang province Sunday, April 16, 2023.

Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images

The shortfall is partly due to result of “an annual deterioration in the Mainland Chinese harvest caused by intense heat and drought as well as the impact of severe flooding in Pakistan,” Hart pointed out.

Rice is a vulnerable crop, and has the highest probability of simultaneous crop loss during an El Nino event, according to a scientific study.

In addition to tighter supply challenges, rice became an increasingly attractive alternative following the surge in price of other major grains since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hart added. The resulting rice substitution has driven up demand.

Whose rice bowls will be affected?

Lower year-on-year rice production in other countries like the U.S. and EU have also contributed to the deficit, said Oscar Tjakra, senior analyst at global food and agriculture bank Rabobank.

“The global rice production deficit situation will increase the cost of importing rice for major rice importers such as Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and African countries in 2023,” said Tjakra.

Many countries will also be forced to draw down their domestic stockpiles, said Kelly Goughary, senior research analyst at Gro Intelligence. She said countries most affected by the deficit would be those already suffering from high domestic food price inflation such as Pakistan, Turkey, Syria and some African countries.

China is the largest rice and wheat producer in the world and is currently experiencing the highest level of drought in its rice growing regions in over two decades.

Kelly Goughary

SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST, GRO INTELLIGENCE

“The global rice export market, which is typically tighter than that of the other major grains ... has been affected by India’s export restriction,” said Fitch Solutions’ Hart.

India banned exports of broken rice in September, a move Hart said has been a “major price driver” for rice. 

Surplus in the horizon

However, the shortage may soon be a thing of the past.

Fitch Solutions estimates that the global rice market will return to “an almost balanced position in 2023/24.”

That could lead to rice futures falling in year-on-year terms to below their 2022 level, but remain elevated at “more than one third above their pre-Covid (2015-2019) mean value, in part as inventories are replenished after a period of extensive drawdown.”

“We believe that the rice market will return to surplus in 2024/25 and then continue to loosen through the medium term.”

Fitch further projects that the prices of rice could drop almost 10% to $15.50 per hundredweight in 2024.

“It is our view that global rice production will stage a solid rebound in 2023/24, expecting total output to rise by 2.5% year on year,” Fitch’s report forecast, hinging on India being a “principal engine” of global rice output over the next five years. 

A combine harvester cuts through a field during a wheat harvest at a farm in Karnal, Haryana, India, on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Anindito Mukherjee | Bloomberg | Getty Images

However, rice production remains at the mercy of weather conditions.

While India’s Meteorological Department expects the country to receive “normal” monsoon rainfall, forecasts for intense heat and heat waves through the second and third quarters of 2023 continue to pose a threat to India’s wheat harvest, the report cautioned.

Other countries may not be spared either.

“China is the largest rice and wheat producer in the world and is currently experiencing the highest level of drought in its rice growing regions in over two decades,” said Goughary.

Major European rice-growing countries like France, Germany and the UK have also been afflicted with the highest level of drought in 20 years, she added.

In FY22, India, which has an around 45% share in global rice trade, exported more than 21 MT of rice valued at $9.6 billion.

India’s rice exports have crossed a record $11 billion in 2022-23, an increase of 16% from FY22. The volume of shipment, however, remained around the same level as last year at 21 million tonne (MT).

Officials attribute the spike in rice exports to factors such as robust global demand, especially from West Asian countries, Africa and Europe, and flood that hit a large chunk of paddy crop in Pakistan, a major grain exporter.

In FY22, India, which has an around 45% share in global rice trade, exported more than 21 MT of rice valued at $9.6 billion.

The increased realisation in rice exports has been achieved despite India last year banning broken rice shipment and the imposition of exports tax of 20% on white rice.

According to preliminary estimates, India has shipped $11.14 billion of rice, which includes basmati ($5 billion) and non-basmati ($6.14 billion) during FY23.

In terms of volume, the country has exported 4.9 MT of aromatic and long grain basmati and 16.1 MT of non-basmati rice.

India annually exports 4.5-5 MT of basmati rice and has an 80% share in the global trade of aromatic rice.

“Demand for rice has been robust because of resumption of shipment to Iran and spike in demand in Gulf countries especially from Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and others for the ongoing Ramadan months,” K Kaul, senior executive director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association, told FE.

India has been the world’s largest exporter of rice since 2012. Currently, India exports more rice than the combined shipments of the next three largest exporters – Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The United States department of agriculture (USDA), in its April 2023 crop outlook, has stated, “India’s prices are the most competitive among global suppliers and its total supply of rice is near-record high.” It has also stated that India’s price quotes for 5% broken-kernel rice were reported at $434 this month and are virtually unchanged since late January.

“Competitive pricing have ensured a surge in rice exports in the last fiscal and adherence to quality parameters has resulted in a significant demand for Indian rice with the grain being shipped to more than 75 countries,” M Angamuthu, chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority, said.

In September, India had imposed a ban on broken rice exports and put a 20% export tariff on the non-basmati and non-parboiled rice, a measure aimed at improving domestic supplies due to the expectation of a decline in production in the 2022-23 crop season (July-June).

However, the fear of loss of production was allayed with the agriculture ministry estimating a record rice output of 130.83 MT in the 2022-23 crop year.

In terms of volume, Bangladesh, China, Benin, Nepal and Iran are five major export destinations for rice. Geographical Indication (GI) tagged basmati rice is a premium variety cultivated in the Himalayan foothills, mostly in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

BEIJING: A Pakistani entrepreneur has displayed some products imported from Pakistan for potential local and foreign buyers at Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park in the capital city of China’s Hainan Province.

“We are importing Basmati rice, pine nuts and pure honey from Pakistan and sell them to the local as well as foreign buyers,” Waheed Yaseen, operational director, Hainan Raman Technology, told APP on Monday.

Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park, one of the 13 key parks in Hainan Free Trade Port, is positioned to build the Hainan Digital Free Trade Port pilot zone, digital economy headquarters gathering zone and international offshore innovation demonstration zone, with a digital economy industry.

A number of local and foreign companies in wake of the advantages of incentives and facilities offered by the local government have set up their offices and display centers in the park.

Yaseen informed that along with other partners, he had established his company in the park to introduce Pakistani products among the local buyers.

He said the demand for pinenuts and pure honey was very high among Chinese buyers while his company targets foreign customers in Hainan and other areas of China for the sale of Basmati rice.

According to a local government official, Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park focuses on the development of digital trade, smart Internet of things, financial technology, international innovation and headquarters economy, and human resources of the 4+2 industrial ecological chain.

The park has been recognised as a national science and technology business incubator, a national offshore innovation and entrepreneurship base for overseas talents, and a national cultural export base.

FAISALABAD     -       International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Philippines is promoting regional cooperation to increase rice production and germplasm exchange in South Asia to meet nutritional needs of rapidly growing population.

These views were expressed by IRRI Director for Asia, Dr Jongsoo Shin during an online meeting with Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and other stakeholders on Monday. He said that IRRI’s efforts to increase rice production at global level had resulted in meeting nutritional needs of 56% of world’s population. He said that 25 percent of world’s population was cultivating rice and arranging their employment from it. Therefore, the countries should work together to bring food stability at their level.

He said that 13 percent of world’s crops were produced in the form of rice, which had worth of 206 billion dollars. He said that rice was cultivated on 10 percent cultivable areas of the world and 35% of total water resources were used for it. Therefore, it was dire need of the hour that new rice varieties should be introduced to meet future challenges. He said that in Pakistan, tall rice varieties with the help of crisper case and genome editing could be adapted by making them shorter in duration. He said that Pakistan was producing world’s best fragrant rice. However, its production could be increased to manifolds by using genetic diversity, he added. UAF Vice Chancellor Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan said that with the help of IRRI, Pakistan could make advancements in rice production.

He said that Pakistan was producing valuable rice with excellent taste and aroma. However, he urged the scientists and experts to work together for value chain system equipped with new innovations. Syed Faisal Ali, a progressive rice farmer, said that IRRI office should be reopened in Pakistan with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB) as it was need of the hour to increase rice production for catering to increasing food requirements of burgeoning population. Director Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku Syed Sultan Ali Shah, Deputy Head Rice Breeding Innovation Dr. Varendor Kumar and Deputy Platform Leader Dr. Uma Shankar Singh spoke on the occasion while Dr. Muhammad Sarwar, Dr. Muhammad Jalal Arif, Dr. Nadeem Akbar, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, Dr. Asif Kamran, Dr. Muhammad Sagheer, Dr. Muhammad Waseem and Dr. Amir Maqsood Gill and others participated in the meeting.

UAF VC urges scientists to work together to bring about innovations

FAISALABAD: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) of the Philippines is promoting regional cooperation to increase rice production and germplasm exchange in South Asia to meet nutritional needs of the rapidly growing population.

These views were expressed by the IRRI Director for Asia, Dr. Jongsoo Shin, during an online meeting with Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, vice chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), and other stakeholders on Monday.

He said that IRRI's efforts to increase rice production at global level had resulted in meeting nutritional needs of 56% of world's population. He said that 25 percent of world's population was cultivating rice and arranging their employment from it.

Therefore, the countries should work together to bring food stability at their level.

He said that 13 percent of world's crops were produced in the form of rice, which had worth of $206 billion. Jongsoo Shin said that rice was cultivated on 10 percent cultivable areas of the world, and 35% of total water resources were used for it. Therefore, it was dire need of the hour that new rice varieties should be introduced to meet future challenges.

The IRRI official said that in Pakistan, tall rice varieties with the help of crisper case and genome editing could be adapted by making them shorter in duration.

He said that Pakistan has been producing world's best fragrant rice. However, its production could be increased manifolds by using genetic diversity, he added.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan said that with the help of IRRI, Pakistan could make advancements in rice production. He said that Pakistan was producing valuable rice with excellent taste and aroma.

However, he urged the scientists and experts to work together for value chain system equipped with new innovations.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2023.

Rice is Pakistan’s second-biggest crop after Wheat in terms of cultivated area. Besides being the second staple crop and contributing 2 million tons to our food requirement, it also acts as a cash crop.

In FY 2022, Pakistan exported $2.5 billion worth of rice, making it the 4th largest exporter. It’s also a major contributor to employment and income for rural households, but at what cost?

Rice is the water-thirstiest crop in the world, as it’s grown in standing water to control weeds. According to studies, it takes 3000–5000 liters of water to produce a single kilogram of Rice in Pakistan. Climate Change is hitting the South Asian Country in the worst ways possible with floods in monsoons and droughts at the start of the Kharif Season.

Water Shortage and Challenges So Far

Irrigation water availability has been increasingly declining for the past few years, especially during the Kharif season. Indus River System Authority (IRSA) estimated a 19 percent shortage for 2021 and 27 percent for the last year while its meeting convened last week forecasted a 37 percent water scarcity for the upcoming Kharif season. Our per capita water availability has plummeted from 5,650 cubic meters in 1951 to 908 cubic meters in 2022. Even if the Government magically reaches a consensus and builds new dams before the situation worsens, we might still be unable to afford such extravagant use in agriculture with increased demand in urban population centers.

It’s critical to seek and disseminate effective conservation practices so we can ensure rice productivity and food security. The traditional transplanting and continuously flooded system is a significant contributor to overall rice production and is highly effective in controlling weeds, ensuring optimum plant stand, and achieving higher yields.

But it’s enormously inefficient in terms of irrigation and requires a large amount of water to keep the field flooded. Scientists are working on tons of water-conserving alternatives but few of these technologies have been found uniquely successful and have been largely adopted. Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and Alternate Wetting and Drying are two.

Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) was developed by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the 1970s. It involved alternate flooding and drying throughout the cropping season depending on the soil water threshold level, the physical appearance of the soil, or after fixed non-flooded days. It can essentially reduce the water inputs from 25 percent to 70 percent given the soil type and climatic conditions.

“AWD is the only plausible sustainable and eco-friendly rice cultivation method,” stated Basit Mustafa, Agronomist at Ricult which is a US-based Agritech solution provider operating in Pakistan and Thailand. Ricult utilizes AI & Data to provide insights along with affordable credit and other fintech solutions.

“We have achieved up to 30 percent more water savings in Pakistan with AWD and there is also room for improvement depending on soil & climate,”  added Basit.

The technique is under large-scale dissemination and adoption in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, China, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, and Brazil. In field studies, AWD has been found to increase the profits by 38-42 percent in tube well irrigation with yield increase.

Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology entails sowing rice in either moist or dry soil (immediately irrigated). Since no transplanting is needed in this practice, it results in up to 75 percent labor savings. Mechanization of Rice is still in the early stages and labor has been hard to arrange in rural areas in recent years due to the youth moving to cities. Irrigation and herbicides are carefully managed in this method to ensure that the crop does not suffer from either the weed or the moisture stress. It can also result in up to 30 percent water savings.

The major challenge of cultivating rice without flooded conditions is controlling weeds. Some new weeds like Red Rice have also emerged in the fields which are strongly resistant to conventional herbicides and are hard to manage without flooding.

“DSR can be widely adopted in arid regions if we can come up with ways to control weeds without flooding the fields. There are herbicides available internationally for Red Rice by the MNCs but they have deliberately avoided introducing them in the Pakistani market,” added Basit.

Way Forward

There is the need to train farmers on modern lines to conserve water and the government’s continuous incompetence in doing so. It’s one thing when we lack solutions and need capital and time to put in R&D to come up with them, but we already have solutions.

Our universities and research institutes give a lot of effort into dozens of studies to establish the efficacy of these techniques in our local soil and climate but in the end, we either fail to ensure the widespread adoption or the concerned department never put their total weight behind it in the first place. You go into the field, meet farmers, and realize that for whatever reason, even the most basic practices introduced by the agriculture department decades ago haven’t made their way into their field.

There is a need be a consensus between research institutes and agricultural departments and the farm advisory services need to be overhauled to ensure that the farming community gets the motivation or incentive to follow the best practices available out there.

In FY22, India, which has an around 45% share in global rice trade, exported more than 21 MT of rice valued at $9.6 billion.

India’s rice exports have crossed a record $11 billion in 2022-23, an increase of 16% from FY22. The volume of shipment, however, remained around the same level as last year at 21 million tonne (MT).

Officials attribute the spike in rice exports to factors such as robust global demand, especially from West Asian countries, Africa and Europe, and flood that hit a large chunk of paddy crop in Pakistan, a major grain exporter.

In FY22, India, which has an around 45% share in global rice trade, exported more than 21 MT of rice valued at $9.6 billion.

The increased realisation in rice exports has been achieved despite India last year banning broken rice shipment and the imposition of exports tax of 20% on white rice.

According to preliminary estimates, India has shipped $11.14 billion of rice, which includes basmati ($5 billion) and non-basmati ($6.14 billion) during FY23.

In terms of volume, the country has exported 4.9 MT of aromatic and long grain basmati and 16.1 MT of non-basmati rice.

India annually exports 4.5-5 MT of basmati rice and has an 80% share in the global trade of aromatic rice.

“Demand for rice has been robust because of resumption of shipment to Iran and spike in demand in Gulf countries especially from Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and others for the ongoing Ramadan months,” K Kaul, senior executive director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association, told FE.

India has been the world’s largest exporter of rice since 2012. Currently, India exports more rice than the combined shipments of the next three largest exporters – Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The United States department of agriculture (USDA), in its April 2023 crop outlook, has stated, “India’s prices are the most competitive among global suppliers and its total supply of rice is near-record high.” It has also stated that India’s price quotes for 5% broken-kernel rice were reported at $434 this month and are virtually unchanged since late January.

“Competitive pricing have ensured a surge in rice exports in the last fiscal and adherence to quality parameters has resulted in a significant demand for Indian rice with the grain being shipped to more than 75 countries,” M Angamuthu, chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority, said.

In September, India had imposed a ban on broken rice exports and put a 20% export tariff on the non-basmati and non-parboiled rice, a measure aimed at improving domestic supplies due to the expectation of a decline in production in the 2022-23 crop season (July-June).

However, the fear of loss of production was allayed with the agriculture ministry estimating a record rice output of 130.83 MT in the 2022-23 crop year.

In terms of volume, Bangladesh, China, Benin, Nepal and Iran are five major export destinations for rice. Geographical Indication (GI) tagged basmati rice is a premium variety cultivated in the Himalayan foothills, mostly in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Vietnam’s rice export prices grew 9.2% year on year to 532 USD per tonne in the first quarter of 2023, raising the export value of 1.79 million tonnes during the period by 30.2% to 952 million USD, said the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s rice export prices grew 9.2% year on year to 532 USD per tonne in the first quarter of 2023, raising the export value of 1.79 million tonnes during the period by 30.2% to 952 million USD, said the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The price increase was attributed to a surge in the proportion of high-quality rice such as fragrant, glutinous, and specialty rice.

High-quality rice is accounting for 50% of the total export volume and sold at 600 - 1,000 USD per tonne at present.

Experts predicted that favourable conditions will remain for rice export and prices will stay good in the short term as the share of high-quality rice is increasing and global economic and political uncertainties are boosting food stockpiling demand./.

BEIJING, Apr 17 (APP):At Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park in the capital city of China’s Hainan Province, a young Pakistani entrepreneur has displayed some products imported from Pakistan for potential local and foreign buyers.

“We are importing Basmati rice, pinenuts and pure honey from Pakistan and sell them to the local as well as foreign buyers,” Waheed Yaseen, Operational Director, Hainan Raman Technology told APP on Monday.

Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park, one of the 13 key parks in Hainan Free Trade Port, is positioned to build the Hainan Digital Free Trade Port pilot zone, digital economy headquarters gathering zone and international offshore innovation demonstration zone, with a digital economy industry.

A number of local and foreign companies in wake of the advantages of incentives and facilities offered by the local government have set up their offices and display centers in the park.

Waheed Yaseen informed that along with other partners, he had established his company in the park to introduce Pakistani products among the local buyers.

He said that the demand for pinenuts and pure honey was very high among Chinese buyers while his company targets foreign customers in Hainan and other areas of China for the sale of Basmati rice.

According to a local government official, Haikou Fullsing Internet Industrial Park focuses on the development of digital trade, smart Internet of things, financial technology, international innovation and headquarters economy, and human resources of the 4+2 industrial ecological chain.

The park has been recognized as a national science and technology business incubator, a national offshore innovation and entrepreneurship base for overseas talents, and a national cultural export base.

It has also been listed as China Hainan Human Resources Service Industry and China (Haikou) Entrepreneurship Park for returned overseas students.

At present, the park gathers Alibaba, ByteDance, Xiaomi Group, Schneider, Tesla and other Fortune 500 enterprises.
In 2021, the park’s revenue was placed among the ‘100 billion Yuan Club’, ranking second in the 2021 Hainan Free Trade Port’s 11 key parks assessment.

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Baligh ur-Rehman has congratulated the CEO of Guard Agricultural Research and Services, Shahzad Ali Malik, on the development of two new high-quality varieties of rice in the private sector.

The governor emphasized that the government will fully support and encourage the private sector to develop new varieties of seeds for all crops, as agriculture is the backbone of the national economy.

He also said that to achieve food self-sufficiency, a high provincial seed committee has been formed to help evolve new best-quality seeds for bumper crops, under the explicit direction of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

Malik expressed his gratitude to the governor for congratulating him, and informed that the Punjab Seed Council has approved two new varieties of rice, Guard 101 and Guard 102, after the successful completion of the thorough process. These “Open Pollinated” extra long grain rice varieties ensure a 20-25 percent higher per-acre yield with maturity within 90 days of sowing.

He also highlighted that the new varieties have high export potential and are attractive for farmers due to the low cost and higher per-acre yield.

Malik also mentioned that they have been engaged in rice seed research since 1989 in collaboration with China in the private sector without any government support. They have already successfully developed 5 hi-tech hybrid rice seed varieties that suit the country’s climate and give better production.

They are also conducting research and development on cotton and wheat hybrid seeds in collaboration with Chinese academic institutes and hope to make a breakthrough in the near future.

QUETTA: Balochistan will start the distribution of free rice seeds and other equipment among farmers in four districts after Eidul Fitr.

Talking to reporters on Saturday, agriculture department Secretary Umaid Ali Khokhar said that with the help of a $5m grant from the Asian Development Bank, the government will provide free rice seeds and other agricultural machinery to the farmers in Sohbatpur, Jafarabad, Nasirabad and Jhal Magsi.

He said the agriculture department was using all available resources for the development of the agriculture sector and to facilitate the farmers.

Mr Khokhar said the monsoon rains in Balochistan in 2022 caused a damage of over Rs300 billion to the agriculture sector.

The agriculture department launched a campaign for free supply of wheat seeds in September and October last year to provide relief to the farmers and to help them get them back on their feet.

The secretary said that despite severe financial difficulties, the provincial government made the arrangements for free supply of wheat seeds and a committee, headed by the district commissioner in each district, overlooked the transparent distribution and access to wheat seeds.

“Over 381,500 sacks of best wheat seeds worth 2.2 billion were procured from Punjab and distributed free of cost among farmers in 34 districts of the province,” Mr Khokhar noted. He claimed that due to this initiative, there has been a record production of wheat in Balochistan this year.

The secretary said the wheat requirement of Balochistan was 1.5m tonnes while 1.6m tonnes of wheat has been produced.In response to a question, he added that after the 2022 floods, the Asian Development Bank announced a loan of $15m for the province.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2023

Peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) denounced the National Food Authority’s (NFA) proposal to import at least 330,000 metric tons of rice in hopes of addressing the projected shortage in local rice production.

For KMP, the national government’s solution heading towards this projected deficit should not be to import but to support local farmers instead.

“The first order of the Department of Agriculture and NFA should be to help farmers increase their productivity to achieve targeted rice production and augment the rice buffer stock,” said KMP Chairman Emeritus Rafael Mariano in a press statement on Friday, April 14.

To provide context, Malacañang on Thursday, April 13, said NFA is proposing this scheme to “cover an expected deficit in the country’s buffer stock for the relief operations of various agencies in the event of calamities this year.”

Farmers sun-drying palay (Photo courtesy of KMP)

“The NFA pushing for rice importation is a great disservice to farmers and Filipinos,” Mariano said, adding that this proposal opposes the administration’s declaration that the domestic rice supply is sufficient.

In order to boost the Philippine rice industry and help alleviate the suffering of small-scale Filipino farmers, KMP urged the administration to increase local palay procurement to at least 20 percent.

“The NFA must regain the upper hand in buying and selling of rice to influence rice retail prices that are now heavily manipulated by rice traders and importers,” Mariano furthered.

MANILA, Philippines — The National Food Authority (NFA) is pushing for the importation of 330,000 metric tons of rice in anticipation of a deficit in the country’s buffer stock this year, Malacañang said yesterday.

A Palace statement quoted agriculture officials as saying that the proposed buffer stock of rice is equivalent to nine days of national consumption from July 2023 onwards.

The proposal would also ensure enough volume for calamity and relief requirements from July to December this year, the statement added.

“The NFA is proposing the importation of 330,000 MT of rice to cover an expected deficit in the country’s buffer stock for the relief operations of various agencies in the event of calamities this year,” the Presidential Communications Office statement said.

“Given the NFA’s budgetary constraints, the agency expects its buffer stocks will decrease to less than 500,000 sacks by July 2023, which is equivalent to less than a day of public consumption,” it added.

Under the NFA’s proposed rice importation strategy, rice importation arrangement can be undertaken through government-to-government transactions, either through the Office of the President or its designated agency.

Republic Act 1203 or the Rice Tariffication Law has scrapped the regulatory and import licensing issuance functions of the NFA and reduced its mandate to emergency buffer stocking of rice purchased solely from local farmers, and allowed the private sector to freely import rice subject to a tariff.

At Malacañang where he met with agriculture officials, Marcos, who chairs the NFA Council, said, “It seems that our situation is good. We will not lack rice. We are looking at ways to control the prices of rice so it won’t increase that much.”

KARACHI: Agro and Food Division of TDAP organized an interactive session with the exporters of rice regarding registration of authorized users for Basmati GI on 13th April 2023.

The session was attended by more than 50 rice exporters including Chairman and Senior Vice Chairman REAP.

During the session the exporters were briefed about the procedure to get the registration of Basmati Rice as authorized user. In this regard, GSP section of TDAP has been assigned the task to receive the applications from Rice exporters /Growers and issue consent for onward submission to Registrar IPO.GSP section of TDAP will start receiving of application from 14th April 2023.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Top rice exporters saw rates for the staple grain advance this week on increased orders, while Bangladesh raised the price it will offer farmers for the upcoming season’s crop in an effort to keep domestic prices stable.

Bangladesh, which buys rice from local farmers to ensure a support price, build stocks for state welfare programmes and meet emergency needs, will raise prices to 44 taka ($0.41) a kilogram, up from 40 taka ($0.38) a year ago, the food minister said on Thursday.

The government will buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice from local farmers starting from May 7 to Aug. 31.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $385-$392 per tonne this week, up from last week’s $383-$389 range, helped by an appreciation in the rupee.

“Demand is rising. Buyers are giving preference to India since prices are lower than Thailand and Vietnam,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice was offered at $465-$470 per tonne, up from $460 per a week ago.

“Demand for Vietnamese rice remains strong while the country’s exports in the first quarter rose strongly,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

Government data released earlier this week showed Vietnam exported 1.85 million tonnes of rice in the January-March period, up 23.4% from a year earlier. The Philippines and China remained Vietnam’s largest rice buyers in the first quarter, according to the data.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices rose to $485-$490 a tonne from $480-$482 in the previous week.

“Exporters are rushing to buy rice to satisfy orders coming from places like Indonesia,” said a Bangkok-based trader.

Domestic supply is also tightening because it was the end of the season and more supply would come in by June and July, he added.

MANILA: The Philippines’ National Food Authority (NFA) has proposed importing 330,000 tonnes of rice to cover an expected deficit in its buffer stock, as the government seeks to curb the cost of the staple grain and limit upward pressure on inflation.

The state grains agency needs to beef up its buffer stocks for emergency relief operations, but ramping up its purchases from local farmers could push domestic prices higher, the presidential palace said in a statement on Friday.

Domestic rice prices have crept higher, with the cheapest variety now selling at 36-44 pesos ($0.65-$0.80) per kilogramme, up from 35-38 pesos at the start of the year, government data showed.

Inflation eased in March to 7.6%, but was still well outside the official 2%-4% target.

The government is now looking at non-monetary measures to address price pressures, while the central bank has signalled a pause in interest rate hikes.

The Philippines’ year-end rice inventory is estimated at 1.69 million tonnes, equivalent to a 45-day buffer stock, just half of the ideal 90-day stock needed to stabilise prices, the statement said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who is also the agriculture secretary, said he was looking at “all measures” to curb rice prices.

“We will plan if there’s a need to import, to extend and increase the NFA’s buffer stock, which is already too low,” he said. The NFA is seeking a government-to-government arrangement for the rice importation.

At present, only private traders are allowed to import rice, while the NFA’s function has been limited to stocking of the emergency buffer.

Under the law, however, the presidential office or its designated agency can decide to bring in rice for NFA’s stockpiling.

The Philippines is one of the world’s biggest rice buyers, usually importing most of its requirements from Vietnam. It also buys some volumes from Thailand, India and other producers in Asia.

MANILA – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released to the National Food Authority (NFA) a total of PHP1,182,905,000 for the grant of a one-time rice assistance to all qualified employees and workers of national government agencies.

DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman approved the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and corresponding Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) on April 12.

"As directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we shall ensure the welfare of our government workers by giving them assistance for their household needs and, at the same time, boosting the production of our rice farmers," Pangandaman said in a news release on Thursday.

The rice assistance will benefit 1,892,648 government workers, including Job Order (JO) and Contract of Service (COS) personnel.

Administrative Order No. 2, signed by President Marcos, authorizes the grant of one-time assistance at a uniform quantity of 25 kilograms of rice to all qualified government workers/employees.

The rice assistance shall be granted to beneficiaries who are still in the government service and/or engaged by government agencies as of Nov. 30, 2022. (PNA)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Prospective Plantings report released last month indicates cotton acreage planting intentions in Arkansas fell significantly and intentions for rice and corn acreage grew.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual Prospective Plantings report published March 31 indicates planned upland cotton acreage in Arkansas fell by 25% to 480,000 acres and planned rice acreage increased by 18% to 1.3 million acres compared to the 1.11 million acres that were planted last year.

Planned corn acreage is up 810,000 acres or by 14% compared to last year; planned peanut acreage is up 6% and planned winter wheat acreage is up 5%.

Planned soybean acreage is down 4% from last year and planned oat acreage decreased by 2o%.

Farmers signaled that they intend to plant more than 7 million acres of major commodity crops like rice, soybeans and cotton, as well as other major crops in Arkansas this year.

Farmers of the district were convinced to adopt the direct-seeded rice (DSR) technique for the sowing of rice during the district-level agri-awareness camp organised under the supervision of Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Dr Narinder Benipal at the grain market of Sahnewal today.

Sahnewal MLA Hardeep Mundian said the state government was concerned about the receding water table.

“Farmers should be wise enough to adopt new techniques which are available on their doorstep today. Saving the environment should be a joint effort by the government, administration and the general public, especially farmers,” the MLA added.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik exhorted farmers to initiate a crusade against the insensitive use of water. She also congratulated all farmers whose wise decision of not burning stubble had enabled Ludhiana to reduce the menace by 50 per cent as compared to past years.

She urged growers to adopt such techniques of sowing by which could more and more water.

Joint Director, Department of Farmers Welfare and Agriculture, Dr Raj Kumar tried to persuade farmers to drift from traditional paddy sowing methods and adopt the scant water technology.

“Lowering of water table and deteriorating soil health should force us to rethink and adopt the technique of direct sowing which has far better results than the traditional methods,” he said.

Dr Benipal said the primary objective of the Agriculture Department was to provide seeds, fertilizers and pesticides of premium quality in a quick manner to farmers.

“Camps will be held at both village and block levels in the coming days to convince farmers to abandon the traditional methods of showing rice and adopt the latest DSR technology,” the CAO said.

He asked farmers to benefit themselves from various crop diversification schemes.

With a budgetary outlay of Rs 19.37 crore, this project is being jointly led by PAU, Ludhiana, and IRRI, Philippines.

A two-member delegation comprising Dr Van Schepler-Luu and Dr Jeanie from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, visited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Wednesday to deliberate on emerging research areas for rice cultivation in Punjab and other parts of the world.

This visit was a follow-up of the mega project launch of a DBT-funded project entitled “Tackling emerging diseases and insect pest problem in rice through innovative genomic approaches” at IRRI South Asia Hub held in Hyderabad on April 8. With a budgetary outlay of Rs 19.37 crore, this project is being jointly led by PAU, Ludhiana, and IRRI, Philippines.

Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, highlighted the long association of PAU with IRRI for developing rice varieties, production and protection technologies. Gosal impressed upon forming an international working group on emerging rice diseases, especially Southern Rice Black Streak Dwarf Virus, a new viral disease of rice reported by PAU for the first time in India in 2022. Dr Gosal advised the PAU and IRRI scientists to organise an international brainstorming session on this disease to frame disease management strategies during the upcoming rice season 2023.

The principal investigator of the project, Dr Jagjeet Singh Lore, who is also the principal rice pathologist, shared the project details to map rice pathogen population across the sub-continent.

A team of PAU scientists, namely Dr Dharminder Bhatia, Dr Preetinder Sarao, Dr Rupinder Kaur and Dr Mandeep Hunjan, working on rice crop will co-lead the project. This five-year project will also help to identify new sources of resistance against major rice diseases.

The scientists from IRRI appreciated the research accomplishments and legacy of PAU in the agriculture and food sector at the national and international level. They visited the research laboratories and held fruitful deliberations with Dr Ranvir Singh Gill, in-charge rice section, PAU, and other scientists working on the rice crop.

Srinagar, Apr 11: Director Extension SKUAST-K, Prof. Mohammad Makhdoomi on Tuesday said that the university has revived the traditional rice variety Mushq budij at Anantnag in South Kashmir and Keran in Kupwara.

As the paddy sowing season would be started soon, he said that the agriculture university has developed many varieties of seeds but not all of them had the desired outcome.

Over a period of time, a number of rice varieties suitable for high as well as low altitude situation, resistant to lodging, diseases and pests have been developed and the full potential of these varieties can be exploited when recommended packages of practices are adopted.

“We have also created a rice variety Shalimar rice-4, which has a productivity level of 10 tons per hectare as it is three times more productive than any national variety. We also introduced Kashmir’s Basmati rice called Shalimar Sugand,” he said.

Makhdoomi said SKUAST-K has been working for the revival of old and forgotten varieties like Mushq budij which was extinct and has worked hard for its preservation.

“We have introduced it and preserved the gene of Mushq Budij. We have revived in Anantnag and Keran sector. The farmers have also received an award of Rs 10 lakh for its promotion,” he said.

Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhary Muhammad Iqbal said the government has initiated key reforms in the agriculture sector as a matter of policy to elevate socio-economic conditions of farmers and is attempting to make them entrepreneurs par excellence.

“The cultivation of age-old traditional varieties of paddy like K-39, Chinese 1039, 1007, etc. has been successfully replaced with the high yielding varieties like SR-2, SR-3, SR-4 and SR-5 which has substantially increased the yield of paddy to the extent of 80 quintals per hectare and has maximized the farmer income,” the director said.

Global market gets attuned to 20% duty on shipments of non-basmati whites

Non-basmati rice exports during the April-February period of the 2022-23 fiscal were up nearly three per cent at 16.09 million tonnes (mt), but the shipments were lower in February by nearly six per cent.

But the underlying fact is that the Indian government stands to gain good revenue to the tune of a billion dollars in view of the export duty on the shipments as the global market has accepted the duty, besides India’s market share remaining intact.

According to data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), exports in the first 11 months of the 2022–23 fiscal were up compared with the 15.64 mt shipped out in the same period of 2021–22. In terms of value, exports fetched $5.72 billion, against $5.56 billion in the year-ago period.

Two factors to consider

However, there are two factors to consider in the data, exporters and traders say. One, shipments seemed to have been dragged a tad since September 2022 due to the Centre announcing export curbs, including imposing a 20 per cent duty on non-basmati consignments and banning fully broken rice shipments.

For example, exports in February were 1.53 lakh tonnes (lt) compared with 1.63 lt in the year-ago period. But earnings were higher at $563.88 million against $552.02 million. 

The second factor is that India holds on to its leadership in the market, with importers absorbing the duty hike.

“India will get an additional billion dollar revenue from the exports by imposing duty. With the country enjoying 45 per cent market share,  the global rice market has absorbed the impact of the Indian duty,” said BV Krishna Rao, President, The Rice Exporters Association (TREA).

In terms of rupee, rice exports should now be able to fetch the Indian government ₹8,000 crore, he said. 

Demand still strong

According to available data, rice exports region-wise in the April-February period of 2022–23 were mixed. Shipments to Bangladesh, Nepal, and South-East Asia dropped. But exports to Africa, the European Union, the Americas, and Gulf countries increased. 

According to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) New Delhi Post of the US Department of Agriculture, despite Indian imposing curbs on exports, demand for Indian rice in the global market remains strong. “Global rice prices have risen to absorb the export tax,” it said. 

The USDA’s FAS Post said Indian domestic supplies are forecast to be ample and the government is unlikely to impose additional export restrictions in the near term. 

No problem till kharif

At the same time, the Government will be reluctant to relax existing restrictions out of fears of food inflation. “While India’s export restrictions have not dampened export demand, they have generated an additional source of tax revenue for the government,” it said. 

Rao said rice exports should have no problem until November-December this year, before the new crop from competing nations such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan enter the market. 

“Pakistan might not face the problems it faced last year due to its worst flood in 61 years. Our kharif could be arriving by then. The Centre can review its export curbs based on market conditions then,” he said.

Though the Centre has banned exports of fully broken rice, it is permitting its shipments on a case-by-case basis. Recently, it permitted 3.5 lakh tonnes of consignments to Gambia and Senegal based on the Ministry of External Affairs’ recommendations. 

Improving competitiveness

“We have to see if there is a shift to white rice in a small way or other alternative before reviewing the decision on duty. But we are still improving our hold on the market despite the duty,” Rao said. 

The USDA’s FAS Post sees the export duty on Indian rice exports continuing in the near future. 

Meanwhile, India’s competitiveness in the global market has improved again over Vietnam, Thailand, and Pakistan. From being competitive by around $10 a tonne a month ago, it has improved by over $25 now. The competitiveness has improved as Indian prices have been lowered, while countries such as Vietnam and Thailand have raised their offer rates. (See table)

Rice exports are likely to be boosted by projections of a record high production of 130.83 mt this crop year, despite kharif output being affected due to a deficient monsoon in eastern parts of the country.

The central government has scrapped export duty of 20% on rice of seed quality in the husk (paddy or rough).

Officials said the duty was scrapped after review of rice stocks. The exemption will be effective from April 11.

The centre in September, 2022 had imposed an export duty of 20% on Rice in Husk (Paddy or Rough), Husked (Brown Rice) and Semi-milled or Wholly milled Rice.

This was done to lower prices of rice and to make stocks available for the domestic market.

The measures did not affect export of basmati or parboiled rice.

Finance Ministry had said that changes in India’s rice-export rules have helped keep a check on domestic prices without reducing the availability for exports.

The Centre also assured the state to approve the changes proposed by the state in the Legal Metrology rules, said Anil.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil has said that the Union government has given an assurance to the state on giving the right to choose the category of rice for distribution through ration shops.

“The central food secretary said the state will be given the option to choose from “common” or “grade A” categories of rice distributed by the Food Corporation of India,” Anil said in a statement issued after his Delhi visit.

The Centre has said that a favourable decision will be taken on the state’s request to sanction more non-subsidy kerosene. It asked the state to replace kerosene with LPG for inboard engines used in fishing boats. 

The Union government accepted the demand to sanction kerosene allocation to the state once in six months. It also accepted the state’s demand to extend the deadline to provide fortified rice through PDS to June 30. 

The Centre also assured the state to approve the changes proposed by the state in the Legal Metrology rules, said Anil.

Anticipating that rice yield and output are nearly hitting the ceiling, Vietnam is preparing for a revolution in rice farming, striving for 1 million hectares of high-quality rice.

In mid-February, a consignment of organic rice of Quang Tri Agro Product Company (QTOrganic) was exported to Germany at $1,800 per ton, a rarely seen high price.

Pham Thi Diem Le, president of QTOrganic, revealed that a partner has placed one container of 23 tons of rice for the French market.

“They want four containers of organic rice a month for the European market, but we can provide only 1-2 containers, because the rice farming area remains small,” she said.

Several days ago, ‘Com Viet Nam’ (Vietnam’s rice) hit the shelves of 4,000 supermarkets in France. The fried rice uses ST25 rice variety, which is recognized as the best rice variety in the world, and was used for a special lunch at the Japanese cabinet office.

“Vietnam’s ST25 rice is exported to Japan for $1,200 per ton. Distributors want to order 1,000 tons of rice a year to increase the retail at supermarkets,” said Nguyen Chanh Trung, deputy CEO of Tan Long Group, which spent a year making every effort to bring ST25 to the Japanese market.

This shows that Vietnam’s high-quality rice has been step by step penetrating choosy markets. However, the proportion of Vietnam’s rice entering high-end markets such as the EU, US, Japan and South Korea remains modest compared with Vietnam’s total rice export turnover.

The director of a company said that export prices to high-end markets could reach $1,000-2,000 per ton, which is much higher than the average export price of $531 per ton in the first three months of 2023. 

However, Vietnam’s rice is mostly exported to easy markets and targets low-cost market segments, so the value is not high.

In 2022, Vietnam exported 7.17 million tons worth $3.49 billion, an increase of 6.2 percent in value over 2021. 

Of this, rice exports to the Philippines in 2022 brought turnover of $1.49 billion, accounting for 42.6 percent of Vietnam’s total rice export turnover. The country has remained the biggest client of Vietnam over the last decade.

China is the second biggest consumer of Vietnam rice which bought $432.3 million in 2022, followed by the Ivory Coast ($294.6 million), Ghana ($203 million) and Malaysia ($198.9 million)

In the first three months of the year, Vietnam’s rice exports brought total revenue of $952 million.

Over the last three decades of export, rice has become a multi-billion USD export item and Vietnam has become one of the three biggest rice exporters in the world. 

However, after hitting a record high of $3.65 billion in 2011, export turnover began falling and has been flat since then.

Vietnam has to compete with a number of rivals. In the low-cost market segment, Vietnam competes with India. In the high-end market segment, Thailand and Cambodia have advantages in brands.

According to Le Thanh Tung from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the rice yield in Mekong Delta is 6.2 tons per hectare, the highest level in the world, but yield and output are close to hitting the ceiling.

Making rice more valuable

Rice is compared to a Vietnamese gem. Rice production not only aims to satisfy domestic demand and ensure food security, but also brings billions of dollars a year from exports. However, the income of rice farmers remains low.

In 2016-2022, total rice consumed was 20-25 million per annum and rice exported was 5-7 million per annum. Experts say that the time for Vietnam to strive to put out as much as possible is over, and now is the time to improve quality to increase farmers’ income, i.e. it is necessary to improve the quality of Vietnam’s rice.

MARD, institutions, enterprises and localities are discussing a plan to develop 1 million hectares of high-quality rice in association with green growth in the Mekong Delta.

The Mekong Delta is the rice granary of the country. The rice output of the area has been stable in recent years, 24-25 million tons, making up 90 percent of the country’s total rice output, bringing income to 1.5 million agriculture production households. 

However, production efficiency and farmers’ income remain low, and so is competitiveness. The plan, if implemented, is hoped to solve the problem.

MARD estimates that VND40 trillion is needed to implement the project. 

Farmers would be provided with 30 percent of the cost to buy the rice variety for the first four consecutive crops, and would be allowed to access unsecured loans of up to VND 20 million per crop (6 months).

It is expected that from now to 2025, the Mekong Delta would have 500,000 hectares of high-quality rice and farmers’ average profit would be over 35 percent. The figures would be 1 million hectares and 40 percent, respectively, by 2030.

The United States and five other ag-exporting nations have accused India of “vastly” underreporting the amount of subsidies that it provides for wheat and rice producers, fueling calls for the Biden administration to take the next step of filing a formal World Trade Organization case, our Doug Palmer writes for MA.

India is required under World Trade Organization rules to cap its agricultural subsidies at 10 percent of the total value of crop production. That’s double the 5 percent cap that developed countries such as the United States face.

In a “counter-notification” filed last week at the WTO, the United States, Australia, Canada, Paraguay, Thailand and Ukraine said India appears to have regularly provided rice subsidies that exceeded 78 percent of the value of production and wheat subsidies that exceed 65 percent of the value of production.

“It appears that India provides market price support for rice and wheat vastly in excess of what it has reported to the WTO,” the countries said.

Both the U.S. wheat and rice industry have long complained about the trade-distorting effect of India’s public stockholding programs.

“We urge USTR to take all necessary steps to ensure India brings these subsidies into compliance with their WTO commitments,” U.S. Wheat Associates President Vince Peterson said in a statement welcoming the latest counter-notification, the second such notification since 2018.

Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, echoed that call, while also praising U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai for highlighting India’s actions.

“This is further evidence that we need to pursue a formal case against India’s blatant violations with the WTO,” Boozman said.

India being one of the major players in the world rice markets can't remain untouched with the weather and other challenges that the crop faces every year

Recently, The Economist had a piece on the crisis engulfing rice production worldwide including in India, where it is one of the main staple food items consumed by a sizable chunk of the population.

The crisis at least for India, according to the article, is mainly due to erratic monsoon, falling water tables in main growing regions, excessive exploitation of soil, etc. Add to this the rising demand mainly as a feedstock for grain-based distillation, volatile prices, etc.

All these are combined together to give rice production a sense of uncertainty and risk usually not associated with the crop.

And India being one of the major players in the world rice markets can’t remain untouched with the weather and other challenges that the crop faces every year.

In India, rice is usually cultivated in around 44-45 million hectares of land both in the kharif and rabi seasons (the bulk in the kharif season) and occupies around 22-23 per cent of the gross cropped area per year.

The crop is grown in almost all parts of the country and the annual average production varies between 110-120 million tonnes per year.

It is also exported majorly and in FY23 despite a ban on exports, India might end up exporting around 17 million tonnes of non-basmati rice added to the 4.5 million tonnes of basmati rice.

“The exports growth has slowed due to the ban and import duty levied few months back,” said Vinod Kaul, executive director of All India Rice Exporters Association.

Being a crop that is heavily dependent on the southwest monsoon mostly in eastern and southern parts of the country, rice every year faces multiple challenges.

Any setback to the southwest monsoon has a very negative impact on the crop’s production mainly in those zones where irrigation facilities are limited and scant.

Poor rainfall pushes the cost of production of paddy up for the farmers and has a direct impact on per hectare income.

Though a sizable chunk of the paddy is procured by state agencies for distribution through public distribution programmes, the process of purchase is skewed in favour of a few states and regions.

However, off-late there has been a significant rise in the number of states from where Central government agencies procure rice for the central pool and states like Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Jharkhand have become the new rice bowls of India leaving Punjab and Haryana behind.

The challenge that the crop faces from uneven weather patterns and increasing impact of climate change can be addressed to some extent through modern farming techniques such as direct-seeded rice (DSR).

Rice and GHGs

Paddy farming has long been established as one of the major contributors to Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs).

Among the various techniques propagated by scientists to check the emission of GHGs from paddy, DSR is among the most common.

In DSR, rice seedlings are directly planted into the soil either manually or through machines, thus doing away with the requirement of first growing the plant in nurseries and then transplanting them into the fields both of which have to be done in fully watered conditions.

However, despite being in vogue for several years, DSR hasn’t really picked up in major growing regions of India and one complaint of many farmers is rice grown through DSR technique is that yields are sometimes lower than the traditional process of transplanting and also the crop is more prone to pests and insects as compared to usual method.”

“DSR is a good way forward as it requires less water, the soil quality is retained, saves irrigation but the downside is that it makes the plant vulnerable to pest and weed attacks and increases the cost of plant chemicals for the farmers. Also, though DSR has been in practice for several years across India, its adaptation among farmers is very low. In the last few years, area under DSR rice could have gone up due to COVID and impending labour shortage but then I suppose it has gone back,” Avinash Kishore a senior Research Fellow in the New Delhi Office of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) told Business Standard.

In Punjab, which is one of the premier rice-growing states, around 0.6 million hectares has been brought under DSR rice in the kharif season a few years back, which was among the highest so far, but just a fraction of the around 2.8 million hectares where paddy was grown in the state.

Similarly, in neighboring Haryana, the state government has been giving an incentive to farmers to shift from traditional puddling methods to DSR, but the progress has been slow.

According to a news report by the Press Trust of India (PTI) a few years back, studies have shown that rice farming across the world could be responsible for up to twice the level of climate impact relative to what was previously estimated.

The study which was conducted in India and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that intermittently flooded rice farms can emit 45 times more nitrous oxide as compared to the maximum from continuously flooded farms that predominantly emit methane, the PTI report said.

PNAS is the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and is an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans the biological, physical, and social sciences.

The researchers investigated greenhouse gas emissions from rice farms across southern India. They found that nitrous oxide emissions from rice can contribute up to 99 per cent of the total climate impact of rice cultivation at a variety of intermittently flooded farms.

“These emissions contributed substantially to global warming pollution — far more than the estimate of 10 per cent previously suggested by multiple global rice research organisations,” the report said, quoting researchers who have worked on the study.

Studies show that growing rice is also resource-intensive. Rice cultivation covers 11 per cent of the Earth’s arable land and consumes one-third of irrigation water.

DSR Rice and Research

It is here that the role of research bodies, companies, and scientific institutions becomes crucial: to develop DSR rice varieties that do not lead to excessive use of plant chemicals while at the same retain the beneficial qualities of normal rice and consume less water.

For the last few years, scientists at the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are working on a cross-country project in India to develop and commercialise DSR rice varieties, which not only give higher yields as compared to the traditional puddling method but are also resistant to pests’ attacks.

The varieties being tested in various agro-climatic zones across Asia not only germinate quickly in extremely dry conditions but also give a yield of around 4-5.5 tonnes per hectare.

And, if the same variety is grown through puddling, the yield level goes up even further to almost 7 tonnes per hectare, the researchers claim.

The cross-country trials are being conducted across 29 sites in Asia and Africa including India. In India, the first trials are currently close to harvest in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha.

Global agriculture companies like Bayer are also developing DSR seeds that carry all the goodness of normal rice and are not overtly susceptible to pests.

The geographical indication (GI) tag is about recognising a country's unique crop and origin of the genome of the crop giving a brand identity as well as identity to the country of origin. From this point of view, it is extremely important to safeguard the brand identity of the country of origin. Granting a GI tag is not meant for politically balancing the claims and cross claims.

India is the largest rice producer after China, i.e., it is ranked second in the list of top 10 producers while Pakistan is at eighth position.

India's total rice production is estimated at about 130 million tonne as against about 112 million tonne of wheat, making it the leading foodgrain producer in the world. As far as Basmati rice is concerned, India and Pakistan are the two largest producers, followed by Nepal, Iran, and the United States. But the fact But the fact should never be forgotten that India accounts for over 70 per cent of the Basmati rice production.

The top three exporters of Basmati rice are India with 783,151 shipments followed by Pakistan with 28,884 and China at the third spot with 5,278 shipments. Thus, on the principle of primacy the GI tag is well-deserved by India.

India is ahead of all other Basmati rice producing countries in terms of varieties and quality. So far India has 34 identified varieties of Basmati rice including Basmati 217, Basmati 370, Type 3 (Dehraduni Basmati), Punjab Basmati, Kasturi, Mahi Sugandha, Pusa Basmati, etc.

These varieties are evidence of the agro-climatic suitability of northern and western India for the Basmati crop. We could say that Basmati is God-gifted to India and probably this is the reason that in almost all religious and cultural ceremonies, Basmati rice is one of the major presences in rituals as well as menu, right from birth, marriage celebrations of life and death.

Politics with GI tag erodes the credibility of global institutions which decide about it. The way the issue of Basmati rice is being politicised in Europe and Oceania is not desirable. India is the natural choice for the award of GI for Basmati rice. (ANI)

ISLAMABAD:

Parliamentary Secretary for National Food Security and Research Ahmad Raza Maneka on Friday said the rice crop production was in surplus despite flood devastation.

Responding to a query of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) MNA, Ghous Bux Khan Maher during the Question Hour of the 51st session of the National Assembly, he said the wheat stocks were properly stored and preserved from damages during the 2022 floods.

However, the rice production was 5.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) against the local consumption of 3.8MMT last year, he added.

Maher posed the question that what measures the government had taken to enhance rice crop yield as the production had declined to one-third?

MNA Wajiha Qamar of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also queried that what measures were being taken to ensure climate-resistant crops adaptable to shifting weather patterns amid prevailing growing environmental degradation and climate change?

Maneka responded that innovative methods of farming, hybrid seeds and farmers' training could only ensure increase in crop yield. He said the latest methods and techniques of crop cultivation were the only remedy that was being imparted to the farmers.

MNA Salahuddin demanded of the housing ministry to provide details related to plots allotted to 16 employees of Grade-16 and above of the ministry. He added that the ministry should also clarify that either any of these officials were awarded more than one plot.

Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Works Syed Mehmood Shah said the 16 employees of the ministry were not yet allotted plots but rather it was announced, whereas none of them availed dual plots in this case and the possession of these plots would be given after June.

Navi Mumbai: A 21-year-old youth employed with a rice mill in Mangaon, Raigad district has been booked by the Mangaon police for cooking up a story that three men in a car had intercepted his Activa scooter and robbed him of cash worth Rs 5.57 lakh that he had collected as payment from a trader, and was taking it to the rice mill. The cops have recovered the entire cash from the youth.
Rajendra Patil, senior inspector of Mangaon police station said, "The arrested accused Pratham Parawe, resides in Chinchavali Wadi in Goregaon area of Mangaon taluka. On March 31, Parawe's employer had sent him to a customer in the Mhasala area to collect a payment of Rs 5.57 lakh. Parawe went there on his scooter and later lodged a complaint at Mangaon police station that while returning with the cash as he reached Morba ghat on the Pune-Dighi port road, three men following him in a white coloured Maruti Swift waylaid his scooter and threatening to harm him. They forcibly snatched his back-pack containing the cash and sped away. Accordingly, we registered a robbery case under IPC section 392 against the three unidentified men. After visiting the crime spot and scanning CCTV footage along the Morba ghat, and the entire Pune-Dighi port road, we did not find any white Maruti Swift following Parawe's scooter. That’s when we suspected foul play. Thereafter, Parawe was summoned to the police station and questioned as to why he had switched off his cellphone while returning with the cash, to which he gave an evasive reply. When grilled, Parawe confessed that he had cooked up a robbery story and had himself stolen his employer's cash as he wanted to buy a new car."
Inspector Patil added, "The accused has been booked under IPC section 408 for criminal breach of trust. Since the offence attracts a punishment of less than seven years, Parawe has not been arrested but served a notice under the provisions of criminal procedure code directing him to cooperate in the investigation. We have also have recovered the Rs 5.57 lakh that was misappropriated by Parawe, hence his police custody was not sought."

Farmer indebtedness rises further

Farmers and farming are under pressure due to soaring cultivation and living costs amid a fear of heavy rains and floods that usually occur in summer and damage crops.

Many cultivators, burdened with high-interest loans due to years of low prices and disastrous weather events, fell into further indebtedness for taking high-interest loans to cope with the economic crisis not seen in years.

Farmers and farming are under pressure due to soaring cultivation and living costs amid a fear of heavy rains and floods that usually occur in summer and damage crops.

Many cultivators, burdened with high-interest loans due to years of low prices and disastrous weather events, fell into further indebtedness for taking high-interest loans to cope with the economic crisis not seen in years.

‘I will need to irrigate and fertilise my rice fields another round before the harvest,’ said Arman, who could not clear his debt from the past year from another lender.     

In the six months until February, according to a recent study, the average household expenditure increased by 13 per cent, making the job of growing crops all the more difficult for millions of poverty-stricken farmers, said agricultural economists and agriculturists.

About 90 per cent of Bangladesh’s nearly two crore farmers are smallholders, many of them owning no land at all, representing the section of people who are overwhelmingly depending — three in every four — on loans to cope with the rising inflation.

The cost of every agricultural input — seed, fertiliser, pesticide, labour and irrigation – went up substantially, said government agricultural officers, research bodies and farmers, raising the fear of driving farmers to non-rice crop cultivation requiring less inputs.

‘The strange thing about Bangladesh’s farmers is that they never fail to cultivate. But there is a limit to farmers’ ability,’ Saiful Islam, agricultural economist, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, told New Age on Monday.

Despite a dramatic rise in all expenses, the boro cultivation target — which was about 50 lakh hectares — was achieved, he said.

‘But farmers must take home their full harvest. A natural disaster or any other disruptions could be unbearable for many farmers,’ said Saiful.

The weather this year has so far acted far better than expected, but frequent power cuts affected irrigation intervening in the cultivation. 

Farming, particularly rice farming, is labelled a losing business for growers, who consistently adopt innovative ways such as migrating to cities during the lean season to work as rickshaw pullers for additional income for subsidising their farming.

But farming became further challenging after the electricity price was increased three times and the gas price once since January.

The cultivation of boro, accounting for about 60 per cent of the country’s some 4-crore-tonne rice production, relies heavily on irrigation with water lifted by electric pumps and urea fertiliser produced using natural gas.

According to the Rangpur division agricultural extension office, boro cultivation cost saw an average increase of Tk 5,000 per bigha in the eight northern districts under the division.

‘The government provided 25,000 farmers with free seeds and fertiliser to help them cope with cost shocks,’ said Mahtab Uddin, additional director, DAE, Rangpur, home to more than 26 lakhs farmers, on Saturday.

For growing boro in each bigha of land, a farmer in the region spent Tk 13,600 this year, following an increase of about Tk 5,000 in the cultivation cost, compared to the past year.

The cost of irrigating one bigha of land climbed to Tk 1,500 this year from Tk 1,200 spent in the past year. The Rangpur division agricultural extension office estimated that farmers in the north would have to spend Tk 17 crore extra for irrigation.

The cost of a kilogram of seed, on the other hand, rose to Tk 350 from Tk 200, according to the Rangpur divisional office of the Agricultural Extension Department.

Compared to the past year, fertiliser cost per bigha increased by Tk 1,500 while pesticide cost went up by Tk 400, among others expenses, including those for labour and mechanised grinding and harvesting.

The production cost of a kilogram of boro paddy increased by nearly 10 per cent, according to an estimate of the BRRI, to Tk 30.70 from Tk 28.11 a year ago.

‘The prices of rice and its byproducts such as broken rice and rice hulls will increase as well, increasing cattle-rearing cost,’ said Saiful Islam.

The Department of Agricultural Marketing, however, estimated the production cost of a kilogram of boro paddy to be Tk 28.40, up from Tk 26.52 in the past year.

The DAM estimated the price of a kilogram of rice to be Tk 41.82 this year, up from the past year’s price of Tk 39.03.

The price of a kilogram of wheat has been estimated to go up by 9 per cent to Tk 30.93 this year from the past year’s Tk 28.33.

The Department of Agricultural Extension, which has its estimate of the production cost of rice, did not share the estimate.

‘The increase in expense is normal, particularly when the country is undergoing rapid development,’ said Badal Chandra Biswas, director general, DAE, on Sunday.

Agriculturists predicted that high expenses could encourage rice storage. Farmers generally store 40 per cent of their output for their consumption.

‘Farming cost just doubled but it is not reflected in the official account,’ said Ainal Haque, a farmer at Bara Bari, Sadar upazila, Rangpur.

Farmers in the north-eastern haor region, where a fifth of the country’s boro paddy is grown, are worriedly waiting to start reaping their paddy in days, before flash floods strike.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned about a brief flood in the northeast at the end of this month. Boro harvest in the haor region could take a month to complete. 

Agriculture, providing employment for 55 per cent of the country’s workforce and accounting for 12 per cent of the GDP, is crucial in holding Bangladesh’s economy together and it played a vital role in tackling the Covid pandemic.

‘All subsidies should be diverted to agriculture,’ said Abdul Bayes, who taught economics at Jahangirnagar University, on Tuesday.

Adding that inflation could be as high as 20 per cent in places, Bayes advised the government to increase rice procurement from farmers and ensure legitimate prices.

‘Agriculture has to be saved,’ he said.

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce told a Senate panel on Friday that the European Union has not given any preferential access to Indian basmati rice.

Replying to lawmakers’ questions during a meeting of the Senate Committee for Commerce, the ministry’s secretary said that at present, Pakistan was exporting more basmati rice to European markets than India.

Basmati rice is a shared production of India and Pakistan. In the recent past, it became a source of a contentious trade battle between the two nations after India applied for an exclusive trademark that would grant it sole ownership of the basmati title in the European Union.

The secretary, Sualeh Ahmed Farooqui, said the EU had yet to make any progress

on the request while Australia has also rejected a similar request from India. Legal proceedings are still ongoing in the United States, he added.

The meeting of the parliamentary committee also criticised the persistent absence of Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar from meetings.

At the outset of the meeting, Senator Danesh Kumar said the minister was asked to appear for questions from senators. He later walked out of the meeting to register his protest.

The committee’s chairman, Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, said ministers should give importance to parliamentary committees and ensure their participation. Otherwise, the issue will be raised with the Senate chairman.

Senator Faisal Javed raised the issue of royalties to artists. He said Pakistani artists had the right to get a royalty for their art aired on government and private electronic media.

He complained that even the state-run PTV was not providing royalties to artists for streaming their old dramas and music.

The chairman of the Intellectual Property Organisation, an attached department of the commerce ministry, told the committee that a law was being drafted for the protection of artists’ rights.

He added that feedback has been sought from stakeholders on the draft which will be shared soon with the standing committee.

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Chief Executive Officer Zubair Motiwala briefed the committee on export diversification efforts and increasing exports to Africa.

He said TDAP wanted to promote the export of dates, pink salt, and mangoes which have now been registered under Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

Efforts are being made to increase the export of seafood as well, he added.

Briefing on the efforts to boost trade, the commerce secretary told the meeting that a grand exhibition was organised in Dubai while the private sector was being supported by the commerce ministry to participate in an exhibition held in Germany.

The committee was informed that 197 international trade fairs and 10 local trade fairs were organised during the last four years to promote exports.

Bushra Rehman of the Canada-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce infor­med the committee that Pakistan’s single-country exhibition would being held in North America in August. A total of 57 Pakistani companies will participate in this exhibition. The exhibition needed more support from the ministry and TDAP, she added.

The commerce secretary told the meeting that the production of dates has been greatly affected due to last year’s floods.

He said 300,000 tons of dates were exported annually, but this year only 5pc of them will be exported. The committee’s chairman said that the export capacity of the country should be prepared and provided to the committee in the next meeting by preparing a report on our current situation and comparison with different countries.

The weekly inflation, measured by Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 0.92pc to jump to 44.49pc on a year-on-year basis for the week ended on April 6, according to a report issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The combined index was at 252.06 compared to 249.75 on March 30, 2023, while the index was recorded at 174.45 a year ago, on April 07, 2022.

Out of the 51 monitored items, the average price of 27 items increased, 7 items decreased whereas 17 items registered no change during the week.

During the week under review, the items whose prices increased the most compared to the previous year were Chicken (15.87%), Sugar (13.48%), Potatoes (5.11%), Bananas (4.95%).

PBS data noted decrease in prices of Tomatoes (14.96%), Onions (12.66%), LPG (3.73%), Pulse Gram (1.20%), Vegetable Ghee 2.5 Kg (0.71%), Garlic (0.16%) and Mustard Oil (0.03%).

The items whose prices increased the most over the same week a year ago were Cigarettes (165.88%), Wheat Flour (131.72%), Gas Charges for Q1 (108.38%), Diesel (102.84%), Eggs (98.34%), Tea Lipton (97.63%), Rice Basmati Broken (84.92%), Bananas (82.23%), Petrol (81.17%), Rice Irri-6/9 (80.61%), Pulse Moong (68.14%), Potatoes (65.95%), Pulse Mash (56.70%) and Onions (55.75%), while decrease is observed in the prices of Tomatoes (50.39%) and Chillies Powdered (6.48%)

New Delhi: A total of 269 districts in 27 states have started distributing fortified rice under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), achieving a 100% target set for phase II by March 2023 in Rice Fortification Programme, food secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, he said that about 105 lakh tonnes of fortified rice was lifted in the second phase, which focussed on 27 states for PDS rice distribution.

In addition to this, about 29 lakh tonnes was lifted by states, as well as for the integrated child development service (ICDS) and PM POSHAN programme in the second phase, taking the total quantity of fortified rice lifted in 2022-23 to 134 lakh tonnes, he said.

Now, under the third phase, the department is geared up to complete the coverage of all remaining districts excluding wheat-consuming ones before the targeted date of March 2024, Chopra said.

In addition to this, about 29 lakh tonnes was lifted by states, as well as for the integrated child development service (ICDS) and PM POSHAN programme in the second phase, taking the total quantity of fortified rice lifted in 2022-23 to 134 lakh tonnes, he said.

Now, under the third phase, the department is geared up to complete the coverage of all remaining districts excluding wheat-consuming ones before the targeted date of March 2024, Chopra said.

The cumulative annual fortified rice kernel manufacturing capacity has increased more than 18 folds from 0.9 lakh tonne in August 2021to 17 lakh tonne.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – This week, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) filed its second “counter notification” on India’s rice and wheat subsidies to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Committee on Agriculture.

itp-map-of-india-230406 image
Called out

The counter notification details the flaws in India’s notification methodology, which obscures the true level of subsidies it provides. The submission was co-sponsored by Australia, Canada, Paraguay, Thailand, and Ukraine, demonstrating the global impact of India’s trade-distorting subsidies.

The measure estimates that if India correctly calculated the level of support they provide to their rice farmers through domestic subsidies that they would be at 78.6 percent of the market value in 2014/15, and up to 93.9 percent in 2020/21, compared to the 10 percent limit India agreed to when it joined the WTO.

USA Rice has long called on the Biden Administration, and preceding administrations, to file a dispute settlement case against India’s domestic support for rice because of the trade distorting impacts on the U.S. and the rest of the world’s markets.

Due to India’s actions to stimulate rice production, U.S. rice farmers, and rice farmers throughout the world, are forced to sell their crop at a lower cost, bringing back less assistance to their own rural communities. The artificially low-priced Indian rice impacts every continent, and India is projected to break their own export record again this year.

The U.S. filed the WTO Committee on Agriculture’s first ever counter notification in 2018 (see USA Rice Daily, May 10, 2018), also against India’s rice and wheat subsidies, leading to India’s more regular notification of support for rice in each year since. The 2018 counter notification was submitted just by the United States.

“We commend USTR on filing this counter-notification and moving us closer toward a dispute settlement case against India,” said Bobby Hanks, Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee. “It is important to note that other key governments – including developing countries – are also clearly alarmed by the growing economic damage caused by India’s behavior.”

This strategic move by the United States comes on the heels of India’s 2022 notification where they admitted to providing $7.55 billion to their rice farmers last year, a figure equivalent to 15.2 percent of its overall value of production. Once again, India used the cloak of food security to justify their over-subsidization.

MUMBAI/ HANOI/ BANGKOK/DHAKA: Indian export prices of rice edged up this week on an improvement in demand and an appreciation in rupee, while Vietnam rates are expected to remain higher on economic and political concerns.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $383 to $389 per tonne this week, up from the last week’s $380 to $385. “There was (a) broader recovery in prices of all agricultural commodities in the past few days.

It has also been helping rice prices to move higher,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Vietnam’s 5% broken rice were offered at $460 per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from a week ago.

State media cited Nguyen Ngoc Nam, chairman of Vietnam Food Association, saying rice prices will stay at high levels for the short term as global economic and political uncertainty has prompted countries to raise their food reserves.

Vietnam’s central bank had said earlier this week that it is under pressure to support economic growth while keeping the banking system and the foreign exchange market stable.

Traders said Vietnam’s rice shipments are estimated at 6.5-6.7 million tonnes this year, down from 7.1 million tonnes last year.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $480 to $482 per tonne, from last week’s $475 to $482. “Domestic prices are high as we approach the end of the harvesting season and there’s lower supply,” a Bangkok-based trader said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank in its latest report noted “the price for coarse rice remains volatile, but Bangladesh had a favourable Boro harvest, and public granaries are being restocked.”

HANOI (Xinhua): Vietnam's rice exports surged 30.2 per cent to US$952 million in the first quarter, its highest level in the past 12 years, due mainly to significant gains in prices and expanded demand, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Vietnam recorded a 19.3 percent year-on-year increase in its rice shipments in the January-March period to 1.8 million tons, the General Statistics Office reported.

The average export price in the January-March period is estimated at $531 per tonne, up 9.2 per cent from a year before, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade, surpassing Thai prices by $15-27 and Indian ones by $40-50.

Data compiled by the Vietnam Food Association showed Vietnamese rice export prices have been on a rising trend since late last year.

Prices of Vietnam's 5-per cent broken rice quoted at $468-472 per tone as of the end of March, up 5.6 per cent from February, while premium-grade jasmine rice rose about two per cent to $548-552 per tonne.

As buyers from the Philippines, China and Africa continue building up their inventories, Vietnam's rice exports are expected to grow further this year.

“Takes no account of current plight of rice farmers in Rakhine State”

The Minister of Commerce, U Aung Naing Oo, announced that the exportation of rice grown in Rakhine State to Bangladesh will be allowed to be increased.

According to Military Council-controlled newspapers on April 4th, the Minister confirmed that a shipment of 200,000 tons of rice in total, including 2,500 tons grown in Rakhine State, has already been exported to Bangladesh.

Additionally, the Minister expressed plans for more rice exports from Rakhine State to Bangladesh in the future.

On April 3rd, during a meeting of the Working Committee on Social Economic Development in the Rakhine Region, the Minister delivered that statement at the meeting hall of the Ministry of Commerce in Naypyidaw. However the Minister did not elaborate on how many more tons of rice will be allowed to be exported.

U Khin Maung Gyi, Vice President of Rakhine Economic Initiative Public Co., Ltd (REIC), commented that granting the permission to export rice produced in Rakhine State via Sittwe will prove to be beneficial for the local farmers and millers.

“Currently the majority of rice produced in Rakhine State is stuck within the domestic market, with most of it being exported to Yangon and regions bordering China. After subtracting general and travel expenses, the profit for Rakhine rice traders is often lower than expected. However, if the rice grown in Rakhine is permitted to be exported to Bangladesh or India, which are closer, stronger business opportunities will emerge, ultimately benefiting Rakhine State. That’s my opinion”, he told Narinjara.

U Khin Maung Gyi cautioned, “On the other hand due to the low inventory of rice held by farmers, these opportunities may result in greater benefits for rice entrepreneurs than for the farmers themselves.”

According to the Arakan Farmers’ Union, the last rice planting season in Rakhine State saw a decrease in rice yield of approximately 40 percent, as only 800,000 acres of land were able to be planted, due to the increased cost of importing fuel and other raw materials.

A Pauktaw farmer provided a good insight into the real situation on the ground commenting , “The rice that we are able to grow and produce was barely sufficient for our own consumption,

leaving us with no surplus to sell. After factoring in the expenses of labor hire, fuel, and fertilizer, there is almost no profit remaining. The remaining rice is solely meant for subsistence.”

Bangladesh and Myanmar governments were able to sign a memorandum of understanding to facilitate rice trading between the neighboring countries, on September 7th, 2017.Following the signing of the memorandum of understanding, Myanmar exported a total of 200,000 tons of rice, which included 2500 tons produced by Rakhine State, to Bangladesh.

For higher production, farmers have turned to a few high-yielding varieties, despite having around 1,000 indigenous varieties that have better adaptive quality amid changing climatic patterns

Salinity intrusion triggered by different factors, including sea-level rise, commercial shrimp cultivation and a decrease in water flow from transboundary rivers upstream, has directly affected agriculture in the southern coastal districts of Bangladesh — some of which are also major producers of rice, the national staple.

Government agencies have been desperately trying to invent and promote high-salinity-tolerant paddy varieties, with some degree of success. However, there are no evident shifts in agricultural patterns, as traditional paddy growers generally switch to other saline-friendly crops, or different professions, when faced with difficulties in growing rice.

Yet one man — who surprisingly lives in one of the worst salinity-hit areas in Bangladesh — stands out as a stark exception.

As traditional paddy farmers in his area are switching to other crops, Sirajul Islam, a middle-aged farmer from Shyamnagar Upazila in Satkhira, has been collecting and preserving seeds of indigenous salinity-tolerant paddy breeds. So far, he has collected a staggering 218 different varieties of paddy. He does not just collect the seeds; he also encourages fellow farmers to cultivate them.

“Once, I had to travel 100 kilometers [60 miles] to collect a particular kind of seed. I took the trouble because I heard it could significantly resist salinity,” Sirajul said.

Many of these paddy varieties were nearly out of use, as farmers in recent decades leaned heavily toward high-yielding varieties. That makes Sirajul’s seed bank even more important.

Usually, after collecting a particular kind of seed, he cultivates it on a small piece of land. If the results are good, he recommends it to his fellow farmers.

“I have cultivated some varieties on shrimp beds to check their ability to withstand salinity. The salinity level in shrimp beds is often as high as 20 dS/m [deciSiemens per meter, the measurement for salinity],” he said.

To promote indigenous paddy varieties, Sirajul formed a voluntary organization called Sheba Songothon. The organization now has 197 members, all farmers from the Haibatout and Nakipur villages in the Shyamnagar Upazila.

The rise of Sirajul Islam and many others across the country is the result of the Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK)’s farmer-led rice breeding initiative, which is empowering farmers through capacity building, to revive confidence in solving seed-related problems on their own and break the monopoly of scientists over science.

Since 2005, BARCIK, a nongovernmental development organization, has collected 653 (as of 2020) rice landraces from farmers, from different parts of the country, which are regrown during different seasons to keep them alive. These are also used for farmer-led rice breeding as well.

As a result of hybridization through breeding undertaken by these farmers, 88 breeding lines are under the selection process for distribution to the farmers at four agroecological zones in Bangladesh.

“We are treating this approach as a nonformal, problem-solving, on-farm research, which is designed, executed, managed and led by farmers to explore location-specific adaptive indigenous crop varieties (landraces) for minimizing production cost (agrochemicals), as well as ensuring diversity,” said Pavel Partha, director of BARCIK.

Bihar's famous 'Marcha Rice' which is known for its aroma and palatability was awarded the Geographical Indication tag, according to the GI registry. Marcha is a short indigenous cultivar of rice found in West Champaran district of Bihar. By its size and shape, its grain appears like black pepper so it is known as 'Mircha' (pepper in Hindi) or 'Marcha Rice'.

The Journal of GI Registry said it has accepted the application seeking the GI tag for the rice.

A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

"It (the rice) is also known as Mircha, Marchaiya, Marichaetc locally. Plants, grains and flakes have a unique aroma that makes it different," said the journal.

Expressing happiness over the development, Bihar agriculture minister told PTI: "This will further boost the production of Marcha Rice. It will also help farmers, engaged in the cultivation of Marcha rice, get a decent price for their produce".

The major growing areas of Marcha rice include Mainatand, Gaunaha, Narkatiyaganj, Ramnagar and Chanpatiya blocks of West Champaran district.

Rice prices expected to rise by up to P5 on reduced imports 

THE RETAIL price of rice is expected to rise by up to P5 this year due to lower import volume, according to a Department of Agriculture (DA) official. 

“For now, we are seeing a maximum (increase) of P5 per kilo. But (thanks to government action) maybe it won’t go that high,” DA Deputy Spokesperson Rex C. Estoperez said in a briefing Tuesday. 

As of March 30, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) estimated that the volume of imported rice landed in the country fell 16.20% year-on-year to 360,196.175 metric tons (MT). 

Under Republic Act No. 111203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, private parties may import rice without restriction, though incoming shipments of Southeast Asian grain must pay a 35% tariff. 

Mr. Estoperez said the DA is seeking to unravel why rice inventories fell despite substantial imports last year. 

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the national rice inventory as of Jan. 1 declined 5.1% year-on-year to 1.77 million MT. 

“Nagtataka rin kami (We have been wondering why) because we had imports of 3.8 million metric tons last year. What happened to those stocks?on.” 

He said prices could be kept in check if imports of rice are fast-tracked. 

Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Executive Director Jayson H. Cainglet that the projected increase reflects higher global rice prices.  

“Precisely because of the reliance on imports, especially in the last three years, hindi natugunan yung pagtulong sa rice farmers (aid to rice farmers was not addressed), in terms of reducing their cost of producing palay (unmilled rice),” he said in a Viber message. 

According to Mr. Cainglet, the average farmgate price of palay is currently between P19 and P20 per kilogram. 

“Time and again, we have said that imports will not ‘tame high prices,’ across commodities. It is also happening in pork, chicken, sugar, fish products, and onions,” he said. 

Mr. Cainglet reiterated that the agriculture department must instead help farmers boost productivity. 

“Unless producers are encouraged to farm or raise animals; retail prices will never go down, and stocks will continue to dwindle,” he said. 

As of Tuesday, domestically-produced regular milled rice is being sold in Metro Manila at between P34 and P40 per kilo, according to DA price monitoring reports. Imported regular-milled rice prics were sellng for between P37 and P44 per kilo. 

RICE BUFFER STOCK
Rice import liberalization program has relegated the National Food Authority (NFA) to maintaining an emergency rice buffer stock, sourced from domestic farmers. 

“For now, I don’t have the figure (for rice buffer socks) pero mababa siya (but it’s low). Maybe in the next few days we will know if there’s a recommendation that the National Food Authority should import (to add to the) buffer stock,” he told reporters in response to a query about the NFA’s holdings. 

“NFA is not allowed to import under the Rice Tariffication Law, but if the buffer stock went down, (we need to find out because) we are talking about buffer stock,” he added. 

The law also allows the NFA to regularly replenish the inventory and sell to avert spoilage if it does not distribute rice in the absence of calamites.

Mr. Estoperez said that the current procurement price of rice has increased to P22 – P23 per kilo from P19 per kilo, with increaed procurement meaning increased subsidy.

“Mukhang mahirap bawiin ‘yan pag tinaas mo na (It’s hard to bring down the subsidized price if it is raised), so we’d rather suggest that the procurement price serves as an incentive because prices fluctuate every season.” – Sheldeen Joy Talavera 

TWO hundred and fifty farmers have so far been trained in rice production technologies in the Central Region to increase efforts at boosting the region’s rice production.

The training was aimed at providing technical support to farmers at the community level on rice cultivation technologies, to afford them the capacity to resolve problems experienced in rice cultivation.

The series of training began last year to help the successful completion of the Rice Value Chain project by the end of 2023.

Last Thursday, one of such training workshops comprising both theoretical and practical sessions was facilitated by seasoned experts in the rice production sector.

Ninety farmers from the Gomoa East, Assin Akropong in the Assin Fosu Municipality and Assin Breku in the Assin North districts went through the training.

The project is being funded by the Republic of South Korea, through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with the government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

The training programmes have been organised by BENDA Services Group, the local implementing partner, in partnership and under the supervision of Dankook International Cooperation on Agriculture (DICA), the RVC improvement project management consultant.

Launched in June 2021, the RVCIP is a project to improve the rice value chain in the Central Region.

The project is funded by KOICA, with the prime goal of improving the quality of life of farmers in the region through increased rice output, strengthened post-harvest management capacity, improved rice processing and packaging and strengthened capacity for farmer-based organisations, as well as marketing support.

Rice campaign

To further spread the impact of the RVCIP across the region, a subsidiary programme dubbed the “Central Region Movement for Planting One More Square Metre of Rice for the Next Generation” was launched by the Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan.

To maximise the impact of these projects, about 450 smallholder rice farmers would be trained this year to improve rice production technologies.

The practical sessions have been organised on the community demonstration plots in the nine participating project communities and the seed production field at Okyereko in the Gomoa East District.

The Project Manager, Dr Haegon Chung, said the training session was one of the local capacity development strategies lined up to enhance the knowledge and practical skills of local farmers in modern rice cultivation.

Dr Chung noted that the training was focused on enhancing the practical skills of farmers to achieve the objective of the campaign to “plant one more square meter rice for the next generation”, which was launched by Mrs Assan on February 8, 2023.

At the launch of the campaign, the KOICA Country Director, Moo Heon Kong, donated 2.5 tonnes of high quality rice seed to the minister to support the campaign and gave the assurance that the necessary technical assistance would be offered to achieve the objective of the campaign.

He indicated that the RVCIP was implemented in five beneficiary districts in the Central Region, including Gomoa East, Assin Fosu North, Assin South and Twifo Morkwa in 2021 and 2022.

“The training was therefore the fulfilment of the country director’s promise,” he said.

After nearly a decade of research and development, Cambodia and Australia on April 5 jointly announced the official launch of a new fragrance rice variety named Champei Sar 70 (CPS 70) to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

CPS 70 was born of close collaboration between the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Australian government, following nine years of studies and 80 on-farm trials in both dry and rainy seasons. The cultivar was developed from the award-winning “Phka Rumduol with CNi9024”, according to an April 5 joint press release by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh.

Agriculture minister Dith Tina and Australian ambassador Justin Whyatt jointly harvested CPS 70 during the April 5 ceremonial launch at the CARDI headquarters on the outskirts of the capital.

Tina noted that CPS 70 was named by Prime Minister Hun Sen to celebrate the two nations’ diplomatic relations, which have now turned 70.

“This new variety will significantly contribute to the diversification of fragrant rice production and the export of fragrant rice to international markets, leading to the improvement of farmers' livelihoods,” Tina was quoted as saying in the release.

Whyatt said his government takes pride in providing support for the development of CPS 70.

“I hope that farmers across Cambodia will grow CPS 70 to supply local and international markets, including Australia,” Whyatt was cited as saying in the release.

According to CARDI director Lor Bunna, CPS 70 is a non-seasonal crop that matures after three months. It is resistant to floods and drought, thereby enabling farmers to grow it two to three times per year.

“This rice variety is very beneficial for both farmers and traders. It could help farmers cut down on their expenses and efforts to take care of their rice fields. Since it is non-seasonal, traders can buy the paddy all year round,” he said.

HANOI: Rice traders have been told to keep a close watch on international markets and develop an appropriate plan that takes advantage of the opportunities presented by the Indonesian government’s plan to import two million tonnes of rice this year.

The Import Export Department under the Industry and Trade Ministry said that as Indonesia is among the major importers of Vietnamese rice, any policies, moves or market developments in that country could partly affect the exports from Vietnam.

The ministry said that Indonesia’s rice import plan provides a significant opportunity for Vietnam’s rice exporters, especially those who have previously had dealings with them.

The ministry urged domestic rice companies to increase promotions to take advantage of Indonesia’s import plan and boost exports to that market.

The ministry said Vietnam’s rice exporters, especially those supplying rice to Indonesia, should actively work with Perum Bulog, the state logistics agency in charge of basic foodstuffs, including rice.

Indonesia’s decision to import two million tonnes of rice in 2023, to double its reserve from 1.2 million tonnes, is an effort to stabilise rice prices and ensure food security, with 500,000 tonnes to be delivered “as soon as possible”.

This is the largest import during President Joko Widodo’s 10-year tenure after a decision in 2017 that brought in 1.8 million tonnes of rice.

The decision was taken after the national rice reserve of Indonesia fell from one million tonnes in early 2022 to 230,000 tonnes in March, much below the safe threshold required at 1.5 million tonnes.

Indonesia plans to purchase 70% of the reserve of 2.4 million tonnes of the major harvest crop from February until April.

The paddy output of Indonesia in the major crop is estimated at 23.82 million tonnes, or 13.79 million tonnes of rice, 0.56% higher than last year.

The country plans to produce 54.5 million tonnes of paddy, or 32.07 million tonnes of rice, in 2023. However, the Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture forecast that El Nino might cause a drought from May to July, which could affect the harvest in July and August.

According to Indonesia’s state logistics agency, although it is the harvest season, purchasing rice for reserves in the domestic market has faced difficulties. In this harvest season, only around 60,000 tonnes have been bought in the domestic market for reserves.

The Vietnam Industry and Trade Ministry, in a notice published on its website, said that Indonesia faced difficulty in buying rice for the national reserve due to the scarcity of domestic supply caused by lower-than-expected rice harvest output, the lack of accurate statistics on plantations, and an inappropriate purchasing mechanism with the price set by the state.

The current purchasing price set by the state is lower than the purchasing price of the private sector, and the retail price on the market is higher than the highest retail price set by the state.

In addition, the retail price of rice has been increasing since March.

The Import and Export Department said: “There are opportunities for Vietnam’s rice exporters.

“They should analyse opportunities and risks, and develop appropriate strategies that will benefit both enterprises and farmers in the sector”. — Viet Nam News/ANN

Korea’s Yoon vetoes legislation for government to buy surplus rice from farmers

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vetoed a contentious bill requiring the government to purchase surplus rice, the first such move in about seven years, on grounds that it would undermine the country’s agricultural industry.

Yoon rejected the bill to revise the Grain Management Act during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, marking his first veto of a bill since he took office. It has been about seven years since former President Park Geun-hye exercised her right to veto a revision to the National Assembly Act in 2016.

The revision is aimed at requiring the government to purchase surplus rice if the production of the staple surpasses estimated demand by more than 3 percent to 5 percent or if rice prices decline by more than 5 percent to 8 percent from a year earlier. The bill was passed unilaterally by the main opposition Democratic Party on March 23.

“I find it very regrettable that the National Assembly passed the bill unilaterally without a proper debate,” Yoon said. “This revision is a typical populist bill that goes against the government’s goal of boosting farming productivity and raising the incomes of farming households and is of no help to farmers or the development of farming villages.”

Yoon also labeled the Grain Management Act a coercion that forces the government to spend taxpayers’ money to purchase overproduced rice and will ultimately lower the market price of rice and make farming household income more unstable.

Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chung Hwang-keun told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that the bill will only increase the rice inventory and jack up the government’s expenditure for rice purchases every year to 1.4 trillion won ($1.06 billion) by 2030. “The government’s request for reconsideration of unjust bills is the authority of the executive branch in line with the separation of powers granted by the Constitution,” he stressed.

In response, the main opposition party held a press conference in front of the presidential office and criticized Yoon for “rejecting the bill aimed at normalizing rice prices and ignoring the public’s will.”

If a bill is sent back to the National Assembly, more than two-third of the lawmakers present must vote in favor in order to be passed again. The ruling People Power Party holds 115 seats, more than a third of the seats in the 299-seat National Assembly, making it unlikely the bill will pass again.

FCI’s wheat stock has depleted to 8.5 MT on April 1 against a buffer norm of 7.4MT. This wheat stock is lowest since 2016.

Six months since the commencement of paddy procurement by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies for the 2022-23 season (October-September), the total purchase till Sunday crossed 73 million tonne (MT) which is equivalent to 49 MT of rice.

Though the total paddy purchase so far is marginally lower than the purchases a year ago, it has given a boost to FCI’s rice stocks which are currently at a comfortable stage.

The FCI has 25.18 MT of rice along with 19 MT to be received from millers which is far more than the buffer requirement of 13.58 MT for April 1.

While kharif procurement has concluded in most of the states, it will continue till the end of May in West Bengal and till June-end in Assam.

Official estimates indicate that around 8 MT of rabi rice is expected to be procured in the next couple of months which is expected to boost rice procurement this season to around 58 MT.

In the 2020-21 season, rice procurement was at a record 60.2 MT while in the previous year, the grain procurement was marginally lower at 59.2 MT.

The government had earlier increased the minimum support price (MSP) of the common variety of paddy by more than 5% to `2,040/quintal for the 2022-23 season, from Rs 1,940/quintal a year ago.

The corporation needs 40 MT of rice annually for distribution to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

Paddy-to-rice conversion ratio is 67%. After paddy is procured from the farmers by the FCI and state agencies, it is handed over to millers for conversion into rice.

FCI supplied rice for distribution to more than 800 million beneficiaries under the NFSA and other welfare schemes. The rice procured from grain-surplus states is also used for keeping a buffer stock with the FCI.

According to an agriculture ministry’s second advance estimate, rice production is expected to rise marginally to a record 130.83 MT in the 2022-23 crop year (July-June) from 129.47 MT in the 2021-22 crop year.

Meanwhile, FCI’s wheat stock has depleted to 8.5 MT on April 1 against a buffer norm of 7.4MT. This wheat stock is lowest since 2016.

The government is aiming to purchase 34.15 MT of wheat in the April-June marketing season, 2023 while procurement has been delayed by two weeks because of unseasonal rains in the last few weeks in key growing states.

A senior agriculture ministry official on Monday said that about 10% of wheat crops is estimated to have been damaged in the areas that were impacted by recent rains and hailstorms in key producing states. The official said that the extent of damage is insignificant compared to wheat sown areas of 34 million hectare this year.

Amid changing climate, Bangladesh farming groups conserve indigenous rice seeds

• Bangladesh, the fourth biggest rice-producing country in the world, produces around 39 million tons of rice annually to feed its 170 million people, with 130 lab-developed high-yielding varieties.
• For higher production, farmers have turned to a few high-yielding varieties, despite having around 1,000 indigenous varieties that have better adaptive quality amid changing climatic patterns; the trend has forced many traditional varieties to go extinct.
• By cultivating indigenous rice varieties, some farmers are fighting back against monoculture, and a few nongovernmental conservation organizations, as well as individuals, are creating awareness about protecting local varieties.
• Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) alone is conserving more than 600 local rice varieties and engaging with farmers across the country.

Salinity intrusion triggered by different factors, including sea-level rise, commercial shrimp cultivation and a decrease in water flow from transboundary rivers upstream, has directly affected agriculture in the southern coastal districts of Bangladesh — some of which are also major producers of rice, the national staple.

Government agencies have been desperately trying to invent and promote high-salinity-tolerant paddy varieties, with some degree of success. However, there are no evident shifts in agricultural patterns, as traditional paddy growers generally switch to other saline-friendly crops, or different professions, when faced with difficulties in growing rice.

Yet one man — who surprisingly lives in one of the worst salinity-hit areas in Bangladesh — stands out as a stark exception.

As traditional paddy farmers in his area are switching to other crops, Sirajul Islam, a middle-aged farmer from Shyamnagar Upazila in Satkhira, has been collecting and preserving seeds of indigenous salinity-tolerant paddy breeds. So far, he has collected a staggering 218 different varieties of paddy. He does not just collect the seeds; he also encourages fellow farmers to cultivate them.

“Once, I had to travel 100 kilometers [60 miles] to collect a particular kind of seed. I took the trouble because I heard it could significantly resist salinity,” Sirajul said.

Many of these paddy varieties were nearly out of use, as farmers in recent decades leaned heavily toward high-yielding varieties. That makes Sirajul’s seed bank even more important.

Usually, after collecting a particular kind of seed, he cultivates it on a small piece of land. If the results are good, he recommends it to his fellow farmers.

“I have cultivated some varieties on shrimp beds to check their ability to withstand salinity. The salinity level in shrimp beds is often as high as 20 dS/m [deciSiemens per meter, the measurement for salinity],” he said.

To promote indigenous paddy varieties, Sirajul formed a voluntary organization called Sheba Songothon. The organization now has 197 members, all farmers from the Haibatout and Nakipur villages in the Shyamnagar Upazila.

The rise of Sirajul Islam and many others across the country is the result of the Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK)’s farmer-led rice breeding initiative, which is empowering farmers through capacity building, to revive confidence in solving seed-related problems on their own and break the monopoly of scientists over science.

Since 2005, BARCIK, a nongovernmental development organization, has collected 653 (as of 2020) rice landraces from farmers, from different parts of the country, which are regrown during different seasons to keep them alive. These are also used for farmer-led rice breeding as well.

As a result of hybridization through breeding undertaken by these farmers, 88 breeding lines are under the selection process for distribution to the farmers at four agroecological zones in Bangladesh.

“We are treating this approach as a nonformal, problem-solving, on-farm research, which is designed, executed, managed and led by farmers to explore location-specific adaptive indigenous crop varieties (landraces) for minimizing production cost (agrochemicals), as well as ensuring diversity,” said Pavel Partha, director of BARCIK.

Rice production and increasing monocrop culture in Bangladesh

Bangladesh, the fourth-biggest rice-producing country in the world, produces around 39 million tons of rice annually to feed its 170 million people, with mostly 130 laboratory-developed  high-yielding varieties.

The country has been leaning heavily on high-yielding rice cultivation for higher production, despite having around 1,000 indigenous varieties that have better adaptive quality in changing climatic patterns.

Farmers are cultivating some of these indigenous varieties in less suitable areas such as coastal regions, lands with no irrigation systems as well as in deep-water conditions for their wide adaptability, superior grain quality and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, as noted in a study on rice cultivation in Bangladesh.

According to the Global Sustainable Development Report 2015, 75% of the genetic variety of agricultural crops has been lost over the last two decades, a loss that has increased 100- 1,000 times over time. This pattern has degraded the performance of other ecosystem functions as well as the ecosystem’s capacity to produce food for people sustainably.

Due to the success of crop breeding and the widespread adoption of intensive farming techniques, many traditional crop types have been replaced by a few enhanced, high-yielding varieties with the advent of modern agriculture.

Research has suggested that widespread cultivation of high-yielding, pest-resistant crop varieties developed scientifically has made a significant contribution to the world’s food production. However, this practice has also resulted in serious “genetic erosion” — the disappearance of traditional varieties from agroecosystems — which impedes efforts to further improve crop varieties.

“Reliance on a narrow spectrum of cultivars grown in monoculture has also been linked to increased pest problems and to vulnerable agroecosystems,” the study reads.

Farmers, as well as the researchers, believe the secured return on investment is a major reason for the shift to monoculture. Higher cost of production and lack of fair price together have forced farmers to turn to popular and reliable varieties.

Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, a researcher on environment and climate change issues, blamed government policy for monoculture, and said it has failed to address the farmers’ interests.

“If farmers cannot get a fair price for their produce, they will definitely go for those that will give them the best yield,” he said, adding that the problem can only be solved if farmers have enough options within a profit range.

“The government should introduce a mechanism so farmers will get fair prices. Otherwise, they will choose the variety that will ensure their profit,” said Jiban Krishna Biswas, a former director-general of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).

“For instance, for the last 30 years, farmers have been extensively cultivating BRRI 28 and BRRI 29 out of 130 lab-developed varieties, as only these two paddy varieties can give them a comparatively better return on their investment. Eventually, this tendency leads to monocrop culture, which will cause ecological damage in the long run,” he added.

SANYA, (Xinhua) — China has launched a big data platform for the entire rice industry chain, which is expected to promote the digitalization and informationization of the country’s rice industry.

The China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) led the establishment of this platform that focuses on data generation, collection, storage, processing, analysis and services concerning the rice industry, and covers the whole industrial chain involving rice production, storage, market, trade, consumption and science and technology, according to the 2023 China Seed Congress and Nanfan Agricultural Silicon Valley Forum, currently underway in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province.

“The platform will regularly publish authoritative rice-related index reports to improve the overall industrial service level and capability. It can accurately link terminal users, and provide services such as intelligent identification of rice seed production, insect pests and diseases, remote guidance and data retrieval and analysis,” said Xu Chunchun, deputy director of the science and technology information center of the CNRRI.

“In the future, the platform will be upgraded from a data platform to a service platform to create a digital ecosystem of the rice industry with full coverage of digital production and docking of service networks,” Xu added.

Given Indonesia’s abundant production and surpluses of rice in the past few years, there should be no urgency in importing rice this year. The fact that State Logistics Agency (Bulog) lacks stock for price stabilization is primarily a result of the government’s rigid bureaucracy. Imports can be justified in the event of a deficit in the supply of a particular commodity, as is happening with sugar and garlic. Against the rulebook, however, the government has once again announced a plan to import rice. This time around, the rice imports will amount to 2 million tonnes, the highest during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's 10-year tenure. The previous record came in 2017 with 1.8 million tonnes.

The government said the upcoming imports would be needed to substitute the diminishing government rice reserves (CBP), a special state-owned stock entrusted to Bulog to stabilize the price, which has been dangerously low. Indeed, rice demand used to go up during Ramadan and ahead of Idul Fitri, but fulfilling CBP with imported rice is both unnecessary and avoidable in the Indonesian case. Bulog’s low stock stemmed from the soaring farmgate price that exceeded the government purchase price (HPP) reference in the first place. Due to the low government ceiling price, Bulog was unable to absorb as much rice as it could during harvest season last year to fill up CBP as farmers were reluctant to sell their products to Bulog. Rice farmers in East and Central Java told The Jakarta Post they had long refrained from selling rice grain to Bulog as the agency’s price was far lower than they could anticipate.

The farmers said the farmgate price had hovered between Rp 5,600 (37 US cents) and Rp 6,600 per kilogram, whereas the latest HPP was set at Rp 5,000 per kg, which was already revised twice from Rp 4,000 per kg based on a 2020 regulation. When farmers ask for a higher price, it does not mean they are greedy or looking for a big margin. They demand a better price to cover production costs, which have skyrocketed following the soaring fuel prices. Fertilizer prices have also ballooned due to limited supply. The import policy will only put farmers at risk of losing the appropriate amount of farmgate they deserve. The government’s latest HPP price showed its willingness to help the farmers, but the move came too little too late. As long as the government’s ceiling price cannot match the farmgate price, Bulog will be unable to effectively replenish its national stock from farmers. Bulog cannot force farmers to sell their rice to the agency at whatever price, as practiced during the New Order. The government should have realized the problem was rooted in the obscure design of Bulog in the first place. The state wants Bulog to act as its public service obligation (PSO) arm to stabilize rice prices, but the agency took the form of a commercial entity. Being a commercial entity, Bulog can only play its role effectively if the market conditions meet its parameter. The HPP, for example, should be able to compete with the farmgate price.  Furthermore, to absorb rice from farmers, Bulog does not receive a state budget allocation, but relies on banks for financing along with its interest burden. It is just a completely bad idea for such an important job to stabilize the price of rice, which is the most potent inflation contributor in the country. In the past, experts and the government itself were aware of the need to redesign Bulog to become a full state agency focusing on price stabilization. This would mean Bulog would operate with full support from the state budget to stabilize prices without fear of financing risk. It could easily adapt to changes in the market, even outpacing middlemen, traders and rent seekers who had been benefiting the most during Bulog’s absence. It is time to reform Bulog to empower it as an effective buffer of the national stock of such a strategic commodity as rice, which will keep the government from the import option.

A look at trade polarities, insecure trade routes, world price factors, production and transport costs, national priorities (weapons versus food), water, and U.S. advantages.

Commodity markets function in a complex atmosphere that includes the economic principles of supply and demand but also murkier layers of geopolitics.

The current situation for rice includes those issues along with a miasma of questionable reports, global turmoil, and violence.

Milo Hamilton, president and co-founder of Firstgrain, Inc., cut through some of the fog at the recent Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis.

Hamilton noted seven factors affecting the rice market—trade polarities, insecure trade routes, world price factors, production and transport costs, national priorities (weapons versus food), water, and U.S. advantages.

Breaking them down.

1. Trade polarization

“The world is split into trade polarities,” Hamilton said. “Globalization is done for a period. And we don’t have a supply problem or demand problem. We've gone from a world order where everything is interconnected to a group of trading partners. A nation can be part of a trading group, exporting food to certain people and perhaps not allowing partners to export to others. You must have a friend to export food to. Otherwise, you'll be left out in the cold as a nation.”

2. No trade routes secure

Hamilton said for some countries, piracy or state-sponsored disruptions threaten shipments of food and materials necessary for production. “Russia is trying to reduce the amount of wheat in the world by killing people. You have to have a friend to export food to; otherwise, you'll be left out in the cold as a nation.”

3. The world price narrative

“Every indication is that we have not finished this bull market,” Hamilton said.

India and China account for 51% of that market. The U.S. and the rest of the work account for the other 49%.

“China and India provide the floor underneath the market. But the rest of the world still matters because of the 49%.

India is about six times bigger than the whole Western Hemisphere.

Hamilton said new crop rice will trade at a discount, “from $2 to 95 cents this week (early March). What happens in the old crop will affect the new crop. Based on the discount on the old crop, the new crop should be lower probably by October or November.“Asia sets the floor in the market and western hemisphere trades on our own. The Indian price has gone up. I don't think the increase over.”

Hamilton said China’s stocks reports are at best questionable. “China remains the biggest food importer in the world despite reporting all adequate stocks. This year, China was the driest since record-keeping began in 1961, especially in the south where a lot of the long-grain rice is produced along the Yangtze Valley.

“China holds most of the world stocks of rice, wheat, soybeans, and corn. China's reserves and grain every year hit historic highs. What puzzles me about China is that it claims to have had bumper harvests for 19 years in a row. Do you know any agricultural area that has had bumper harvest for 19 years in a row? I know of none. You can lie for 19 years in a row, but you don't necessarily have what you say you have.”

Hamilton said U.S. domestic stocks are tight.

“Argentina's got a drought; we don't know how bad it is yet. Brazil will produce less rice and will carry over nothing this year; stocks are tight in South America.

“This market has not made its final move,” Hamilton said. “When it makes a move, it could be significant because the specs are super short.”

Movement could be as near as April but could be May, possibly as far out as August, he said.

4. Higher costs

“Your grain is more expensive because of fertilizer, fuel and shipping costs,” Hamilton said. “The good news for U.S. farmers is that urea and fertilizer costs are dropping, but that doesn't mean the market will continue to drop as demand comes back. This thing can reverse itself.

“We suggest rice farmers cover inputs as we move into spring.”

He said natural gas supply is at a very low level, and the price of Asian and European gas is still very high. “They can only store so much gas and this fall it could get very short.”

He said China needs to import nutrients and cost and availability will be factors. The cost of potash, phosphates, and urea could be related to problems in any one supply chain, including Russia, Ukraine and Canada. “It's not a demand problem, it's a supply problem,” he said. “The U.S., Brazil, and China need potash and the suppliers are Russia, Ukraine, and Canada.”

He said the U.S. has an advantage. “We have Canada nearby.”

Hamilton said poor soils in China, Russia and Brazil put a premium on the ability to source nutrients. “It takes four to five times as much fertilizer to get the job done in China as it does in the central U.S., the Grain Belt.”

He also noted that a recent outbreak of swine flu in China means they have one less commodity available to feed their people. “China will be very much interested in keeping as much phosphate as they can in their country. Without phosphate, they don't get the yields from the poor soils.”

5. War economy

“It’s not price but war and pandemics that have made buyers nervous,” Hamilton said. “The pandemic created unreliable supplies. And now the war in Ukraine is a significant threat. Russia will probably go after Ukrainian ag production as soon as they can get their tanks rolling. They will go after farmers; they will go after infrastructure, and I think they'll go after ports too, like Odessa. China might object to that.”

He said Russia wants to reduce global wheat stocks, push wheat price up so they can buy more soldiers and get more weapons.“We are watching China and Taiwan closely. Other countries will have to start defending their own borders and their own food supplies. Their budgets will shrink and financing farmers will not be a priority.”

6. U.S. Advantage

Hamilton said he is bullish for U.S. rice in the longer term, “all the way into 2024. Your grain could get more expensive.

“The U.S. will win big.,” he said. “It’s a dark forecast, overall, but it's a bright forecast for U.S. farmers. The U.S. has the currency reserve, so we can put the currency where we want to.

“Also, 60% of all navigable rivers in the world are located in the U.S., and river navigability cost is one-fifth to one-tenth of what it is for trucks or rail. This river right next door (The Mississippi) is one of the major benefactors for the U.S.

“So, 93% of our potash is imported, but it comes from — guess where, Canada. That's not very far away. For everything else, we're more or less self-sufficient.”

He said the advantages of fertile soils, close proximity to Canadian potash, and the workings of a mostly functional democracy bode well for U.S. agriculture, including rice.

7. Water

Hamilton said one other factor will be increasingly important in the mid-to longer-term — water.

“Within the next 25 years, it will become apparent to politicians that we can't export water. And grains are virtually water. We have about five times as much water as China, India and Pakistan. Those three should not be exporting water.

“Over the last 25 years, renewable supplies of water in all of these countries have gone down by anywhere from 14% to 25%. Assuming that continues over the next 25 years, by 2050 available global water supply will be down by 50%. Sometime between now and 2050, we will have water problems everywhere and politicians can't deal with it very well because taking a position on water means losing votes. That's not a good way to operate.”

In spite of world turmoil, Hamilton remains optimistic about the U.S, U.S. agriculture, and rice.

“I think the U.S. will do really well. We have an advantage with food and energy. I also believe the Western Hemisphere, currently with just 5% of the world’s rice production, will double or triple that number in the next ten years.”

HYDERABAD: If rice is what you prefer but want millet on your plate too, then here is something to cheer soon, you may be able to get millet-based rice.

Researchers at the city-based indian institute of millets research are working on a Millet based rice which can be eaten by a simply boiling the millet grains from the packet.

While millet dosa and idly are already popular, a millet-based rice could go a,long way in making it part of the diet in states where rice rules The united nations has already designated 2023 as the international year of millets in a bid to help the nutritionally rich grain once a staple in traditional indian cooking get its due.

"This will give people more choice without having to change without having to change their habit of eating rice. an offical said.

Some food enthusiasts have been using different types of millets, primarily kodo, to make rice through traditional cooking method which takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

"All millets are now being tested to see if they can be made into rice, " said an IIMR official Packaging is also a challenge that IIMR is looking at. Testing on millet-based product's shelf life, which is approximately six monthes, is currently underway. Officials said that ready-to-cook variety would require a long shelf life.

Eight task force have been formed at the national level to work on a larger action plan to reintroduce millet in Indian households as well as promote it around the world. One task force will be primarily documenting the health benefits, millet recipes from across the world and develop millet-based food.

Farmers adopting the shrimp-rice model in the Mekong Delta should seek to adapt to climate change by using advanced techniques and linking up with processing companies to develop value chains, experts have said.

Bac Lieu (VNS/VNA) - Farmers adopting the shrimp-rice model in the Mekong Delta should seek to adapt to climate change by using advanced techniques and linking up with processing companies to develop value chains, experts have said.

The delta, the country’s largest producer of rice and seafood, has been using the model for decades since it is suitable for application in coastal areas, which are normally affected by saltwater intrusion in the dry season.

Farmers grow rice in the wet season and breed shrimp in the dry season on the same fields.

There were nearly 190,000ha under shrimp-rice farming last year, mostly in Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

The coastal areas have optimal conditions for the model and farmers earn 60 – 70 million VND (2,600-3,000 USD) per hectare from it annually.

Both the shrimp and rice harvested under the model are clean and preferred by consumers because farmers use few chemicals.

Speaking at a seminar held in Bac Lieu last week, Nguyen Trung Hieu, deputy director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the positive results notwithstanding there were lingering difficulties such as the impacts of climate change, small scale of production and lack of infrastructure.

Linkages had been created between stakeholders in the model but the process is tardy, he said.

Participants told the seminar about other problems like the lack of irrigation works, advanced farming techniques, brand names, and reliable markets.

The delta did not have a sufficient supply of shrimp seeds for the model and had to be bought from outside, they said.

Speaking about the expansion of the model, they said it depended on the Government’s plans, investment by local provinces and the participation of companies in developing value chains for it.

The delta, which comprises 12 provinces and Can Tho city, plans to have 300,000ha under the model by 2030.

Tran Cong Khoi, deputy head of the directorate’s fisheries department, said to achieve the target, besides having quality seeds, farmers should also use quality farming techniques and have effective linkages with other stakeholders.

The provinces should build sufficient irrigation works to meet the requirements of the model, he added.

The new code has triggered a controversy with experts questioning changes on varieties, growing areas

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) will hold detailed discussions with the All-India Rice Exporters’ Association, major exporters, experts and other stakeholders on the new code of practice (CoP) document the United Kingdom has come out with on basmati rice. 

APEDA will discuss the CoP documents and its provisions to analyse the short and long-term impacts on India’s basmati exports, if any. 

Responding to businessline’s report on UK’s new CoP for basmati triggering a controversy, APEDA said it was brought out by the British Retail Consortium and The Rice Association, UK, the representative organisation for the UK rice sector. 

Not regulatory document

“Its main aim is to promote the interests of members in all matters pertaining to the import, preparation, processing, packaging and marketing of rice. This has also been discussed with the Federation of European Rice Millers (FERM), AIREA and Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP),” the authority said. 

Stating that CoP was not a regulatory document, it said rather the associations had agreed with regard to basmati rice trade in the UK. AIREA, India’s major association engaged in basmati export, was involved in bringing out the CoP.

The scope of the CoP was limited to labelling of basmati rice sold in the UK and the code is voluntary. “...those choosing not to follow its provisions are required to meet the similar minimum legal requirements to ensure that their basmati rice is authentic,” APEDA said.

The authority said the CoP lists varieties that are currently approved by Indian and Pakistani authorities. It covers most of the popular basmati varieties notified under the Indian Seeds Act, 1966, provisions. The new CoP has included certain newly-notified basmati varieties.  

Deletion of 5 varieties

On the CoP deleting five varieties grown in India, APEDA said four varieties — Malviya Basmati Dhan, Pant Basmati 1, Vallabh Basmati 21 and Vallabh Basmati 24 — were not being cultivated. Thus, exports will not be affected. 

However, the deletion of Punjab basmati in the list seemed to be an error as India had no such notified variety. “All the notified varieties having Punjab Basmati as prefix have some numeral as suffix in the varietal name like Punjab Basmati 1, 2, 3 etc and hence does not have an impact on Indian basmati exports,” it said. 

On dilution of the growing area, particularly the Indo-Gangetic Plains, APEDA said, “The document has also referred to the February 2003 publication by the Food Standards Agency as the basis for the Code with the emphasis on ‘specific areas of Indo Gangetic Plains’”.  

On basmati Geographical Indication (GI) tag expert S Chandrasekaran questioning on APEDA not being consulted over the new CoP, the authority said “it would have been prudent on the part of the UK Association to discuss the CoP document with APEDA as owner of the basmati GI tag which is also registered in UK.”

A geopolitical issue

APEDA has registered Basmati name and logo as Certification Trade Mark (CTM) in the UK, it pointed out. On DNA fingerprint, the authority said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has framed  the requirement of purity and it will be implemented soon.  

APEDA concurred with AIREA views that the new CoP will strengthen India’s hold in the UK basmati market. 

When contacted, Chandrasekaran said basmati GI is a geopolitical subject involving the country’s boundary and sovereignty. Though the CoP said the code is voluntary, it says those not following it must “meet the same minimum legal requirements” for the rice to be authentic.  “The voluntary nature is being indirectly made   mandatory,” he said. 

The new CoP has strategic implications on the ownership of the fragrant rice.  “If a precedent is created by modifying the label of basmati (by any other organisation or foreign organisation), it encourages similar actions in the future if it suits a particular interest,” Chandrasekaran said.

Nepal opposed India

On the deletion of varieties, he wondered what if in the future the CoP deleted an active commercial variety, though it has now done away with only a non-commercial one. “It will have serious ramifications in North-West India. Also, by accepting the DNA testing protocol today, India will lose the right to question the delisting of varieties in the future,” the expert said.  

On the dilution of the Indo-Gangetic Plain description, Chandrasekaran said Nepal has opposed India’s application for a Basmati GI tag in the European Commission.

“There must be some reasons for the change of position in the area.  For example, the Code of Practice of Basmati Rice (CoP), United Kingdom, issued in June 2017 did not consider Himachal Pradesh and Delhi as growing areas,” he said.

APEDA’s application with the GI Registrar included Himachal Pradesh and Delhi from the start. “Why did CoP 2017 drop these areas? Dropping of the varieties and the growing areas is creating a precedent where in the future, other countries could do the same,” he said.  

Also, the DNA testing protocol developed by the University of Bangor, Wales, is funded by DEFRA.  “It is imperative to challenge the protocol.

SANYA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a big data platform for the entire rice industry chain, which is expected to promote the digitalization and informationization of the country's rice industry.

The China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) led the establishment of this platform that focuses on data generation, collection, storage, processing, analysis and services concerning the rice industry, and covers the whole industrial chain involving rice production, storage, market, trade, consumption and science and technology, according to the 2023 China Seed Congress and Nanfan Agricultural Silicon Valley Forum, currently underway in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province.

"The platform will regularly publish authoritative rice-related index reports to improve the overall industrial service level and capability. It can accurately link terminal users, and provide services such as intelligent identification of rice seed production, insect pests and diseases, remote guidance and data retrieval and analysis," said Xu Chunchun, deputy director of the science and technology information center of the CNRRI.

"In the future, the platform will be upgraded from a data platform to a service platform to create a digital ecosystem of the rice industry with full coverage of digital production and docking of service networks," Xu added. Enditem

Planting intentions have been released for major Arkansas row crops.

Arkansas corn producers intend to plant 810,000 acres, up 14 percent from the 710,000 acres planted in 2022.

Upland cotton acreage intentions are at 480,000 acres, down 25 percent from the 640,000 acres planted last year.

All hay acres expected to be harvested in Arkansas are estimated at 1.13 million acres, up 37,000 acres from 2022.

Oat producers intend to plant 8,000 acres in 2023, down 20 percent from last year.

Arkansas peanut producers intend to plant 35,000 acres in 2023, up 6 percent from last year.

All rice intended planted acres for 2023 are estimated at 1.30 million acres, up 18 percent from the 1.11 million acres planted in 2022.

Long grain rice acres are up 140,000 acres from last year, and medium grain acres are up 55,000 acres from a year ago.

Soybean producers intend to plant 3.05 million acres in 2023, down 4 percent from last year.

Winter wheat acreage in Arkansas is up 5 percent from last year to an estimated 230,000 acres planted for all purposes in 2023.

Fiji imports an average of 40,000 metric tonnes of rice annually.

While contributing to the debate in the Parliament on the Review Report of the Fiji Rice 2013-2017 Annual Report on Wednesday, Minister for Agriculture Vatimi Rayalu said Fiji mostly import rice from Asian countries with a self-sufficiency level of 17 per cent.

“Rice has progressively become a staple diet,” he said.

“It is now consumed by every household in Fiji. It has become an essential commodity that requires special attention in terms of production and development in the country.

“The Ministry of Agriculture produces close to 50 tonnes of seeds annually for distribution to farmers, which is 20 per cent of the total seed requirement for production.”

He said the Fiji Rice Ltd is working with the Ministry of Agriculture to boost the production.

“With regard to the recommendations, we are grateful that Fiji Rice Ltd now works with the Ministry of Agriculture in terms of the Ministry of Agriculture, providing agriculture statistics, which the company now uses as relevant data for their future plans and reports.

“The company must be commended for pushing for the production of brown rice, which has become a delicacy for the people of Fiji.

“I have been told that Fiji Rice Ltd is working with the Ministry of Health in terms of using brown rice as an alternative food, especially in the fight against NCDs.”

Though the procurement, for the first time this season dipped, the government may be in a comfortable position to meet any extra demand outside the normal requirement

Rice procurement from kharif-grown crop during October-March has reached 492.2 lakh tonnes (lt), which is 0.7 per cent lower than 495.7 lt reported in the year-ago period. Though the procurement for the first time this season dipped, the government may be in a comfortable position to meet any extra demand outside the normal requirement under the food security law since it has been able to achieve 96 per cent of target amid purchases in West Bengal and Assam slated to continue for some more time.

The target was 514.72 lt of rice from 2022-23 kharif crop and considering that last year, there was 7 lt additional added in the procurement of kharif-grown paddy after March, there is still hope for some more quantity to be added this year as well, a Food Ministry official said, though it may not reach near what has been estimated.

While kharif season’s procurement has been concluded in all States for rice, it will continue until end of May in West Bengal and till June 30 in Assam. This year, the harvesting started early in West Bengal because of which the procurement is so far up by 38 per cent to 20.66 lt and some experts said that there might not be any significant improvement in the State.

As the government targets to procure 106.18 lt rice from rabi-grown crop, there is still scope of overall procurement reaching near last year’s 575.88 lt.

According to official data, rice procurement was 114.34 lt in October, 104.39 lt in November, 137.2 lt in December, 81.4 lt in January, 41 lt in February and 13.9 lt in March during 2022-23 season starting October.

Food security

“If common rice segment is considered, as government buys only this variety rice, the kharif procurement is nearly half of the 990.75 lt rice produced. The government will have to administrate food security rice supply and private supply in such a way so that physical market availability remains robust when co