Research by The Reporters’ Collective (TRC) has showed the Modi government rushed with its plan to supply fortified rice to more than 80 crore people in the country, despite internal and external expert warnings on the adverse effects of feeding people, particularly children, fortified rice.

Massive protests have been staged across Jammu Kashmir to protest against the decision to supply fortified rice, locally called plastic rice, however, less or unabundant research pushed the Government narrative. The officials said that the rice was rich in multi nutrients.

The Food Department of Indian Government omitted a review by Cochrane, a UK-based scientific nonprofit whose evaluations are considered a gold standard on efficacy of fortified rice in scientific literature.

The Cochrane review aggregates evidence from many studies on efficacy of fortified rice and analyses their results. In the case of fortified rice, its analysis of 17 research papers found no mention in the presentation. Six of thirteen papers in the Indian Food Department’s list of evidence to prove fortified rice’s efficacy are among the 17 studies reviewed by Cochrane.

This review showed “Fortification of rice with iron alone or in combination with other micronutrients may make little or no difference in the risk of having anemia or presenting iron deficiency.” The researchers further noted, “we are uncertain about an increase in mean hemoglobin concentrations in the general population older than 2 years of age.”’

Another research has shown that Thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia and malaria are conditions where there is already excess iron in the body, whereas TB patients are unable to absorb iron.’ Such cases have been reported in parts of India.

Consumption of iron-fortified foods among patients of these diseases can reduce immunity and the reduce functionality of organs.

TRC has revealed, how at least six international organisations, found their way into an Indian government agency to influence decisions and open the Indian market to global suppliers and manufacturers of premixes that are used to produce the artificial fortified rice kernel.

Fortified rice is made by beating grains into a dough, adding micronutrients or premix to it and then machine-carving the dough into grains that resemble rice. One such kernel is mixed blended with 100 natural rice grains- an annual business opportunity of Rs 1,800 crore created solely by Union government’s mandate.

The Collective’s investigation found; all the six organisations that pushed the Indian Government to supply fortified rice are actually linked to one company based in The Netherlands. Royal DSM NV, one of the world’s most prominent producers of fortified rice premix. DSM claims to be a health and nutrition company. It produces the powder used in fortification. The firm, The Collective found, funds one of the six organizations, collaborates with another, sits on the advisory board of third and partners with the rest.

These six organisations influenced government policy on supplying rice and other food items fortified with micronutrients across the country, collected evidence to buttress the case for fortification, ran pilot projects with governments, worked to set standards and charted countrywide rollout.

The government used ‘science’ generated by these organisations to justify mandatory supply of fortified rice in India. The government guidelines on fortification were developed by plagiarizing in parts verbatim from toolkits developed by some of these organisations.

In return Modi’s announcement gave a bonanza to Royal DSM.

The company did not hide its gratitude. “We are very thankful that Prime Minister Modi’s government has mandated the fortification of rice, at least in the social safety nets part of the rice pipeline in India,” François Scheffler, Regional Vice-President, Human Nutrition and Care, Asia Pacific & President, DSM Asia Pacific told the Indian media.

The Collective’s evidence gathered is based on internal government records as well as public documents.

Within eighteen months of Modi’s announcement Royal DSM set up a 3,600-tonne capacity fortified rice kernel plant in Hyderabad. Scheffler told The Print that Royal DSM is working with the government, NGOs and rice millers in India to expand its production.

DSM is estimated to have already cornered 17% of the Indian micronutrient premix market, says market research agency Giract. The domestic market was estimated to be worth over Rs 660 crore in 2021. And, soon it would be worth Rs 1,800 crore a year, thanks to the Union government’s mandate.

While DSM is open about its business strategy involving nonprofits and engagement with governments, it’s not the only corporate that would stand to gain significantly from the government’s decision. Neither is their modus operandi unique. Many global companies in the business of food and nutrition products lobby through nonprofits and directly to create markets in the developing world.

The food safety regulator of India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, set up a ‘resource hub’ geared specifically towards fortification. One can only guess if it was a mere coincidence or not. The Food Fortification Resource Centre, as it came to be called, planned ‘alignment and advocacy’ and worked towards ‘creating demand’ for fortification, the report added.

These are business terms to describe the act of convincing governments to make it a must for people to consume such food products. Indian and international food product companies have always eyed the Union government’s vast food security schemes serving more than 80 crore people in India. In 2016, the fortified food producers set their sights on this Indian market.

A bevy of international nonprofits, including Nutrition International and one previously owned and still funded by DSM, became partners in the resource centre, which works as the government’s nodal arm for fortification and is dependent on nonprofits for every aspect of its functioning.

They attended meetings on fortification, and were invited to major government policy meetings, thus playing a major role in lobbying for food fortification with lawmakers in India.

When the resource centre released the primary document that sketched out the plan for fortification in 2017, it listed nutrition nonprofit Sight and Life as one of the government’s partners in scaling up fortification across the country.

Sight and Life previously operated ‘under the umbrella’ of DSM and continues to be funded ‘generously’ by the firm. While the nonprofit claims it is an ‘independent foundation’, half its board members, including the chair of the board of trustees, are DSM personnel. As a partner, the nonprofit would be involved in setting policies and even have a say in notifying the food regulator’s standards for fortifying rice.

The 2017 document calls for a joint advocacy campaign led by FSSAI – “bringing the credibility, authenticity and trust of the government” – but adds, “with financial contributions from the industry and premix suppliers”.

While the government was still chalking out plans to scale up the fortification programme, the food regulator held a meeting with the premix industry in March 2017. The minutes of the meeting recognise DSM as the only premix supplier for rice fortification. In the meeting, the firms decided on a price range for both premix manufacturing and fortified rice kernels.

“FSSAI does not fix any market price of any food commodity,” said the government’s food regulator over mail. However, the minutes of the meeting clearly show each premix supplier enumerating the price range of the premix they offer.

Experts say the fact that the resource centre is intertwined with nonprofits funded by firms with commercial interests in the fortification policy raises ethical questions about its functioning.

“Having the Food Fortification Resource Centre in FSSAI requires investigation about its role,” Dr Arun Gupta, a paediatrician and convenor of Alliance Against Conflict of Interest, told The Collective over mail.

‘“The majority of FFRC partners are funded by the food industry, why on earth should they be asked to play the role of a resource centre?”

“FSSAI invites various stakeholders to attend meetings for better understanding. However, they do not have any role to decide policy matters etc,” the FSSAI told The Collective via mail in response to detailed queries.

None of the meetings on fortification in the files The Collective reviewed, however, involved civil society or consumer groups not linked to food businesses. This was a departure from the meetings held, for example, on the contentious issue of the government’s Front of Pack Labelling policy, which involved a more diverse set of stakeholders.

DSM has nurtured allies in NGOs, and governments to promote fortification, and is open about it. “In partnership with governments, the private sector and NGOs such as GAIN, DSM is pioneering the establishment of staple food fortification programs worldwide,” it says on its website.

By now the signs of the government’s growing chumminess with DSM became apparent. The Modi government finalised India’s fortification policy despite overwhelming evidence pointing towards its lack of efficacy. But internally, it cherry picked a list of evidence to convince states to start supplying fortified rice.

One of the research papers cited as evidence on this list is by Sight and Life – the nonprofit previously functioning under DSM – and DSM itself. The DSM-affiliated research concluded that fortified rice is an effective way to combat malnutrition. The resource centre website too, cites multiple studies by Sight and Life.

DSM being the early bird was positioned to reap profits. Government tenders for picking fortified rice kernel suppliers list eight premix suppliers allowed – one of them was DSM.

The government’s fortification resource centre lists DSM’s Indian group company, DSM Nutritional Products India Pvt Ltd, as a supplier of both fortified rice kernels and centrally licensed premix.

The government’s fortified rice programme has coincided with the healthy growth of DSM’s revenue. DSM Nutritional Products India’s profits after tax saw a near 30% hike in the financial year 2021-22 over its 2020-21 numbers. The 2020-21 year was also a great one for the firm with a 60.5% rise in profit after tax when compared to 2019-20.

In fact, the company’s profit of Rs 20.65 crore in 2021-22 is the best figure it has posted so far, shows a review of the company’s corporate filings. The company’s annual filings, however, do not segregate its revenues based on sale of particular products.

The Collective sent detailed queries to DSM. A spokesperson on behalf of the multinational got in touch with The Collective and assured that the company would respond to the questions. But no reply came through.

Financial welfare of business corporations was on the government’s mind too. Though rice fortification was touted as a health move, government documents reveal an underlying aim to foster the wealth of businesses. The Food Department in a note, dated 12 September 2019, said one of the objectives of its rice fortification scheme was to “give a fillip to the FRK (fortified rice kernel) industry through assured demand”.

The industry includes those who produce micronutrients, units that manufacture machines to mix rice with nutrient powders to make fortified kernels, machines that blend these kernels with normal rice in the right proportion, rice millers and suppliers.

Calculations by The Collective, based on figures included in official documents, show that under the scheme the business generated for the blending industry alone would be between Rs 1,560 crore and Rs 13,500 crore depending on the type of blending units millers opt for.

For the kernel supply industry, meanwhile, a market totalling at least Rs 1,800 crore a year would be generated. This in addition to the market created for multinational micronutrient companies.

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.

A new cost of production study was recently published looking at Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta rice. Delta Crops Resource Management Farm Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, Michelle Leinfelder-Miles said an updated study had not been done for the region in quite some time. Since then, the cost of certain inputs and practices has significantly changed. Incorporating information from grower input, the cost study provides information on a hypothetical farm with 1,000 acres of annually planted rice. “That’s so important for the cost study because it means that we’re doing our best to get the most accurate costs and returns for that commodity published into the study,” said Leinfelder-Miles.

One of the priorities in the study was detailing the cost of converting ground for rice production from some other annual crop. A significant amount of preparation needs to be done beforehand, which includes land leveling and the construction of levees. “We had a goal of getting those conversion costs into the study so that folks who are new to rice growing or are thinking about growing rice can have an understanding for what it would cost to make that change,” Leinfelder-Miles noted.

A cost study of rice production in the Sacramento Valley was recently published in 2021. While the same commodity, Leinfelder-Miles points out that growing practices are notably different for Delta rice. One significant difference is how rice is planted, which differentiates costs between the regions. An updated cost of production study will offer industry members in the Delta region a better idea of what can be expected.

“As much as it was about updating a previous study, one of our main objectives was just to help growers. There’s a lot of interest among growers in the Delta in rice and they just need to have a report that they can refer to, to get an idea on costs,” Leinfelder-Miles explained. “Certainly, growers can talk with other growers. But it’s nice to also have this in writing for them, for banks who are doing the lending, and for agencies who are interested in learning more about Delta rice. There’s a number of different parties who will probably take an interest in this study.”

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.

How many times do you reheat the leftover rice you made? If it's more than once and the weather is hot simultaneously, you may get fried rice syndrome!

Few things are as delicious as warm, fluffy rice. Unfortunately, however, rice can create ideal conditions for potentially dangerous bacteria to grow. Bacillus cereus, among other bacteria, is common on uncooked rice. Boiling rice alone is not enough to kill it because it produces spores that can tolerate heat.

After cooking, rice left at room temperature can host various bacteria as they multiply and release harmful toxins, and sometimes lead to B. cereus food poisoning, also known as "fried rice syndrome." You can avoid this by being careful about how you prepare, cook and store your rice after cooking.

Preparation and storage of rice

Hand washing is always a good start when it comes to food preparation, and while washing rice can change its texture and get rid of insects or heavy metals lurking between the grains, it won't get rid of B. cereus. This is because the bacteria are embedded in the grains, so they are not going anywhere.

After boiling rice, it should be served in its cooked state immediately or cooled quickly and put in a container in the refrigerator or freezer. Avoid leaving cooked rice outside for more than an hour.

How do you heat up rice?

Leftover rice can be microwaved, fried or steamed while reheating, but it is only safe to do so if the cooked rice is properly cooled and stored. If the rice has been outside for a few hours, reheating it might only increase the risks. 

This is because warming, cooling, and warming again gives harmful bacteria like B. cereus a great opportunity to grow, increasing the chances of fried rice syndrome. Note that fried rice syndrome is not specific to fried rice, and you can get it from any food. However, fried rice recipes that call for leftover white rice are an easy place to stumble, as by the time your final dish is ready it has been reheated twice - and that's just in the best-case scenario.

How dangerous is the fried rice syndrome?

B. cereus food poisoning can be fatal in severe cases, and although it has become known as fried rice syndrome, it can also occur in other foods such as pasta. A 2011 case study determined that a 20-year-old student died of B. cereus poisoning within 10 hours of eating five-day-old pasta. A similar case occurred in 2003 when a family ate 8-day-old pasta salad, resulting in the death of one man and the hospitalization of five children.

What are the symptoms of fried rice syndrome?

Fried rice syndrome often presents with vomiting and diarrhea triggered by the toxin B. cereus produces as it grows. In most cases, the disease will be limited and pass within a day or two, but for some people, it can progress and even be fatal.

Antibiotics are not effective because it is the toxin that causes the disease and not the bacteria, so the treatment is mainly focused on replenishing fluids until the worst symptoms of the digestive system have passed. This is why prevention is the best defense.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has signed a decision approving the Strategy on Development of Viet Nam's Rice Export Markets until 2030.

Rice loaded for export. Viet Nam eyes the export of high-quality rice and rice-based products. — VNA/VNS Photo

Under the strategy, Viet Nam will consolidate traditional and key export markets and develop new and potential ones, and those with which it has signed free trade agreements (FTAs). The country also targets increasing the market share of Vietnamese rice in markets, especially in developed countries.

Viet Nam will also associate the export markets with domestic production according to value chains, ensure the quality and safety of exported rice, increasing the presence of Vietnamese rice and products processed from rice in direct distribution channels in markets.

The country also eyes the export of high-quality rice and rice-based products, increase their values, ensure sustainable exports, and affirm the prestige and brand of Vietnamese rice.

Specific goals are increasing added value, 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 average export growth rate will decrease by about 2.4 per cent in 2023-25 and 3.6 per cent in 2026-30.

Between 2023 and 2025, the proportion of low- and medium-grade white rice will not exceed 15 per cent; high-grade white rice will account for about 20 per cent; fragrant rice, japonica rice and specialty rice 40 per cent; sticky rice 20 per cent; 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 per cent; and rice with brand names 20 per cent.

The respective figures for 2026-30 are 10, 15, 45, 20, 10 and 40 per cent.

About 25 per cent of exported rice is expected to bear the brand name of Vietnam rice by 2030.

By 2025, the Asian market will account for about 60 per cent of the country’s total rice export turnover, Africa 22 per cent, the Middle East 4 per cent, Europe 3 per cent, America per cent, and the Oceania 4 per cent.

The respective figures for 2030 are 55, 23, 5, 5, 8, and 4 per cent. — VNS

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.

Over 234,000 hectares of agricultural land could be affected by Typhoon Betty (international name: Mawar), the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center said.

According to the DA-DRRM in a statement, the areas at risk include 159,116 hectares of rice and 75,029 hectares of corn, primarily in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the Ilocos Region, the Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.

The DA said its regional field offices (RFOs) have already prepositioned seeds, fertilizer, drugs, and biologics in safe storage facilities, and it is closely coordinating with the state weather bureau and other DRRM-related offices.

The department currently has some 681,205 bags of rice seeds; 21,192 bags of corn seeds, and 20,454 kilograms of assorted vegetable seeds for possible intervention once Typhoon Betty exits the country.

It also said affected stakeholders can tap the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) for up to P25,000 in loans payable in three years at zero interest.

Typhoon Betty entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) early Saturday morning, and has since decelerated to have maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center. Eleven areas are currently under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal 1. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News

JITRA: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry plans to explore saltwater rice cultivation methods in an effort to increase the country's rice production in the future, says its Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.

He said his office had held discussions with relevant experts including professors in China regarding the technology that could be used for producing rice in this country.

"We are still in the early stages of discussion to ensure that the area by the saltwater sea is not wasted. It can be used in the future with technology.

"We will ask the opinion of experts from outside on how they succeeded; they did not succeed in one day, they (China) did a four-year study. There is no reason why Malaysia will not have enough rice in the future," he said.

Mohamad Sabu said this at a press conference after an engagement session with Harumanis Kodiang Entrepreneurs at the Harumanis Farm Collection Centre, Kampung Pida 3, Kodiang near here today (May 28).

Mohamad added that the issue of irrigation and care are among factors for low yield of rice production in Kedah compared with Sekinchan, Selangor, thus requiring effective action to increase rice yield in the rice bowl state.

"You can't 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 can't 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 get six tonnes or more, we have enough rice in Malaysia. Now farmers have taken this seriously," he said.

He said the method of planting rice through a large-scale scheme such as in Sekinchan can be practised by rice farmers in Kedah in an effort to produce additional rice with the help and cooperation of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) and Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas). - Bernama

Lucknow. Chief secretary DS Mishra held a meeting with country director of the World Food Programme, Elisabeth Faure on Thursday. The two reportedly held discussions on three major issues, which included fortified rice, grain dispensing Annapurti and take home ration (THR) units.

Mishra informed Faure that the state had managed to scale up rice fortification and a community awareness drive on the importance and availability of the rice was being carried out. The information being given out through these drives includes details of the nutritional value and quality of fortified rice.

Meanwhile, Faure said three Annapurti solution facilities have been set up and WFP would be supporting installation of five more as per the request of the food and civil supplies department. It was discussed during the meeting that UP would increase the Annapurti centres, which work like food dispensing ATMs, to 100 locations across the state.

She further informed the chief secretary that during her field visits, she had learnt about new blended fortified THR being well accepted by the community and was also providing employment opportunities to women. There are 134 operational THR units covering 320 blocks of the state and the plan is to bring the entire state within their reach Faure said WFP would soon be piloting a solar power installation in one of the THR units.

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.

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.

Out of 660 districts which are covered under the public distribution system, 22 wheat consuming districts would be excluded from coverage under rice fortification.

Fortification of rice helps increase vitamin and mineral content in diets and helps achieve nutritional security.

Government will supply 35 million tonne (MT) of iron fortified rice to the 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by March 31, 2024, a food ministry official said on Tuesday.

Additionally 3.4 MT of fortified rice will be supplied to 83 million beneficiaries under the social sector programme such as Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and PM Poshan by the end of current fiscal.

Out of 660 districts which are covered under the public distribution system, 22 wheat consuming districts would be excluded from coverage under rice fortification.

Fortification of rice helps increase vitamin and mineral content in diets and helps achieve nutritional security.

Annual estimated cost of `2,700 crore is anticipated for the fortified rice programme under NFSA, by 2024. The extra outlay would be part of the central government’s food subsidy budget estimated at Rs 2 trillion in FY24.

The official said that rice blended with vitamins and minerals such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 is being distributed across 439 districts.

 At present, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies have 25.3 MT of rice available for distribution through PDS

Currently the rice blending capacity is 15.6 MT per month and 18,227 mills have blending infrastructure for fortified rice.

Under the launch of the phase I of the programme  to eliminate anemia implemented during 2021-22, 1.75 MT of fortified rice was distributed under ICDS and PM Poshan.

In the phase II of the programme implemented during 2022-23, 10.6 MT of fortified rice was distributed under PDS in 269 ‘aspirational and high burden’ districts under the PDS. Nearly 2.9 MT of fortified rice has been lifted by states for the ICDS and PM Poshan programme.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs in April, 2022 had approved providing fortified rice to all the beneficiaries under PDS by end of FY24.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address on the 75th Independence Day speech, in 2021, made an announcement on fortification of rice so as to provide nutrition to every poor person of the country to overcome malnutrition and lack of essential nutrients in women, children, lactating mothers etc. as it poses major obstacles in their development.

According to a food ministry official, as per an analysis of benefits of rice fortification by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, there was an estimated savings of about `49,800 crore of the expenses incurred in the health care cost annually.

Syngenta and FMC to bring to market breakthrough technology to control rice weeds in Asia. Photo: Business Wire

Syngenta Crop Protection and FMC Corporation have announced an agreement to bring to market a breakthrough technology to control grass weeds in rice in Asia. The new active ingredient Tetflupyrolimet, discovered and developed by FMC with support from Syngenta for the development in rice, marks the first major herbicide with a novel mode of action (DHODH – HRAC Group 28) in over three decades, promising relief to farmers challenged by weed resistance to existing herbicides.

Tetflupyrolimet boosts the yield and quality of rice production by delivering season-long control of the most significant grass weeds, which compete with the crop for water, fertilizer, light and space, and host pests and diseases that impact rice farming. A further benefit of this technology is that it can be used at low rates with good crop safety. In addition to being easy to apply in traditional transplanted rice, the herbicide is also highly suited to direct-seeded rice, paving the way for the greater adoption of modern and more environmentally friendly cropping systems.

“This innovation will drive a step-change in the yield and quality of rice harvests, address the growing challenge of weed resistance, and could transform the lives of millions of rice farmers,” said Ioana Tudor, Global Head of Marketing at Syngenta Crop Protection. “At Syngenta, we are excited by the potential of this new technology to elevate the sustainability of global rice production.”

Rice production is central to the livelihoods of an estimated 150 million farmers globally, who supply a fifth of the world’s dietary energy. It is the most important food crop in developing countries, accounting for close to 30 percent of the total calorific intake of these populations. Rice farming is also one of the most important sources of employment in rural areas.

Under the agreement, Syngenta and FMC will both bring Tetflupyrolimet based products to key rice markets in Asia. Syngenta will register and commercialize Tetflupyrolimet in China – the world’s largest rice market. In addition, Syngenta will commercialize products containing mixtures of Tetflupyrolimet for rice in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, as well as in Japan and South Korea. FMC will register and commercialize Tetflupyrolimet and an array of products in all these countries, except in China where it will focus on mixtures for rice. Syngenta will further exclusively commercialize Tetflupyrolimet for rice in Bangladesh.

Northlanders are being asked to keep an eye out for new patches of Manchurian wild rice grass within a formal ‘Eradication Zone’ that covers much of the region amid fears the invasive pest plant could have been spread during recent flooding.

The Northland Regional Council says in Northland, the core rice grass infestation (referred to as the ‘Progressive Containment Zone’) occurs in the Kaipara District on the banks of the Wairoa River and its tributaries, and on adjacent farmland.

Councillor Geoff Crawford, who chairs the Northland Regional Council’s Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party, says beyond this core area there are scattered infestations on pasture and cropping land, roadsides, and in and around creeks and farm drains.

“Small infestations also occur near Whangārei, Kerikeri, Mangawhai and Mangakahia areas.”

Councillor Crawford says because of the scale of the infestation, total eradication is not possible with current technologies, but the goal is to progressively contain Manchurian wild rice to prevent spread and reduce its distribution.

“Manchurian wild rice (Zizania latifolia) is a Notifiable Organism and is subject to a ‘National Interest Pest Response’ programme administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries.”

The programme – which has been running since 2008 – focuses control efforts on eradicating infestations outside of the mapped Progressive Containment Zone (essentially the rest of Northland).

Councillor Crawford says due to the recent flooding, land in the Eradication Zone which hasn’t previously flooded or ever been exposed to rice grass, may end up with rice grass clumps or rhizomes being deposited in flood debris. It needs to be controlled as soon as possible before it spreads.

Manchurian wild rice is a giant grass that grows up to four metres high. Native to Asia, it arrived unintentionally in ship’s ballast water near Dargaville more than 100 years ago.

It has harsh, dull green leaves that are one to two centimetres wide and grow in fans.

Councillor Crawford says Manchurian wild rice spreads rapidly and is extremely difficult to kill once established so early detection of new infestations provides the best chance of eradicating it quickly.

“It forms dense stands, with underlying rhizome beds, that displace all other species and can alter natural water systems causing habitat loss and increasing the risk of flooding.”

“If left unmanaged, this invasive grass represents a major threat to all river, stream and wetland systems in Taitokerau, as well as to production environments as it also readily invades pasture.”

Councillor Crawford says during floods Manchurian wild rice is prone to break off in chunks from the edges of drains and riverbanks and can be deposited elsewhere.

“Where depends on the flow of the water at the time…it’s not always downstream as it can be pushed back upstream depending on tides or it can be pushed outwards onto farmland.”

Councillor Crawford says due to the urgency of damage control after the recent flooding, machinery hygiene practises may also have slipped.

“Please monitor all areas where contract machinery has come onto site as they might have carried in root fragments of rice grass that can easily establish at a new site.”

He urges those in the Eradication Zone whose property has not had rice grass before to stay vigilant and become familiar with the plant.

It should not be confused with raupo, with key differences between the two plants including:

• Raupo dies back over winter; rice grass does not
• Raupo twists at the end of the foliage, rice grass is pointed.
• Raupo has a smooth thick leaf whereas rice grass has a veiny leaf and a thick midrib.
• Raupo has a bullrush head when in seed, rice grass has a flower type seed head.

By NELSON JOE

Stalks of rice at Fimito valley in Mimanalo local level government of Goroka district in Eastern Highlands Province yields 100 per cent of high-quality grain.

Governor Simon Sia was impressed with this potential on his visit to the field last week Tuesday.

Professor Lin Yingxing, director of the Goroka-based China Aid Upland Rice Project to PNG, accompanied by other officers, told Mr Sia one hectare of the field could produce six to eight tonnes of rice.

“Rice import countries, especially in Asia, can harvest two to three tonnes of rice from a hectare of land but six to eight tonnes of rice can be harvested from a hectare of lands in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“We have not applied any chemicals like fertilisers or pesticides.

“They are organic rice with their natural taste intact.

“The result so far from many tests we have been conducting throughout the country, including Fimito rice fields, are positive.

“Rice import can easily be replaced with our own cultivated from the whole valley from Asaro in Daulo district to Keiya valley in lower Bena in Unggai-Bena district.”

He said Goroka was within the altitude range between 900 and 1500 metres above sea that was best for farming dry land rice.

Juncao Upland Rice project coordinator Timothy Ukii said they had not replaced the first brand of rice seedlings they had introduced in 1999.

“The Golden Mountain A-1 brand is perennial and yields premium quality of grain,” he said.

“It is like the Jasmine rice that we get from the store.

“This is the first brand of rice seedlings we have introduced and they have shown good results consistently over the years.”

He said they could harvest twice from one stem, given that they were planted during the wet season. An impressed governor made a quick calculation that a 50kg of rice lasting an individual for a year.

“This is like 12 years from one harvest from a hectare of land by a farmer,” Mr Sia said.

Meanwhile, Fimito community leader Francis Warigiso told Sia that the rice farming pilot project had been going on at the valley for more than two decades without serious commitment from the authorities and stakeholders to commercialise the rice fields on.

Mr Sia said the provincial government would help where there was a will.

“The people must release their land to whoever wants to grow rice so that we can work together to realise our potential in the rice industry,” he said.

Prof Yingxing said they had the expertise and technology to encourage rice production and were committed to ensure food security for Papua New Guinea through rice.

He said they had contributed in the development of the Rigo rice project in Central Province and were committed to do the same where there was partnership.

PETALING JAYA: A controversial plan by the Kedah Mentri Besar to convert 20% of padi land in the state could see Malaysia having to import an extra 306,000 tonnes of rice each year.

It will also displace about 11,400 farmers who would lose their source of income, contradicting the state’s plan to increase the income of ordinary Kedahans, say food and agriculture experts.

These are just some of the adverse impacts of a plan by Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor to turn 20% of all padi land – or nearly 43,000ha – in Kedah into industrial zones. He has claimed such a move would help increase the state’s coffers.

“Where will these farmers go? They are not qualified to work in other industres except padi farming,” said agriculture expert Prof Dr Fatimah Mohamed Arshad.

“By taking away their farms, the state will send these farmers into poverty,” said Fatimah, who is part of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security.

“Why should we import rice when we already produce it?”

According to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Kedah produces about 44%, or 914,000 of the 2.356 million tonnes of rice grown nationwide.

Malaysians consume about 2.7 million metric tonnes of rice per year, according to a 2016 Khazanah Research Institute finding. Of the total, 70% is produced locally while the rest is imported.

In an interview with The Star on May 21, Sanusi blamed Kedah’s poverty on the fact that it has been designated as the nation’s rice bowl, and that much of its land is used for padi farming.

He said this affected the state’s revenue as taxes on farm land was low, despite the crop’s importance.

In order to overcome this, Sanusi proposed to turn 20% of the estimated 214,300ha of padi land into industrial zones, which would command higher land taxes and revenue.

Sanusi also wanted to increase the yield from the remaining plots.

“We can’t keep guaranteeing food supply for others while we remain poor. The one who guarantees food supply should be the wealthiest,” Sanusi said.

Another food security expert Nur Fitri Amir Mohammad said Sanusi was right when he said that Kedah’s farmers were poor but felt the Mentri Besar’s solution was wrong.

“His proposal would turn land-owning farmers and entrepreneurs into wage earners,” said Nur Fitri Amir, coordinator of the Food Security and Sovereignty Forum, a group of experts and scholars working on agriculture reform.

“The solution is to reform practices in rice production and to invest in more infrastructure to increase the yield,” said the secretary of PeSAWAH, a rice farmers’ civil group.

Fatimah also said Kedah’s poverty was due to poor management by its leaders, as the state had natural resources like farm land, fishery areas and forests.

It also has tremendous opportunity for cross border trade with Thailand, she said.

However, its economic output in gross domestic product (GDP) was about RM47 billion in 2021, half that of Penang with RM98 billion, despite the fact that the latter is only 11% of Kedah’s size.

“Similarly, Melaka which is about 3% of Kedah in terms of land area has GDP that’s on par with Kedah. This suggests that with the right management of resources, a state can achieve high GDP,” Fatimah said.

“Poor economic performance is mainly determined by domestic policies rather than an external force,” she said.

Inflation driven by economic instability and the fallout from the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 have pushed the staple meal out of reach for many in West Africa.

A man covers harvested rice in a rice field in Nanan, Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire [Thierry Gouegnon/Reuters]

For Nashirata* (last name withheld), breadwinner for her husband and three children, jollof rice, the beloved West African staple dish, is often a lifesaver.

Jobs are hard to come by in Accra, Ghana where she lives, so her high school teaching job is coming in handy until her master’s degree in public health opens the doors to a better one. And on her modest salary, jollof rice – a simple meal of rice cooked with a spicy tomato and pepper base, seasoning and fish or meat –  is often an affordable option for her family.

But now it is getting more expensive to cook.

On the eve of May Day, Nashirata’s pot of jollof rice cost 80 Ghanaian cedi ($7.40), almost twice the regular cost. Still, it was one of the “plainest meals” she had ever made, she said, as she could not afford meat and other condiments at their current prices.

“If I looked at what I prepared yesterday,” Nashirata told Al Jazeera, “I would have loved to add other ingredients. But what we are experiencing, we cannot really have what we want. You can only really make do with what you have.”

Elsewhere in West Africa, in Lagos, the Nigerian commercial capital, the price of restocking monthly groceries has risen from approximately 40,000 naira last year ($86.80) to 80,000 naira ($173.61) today for Esther Louise, a mother of four.

And these days when she cooks jollof rice, she has replaced turkey – which has gone from 3,500 naira ($7.60) per kilogramme to 5,000 naira ($10.85) – with the considerably cheaper Titus fish. It now costs her approximately 8,000 naira ($17.36) to make a pot of rice, 30 percent up from 5,500 naira ($11.94) in April.

Since 2020, people across West Africa have been grappling with rising food inflation, as popular meals go out of reach for low-income households.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, food inflation as of March stood at 50.8 percent. In Nigeria and Senegal, the rates have been considerably less, at 24.61 percent and 11.90 percent, respectively.

In crisis-hit Burkina Faso, food prices have also increased by 30 percent this year, according to the International Rescue Committee. In Mali, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) projects acute food insecurity is expected to increase by 30 percent between June and August.

For low-income households across the region, these numbers translate into reduced food security, even as people’s earnings largely stay the same.

“We all know that prices [of commodities] have, in fact, shut up astronomically compared to last year. You cannot even compare the two,” Nashirata said

Import-driven economies

A recent survey by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based geopolitical consultancy, examines the rising costs of cooking a pot of jollof rice for an average family of five in several markets in parts of Nigeria and Ghana.

In 14 markets surveyed across Nigeria, the price increased between 2.9 percent and 14.7 percent, peaking at 13,150 naira ($28.54) between the third quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s monthly minimum wage stayed at 33,000 naira ($71.61).

In Ghana, where the monthly minimum wage is 401.76 cedis ($37.18), a pot of jollof rice cost 287.5 cedis ($26.61), 294.5 cedis ($27.26) and 274 cedis ($25.36) in the first three months in Accra and 268 cedis ($24.80), 278 cedis ($25.73) and 274 cedis ($25.36) in Kumasi, respectively.

“The index underscores the fragility of the region’s economies,” said Ikemesit Effiong, head of research at SBM Intelligence.

And while underdeveloped agricultural and farming systems and inadequate policy support have long been noted as reasons for price inconsistencies, experts say the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have also contributed to the rise in food prices.

Like most of the African continent, West African countries are heavily reliant on grains, wheat, flour and, to a lesser degree, fertilisers from the Black Sea region, a key geopolitical axis that includes Russia and Ukraine.

According to a 2022 joint study by the Economic Community of West African States, the UN World Food Programme and FAO, almost half of the wheat flour imported into West Africa comes from Russia and Ukraine.

“The way West African economies have been structured, they are largely import driven,” said Daniel Anim, chief economist at the Accra-based Policy Initiative for Economic Development.“[It is] making it very difficult for the average citizen within the region to be able to afford goods and services.

“The disposable income of the citizens has been reduced due to the effect of the inflationary rate, and it is affecting the standard of living of the citizens to the extent that it might have an effect on the nutritional value of the citizens, which invariably will affect productivity,” he added.

Beyond the global dynamics, ongoing political, economic and climate crises are also impacting economies in the region.

Mali and Burkina Faso have been experiencing violence by armed rebels for years, as well as multiple coups since 2020. In that period, there have also been attempted coups in Niger, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau as dissatisfaction with tackling insecurity persists and as the cost of living continues to rise.

Last year, acute flooding wiped out thousands of farmlands, killed more than 600 people and displaced 1.4 million others across Nigeria’s food-producing states – after there had already been years of armed attacks against farmers by armed groups in the region. A botched currency swap earlier this year led to more inflation and hurt small and medium businesses, according to the World Bank.

Ghana is in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a $3bn dollar bailout. And as of December 2022, Nigeria’s total public debt stocks were at $103.11bn.

Rising debt stock has also hampered economic growth in stable economies like Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal. In 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire are reported to have a debt-to-GDP ratio of 77 percent and 56 percent, respectively.

“If you take the West Africa subregion as an economic bloc over the years, it appears that the focus has been on addressing political issues as against economic issues outlined in the various protocols and documents aimed at growing the respective economies in the subregion,” Anim told Al Jazeera.

‘You have to manage’

Experts say the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), designed to ease the movement of goods across the continent but yet to launch, could help halt declining food supply and increasing prices.

“The solution lies around the nature of access – access to capital on one side and access to infrastructure and market,” Akinyinka Akintunde, president of Lagos-based commodities exchange AFEX, told Al Jazeera. “When land and finance are not available with insurgency on the land and [there is ] no access to finance because there is no subsidy in place because the government is not playing the role or there is no infrastructure to access it, then there will be high prices.”

“If there is no seamless mechanism of getting produce at fair, transparent prices, the project is dead on arrival because the access to market has a lot of dynamics to it.”

For regular people like Nashirata, having daily meals cost more than their means is a bitter experience. “Now,” she said, “you cannot just go out and say you want to buy what you want, go home and prepare a meal for your family. You have to manage.

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.

Farmers in Kyondoe Township Under Pressure: Restrictions on Rice Planting near Military Areas

During this year's planting season, local villagers have reported that the Light Infantry Battalions 545 and 546, based in Kyondoe Township, have issued orders to halt rice cultivation in the farmlands surrounding the villages where the military is stationed.

Furthermore, it has been mandated that only a maximum of three individuals are permitted to be present at the workplace, despite the allowance for cultivation in other areas.

A Kawtwarle villager, who did not wish to be named, said, “The military has ordered that no fields should be planted near Kawtwarle village and the 545/546 battalion. If people still want to plant, they can only do so in groups of three or less.

This makes it difficult for us to grow rice. The military has occupied schools in the villages, and they are hiding outside the village near the rubber farm, which prevents people from going out to work. Trenches have been dug along the Gyaing River, Haungthayaw River, and the path from Kawtwarle to Naungtaman, Ka Toot Min Pagoda, causing fear among the villagers and making them hesitant to go anywhere.”

The villagers of Kawtwarle have reported that the military has issued orders prohibiting rice cultivation in the village farms this year. The purpose behind this directive, as stated by the villagers, is to prevent the revolutionary joint forces from ambushing, attacking the Kyondoe-based Light Infantry Battalion 545/546, and launching drone-based bomb attacks from the farmlands surrounding the battalion.

Currently, residents have reported that artillery shells are being fired from two military camps, targeting the villages in Kyondoe on a daily basis, both during the day and at night. As a result, the residents have expressed that no one has returned to their village from the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp due to the ongoing shelling.

A resident of Naungtaman village said, “Artillery shells were fired on both the east and west banks of Kyondoe, causing destruction to houses. Thankfully, there were no people present at the time, otherwise, they would have been in great danger. Considering the situation, I feel compelled to look back at my village and constantly return to the place where I sought refuge from the war. It has become challenging to engage in farming or planting, making it difficult to sustain a livelihood in the long term.”

As of now, it has been reported that the military has destroyed and blocked the roads connecting the villages of Kawkareik and Taungkyarinn. This action has resulted in the disruption of rural-urban transport links, preventing the free movement of people and goods between these areas.

The residents of Kawkareik/Kyondoe have reported that soldiers hiding along the roads leading from the village to the town, combined with ongoing combat operations, have caused significant challenges in accessing food, shopping, healthcare, and education services.

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.

BASF, Kubota and ZEN-NOH will collaborate to help improve and optimise rice production in Japan

The field trials will be held during the 2023 growing season. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The collaboration consists of two phases, beginning with the integration of BASF’s advanced xarvio FIELD MANAGER crop optimisation platform with Kubota’s state-of-the art KSAS operating platform to assess operability.

The main aim of platform integration is to deliver greater convenience, increase yield, optimise fertiliser use, and provide a higher return on investment for farmers. This outcome would tackle many of the challenges affecting rice production in Japan, including an ageing workforce, labour shortages, and the consolidation of farmland. It would also help farmers become more sustainable, globally competitive and meet established fertiliser reduction targets listed in the country’s MeaDRI strategy for sustainable food systems.

Phase two of the collaboration will test the performance of platform integration through field trials in rice crops, which will be managed by ZEN-NOH.

The field trials will be held during the 2023 growing season and involve farmers experienced with using xarvio FIELD MANAGER, Kubota’s KSAS platform and its machinery. Here, farmers will use the KSAS platform and Kubota rice transplanters to implement field-specific, xarvio FIELD MANAGER variable application maps for fertilisation.

The results of these new field trials will complement those achieved in more than 100 field trials conducted in rice crops last year by ZEN-NOH and BASF. In last year’s field trials, xarvio FIELD MANAGER’s variable application maps for fertilisation were used and compared to standard fertilisation application practices. By using xarvio FIELD MANAGER’s variable application maps, yield increases of 15% to 20% were achieved, with an average fertiliser input reduction of 10% recorded. In some cases, depending on field conditions, fertiliser use was reduced by up to 50%.

Konstantin Kretschun, global head of BASF Digital Farming, commented, “Rice farmers in Japan recognise the need to become more sustainable and globally competitive, while reducing environment impacts and meeting MeaDRI strategy targets. Climate smart farming technology provides a proven, effective and available solution to help them achieve these goals. By working closely with Kubota and our valued partner in ZEN-NOH to connect offerings, we can together deliver even greater value to farmers and positively transform rice production in Japan.”

In April 2021, BASF and ZEN-NOH launched xarvio FIELD MANAGER in Japan. Its success, particularly its strong adoption rate among farmers, is based on its ability to deliver consistent, field-specific, measurable agronomic benefits. The digital product uses proven plant models and agronomic algorithms in combination with multiple data inputs, including historical agronomic information, in-season risks, weather data and satellite-based biomass images to provide farmers with clear and prompt, field-specific agronomic recommendations to apply crop fertilisation and crop protection.

By connecting xarvio FIELD MANAGER with Kubota’s powerful KSAS farming and service support system, the seamless transfer and use of xarvio FIELD MANAGER’s variable application maps for fertilisation by KSAS compatible rice transplanters is realised, without the need for an added device for data transfer.

It is anticipated that full integration between xarvio FIELD MANAGER and Kubota’s KSAS platform will be commercially available in Japan from spring 2024.

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.

A Clemson University researcher is part of a multi-state, multi-disciplinary study to improve rice farming sustainability and profitability through research innovations that advance climate-resilient crops.

Raghupathy Karthikeyan, Newman Endowed Chair Professor of Natural Resources Engineering and a professor in Clemson’s Agricultural Sciences Department, is collaborating with researchers from other land-grant institutions and the United States Department of Agriculture to learn how the development and adoption of climate-smart crop production technologies and practices can enhance rice production.

This $10 million project is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program. The project addresses the three pillars of the land-grant mission – research, education and the Cooperative Extension Service.

“During this project, we will work to identify climate resilient rice, particularly salt-tolerant rice cultivars and appropriate management practices for rice growers,” Karthikeyan said. “The outcome of this project will allow for development of a skilled workforce that will continue research and development and help distribute information related to using climate resilient technologies.”

Rice once was a dominant agricultural staple in South Carolina before saltwater intrusion forced farmers to grow other crops.

During this project, the researchers will: assess socio-economic and environmental impacts of current farming practices and identify barriers to adopting climate-smart technologies; design climate-smart rice cultivars; develop climate-smart management practices; and develop and implement effective Extension programming. Knowledge gained will be used to identify rice varieties that can adapt to a changing climate.

For his part in the study, Karthikeyan will calibrate and validate the rice crop model, CERES-Rice, a model from Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer – DSSAT suite, using different environmental and management conditions. This model is used for crop management design. Karthikeyan will use this model to forecast rice yields across different management practices under variable climate scenarios.

“Crop simulation models simulate growth, development and yield as a function of interactions between soil, plant and the atmosphere,” Karthikeyan said. “Optimum management practices to increase rice production can be identified using CERES-Rice simulations.”

Field trials will be conducted on salt-tolerant rice lines at the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center (REC) in Charleston, South Carolina.

Clemson researchers will apply the CERES-Rice model to assess responses of different rice cultivars using projected climate change. Once calibrated, the model will be used to make on-farm management decisions in current and future climatic conditions. This farm modeling system uses data from across the agricultural production chain and includes social and regional considerations to maximize economic, environmental and societal benefits.

Karthikeyan also will develop and teach a special topics class and coordinate a mini-symposium on sustainable and climate-resilient rice production at Clemson University.

In addition to Clemson, this Louisiana State University-led project also includes researchers from the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University AgriLife Research, Mississippi State University and the USDA-Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center. These researchers have expertise in plant breeding, genetics, plant physiology, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, precision agriculture, microbiology, mechanical engineering, modeling, artificial intelligence, sociology, economics and Extension education.

Karthikeyan said this expertise will help the researchers share their knowledge with rice growers today, as well as with rice growers of the future.

“We will use Extension and education activities to equip the current and next generation of rice farmers, consultants and researchers with knowledge and skills needed to embrace new climate-smart agriculture technologies and production practices,” Karthikeyan said. “Growers will learn how to make the correct decisions at the correct times to help reduce yield losses, land use, labor and consumer energy.”

This grant is part of a $70 million dollar investment from USDA to establish robust, resilient and climate-smart food and agricultural systems.

To help revive the South Carolina rice industry, another Clemson-led project is iCORP – Increasing Coastal Organic Rice Production in South Carolina Using Salt Tolerant Cultivars. During this project, researchers will detail cultivation practices and economics of growing rice in salt-affected coastal areas to help growers to make informed crop-related decisions.

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.

Rice is the most commonly eaten food in the world, but conventional rice production has a hefty environmental impact. Growing rice is incredibly water-intensive, and flooded fields are ideal growing conditions for methane-emitting bacteria. 

For Jim Whitaker, proprietor of Whitaker Farms and a fifth-generation Arkansas rice farmer, the environmental challenges of conventional rice production were also economic concerns. “I grew up farming,” Whitaker said. “My dad struggled through a historic drought in the ‘80s. I remember coming home on my dad’s birthday, and he had gotten a foreclosure letter from the bank and was going to lose the farm. I was 16 years old, and I could not get that out of my brain.” 

When Whitaker and his brother Sam started farming, they began again from scratch with a new plot of land and a loan from the U.S. Farm Service Agency. “We had a beginning farmer FSA loan and the worst piece of ground, but we knew that we had to adapt and change. Doing things the old way was not going to work,” he said. 

The brothers decided to add irrigation to their land and level it off, which vastly improves water efficiency and reduces methane emissions. “We got lucky out of the gate,” Whitaker remembered. With a good crop and some income, they were able to further develop their land and rent another farm, which they also leveled.

“We went zero-grade and leveled the rice field completely flat. At the time, it is the gold standard for water conservation and greenhouse gas emissions reduction,” Whitaker explained. Over time, the brothers acquired more and more farmland and transitioned it to regenerative and water-smart practices — growing their operation from 90 acres in 1993 to as many as 9,000 acres today. 

Scaling up sustainable rice production 

In 2010, Whitaker attended the Rice Leadership Development Program, where he met a rice buyer for Mars, Incorporated. “We became great friends, and that started the journey of Whitaker Farms growing rice for the Ben’s Original brand,” Whitaker said. Today, Whitaker Farms produces over a third of the rice that Mars uses in Ben’s Original Ready-to-Heat pouches in the U.S. and Canada. 

Whitaker Farms has also built up its sustainable rice practices over the years and now uses water sensors to monitor in field water levels. This allows them to conserve water through precision irrigation, providing water to fields at just the right times and in just the right amounts, and maximize yield at the same time. 

Whitaker also uses a third-party verifier to track and monitor greenhouse gas emissions. The farm specializes in a technique called “alternate wetting and drying,” which means they allow rice fields to dry out before irrigating, a method which is making major waves in an industry that has long relied on perpetually flooded fields. 

The wetting and drying method not only saves water and emissions, but it also has financial benefits: By adopting these methods, Whitaker Farms has been able to reduce their fertilizer input by 20 percent and irrigation by 50 percent. They have even been able to sell carbon credits to other companies for reducing emissions through regenerative practices. 

A longstanding supplier relationship opens doors for sustainable rice practices 

Whitaker said the relationship with Mars is critical to the farm’s sustainable rice success story. “Rice is a unique market,” he told us. “It is highly controlled globally, and there isn’t a mechanism that allows farmers to trade in the market in the U.S. Our contract with Mars is a good relationship, because it gives me the ability to plan. I know how many acres to work and the budget to work within.” 

Mars is committed to sourcing 100 percent of its rice from farmers working toward more sustainable and climate-smart rice production practices, aimed at reducing GHG emissions, reducing unsustainable water use and increasing profitability for farmers. Mars is also a member of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), a global alliance dedicated to helping small farmers grow rice sustainably and increase their resilience to climate change. 

Mars is the first company in the consumer goods industry to commit to sourcing 100 percent of its rice from farmers working toward the SRP. It’s also helping other farmers learn about the environmental and economic benefits of wetting and drying rice production. 

“We don’t have a lot of choice as farmers,” Whitaker said. “The equipment is getting bigger and more expensive every year. As the farms get bigger, underserved farmers are getting left behind. There is a huge opportunity for the government to provide tax incentives to retiring farmers to transition their farms to new, historically underserved farmers, through a transition period and an apprenticeship. Historically underserved farmers can’t get into regenerative agriculture if they can’t make ends meet. We need to meet them where they are.” 

Kristen Campos, VP of corporate affairs at Mars Food North America, said the company is eager to keep this conversation going. “Ben’s Original mission to create opportunities that give everyone a seat at the table,” she said. “So we are looking at different ways and pursuing partnerships to support underserved farmers and bring more people into the farming profession.”

A slow but steady move toward sustainable rice production

Whitaker reflected on his early career, noting that the buzzwords he heard around sustainability planted a seed in his mind. “I could sense the industry was moving in this direction and there was a demand for it,” he said. “People want to do business with folks who are doing the right thing.” 

He now realizes that doing the right thing was good for his land as well as his business. Whitaker Farms uses 50 percent less water than the mid-South average and emits 50 percent less methane through alternate wetting and drying, compared to farms of equivalent size using flooding methods. The farm also has 20 percent higher land use efficiency, with yields 20 percent higher than the average for the area. 

But Whitaker doesn’t want to stop at the environmental and economic impacts. “From a social standpoint, we are trying to make farming halfway fun,” he said. “It wasn't fun when I grew up. Nobody aspired to be a farmer.” He now strives to make his farm a place where people want to work and foster a more creative and inviting agricultural industry that will attract “sharp young people” looking for a career. 

“We hope to train other farmers, and we want to make a difference in their operations,” he concluded. “When it comes to regenerative or climate-smart practices, well, folks need to realize that farmers only get one chance a year to make a mistake. If we plant the wrong variety or put out the wrong fertilizer, we mess up the crop. So, these practices can be scary if they’ve never done it. If we can help people use less water and farm a few more acres economically, then perhaps there is a social benefit to that.”

This article series is sponsored by Mars and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

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.

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%.

• 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.

El Nino Threatens Thailand's Rice Shipments

Share of global rice exports in 2022-23

Source: US Department of Agriculture

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.

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.

KARACHI-Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Mu­rad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Water Syed Khursheed Shah along with provincial ministers discussed waterlogging and increasing wa­ter table issues along the left bank of the River Indus in the post-flood scenario and decided to impose a ban on rice cultivation.

The meeting was attended by pro­vincial ministers, Manzoor Wassan, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Shah, Jam Ikram, Chief Secretary So­hail Rajput, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Irrigation Sohail Qureshi, Secretary Agriculture Ai­jaz Mahesar, Commissioner Sukkur Mustafa Phul, Commissioner Mir­purkhas Shafiq Mahesar and deputy commissioners of different districts through video link.

The meeting observed that the is­sue of water logging has remained persistent for a long. This situation has been further aggravated by the recent floods which have increased the water table further. The partici­pants of the meeting observed that the growers of perennial canals such as the Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal, Nara Canal, and Khairpur West & East feeders were cultivating rice despite a complete ban.

The CM keeping in view the grav­ity of the situation decided to im­pose a ban on the cultivation of rice crops in the districts of Ghotki, Suk­kur, Khairpur, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehro Feroz, Matiari, Hyder­abad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mu­hammad Khan (Partially), and Badin (Partially). Shah directed the rel­evant Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to depute their Assistant Commis­sioners (ACs), mukhtiarkars, and tapers to advise the grower to opt for other Kharif crops in place of the Rice Crop which has been banned for cultivation.

The CM directed the Senior Mem­ber Board of Revenue to issue a no­tification under the West Pakistan Rice (Restrictions On Cultivation) Or­dinance, 1959, imposing a complete ban on Rice Cultivation for the year 2023 on perennial Canals - Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal, Nara Canal, and Khairpur West & East feeders. Mean­while, Shah directed the Irrigation department to release water in time so that growers of the left bank of the river Indus could grow other crops.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that Ethiopian Airlines had resumed its Karachi operation after a lapse of four decades which opened new vis­tas of trade and commerce, invest­ment, and tourism between Pakistan and African countries. This he said while talking to media persons just after receiving the inaugural flight of Ethiopian Air which landed at Old Terminal with 110 passengers, in­cluding three Ethiopian state minis­ters. He was accompanied by Provin­cial Ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Jam Ikram, Syed Nasir Shah, and Advisor Murtaza Wahab.

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.

Scientists have shown that the loss of function of two paralogous starch biosynthetic genes contributes to an increase in resistant starch (RS) content in cooked rice, providing insights into the generation of high-RS varieties in rice and possibly other cereals.

This study, conducted by Prof. LI Jiayang's team from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Wu Dianxing's team from the Zhejiang University, was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on May 1.

Sedentary lifestyles and long-term overeating lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes and related complications, which have become a major threat to global health. This incidence could potentially be reduced through appropriate dietary approaches by regulating glucose homeostasis.

In contrast with rapidly digested starch, RS is a type of special starch that cannot be digested in the small intestine but is transferred to the large intestine for slow fermentation, which is beneficial to intestinal health and may improve various related conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and weight management.

Rice is an excellent source of starch, but most cooked rice contained low levels of RS (< 2%). Therefore, the identification of new RS genes has important theoretical and practical significance for improving the nutritional value of rice.

SSIIIa, previously reported by Li and Wu's teams, is a high-RS gene. The RS content in the loss-of-function ssIIIa mutant in the indica rice background with a Wx^a allele increased to ~6%. Although SSIIIa and Wx contributed to RS formation, more functional RS genes were still desired.

In view of this, the researchers used a high-RS mutant rs4 (~10% RS content) generated by physical mutagenesis. Through genetic analysis, resequencing, and cloning of the segregating population, they identified a novel high RS gene, SSIIIb, that harbors a frame-shift mutation in the rs4 mutant in addition to the SSIIIa deficiency.

They found that the ssIIIb single mutation had no effect on RS levels, but when it pyramided with ssIIIa to form the double mutant ssIIIa ssIIIb, RS levels further increased to 10% in the indica rice background. The increased RS levels in ssIIIa and ssIIIa ssIIIb mutants were associated with increased amylose and lipid levels.

Furthermore, the researchers showed that SSIIIb and SSIIIa proteins derive from paralogous genes of the rice SSIII family, whereas SSIIIb functions mainly in leaves and SSIIIa mainly in endosperm due to their divergent tissue-specific expression patterns. SSIII underwent gene duplication in different cereals, with one SSIII paralog being expressed mainly in leaves and another in the endosperm. SSII also showed an evolutionary pattern similar to that of SSIII. The duplication of SSIII and SSII was associated with high total starch content and low RS levels in the seeds of tested cereals, compared with low starch content and high RS levels in tested dicots.

These results provide important genetic resources for breeding high-RS rice varieties, and the evolutionary characteristics of these genes may facilitate the generation of high-RS varieties in different cereals.

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?”

Could artificial intelligence and drone tracking get a handle on fungal attacks?

05 May 2023 --- Fungal diseases are decimating crops, with farmers losing 10% to 23% of their harvests to infections yearly – plus more in postharvest losses. Diminishing yields threaten global food security and scientists are urging agencies worldwide to come together to find new ways to combat infection, including exploring technologies like AI and drone use to spot fungi risks faster.

A report for the National Library of Medicine reveals that the loss of commodity crops to fungal disease can destabilize the economies of developing nations and that climate change is accelerating the potentially devastating damage caused by fungi. 

“Fungal infections are threatening some of our most important crops, from potatoes to grains and bananas. We are already seeing massive losses, and this threatens to become a global catastrophe in light of population growth,” says Sarah Gurr, chair in food security at the University of Exeter and co-author of the report.

Across the five most important calorie crops – rice, wheat, maize (corn), soya beans and potatoes – losses from infections amount to enough food to provide some 600 million to 4 billion people with 2,000 calories every day for one year.

Moreover, accelerating climate change is set to worsen the prevalence of fungal infections damaging harvests, according to Nature. Growers in England and Ireland have already reported wheat stem rust infections, which normally occur in the tropics. 

Modern farming using vastly genetically uniform crops creates the perfect conditions for a prolific and fast-evolving group of organisms to spread. (Image Credit: Janine Haueisen).Resistant seeds and early detection
Innovative farming practices may hold the key to solving the issue. 

A study in Denmark showed promise by planting seed mixtures that carry a range of genes resistant to fungal infection, according to Gurr.

Moreover, in 2020, a team at the University of Exeter discovered a new chemistry that will allow new antifungals to create mechanisms that prevent fungi from developing resistance. The scientists found the new antifungal could be used against Septoria tritici blotch on wheat, rice blast and corn smut and against the fungus that causes Panama disease in bananas.

“Technology may prove crucial,” Gurr says. Artificial intelligence, citizen science and remote sensing tools such as drones allow for early detection and the control of outbreaks.

The authors reiterate that protecting global crops requires a unified approach that brings together farmers, the agricultural industry, plant breeders, biologists, governments, policymakers and funders.

“Recently, we’ve seen the world unite over the human health threat posed by COVID-19. We now urgently need a globally united approach to tackling fungal infection, with more investment to build on the seeds of hope and stop this developing into a global catastrophe which will see people starve,” Gurr highlights. 

The Last of Us effect
The apocalypse series “The Last of Us” about cordyceps fungi turning humans into zombies has brought fungi interest to a general audience.

“While the storyline is science fiction, we are warning that we could see a global health catastrophe caused by the rapid global spread of fungal infections as they develop increasing resistance in a warming world,” Gurr underscores.

Why are fungi so pervasive?Accelerating climate change is set to worsen the prevalence of fungal infections damaging harvests.
The scientists warn in the report of a “perfect storm” that is causing fungal infections to spread rapidly.

“Among the factors is the fact that fungi are incredibly resilient, remaining viable in the soil for up to 40 years, with airborne spores that can travel between continents. They are also extremely adaptable, with ‘phenomenal’ genetic diversity between and among species,” the researchers explain.

Furthermore, modern farming using vastly genetically uniform crops creates the perfect conditions for a prolific and fast-evolving group of organisms to spread. 

Fungi are also “well-equipped” to evolve beyond traditional means to control their spread.  

“The increasingly widespread use of antifungal treatments that target a single fungal cellular process means fungi can evolve resistance to these fungicides so that they are no longer effective. This forces farmers to use ever-higher concentrations of fungicide in a bid to control infection, which can accelerate the pace of resistance developing,” detail the scientists.

“Forgotten crops” might be key to boosting the agri sector’s resilience. 

Through climate niche modeling, new research has identified how forgotten food crops can diversify or replace major staple crops in sub-Saharan Africa by 2070 and benefit micronutrient supply.

Food biodiversity is a topic “often missing from conversations,” Dan Saladino, author of “Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them,” told FoodIngredientsFirst previously.

By Marc Cervera

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.

• 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.

More than 60 million people benefit from a ration card that each household receives in Egypt

Egypt is planning on gradually increasing the price of basic commodities distributed through ration cards which are used by more than half of the North African country's population, according to the country's supply minister.

The hikes include a bottle of vegetable oil increasing to EGP 30 ($0.97) from EGP 25 ($0.81), while one-kilogram sacks of sugar and rice will go up to EGP 12.60 ($0.41) from EGP 10.50 ($0.34).

Egypt's population is just under 110 million people and more than 60 million people benefit from a ration card that each household receives. For each household with a ration card, there is EGP 50 ($1.62) per month per person to buy around 32 types of goods at subsidised prices, which include pasta, flour, and fava beans, Reuters reported.

“The hike of subsidised commodities prices distributed through ration cards now force us to review the prices or otherwise the government will not be able to fund or provide these commodities,” Supply Minister Ali El-Mosilhy said at a press conference in Cairo. He added that the review process would start in the coming days.

According to Mosilhy, due to high inflation and a dollar shortage, the Egyptian government deliberately reduced the supplies of some items imported from abroad, such as wheat and vegetable oils. 

Mosilhy also added that the government is considering adopting local currencies between Egypt and other countries with which it trades. Though nothing has been decided yet, there are ongoing negotiations with Russia, China, and India, Bloomberg reported.

The announcement comes as Egypt is facing a foreign currency crunch that has led to a shortage of basic goods and record inflation. Cairo was forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund last year for its fourth loan from the lender in six years.

And with the sharp rise in food prices, Egyptians are having to pay substantially more to cover their daily needs

Last month, the IMF wanted to see Egypt accelerate reforms before it carried out its first review of a $3bn rescue programme intended to shore up the North African country's crippled economy.

Ferid Belhaj, the World Bank’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, said Egypt was not moving fast enough to address an economic crisis that has sent the cost of basic goods skyrocketing and pushed millions into poverty. 

Egypt's reluctance to move away from a de facto peg of its currency to the US dollar is one of the main holdups. Although the Egyptian pound has lost about half its official value over the past year, analysts say it is still overvalued.

Cairo has tried to implement a series of government initiatives to bring in enough US dollars for import operations and the repayment of accumulating debts.

In March, the country eased its citizenship restrictions for foreigners, declaring that foreigners could obtain citizenship by investing $300,000, rather than $500,000, in the purchase of real estate - including plots of land and buildings owned by the government.

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)

The world's second most consumed cereal increases in price

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), world rice production for the 2022-2023 season is forecast at 516 million tonnes, 1.6% below the previous year's output. This is the lowest global production since the 2019-2020 season. 

FAO has forecast world cereal stocks at the end of the 2023 seasons to decline by 1.2% from their initial levels to 844 million tonnes, due to a projected reduction in global stocks of coarse grains and rice, offsetting an increase in wheat stocks. While production is forecast to increase in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan, it will be reduced in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, the European Union and Vietnam. 

China is the world's largest rice producer, harvesting 25% of global rice production. The country's total rice production has increased in 20 years from 178 megatonnes to 213 megatonnes in 2021. The increase in rice production is attributed to many factors, including an increase in irrigated areas, high-yielding rice varieties, use of agrochemicals, etc

Spain produces more than 720,000 tonnes of rice per year, making it the largest rice producer in the European Union, behind Italy. In 2018, 78.6% of Spanish rice exports went to European Union countries, with a concentration in countries such as Belgium with 25.6% and the United Kingdom with 15.8%. Andalusia produces more than a third of the country's rice production. However, last year's droughts caused production to decline. In 2023, if it does not rain in April and May, rice harvests could be severely depleted throughout the peninsula. 

Rice production affects the food security and socio-economic situation of half of the world's population because it is the second most consumed cereal on the planet. It is therefore one of the main staple foods in Asia, West Africa and Latin America. Therefore, an excessive price increase can have serious consequences for the food security of the poorest populations in these three continents. Globally, although international prices have moderated in 2023, local food prices remain high and continue to severely hamper access to food.

According to FAO, 45 countries need external food aid this year. The prospect of persistent drought in East Africa raises serious concerns about levels of acute food insecurity. According to the UN, up to 828 million people are unsure where their next meal will come from. According to Action Against Hunger, from 2019 to 2022, the number of undernourished people increased by up to 150 million, a crisis largely driven by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Conflict, economic shocks, weather extremes and soaring fertiliser prices are combining to create a food crisis of unprecedented proportions.

Rice is one of the world's most water-intensive crops, requiring around 2,500 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of rice.  This is why droughts are compromising its production. Most of the large-scale rice production takes place in tropical or riverine areas.

Currently, more than 733 million people, approximately 10% of the world's population, live in countries with high and critical water stress. Water scarcity, drought, floods, pollution and other crisis impacts are key challenges for sustainable agriculture and rural development. Challenges in agriculture are increasing due to climate change, rampant degradation of ecosystems that support food production, rapid population growth and unequal access to resources.

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.

MANILA, Philippines—Back in the first month of 2023, the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture already stressed that there will be an expected shortage in rice this year, especially because of higher production cost.

So what should be done?

As explained by the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), there was an immense drop in palay production in 2022 since farmers were discouraged from tilling their lands because of the spike in key farm inputs.

It said based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Bureau of Customs, palay output decreased to 16.4 million metric tons last year, which is 3.57 million metric tons or almost 18 percent lower than in 2021.

The government also stressed the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, stating that rice supply could be affected by the expected El Niño phenomenon, which will likely develop starting July this year.

The government also stressed the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, stating that rice supply could be affected by the expected El Niño phenomenon, which will likely develop starting July this year.

Despite these, however, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said there would be no rice shortage, stating that rice supply is in “good shape” and that the government will look into ways to control the price of the grain.

But while the certainty of a rice crisis still hangs, Teodoro Mendoza, a retired University of the Philippines Los Baños crop science professor, said “it is high time for us to look into our consumption.”

‘Consumption should be adaptive’

Mendoza told INQUIRER.net that rice consumption in the Philippines clearly increased as more people shifted to the grain: “Consumption should be lessened by considering other energy sources.”

He shared that before, a person only consumes 90 kilos of rice a year, but as years passed, based on data from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), consumption increased to 107.77 kilos in 1999 to 2000 and 119.08 kilos in 2008 to 2009.

Mendoza said the impending crisis is “a result of people eating rice as usual,” stressing that South Korea is “now rice surplus because they eat less rice to address type 2 diabetes.”

He also compared the Philippines to Thailand, where there are 70 million people and 10 million hectares of farmland. He stressed that in the Philippines, there are 113 million people but there are only 2.7 million hectares.

“This is one of the reasons why our rice deficit grew and grew,” Mendoza said, stating that, “even if we eat only a half of dehulled or brown rice, we [can] become rice self-sufficient.”

The Department of Agriculture (DA) had said the government is eyeing 100 percent rice self-sufficiency by 2027 through its Masagana Rice Program, which is expected to stabilize rice supply from 24.99 million metric tons to 26.86 million metric tons.

As explained by PhilRice, factors affecting rice consumption of every Filipino are real and arithmetical in nature: “Real factors include the shift in consumers’ preference from other staples to rice and the increase in the number of poor families.”

Based on data from PhilRice, the share of each commodity to total consumption changed significantly in 2008 to 2009 from the levels in 1999 to 2000.

‘Develop more energy sources’

As stressed by Mendoza, “to me, this rice shortage will lead to the development of corn, kamote, cassava, taro, and saging na saba as food, and they are a better source [of energy].”

“They need less water and are much easier to grow. They are high in fiber, possess complex carbohydrates [that are] not precursor of type 2 diabetes. [They are] better for our health, environment, and for our food security,” he said.

As stressed in the medical website HealthLine, “there are risks to having too much rice in your diet.”

A study in the British Medical Journal found that people who eat high amounts of white rice may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes: “This means that if you have prediabetes, you should be especially conscientious about your rice intake.”

Last year, Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin asked the DA to promote kamote or sweet potato as an alternative to rice, by increasing production and making necessary investment in root crops when it comes to agricultural research, food technology, or marketing.

“The nutritious content of rice cannot compare to that of kamote since rice transforms into sugar in the body, making one susceptible to diabetes, while kamote is high in fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer,” Garin said.

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.

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.

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.

Bad weather in rice-producing countries and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have driven this shortfall.

Americans have already experienced their fair share of grocery woes in the past year, including major shortages and skyrocketing prices for grocery staples like eggs and butter. Though some of these shortages and elevated prices are starting to ease, consumers around the world now need to contend with a major shortage of another grocery staple: rice.

The world is facing the largest deficit in rice supplies in roughly two decades, and prices have skyrocketed as a result, CNBC reported. This is bad news for consumers in the United States, where rice prices were up already 9.5% in March 2023 compared to March 2022, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The news may be even grimmer for other countries that are big importers of rice and rely more heavily on the grain. A commodities analyst for Fitch Solutions, which provides financial insights and data, told CNBC that because rice is such a big staple in several Asian markets, rice prices are a big determining factor in food price inflation and food security.

There are several reasons for the shortage, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and unfavorable weather in countries that grow much of the world's rice. Certain farmlands in China, the largest rice producer in the world, saw heavy rains and flooding in the second half of 2022, while other rice-producing parts of the country experienced a severe drought. Pakistan, another key rice producer, also saw severe flooding in 2022 that was detrimental to production, per CNBC.

Fitch Solutions predicts that rice prices will stay elevated until 2024, assuming that more unfavorable weather conditions don't continue to impact production. Until then, price-weary consumers may have to make their peace with paying more for the grain or seek out cheaper alternatives.

Rice is only the latest grocery staple that is facing a major shortage or potential price increases in 2023. A Wells Fargo analyst recently predicted that several types of fresh produce, including strawberries and lettuce, will jump in price in the near term due to an unusually wet winter in California that has negatively impacted agricultural production. 

Consumers should also keep their eyes out for a potential rise in olive oil prices, as well as a Sriracha shortage from one of the most popular brands for the fiery chili sauce.

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.

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.

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.

HAMBURG, April 17 (Reuters) - South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. has issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 43,500 tonnes of rice, European traders said on Monday.

It should be sourced from Thailand and Vietnam, they said.

The tender seeks non-glutinous brown long grain rice and short grain rice in a series of consignments for arrival in South Korea in 2023 between July 1 and Sept. 30, they said.

The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender is April 25.

(Reporting by Michael Hogan)

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

Rice-animal co-culture farming, an ancient Southeast Asian practice, could help meet global food demands and generate an additional $150 billion annually for producers while improving environmental health. This method increases rice yields and reduces nitrogen runoff, leaching, and methane emissions compared to monoculture farming.

By the numbers, rice-animal farms:

• Reduce annual nitrogen runoff and leaching by 300,000 tons
• Decrease annual methane emissions in rice paddy fields by 190,000 tons
• Provide an additional $152 billion to $171 billion in revenue to producers annually

A traditional Southeast Asian rice farming technique of raising fish and other aquatic livestock in paddies has the potential to meet global food demands, improve the health of both people and the environment and earn producers an additional $150 billion a year worldwide, a new study finds.

Rice is a staple food that sustains about half of the world’s population, and almost all of it is grown as a monoculture, or single-crop species. Systems for growing rice and raising aquatic animals, such as fish, shrimp, and ducks, together have existed for over 1,000 years. The practice is now rare, with only 1% of global rice production coming from co-culture farms.

Previous studies have found that combining rice farming with aquaculture increases land-use efficiency while reducing the need for commercial fertilizers, due to the animals’ nutrient-rich droppings, and pesticides, because aquatic species eat many problem insects and weeds.

“Rice-animal co-culture systems provide an innovative strategy to tackle the multiple challenges society is facing today, including the food crisis, climate change, environmental pollution, and resources shortage,” said Baojing Gu, an ecologist at Zhejiang University and an author of the study.

The research was published in AGU’s journal Earth’s Future, which focuses on interdisciplinary research on the past, present, and future of our planet and its inhabitants.

The new study assessed the performance of rice-animal co-culture systems throughout the world by looking at the combined research findings of 155 different case studies.

The researchers found that rice-animal farms increase annual rice yields by 4% while reducing nitrogen runoff by 16% and leaching by 13%  in relation to rice monocultures.

“Co-culture [systems] produce more diverse food types and nutrient sources, contributing to food security,” said Jinglan Cui, an ecologist at Zhejiang University and an author of the study.

The study also found that rice-animal farms decrease methane emissions by 11% in relation to rice monocultures. Rice-duck and rice-crayfish co-culture systems altogether are estimated to reduce methane emissions by about 40%, while rice-fish co-culture systems are estimated to increase methane emissions by 29%.

According to the authors, the differences in methane emissions between co-culture systems can be attributed to the oxygen levels present in each system, with methane emissions increasing in response to low oxygen levels. Fish swim around the paddy fields consuming oxygen in the system, resulting in higher methane emissions. Duck and crayfish introduce oxygen into the system by digging and perturbing the soil in the paddy fields, lowering methane emissions.

Each system is unique in the ecological and economic benefits they provide, and, according to the authors, the animal that should be chosen for a specific co-culture system depends on how well they can survive, grow, and reproduce in a given environment.

According to the study, 87% of existing rice monoculture farms, or a total of 143 million hectares (about 353 million acres) worldwide, are estimated to be suitable for rice-animal farms based on their climates.

If all suitable land were used for rice-animal co-culture farming, those farms would produce more than 140 million tons of animal protein per year, according to the study, surpassing current global aquaculture production of just above 100 million tons per year.

Global adoption of rice-animal co-culture systems is estimated to provide an additional $152 billion to $171 billion in revenue to producers annually, according to the study. However, the expected profits would vary by country and are dependent on the amount of land that is suitable for rice-animal co-culture.

The countries projected to benefit the most from this farming approach are in Asia, where suitable land is more plentiful. Producers in China and India are estimated to earn an extra $34.8 billion to $52.8 billion more per year,  while producers in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Thailand can earn an extra $10.4 billion to $18.9 billion per year by switching to rice-animal co-culture.

Countries in other regions of the world that have the climate to sustain rice-animal farming, but currently have very few rice-animal farms established, also stand to benefit from the adoption of this practice, according to the study. Countries like the United States and Brazil could earn an extra $1.4 to $2.4 billion per year by introducing rice-animal co-culture systems.

Despite the potential benefits, the adoption of rice-animal co-culture has been slow to gain traction on a global scale because it requires co-culture-specific technologies; resources such as capital, labor, infrastructure and market networks; and challenging national policies that promote rice monocultures, according to author Jane Cui.

“Prevailing agricultural policy paradigms favoring intensive rice monocultures may present a barrier for adoption of rice-animal co-culture in many countries,” Cui said.

Reference: “Rice-Animal Co-Culture Systems Benefit Global Sustainable Intensification” by Jinglan Cui, Hongbin Liu, Hongyuan Wang, Shuxia Wu, Muhammad Amjad Bashir, Stefan Reis, Qiaoyu Sun, Jianming Xu and Baojing Gu, 30 January 2023, Earth’s Future.

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%)

The fall in rice prices is likely the result of an order by the North Korean authorities to expand the volume of imported rice to alleviate severe food shortages

The price of rice in North Korean markets has continued to fall for two straight months. This trends appears to be due to an order by the North Korean authorities to expand rice imports from China.

According to Daily NK’s regular survey of market prices in North Korea, a kilogram of rice in one market in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, cost KPW 5,800 as of Monday. Compared to the last survey two weeks ago on Mar. 19, when it cost KPW 6,000, the price had fallen 3.3%, marking the first time in two months that the price of rice in Hyesan had fallen into the KPW 5,000-6,000 range since early February.

In Sinuiju, too, a kilogram of rice cost KWP 5,480 on Monday, 2.3% down from the Mar. 19 survey.

The price of rice fell in Pyongyang as well, but the drop was less than it was in Hyesan or Sinuiju.

The fall in North Korea’s rice prices for two straight months is likely the result of an order by the North Korean authorities to expand the volume of imported rice.

In fact, according to a Daily NK reporting partner in China, North Korean authorities have greatly increased rice imports since last month. Freight trains going to North Korea from the Chinese city of Dandong, Liaoning Province, are more than 90% full of rice, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. 

Most North Korean trade delegations in China have received an order from the authorities to put nothing but rice on the freight trains, the reporting partner added. This suggests that trade delegations must prioritize imports of rice unless the government requests the import of a particular item.

The order was likely handed down to alleviate the country’s dire food shortages. These shortages are so serious, in fact, that military rice stores for soldiers and wartime rice supplies have hit rock bottom.

“State-run grain shops are unable to sell grain to people even once a month,” a reporting partner in North Korea said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “So the authorities ordered them to import any type of rice.” 

Since February, North Korean trading companies have also been demanding that Chinese factories employing North Korean workers contribute money or rice to the North Korean government.

MOST COMMON RICE IMPORT? LONG-GRAIN RICE

Meanwhile, long-grain rice from Southeast Asia is the most common type of rice being imported into North Korea by train. This type of rice is cheaper than the Chinese-produced variety.

A kilogram of Chinese rice goes for about RMB 8-10 (around USD 1.16 to 1.45), but long-grain rice from Southeast Asia costs about half of that, or RMB 4-5 (around USD 0.58 – 0.73). North Korea is thus importing large amounts of Southeast Asian rice, which it can buy in bulk at low prices. 

According to Daily NK’s reporting partner in North Korea, the authorities recently sold imported long-grain rice to people through state-run grain shops. The rice sold through the shops cost 20% less than North Korean-produced rice available at local markets; however, many North Koreans complained that the authorities had resold the long-grain rice at a price higher than the original import price. 

Daily NK also understands that North Korea began providing gifts of grain, fish, meat and other items to government cadres from Apr. 3. North Korea celebrates the birthday of late leader Kim Il Sung on Apr. 15. 

Market grain prices look set to continue falling for the time being given that the country plans to conduct nationwide sales of food to commemorate the Apr. 15 holiday.

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.

A rice specialist is evaluating how different varieties of rice perform under diverse production systems in the Bootheel of Missouri.

Justin Chlapecka with University of Missouri Extension tells Brownfield yields are better when hybrid rice is planted earlier on flood irrigation. 

“When we planted in March or early April, we didn’t see the yield gap that normally we see later on,” he says. “You’ll always see the yield gap between hybrid and inbred varieties, but the economics are teetering which one is better based on your production system.”

Chlapecka says researchers are measuring milling yields, lodging potential, plant height and stalk strength. 

“If we don’t have adequate stalk strength, then rice may end up lodging and on the ground. It’s a huge nightmare trying to harvest and for grain quality, we’ll lose yield and slow down the combine.”

He says the university will continue the cultivar research trials in 2023. Missouri ranks fourth in U.S. rice production.

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

Rice -- Asia's most important staple -- is to blame for around 10 percent of global emissions of methane, a gas that over two decades, traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. Scientists say that if the world wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rice cannot be ignored. Vietnam has been showing efforts to reduce methane from rice cultivation by removing straw from the fields and turning it into mushrooms and organic fertilizer.

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 core inflation is a concern,” said S Chandrasekaran, a trade policy analyst. The government requires about 380 lt rice per year for distribution under National Food Security Act and other welfare schemes and it leaves scope for additional distribution of the grain under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, he added.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) had 210.54 lt of rice and 371.80 lt of paddy (nearly 250 lt in terms of rice) as on March 1 in the Central Pool stock. According to APEDA’s crop survey, the country had 90 lt of Basmati rice production during 2022-23 and Agriculture Ministry pegged total rice output (both Basmati and non-Basmati) at 1308.37 lt.

Parliamentary secretary says production stands at 5.4MMT against 3.8MMT consumption

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.

THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released on Thursday the price situationer of selected commodities for the second phase of March 2023.

Increases were observed in six trading centers for the retail prices of well-milled rice per kilogram, ranging from P0.19 to P2.13 during the said period.

The average retail price decreased by P0.77 in Kidapawan City, P1.50 in Tacloban City and P1.88 in Legazpi City.

Nine trading centers also noted hikes in retail prices of pork kasim by P4.73 to P12.50, while its average retail price went down by P5 in Baguio City.

For the average retail price of bangus (milkfish) per kilogram, six trading centers reported a decrease by P0.35 to P10, lower compared to the first half of March of the same year.

However, there was an increase by P7.50 in Iloilo City and P15 in Kidapawan City.

Many trading centers still reported lower average retail prices of vegetables.

Retail prices of red onion per kilogram decreased by P10 to P135 as reported by 14 trading centers.

For the retail prices of calamansi per kilogram, six trading centers observed an increase by P2.50 to P37.50, while it dropped by P2.50 in Pagadian City.

Retail prices of brown sugar per kilogram varied. It plummeted by P2 to P3 in four trading centers, while its average retail prices increased by P7 in Metro Manila, P1.38 in Baguio City and P3.38 in Cebu City.

Michael Ricafort, chief economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., said rice prices increased due to higher world prices but it could be offset by some imports.

"Better weather conditions toward the dry or summer season led to more planting and supply of vegetables and other agricultural products, such as onions, thereby leading to lower prices," he said.

Ricafort also stated that pork prices are higher due to African swine fever (ASF) in other areas in the country.

He also mentioned that the limited imports of sugar could lead to some easing in sugar prices.

"However, this is offset by higher rice as well as higher pork prices due to ASF cases in more areas in the country that could reduce local pork supply and higher pork prices; but could be addressed by increased importation and the one-year extension of lower tariffs for rice and pork," Ricafort added.

Export prices of rice from India steadied this week after four weeks of declines helped by a slight pickup in orders from buyers in Africa, while hopes of fresh deals from Indonesia drove Vietnamese rates higher.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $380 to $385 per tonne this week - unchanged from last week and similar to levels seen mid January.

“Demand has improved slightly from African countries, but order book is still not full for April shipments,” 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, up from $450 a week ago.

“Prices rose after Indonesia’s food procurement agency said it would buy two million tonnes of rice this year,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

“Domestic supplies are also tight despite an ongoing harvest in the Mekong Delta provinces, as 5% broken rice account for only 15%-20% of the output,” the trader added.

Vietnam’s rice exports in the first quarter are estimated to have risen 19.3% from a year earlier to 1.79 million tonnes, according to government data.

Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices ticked up to $475 to $482 per tonne from $465 last week.

Two traders attributed the rise to a stronger baht versus the dollar.

While fresh supply had started arriving in the market, it was not in large quantities, a Bangkok-based trader said.

UK decision to delete seed varieties under Indian Seed Act, change definition of growing areas under scrutiny

An amendment made by the UK to the code of practice (CoP) for basmati rice, which assures its quality for consumers there, has triggered a controversy. 

The All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) says the change could benefit India, but experts have questioned it charging the UK with diluting the area of cultivation and questioning the credibility of the Seed Act, 1966.

Why the CoP

The CoP was introduced in 2005 by the UK Rice Association (UKRA) along with British Rice Millers Association and British Retail Consortium to “safeguard the reputation of basmati rice marketed in the UK”. 

The code was evolved as imported basmati was alleged to be 50 per cent impure several decades ago. The UKRA came up with the COP, which was followed across the European Union specifying that basmati “could be no more than 7 per cent impure”. It also listed 15 permitted varieties — nine of them traditional and six that were modern cultivars.

The CoP was implemented through DNA fingerprinting developed by Bangor University, Wales. “The system worked well until 2017, when the code was updated to add 25 new modern cultivars. This followed an explosion in new breeding in the 2000s and 2010s,” said Katherine Steele, senior lecturer in sustainable crop protection at Bangor University, in an internal newsletter.

Alternative DNA markers

Steele said the university had developed alternative DNA markers for fingerprinting that showed six of the new varieties — five from India and one from Pakistan — were not properly bred for fragrance. As a result, these six have now been de-notified or taken off the list of basmati varieties.

But experts such as S Chandrasekaran, author of “Basmati Rice: The Natural History Geographical Indication”, contend that the DNA marking is a new invention by the British and its efficiency is yet to be proved.

“What samples were drawn? How? What were the parameters? Who authenticated the findings?’ wondered Chandrasekaran.

Striking feature

A striking feature of the amended code is that the British Rice Millers Association is no more part of the code. “The amended code says it will ‘strive to uphold the reputation’ from ‘concerned to safeguard the reputation. The change in the word from ‘concern’ to ‘strive’ indicates more action might follow,” he said. 

The code says the All-India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) was consulted. “The amended code has a list of 35 varieties of basmati. The six varieties deleted are no longer being used. The new code will strengthen our hold in the basmati market. We had been taking this up with them,” said AIREA executive director Vinod Kaul.

Chandrasekaran said there are a few issues that pertain to India’s credibility in the new code. “How can the UK arbitrarily delist seed varieties that figure in the Seed Act, 1966? This means the credibility of the Indian authority is being questioned,” he said. 

Basmati boundary

Second, the code has diluted the boundary of basmati which was referred to as Indo-Gangetic plains. “The code issued in 2017 mentions basmati-rice growing States in the region. It has now been amended as ‘on both sides of the Indian and Pakistani borders’,” he said.

In particular it has dropped “which currently includes Punjab (on both sides of the Indian and Pakistani border), Jammu, Haryana, Uttaranchal and western Uttar Pradesh in India”, the expert said. 

Kaul said there was no change in the Indo-Gangetic plain. “The area remains the same,” he said. 

Chandrasekaran said there were two other issues with the amended code. “One, APEDA is India’s nodal agency for geographical indication (GI) tag. Why was it not consulted on this issue? 

Bias towards Pakistan?

“Two, the amended code is in contravention and a dilution to the notification the Agriculture Ministry issued on September 18, 2017, on basmati rice-growing areas and refers to the GI certificate issued on February 15, 2016,” he said. 

No comment was received from official sources who businessline approached for comment until this report was published. 

An analyst said the UK and European Union seem to have “a bias in favour of Pakistan”. Pakistan has not notified any standard or anything related to basmati. 

“Eurofin labs is conducting tests in Pakistan on the quality of basmati in the absence of Islamabad not specifying standards for the fragrant rice. Is the amended code serving the interests of Pakistan?” the analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity, asked.

Factual errors

Chandrasekaran said the new code had factual errors. While specifying the removal of five Indian varieties, mentions Punjab basmati. “India has notified five Punjab basmati varieties and there is no ‘Punjab basmati’ notified by India. The 2017 code twice mentions Punjab basmati 2. Maybe, it is a clerical error,” he said. 

The analyst objected to UK Department and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs funding the research team of Bangor University along with the Rice Association as it meant “indirect support”. 

On other hand, Steele said she has been arguing for allowing not more than one per cent of impurity in basmati rice, the rule that applies for many products including non-genetically modified foods.  

“There’s no real reason for the basmati exception, and it is also arguably easier to enforce a 1 per cent rule because of the way that DNA testing works,” she said. 

MIDDLE EAST REGION – This year, the Holy Month of Ramadan lasts until April 20, or from one sighting of the crescent moon during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar until the next. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. The common practice is to fast from dawn to sunset, when families and friends gather to break the fast with the Iftar meal featuring several traditional dishes where rice is a major ingredient.

“Not surprisingly, rice consumption increases in the few weeks before and during Ramadan, providing a great opportunity to boost awareness and sales of U.S.-grown rice in several Middle Eastern countries,” said Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice director of Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

In Saudi Arabia, promotions conducted in cooperation with a local U.S. rice brand launched earlier this month and incorporate digital advertising on “Shahid,” the largest online video streaming app for Arabic content. That is in addition to a four-week sponsorship of “Hayyakom,” a show broadcast on MBC FM, the most popular Saudi radio channel, and nearly a hundred billboards in five different cities including Mecca, Jizan, Najran, Abha, and Khamis Msheit. Messaging on the USA Rice social media platforms here are posting recipes, tips, and quizzes to maintain digital communication with faithful followers.

In Jordan, USA Rice teamed up with a local U.S. rice importer for an extensive outdoor media campaign that includes 147 billboards and 29 LED screens in Amman, the country’s capital, as well as the major cities of Zarqa, Jarash, and Irbid. This campaign also is well-supported by social media posts on the USA Rice Jordan-specific Facebook and Instagram accounts, boosted by Ramadan recipes shared by local influencer Chef Noura.

In the West Bank, USA Rice is working with three U.S. importers supporting their local U.S. rice brands with billboard and radio advertising in major cities, and in-store promotions that feature giveaway items like prayer calendars and cooking spoons.

“U.S.-origin rice is appreciated by Middle East consumers for its excellent quality and suitability for favorite dishes such as kabsah in Saudi Arabia or mansaff in Jordan and the West Bank,” said Somogyi. “Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset and is an important social happening so home cooks want to offer their families and guests special dishes prepared using the best ingredients. Our campaigns and promotions with local U.S. rice brands in this region help put U.S. rice in the center of the Iftar table.”

SEOUL, March 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Rice production costs in South Korea rose 9.3 percent on-year in 2022 due mainly to soaring prices of fertilizers, causing net profit from rice farming to sink nearly 40 percent, data showed Thursday.

Farmers spent 31,631 won (US$24.24) to produce 20 kilograms of rice last year, up 2,689 won from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The cost of cultivating rice on a 1,000-square-meter paddy also jumped 7.9 percent on-year to 854,461 won last year.

The growth in costs came as fertilizer prices needed per 1,000-square-meter paddy spiked 71.4 percent on-year to 89,083 won on soaring global raw material prices last year, while rice output inched down over unfavorable weather conditions, according to the statistics agency.

Accordingly, net income of rice farmers reached 317,000 won per 1,000-square-meter paddy in 2022, down 36.8 percent from the previous year. Last year’s figure is the lowest since 2017, when net profit stood at 283,000 won.

Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits.

As a special consideration, the government has permitted the sale of 3.5 lakh tonnes (lt) of broken rice to Gambia and Senegal, while shipments of this variety were banned on September 8, 2022.

The Commerce Ministry has cleared the shipping of 1 lakh tonnes of broken rice to Gambia and 2.5 lakh tonnes to Senegal, according to a statement issued by the Finance Ministry to Customs Commissioners in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Vizag, Nagpur, and Mumbai.

Also, the Ministry has authorized the shipping of 9,990 tonnes of broken rice to Djibouti, Ethiopia. Ruby Overseas, based in Chennai, will handle the shipment. In the case of Gambia, the Centre has authorised requests to export broken rice from Royal Mirage Consultancy (5,000 tonnes), Sarala Food Pvt Ltd (12,500 tonnes), and Laxmi Group of Industries Pvt Ltd (12,500 tonnes) (2,000 tonnes).

Senegal has received 1,12,500 tonnes of the total 2.5 lakh tonnes cleared by the Ministry, with Sarala Foods, Sri Chitra Exports, Manasa Quality Enterprises Ltd, Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, and CLRK Industries Pvt Ltd each receiving 22,500 tonnes. A portion of the trade is irritated by the authorisation for broken rice exports, wondering why the Centre authorised shipments to some countries but not to others.

"The shipments are being approved for strategic reasons and because the External Affairs Ministry is involved," claimed the unnamed analyst. The expert stated that India is clear that it will cover the food needs of "weak countries," citing the Centre's notifications prohibiting wheat exports and limiting rice shipments.

"The Foreign Affairs Ministry would have considered a variety of factors before approaching the Commerce Minister," he explained. Because the kharif paddy output was hampered by a lack of rain in important rice-growing districts in the east, the Centre banned the export of broken rice and placed a 20% levy on shipments of white and brown rice.

Rice production in the kharif season is expected to be 108.07 million tonnes (mt) in 2022, down from 111 mt in 2021. Nonetheless, rabi output has made up for the loss, with the Ministry of Agriculture projecting 22.76 mt compared to 18.47 mt the previous year. The Ministry of Agriculture has forecast rice output for the current crop year to June at a record 130.84 million tonnes, up from 129.47 million tonnes the previous crop year.

Farmers have planted hybrid rice on the highest amount of land in the current Boro season, the source of the biggest crop output, to profit from higher production and prices of the staple grain in the market. 

Preliminary data of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) showed that overall planting of Boro increased nearly 4 per cent to 49.99 lakh hectares of land in this cultivation season.

Of that, hybrid varieties of paddy cover 14 lakh hectares, the highest on record, which is nearly one-third of the total acreage of Boro.

On a year-on-year basis, the area being used for hybrid cultivation is 23 per cent higher from the 11.36 lakh hectares recorded by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in fiscal year 2021-22.

"We have really seen a good year. Most of the companies have had good business this year," said Humayun Kabir, managing director of Supreme Seed Company Ltd, a major seed seller.

This is the seventh consecutive year farmers have shown growing interest to increase land allocation for hybrid rice, a type of rice bred from two very different parents to bag a higher yield from a relatively smaller piece of land.

The scenario gradually changed since fiscal year 2015-16 when acreage of hybrid rice stood at 6.81 lakh hectares, according to the BBS.

In fiscal year 2021-22, farmers bagged 53 lakh tonnes of rice from the hybrid varieties during the Boro season, the harvests of which are made in the April-June period.

The amount was more than a fourth of that fiscal year's Boro season output of 2 crore tonnes. In terms of acreage, the area under hybrid cultivation was over one-fifth of the total land used during the Boro season.

Kabir of Supreme Seed said hybrid rice provides up to 20 per cent higher yield than inbred varieties if farmers properly follow cultivation practices. This is one of the major reasons for the increase in the planting of the varieties.

Besides, introduction of finer grain varieties of hybrid has attracted growers as finer grains enable better marketability than coarse grains, he said.

"The middle-income population prefers finer rice than coarse ones and companies have started introducing the varieties for the last five-six years," said Kabir, also general secretary of Bangladesh Seed Association.

During the early stage of hybrid rice cultivation in Bangladesh, Chinese varieties were introduced and the rice became sticky after boiling.

"Now the quality of hybrid rice is better. The amount of stickiness is low," he said, adding that these factors were encouraging growers to replace inbred rice.

Kabir said cost of cultivation of hybrid was not much higher than high yielding varieties. The cost of seed is higher, accounting for 10 per cent of the total cost, he said.

Farmers also need to apply more fertiliser, he said, adding that the agronomy, or the science of soil management and crop production, of hybrid rice cultivation was almost the same.

"But they can cover the cost when it comes to overall production," said Kabir.

FH Ansarey, managing director of ACI Agribusiness Division, said an increase in the price of paddy had encouraged growers to invest more on hybrid cultivation.

Prices data compiled by the by Food and Agriculture Organization showed that wholesale rate of a quintal or 100 kilogrammes of coarse rice was Tk 4,326 in February this year, up from Tk 4,155 a year ago.

"We expect good sales in the coming Aman season too," he said.

Anwar Faruque, a former agriculture secretary, said an increased number of companies were in the seed business.

"Their promotional campaigns also had an impact," he said.

DAE Director General Badal Chandra Biswas said increased coverage of hybrid was a positive development as overall production would rise.

Regarding increased acreage of Boro, he said new areas had come under Boro cultivation this year. Many tobacco farmers had switched to rice this year, he said.

"We have also seen farmers planting rice after harvesting potato," he said. 

HANOI, March 29 (Reuters) - Vietnam's rice exports in the January-March period are estimated to have risen about 19.3% from a year earlier to 1.79 million tonnes, government data showed on Wednesday.

Revenue from rice exports in the period is seen up 30.2% at $952 million.

March rice exports from Vietnam, one of the world's leading shippers of the grain, likely totalled 900,000 tonnes, worth $480 million. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen Editing by Ed Davies)

The rice, containing iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12, is being distributed under a Central scheme to combat anaemia and micro-nutrient deficiencies

Erode Collector H. Krishnanunni has said that fortified rice that has more nutrients, will be available at all ration shops from April 1.

The Collector distributed awareness materials on fortified rice at the Collectorate on Wednesday, and also inspected the rice kept on display. He said that the rice contains three nutrients: iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, that will address anaemia and micro-nutrient deficiencies among the people. 

To reduce the high prevalence of anaemia and under-nutrition among the poorest of poor, the Central government had, in 2020, included staple food fortification under the National Nutrition Mission as a complementary scheme. Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), fortified rice will be distributed at all the ration shops in the district, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on the 75 ^th Independence Day on August 15, 2021, had announced the fortification of rice so as to provide nutrition to every poor person of the country to overcome malnutrition and to combat lack of essential nutrients in women, children and lactating mothers as this can pose major obstacles to their development.

District Revenue Officer S. Santhoshini Chandra, District Supply Officer (in-charge) Sivakumaran, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Regional Manager Banumathi and other officials were present 

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – A downward trend in the rice exports has been observed, the rice imports plunged by 20.59% in the first eight months of the current fiscal year on year-to-year basis. The export reduction can be problematic for dollar-strapped economy of Pakistan.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the exports from July to February earned $ 1.321bn for the country. The revenue generated by rice exports is 20.59% less than the reciprocating tenure last year.

The exports in February has been recorded at $ 146.66m, whereas in January it was $168.88m as compared to the $ 258.49m in last February, the fiscal year 2022 earned $ 2.760bn for the country

According to the statistics, Basmati rice exports generated $ 379.47m in the first eight months of the current fiscal year. The generated revenue is 27.33% less than the reciprocal tenure last year, the basmati rice exports earned $ 428.81m forex reserve in the preceding year.

Moreover, the non-basmati rice exports was recorded at $ 941.88m which is 17.91% less than the last year. The same tenure in previous year earned $ 1.110bn for nom-basmati rice exports.

Rice -- Asia's principal staple -- is to blame for around 10 percent of global emissions of methane, a gas that over two decades traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide

As a child, Dong Van Canh watched while the rice fields of Vietnam's Mekong Delta were set alight to make way for the next crop, blackening the sky and flooding the air with potent greenhouse gases.

Rice -- Asia's principal staple -- is to blame for around 10 percent of global emissions of methane, a gas that over two decades traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide.

Usually associated with cows burping, high levels of methane are also generated by bacteria that grow in flooded rice paddies and thrive if leftover straw rots in the fields after harvest.

The message from scientists is: rice cannot be ignored in the battle to cut emissions.

In the Mekong Delta, Canh, now a 39-year-old rice farmer, does not leave straw out to decay on the paddies -- nor does he burn it, as his parents did before him.

Motivated by the memory of being forced inside his home on days the smoke was thick -- sometimes so acrid it made him choke or faint -- he joined an initiative that removes straw from the fields and turns it into mushrooms and organic fertiliser, earning a small income on the side.

"If we can collect the straw and make money, all of us benefit," he told AFP, running his fingers through a large, soft mound of straw, cow dung and rice husks that will soon become nutritious food for Mekong crops.

- Shrinking emissions -

The programme -- organised by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) -- is one of a handful across Vietnam and the region trying to steadily shrink methane emissions from rice production.

Many of the initiatives are not new but have been spotlighted since around 100 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge two years ago, agreeing to reduce emissions by 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.

Several of the world's biggest rice producers, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam, are on board -- although the two largest, China and India, failed to sign.

In Vietnam, as the harvesting season draws to a close, farmers push carts overflowing with straw bales that will later be soaked and laid out to grow straw mushrooms.

Once the fungi are ready they will be sold before the farmers take back the straw and funnel it into a composting machine. Two months later it will be ready -- and can be sold for around 15 cents a kilogram (2.2 pounds).

"In the past a few farmers did this manually but it took too much manpower and the cost was high. Now we've cut costs by half and we will expand to meet the demands of the market," said Le Dinh Du, a rice farmer who also heads the local district's plant protection department.

"The rice goes on a nice journey. We don't waste anything."

- Methane-producing bacteria -

Vietnam's environment ministry says irrigated rice accounted for almost half of methane emissions in 2019.

Climate-friendly straw management has been introduced and spread "widely to farmers and local agricultural officials" throughout the country, according to CGIAR, an international agricultural research centre.

How many practise what they have learned is unclear. Last year the World Bank said that more than 80 percent of rice straw in the Mekong Delta is still burned in the fields after harvest.

The need to find solutions is pressing.

Unlike other crops, rice paddies have a layer of standing water, so there is no exchange of air between the soil and the atmosphere, explained Bjoern Ole Sander, a senior scientist at the IRRI in Hanoi.

These conditions mean different bacteria are active in rice, compared to wheat or maize fields.

"And these bacteria eat organic matter and produce methane," he said.

As well as straw management, IRRI says another scheme called Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), which involves breaking up standing water to replenish oxygen and reduce methane-producing bacteria, could also help cut emissions.

Practised on more than 200,000 hectares (494,210 acres) of rice-growing land in the Mekong delta's An Giang province, CGIAR says it has made a significant difference.

For Mekong farmers that have taken the leap, there is pride in contributing to more sustainable farming while getting the most out of their crops.

"We lived hard lives," said Canh. "But once we realised how to take advantage of the straw, things have gotten easier."

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has completed its first year of rice cultivar trials on both flood-irrigated and furrow-irrigated production systems at the MU Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center in Portageville.

Cultivar trials had been conducted until 2022 solely by the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council in the flood-irrigated system. Last year, the MU Rice Agronomy Program took the lead on these trials in conjunction with the council.

The trials are conducted in the rice-growing areas of the Bootheel to evaluate not only grain yield but milling yield, which is a quality measure that helps determine the final payment a rice farmer receives. Agronomic measures, including canopy height, lodging potential, disease incidence and days to maturity, are also measured, said MU Extension rice specialist Justin Chlapecka.

Trials are arranged in small plots, near 100 square feet per plot, with four replications at each site. In the furrow-irrigated system, a separate four-replication trial is conducted in the top, middle and bottom thirds of the field.

“The goal here is to evaluate how each cultivar performs across the moisture gradient of a non-flooded field as plant behavior and the subsequent yield on the upper end of the field, where there’s no standing water, will be much different than towards the bottom, where flooded conditions are usually present,” Chlapecka said. “Although 2022 results are preliminary, based on the first year of the trial, data showed a stark difference between hybrids and inbred varieties.”

A planting date trial is incorporated within the cultivar trials, where extension specialists look at major cultivars across rice planting dates in Missouri ranging from mid-March to mid-June.

“Hybrids maintained yield potential when planted into the first of May, while the yield potential of inbred varieties declined by nearly five bushels per acre per week when planted after the first planting date, March 17, 2022,” he said. “The first planting date took 36 days to emerge, and the second planting date of April 10, 2022, actually emerged two days after the first planting date.”

Rice will not germinate until the soil temperature reaches approximately 55 F, and from there growth is heavily dictated by heat unit or, essentially, the average air temperature.

“The lack of heat early in the growing season tends to allow later-planted rice the opportunity to ‘catch up,’” said Chlapecka. But yield potential can still lag behind. “In fact, trials planted April 29, 2022 – 43 days after the first planting date of March 17 – headed just 10 days after the March 17 planted rice.”

Plans for 2023 include four on-farm locations (one furrow-irrigated and three flood-irrigated) and two research stations with both flood-irrigated and furrow-irrigated trials. There will also be two sites for planting date studies, with five planting dates planned per site. The first planting dates were March 15 and March 16, 2023, near Malden and Portageville, respectively.

“This would allow us to evaluate each cultivar in 22 unique environments,” Chlapecka added.

Cultivar and planting date trials will continue indefinitely to evaluate the performance of cultivars relevant to Missouri rice production, as the most relevant cultivars are in a constant state of flux.

The trials are supported by the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council, and seed is provided by the cooperating seed companies.

A number of companies in Thailand have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) for rice production.

These companies numbering about 10 are in the Thailand rice value chain, and it is in relation with the Ghana-Thailand Rice Project.

The companies, which cut across the rice value chain, include fertiliser producers, dealers of rice milling equipment, seedling research centres, among others, are Smart Engineering Consultants Company, FairAgora Asia Ltd., New Kaset Thai Company Ltd., TAMCO Trading International Co. Ltd., Glofert Growing Growth, and Hypro Foods World Co Ltd.

The rest are Aneksin Motor Partnership Limited, TNP Billionair Group, SQI Group Company Limited Biomatlink Company Limited and Deler International Rice Machinery Co.

The MoUs were signed with the companies on the sidelines of a Thailand-Ghana Business Conference at Grand Fortune, Bangkok in Thailand on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Asian African Consortium (AAC), Mrs Adelaide ArabaSiawAgyepong, initialled for the JGC while the various Chief Executives Officers signed for their companies.

Present at the signing ceremony were the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, Yaw AddoFrimpong, Ghana's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mrs Florence B. Akonor, Honorary Consul of Ghana in Thailand, Dr SichaSingsomboon, and the Founder and Executive Chairman of the JGC, Dr Joseph SiawAgyepong.

The business conference, which brought together captains of Thailand rice industry and several companies and a Ghanaian delegation, led by the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), was on the theme: 'Ghana-Thailand Business Forum; Partnership for Sustainable Rice Production in Ghana.'

Members of the Ghana delegation included experts and researchers in various fields drawn from the University of Ghana, Legon, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crop Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), the Ghana Rice Farmers Association, the Competitive African Rice Platform, traditional rulers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and private entrepreneurs with the focus on rice, fertiliser, maize, cassava and poultry as well as executives of the JGC.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the signing ceremony, the CEO of AAC, Mrs Adelaide ArabaSiawAgyepong, commended the Thai companies for their interest to work with the group for the success of the Ghana integrated rice project.

"Once we have signed MoUs with you (referring to the Thailand rice companies), it means that we have reposed trust and confidence in your companies, so we will need your full support," she urged.

According to her, the partnership forged with them would mutually benefit both parties, and added that "we work with speed and will be doing same with your companies."

Ghana's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mrs Florence B. Akonor, allayed the fears of the Thai people that the partnership would see them at the losing end.

"The partnership we are forging with your companies is a win-win situation for Ghana and Thailand," she said.

"Ghana is a safe place to invest, and that your investments will be protected," she asserted.

ROME, ITALY — Italy, the largest producer of rice for the European Union (EU), will plant its smallest area for the crop in 23 years as it faces a second year of drought, agricultural observers are warning.

Roberto Magnaghi, director general of Ente Nazionale Risi, a public rice research body, told Reuters no more than 211,000 hectares will be sown with rice in 2023. The 2023 estimate is down by 7,400 hectares from 2022 and by 16,000 compared to 2021.

Italy is responsible for about half of the EU’s rice production. According to the European Commission, Italy produced 714,000 tonnes of milled rice equivalent in 2022, down significantly from 886,000 tonnes in 2021.

Italian rice is mostly grown in northern regions of Lombardy. Italy is the world’s only grower of types such as Arborio and Carnaroli that are most suitable for the popular Italian dish risotto.

The sowing season starts in April when farmers plant seeds in pools 30 to 40 centimeters deep. These must then be constantly irrigated to keep the upcoming sprouts under water.

Soil moisture levels still have not recovered from last year’s drought and current snowfall accumulation in the Italian Alps is lower than in 2022, said Andrea Toreti, an agriculture expert at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.Scientists and environmental groups sounded the alarm about Italian water shortages in January after the sharp drop in winter snowfall.

Indian exporters have been allowed to resume exports of a limited volume of broken rice with immediate effect, according to an official notification by the Indian government's Ministry of Finance shared with S&P Global Commodity Insights March 27.

The change in policy, a partial relaxation of a ban on broken rice exports imposed in September, comes as the government said it was giving Gambia and Senegal what they call "special consideration" for their broken rice consumption requirements. According to reports, Gambia will be able to receive up to 1 lakh ton (100,000 mt), while Senegal will be able to receive up to 2.5 lakh tons (250,000 mt).

For Senegal, the ministry has awarded 112,500 mt of the total 250,000 mt quota to Sarala Foods Pvt Ltd, Sri Chitra Exports, Manasa Quality Enterprises Ltd, Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd and CLRK Industries Pvt Ltd, with all companies allowed to export 22,500 mt each.

For Gambia, the ministry approved Sarala Foods Pvt Ltd for 12,500 mt, Royal Mirage Consultants for 5,000 mt and Laxmi Group of Industries Pvt Ltd for 2,000 mt.

Additionally, a 9,990 mt shipment of broken rice to Ethiopia via the Port of Djibouti has been granted as part of the considerations. The shipment is expected to be fulfilled by Ruby Overseas.

India accounts for 40% of the global rice trade, with sales of 100% broken white rice previously accounting for a significant portion of exports.

The quotas mark what are thought to be the first exports of broken rice from India under new Letter of Credits since the ban was imposed on Sept. 9. The moratorium came amid accelerating inflation in food prices and a smaller kharif crop cultivation area compared with the previous year due to insufficient rainfall. The ban was announced a day after India imposed a 20% export duty on several varieties of rice, which is still in force.

While some sources welcomed the news as "helpful" to the Indian rice export industry, one exporter said it would only benefit a few exporters.

In terms of further volumes being allocated to Indian exporters, one exporter said they are "likely to be distributed among all the broken rice exporters...on pro-rata basis," based on last year's export data. However, not all agreed, with another exporter saying they would be unable to allocate tonnage in that fashion "as it'll be too complicated."

Platts Indian 100% broken white rice assessment remains suspended.

The move has sparked a backlash from small farm holders who fear that the import will bring down farmgate prices and hurt local farmers.

JAKARTA – The government has decided to import 2 million tonnes of rice in 2023 to replenish diminishing government rice reserves (CBP) needed to stabilize prices at the consumer level, with 500,000 tonnes to be delivered “as soon as possible”.

The move has sparked a backlash from smallholders in producing regions, fearing the import would bring down farmgate prices and hurt local farmers.

The amount marks the largest CBP import during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s 10-year tenure after a 2017 decision that brought in 1.8 million tonnes of rice.

The National Food Agency (NFA) tasked the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) to carry out the import so it could replenish its stock.

The decision was taken after the CBP depleted from 1 million tonnes in early 2022 to 230,000 tonnes in March, below the safe threshold required by law at 1.5 million tonnes.

The NFA further added that the supply was needed to disburse as social aid, amounting to 640,000 tonnes for more than 21,000 households, which could not be covered with the current stock level.

“Bulog’s CBP is only 220,000 tonnes. We do not want the stock to be unavailable while we need to carry out such a program,” NFA chief Arief Prasetyo Adi told reporters on Monday, as quoted from Tempo.co.

“So, it’s not that we are pro imports,” he said separately.

He assured that rice imports would be conducted by considering the domestic producers and that Bulog would remain focused on optimizing domestic rice absorption.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan told reporters on Monday that the decision had been made during a meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and that the ministry would support the move.

Rice makes the highest contribution to inflation compared with other commodities, according to Statistics Indonesia data, meaning that stabilizing its price is a top priority for the government, especially during a political year in the lead-up to the election.

Indonesian Political Economy Association (AEPI) agriculture expert Khudori said on Monday that Bulog’s CBP was “incredibly low” and likely to remain that way, as the agency was not expected to be able to absorb enough rice from farmers effectively.

Bulog is tasked to restore rice stock to 2.4 million tonnes throughout 2023 with 70 percent of the amount needed to be secured during the harvest season this year, but as of March 24, the agency had absorbed around 48,513 tonnes of rice, Khudori said.

“Looking at the trend, Bulog will likely miss the absorption target,” Khudori said in a statement.

Khudori explained that the farmgate price was higher than the government’s purchasing price (HPP), including after the recent government adjustment to accommodate higher prices, which would further constrain Bulog to absorb rice from farmers.

“This is a bitter and difficult decision,” Khudori said.

The 2-million-tonne import plan is opposed by local farmers, especially from Central Java and East Java, the country’s two largest rice-producing regions.

Mujab, who represents smallholders under Paguyuban Petani Qaryah Thayyibah in Central Java, told the Post on Monday that the import would lead traders to hunt for cheaper rice in the market. It would force the price at the farmgate to go down, which could hurt farmers already struggling with high production costs, he said.

Smallholders in East Java told the Post on Monday that the farmgate price has only recently been better, at between Rp 5,600 (37 US cents) and Rp 6,600 per kilogram from previously Rp 5,000 or lower.

Nur Kholis from smallholder group Makmur in Ponorogo Regency said the price had allowed them to match the high input costs such as from fertilizer, but he expected this would be short-lived due to the impending imports.

“If the import did happen, farmgate prices would plummet. I cannot imagine what would happen to us,” Nur Kholis said.

Tri Wahyudi from smallholder group Turi Putih in Banyuwangi, East Java, said the move would weigh down farmers, as the import was occurring near the harvest period, which often resulted in lower farmgate prices as local production reaches its highest volume.

Dwi Andreas Santosa, who chairs the Indonesian Farmers Seed Bank and Technology Association, told Kontan on Monday that he urged the government to refrain from executing the import plan, adding it was best to wait until August to get a clearer picture of the state of production this year.

He suggested the government opt to revise the HPP to allow Bulog purchases at higher farmgate prices. Alternatively, Bulog could consider increasing rice absorption outside Java Island, where there are many farmgate producers selling much closer to the government’s purchasing price, he said.

Dwi’s concern is reasonable, as the government’s major import decision in 2017 resulted in hundreds of thousands of tonnes left unused more than four months later, with some of the stock exceeding its year shelf-life, prompting Bulog to dispose of it.

Bulog president director Budi Waseso on Monday explained to reporters that the mandate did not necessarily mean that the government would import 2 million tonnes of rice straightaway.

“This is just a full-year allocation. That means we don’t have to import all 2 million tonnes,” Budi said after a meeting with House of Representatives Commission IV, which oversees agriculture.

He said the agency would study the situation closely, and review whether it needed to import to secure the rice reserves. He emphasized that the import would be done only if needed and currently the agency had yet to secure any import permits from the government despite the task.

Summary

• CPB told reporters recently that they are planning to buy and process 20,000 tonnes next season, which will generate the amount after selling in domestic and foreign market

Dar es Salaam. The Cereal and Other Produce Board of Tanzania (CPB) in the Lake Zone will earn at least Sh26 billion from the sale of rice in 2023/24.

CPB told reporters recently that they are planning to buy and process 20,000 tonnes next season, which will generate the amount after selling in domestic and foreign markets.

The produce processed by CPB is exported to neighbouring countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan.

Starting tomorrow, March 27th, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera has announced that the government will begin distributing free rice to 2.9 million families.

The rice being distributed comes from the paddy purchased from farmers during this year’s Maha season, which has been converted into rice.

In addition, the government has decided to give each family 10 kilograms of rice per month for a period of 2 months. The distribution will take place in several districts, including Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Ratnapura, Galle, and Matara, as requested. The Minister of Agriculture emphasized the importance of this program in supporting the local farmers and ensuring food security for families in need.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi on Sunday announced that the government’s rice food aid is currently being packaged and is set to be distributed to 21.353 low-income families. 

This means each person with the right to access the aid will receive 10 kilograms of rice for the next three months. 

"We will immediately disburse this food assistance for the next three months with a target of 21.353 million beneficiary families, which is based on the Ministry of Social Affairs database. Perum Bulog (state logistics agency) has received an assignment from the government to distribute it to all of these beneficiaries," Arief stated on March 26.X

Such government social assistance was initially ordered by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo who intends to maintain the country’s food stability and suppress spikes in inflation.

In terms of distribution, he said it will be Bulog’s authority up to the last stage of the distribution, Antaranews reported. 

Arief acknowledged that fluctuations in the price of rice at the moment are indeed putting pressure on consumers, especially low-income people. He hopes this government assistance can act as a social cushion and help people obtain affordable rice of good quality.

ANTARA

Broken rice shipments, banned since September 8, 2022, have been permitted on ‘special considerations’

The Government has approved the export of 3.5 lakh tonnes (lt) of broken rice to Gambia and Senegal as a special consideration as shipments of this variety were banned on September 8, 2022.

According to a communication sent by the Finance Ministry (seen by businessline) to Chief Commissioners of Customs in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Vizag, Nagpur, and Mumbai, the Commerce Ministry has allowed export of 1 lakh tonnes of broken rice to Gambia and 2.5 lakh tonnes to Senegal.

In addition, the Ministry has allowed shipments of 9,990 tonnes of broken rice to Djibouti, Ethiopia. The shipment will be done by Chennai-based Ruby Overseas.

In the case of Gambia, of the total quantity approved for exports, the Centre has cleared requests to export broken rice from Royal Mirage Consultant (5,000 tonnes), Sarala Food Pvt Ltd (12,500 tonnes), and Laxmi Group of Industries Pvt Ltd (2,000 tonnes).

Trade irked

For Senegal, the Ministry has cleared 1,12,500 tonnes of the total 2.5 lakh tonnes with Sarala Foods, Sri Chitra Exports, Manasa Quality Enterprises Ltd, Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, and CLRK Industries Pvt Ltd getting to ship out 22,500 tonnes each. 

A section of the trade is irked over the permission for exports of broken rice, wondering why the Centre was permitting the shipments to these countries when it is not allowed to other destinations. 

“What is the obligation the Government has towards the countries? Why relax a blanket ban imposed on food security grounds?” a Delhi-based trader asked.

However, a trade analyst said exports to Gambia, Senegal, and Djibouti have been approved by the Commerce Ministry following a request from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Permits for strategic reasons

“The exports are being allowed for strategic reasons and since the External Affairs Ministry is involved,” the analyst, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Pointing out to the Centre’s notifications while banning wheat exports and curbing rice shipments, the analyst said India is clear that it will meet the food needs of “vulnerable countries”. 

“The External Affairs Ministry would have taken various reasons into consideration before approaching the Commerce Ministry,” he said. 

The Centre banned exports of broken rice and imposed 20 per cent duty on shipments of white and brown rice after the kharif paddy production was affected by deficient monsoon in key rice-growing regions in the eastern parts. 

In the kharif season, rice production was estimated lower at 108.07 million tonnes (mt) in 2022 compared with 111 mt in 2021. But rabi output has made up for the loss with the Ministry of Agriculture estimating it at 22.76 mt against 18.47 mt a year ago.

For the current crop year to June, the Ministry of Agriculture has estimated rice production at a record 130.84 million tonnes against 129.47 million tonnes in the last crop year.

MANILA, Philippines — The government is preparing for the worst-case scenario on the country’s rice supply amid the threat of El Niño phenomenon, a ranking official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

In a radio interview yesterday, Agriculture Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said the DA treats El Niño just like other calamities as its effects on agricultural production could be similar to typhoons.

“The impact could be similar if we have calamities like typhoons as it could affect our rice production. The NFA (National Food Authority) is tasked to buy palay for the country’s buffer stock, but if worse comes to worst based on Republic Act 11203, we have the Rice Tariffication Law. We can import in case there would be a shortage in the rice supply,” Estoperez said.

Last year, the country imported at least 3.8 million metric tons of rice.

“We need to have at least a 52-day rice inventory. If the NFA fails to achieve it, we will definitely need to import,” Estoperez said.

In an earlier interview with Estoperez, he gave assurance that the government is bracing for El Niño – a weather phenomenon that could lead to a dry spell – in response to a warning from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) that the country may experience below normal rainfall in the coming months.?

Estoperez added that while the weather bureau said that the impact of the drought could be felt in Visayas and Mindanao, necessary preparations are being conducted in the entire country, including Luzon.

“We are an agricultural country so our interventions covered all the production areas. For Mindanao, we don’t only have palay, we have corn and fruits. In Visayas, we also have palay so we don’t have preference. It’s a matter of prioritizing the assistance to them in terms of what kind of assistance we could provide in preparation for the effect of the El Niño,” he noted.

Estoperez said that among the necessary measures is to address the leakages in the irrigation system to prevent wastage in water supply.

“We know that even if there is no El Niño, we will have a shortage in water supply during the summer season. We really need to strengthen our awareness campaign to conserve water,” Estoperez added.

He added that farmers will also be encouraged to plant varieties which are resilient to heat.

“We are coordinating with other agencies, especially with our attached agencies like the National Irrigation Administration and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management to unify our strategies for the looming El Niño,” Estoperez said.

He reiterated that cloud seeding will be the last option of the government to provide water for irrigation systems.

“Cloud seeding is really expensive, that is why as early as now we need to prepare our water systems and manage our supply,” he said.

PAGASA said that El Niño will likely develop in the third quarter of 2023 and may persist until 2024.

The United States Geological Survey said El Niño refers to the warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.?

It said El Niño recurs every two years to a decade and can disrupt global weather patterns.

The DA said Mindanao had seen the worst El Niño in the country, with 17,000 hectares of farmlands and more than 20,000 farmers affected in 2016.

MUMBAI/HANOI/ BANGKOK: Indian rice export prices extended losses this week after sluggish demand as buyers, anticipating further price falls, postponed purchases, while Vietnamese traders hoped their competitive pricing and growing supplies would lure more orders from big buyers.

Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $380-$385 per tonne - the lowest since mid-January - down from $382-$387 a week ago.

One exporter based at Kakinada in southern state of Andhra Pradesh, who asked not to be named, said prices had corrected by around $20 per tonne in a month, and all farm commodities had dropped in the last few days.

“Buyers are waiting to see whether rice prices could fall further,” the exporter said. In Vietnam, the 5% broken rice prices were unchanged at $450 per tonne this week. “Trading activities will definitely pick up in the next coming months on rising supplies from current harvest and demands from traditional buyers including China and the Philippines,” said a trader based in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, adding the winter-spring harvest would conclude by the end of March.

Another trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said rates for Vietnamese rice were still lower than Thai grain, so some traders overseas were turning to Vietnam to maximise profit. Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices rose to $465 per tonne, from last week’s $455 per tonne.

One Bangkok-based trader said prices had changed slightly because the baht rose. The trader expected, however, prices would be range-bound as demand was “quiet” and supplies were gradually rising.

A stronger domestic currency makes exports from the country expensive in dollar terms. Prices may come down if supplies increase, another trader said.

The rice variety is grown at the highest elevation in the world of 3,050 metres above sea level in far-western Nepal.

The Agricultural Research Station in Bijayanagar is preparing to release three new disease-resistant varieties of Jumli Marshi, an indigenous rice grown at the highest elevation in the world of 3,050 metres above sea level in far western Nepal.

The research station said that since the existing varieties are susceptible to blast fungus, the new varieties would be a game changer.

Jumli Marshi is a native japonica rice landrace cultivated since ancient times at the highest altitude in the world at Chumchaur, Jumla. Jumli Marshi has a cold-tolerant gene that allows it to thrive in cold temperate conditions.

As yield has decreased due to pest infection, farmers have been shifting to other crops.

The scientists at the research centre have been working to develop new varieties for the last 13 years.

“The three new varieties– Jumli Marshi-18, Jumli Marshi-20 and Jumli Marshi-22—will be a game changer for farmers in the highlands,” said Resham Babu Amagain, chief of the centre.

The new varieties have been developed through the crossing of a local variety. Jumli Marshi was crossed with IR-64, a rice variety first released in the Philippines in 1985, which is known for high yield, early maturity and disease resistance.

According to a research report entitled “Importance of world high altitude Jumli Marshi rice with cultivation practices”, Jumli Marshi is rich in fibre (2.01 percent), proteins (9.86 percent), minerals such as 0.57 mg/100 g iron, 66.70 mg/100 g calcium, and 57.54 mg/100 g phosphorous, and low in carbohydrates (72.74 percent).

It is regarded as a suitable food for diabetes patients. Marshi has nutritional, religious and cultural significance.

In the past, fields on the banks of the Tila River would be covered with Jumli Marshi rice, according to various research papers. “However, its cultivation is currently decreasing due to low productivity and blast susceptibility.”

As Jumli Marshi was prone to disease and many farmers started losing their crops, the Nepal Agricultural Research Council recommended two other rice varieties with cold tolerant genes—Chandanath-1 and Chandanath-3, which are red and white rice respectively—to the farmers. Many farmers, nowadays, grow these varieties.

The Marshi production practice is unique compared to other rice production practices in Nepal.

Research has suggested that the conservation and cultivation of Jumli Marshi preserve local diversity and contribute to sustainable local food production systems and agro eco-tourism.

The scientists have already completed the first trial of the new varieties.

“We will distribute the seeds to the farmers after they are formally released by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council,” said Amagain, who is also the head of the research team. “We are in the process of releasing them soon.”

The centre has been engaged in the collection and study of Jumli Marshi since 2010.

“We needed disease-resistant and high-yielding varieties of Jumli Marshi,” said Amagain. “We have achieved the feat after continuous efforts lasting 13 years.”

According to the data of the centre, Jumli Marshi is cultivated on around 1,400 hectares in Jumla. The yield is 1.8 tonnes per hectare.

Every year, Jumla produces Jumli Marshi rice worth Rs260 million.

The research study has shown that the blast fungus has been damaging around 26 percent of the crops every year, causing a loss of Rs60 million.

Locals of Jumla have been lobbying to preserve the variety due to its historical and cultural significance.

Jumli Marshi is believed to have originated 550 years ago.

Chandannath Baba, a sage, found the rice plant growing wild on the banks of the Tila River in Jumla. Later, he domesticated the rice plant in nearby areas.

“Jumli Marshi is nutritious and tasty as well,” said Raj Bahadur Mahat, a local.

According to Krishna Dev Joshi, representative of the International Rice Research Institute, Nepal office, the yield of these new varieties depends upon the condition of the plant, the strengths of the pathogens and environmental conditions.

Joshi suggests that farmers apply proper nutrients to the plant right from the planting season to get a better yield.

Experts say that the new varieties will have the same height, capacity to withstand cold, maturity period, and size as the existing ones.

Scientists say the attraction of local farmers for the new varieties will grow if the yield increases.

“As part of the first phase, we have started the paperwork regarding these varieties. After that, we will commence the procedure to distribute the seeds to the farmers,” added Joshi.

John Thomas Becket, a rice researcher, says that Jumli Marshi has great potential in the international market.

The District Agriculture Development Office in Jumla is also working to conserve, promote, produce and market Jumli Marshi at the local level.

“The disease-resistant variants of Jumli Marshi will be a booster to the local farmers,” said Ganesh Adhikari, acting chief of the District Agriculture Development Office.

Jumli Marshi rice is considered to be a prestigious food. The popularity of Marshi rose in 2018 when a photo of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and KP Sharma Oli eating Jumli Marshi rice went viral.

Demand for Jumli Marshi rice increased in Kathmandu after that. Domestic tourists visiting Jumla purchase packets of Jumli Marshi as a souvenir. 

JAKARTA, March 27 (Reuters) - Indonesia's food procurement agency (Bulog) will import 2 million tonnes of rice until December this year, a Bulog official said.

Awaluddin Iqbal, Bulog's corporate secretary said the first phase will see the import of 500,000 tonnes.

The policy is aimed at stabilising rice supplies.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Bernadette Christina)

Move comes after last year’s floods destroyed crops

QUETTA:

Balochistan Minister for Agriculture Mir Asadullah Baloch on Friday said that free of charge rice seeds would be distributed among farmers from April 15 in five districts of Naseerabad Division.

“The Balochistan Agriculture Department distributed free wheat seeds throughout the province last year. Now, the supply of free seeds for rice, the main crop of autumn, will be ensured,” the minister said while addressing a meeting on Friday. The meeting was attended by Agriculture Secretary Umaid Ali Khokhar and other officials.

The minister observed that due to the monsoon rains in Balochistan last year, the agriculture and livestock sectors suffered a lot of damage to gardens, crops, vegetables and agricultural lands, which was estimated to be around Rs300 billion.

The Balochistan Agriculture Department has launched a campaign for free supply of wheat seeds in September and October to provide relief to the farmers and to get them back on their feet after the devastating flash floods.

The minister said that despite severe financial difficulties, the provincial government made arrangements for the free supply of wheat seeds, the most important crop in the entire province for the revival of agriculture.

“Committees have been formed in each district under the leadership of the deputy commissioners (DCs) to ensure the distribution of wheat seeds in a transparent manner,” he added.

He shared that with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB), a plan has been devised for free supply of rice seeds in five districts of Naseerabad Division.

The survey has been completed and the rice seeds will be distributed free of cost from April 15, he added.

Agriculture Secretary Khokhar informed the participants that with the efforts of the Agriculture Minister Asadullah and the provincial government, all available resources were being utilised for the development of agriculture.

CAN THO, VIETNAM — 

As a child, Dong Van Canh watched while the rice fields of Vietnam's Mekong Delta were set alight to make way for the next crop, blackening the sky and flooding the air with potent greenhouse gases.

Rice -- Asia's principal staple -- is to blame for around 10% of global emissions of methane, a gas that over two decades traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide.

Usually associated with cows burping, high levels of methane are also generated by bacteria that grow in flooded rice paddies and thrive if leftover straw rots in the fields after harvest.

The message from scientists is: Rice cannot be ignored in the battle to cut emissions.

In the Mekong Delta, Canh, now a 39-year-old rice farmer, does not leave straw out to decay on the paddies -- nor does he burn it, as his parents did before him.

Motivated by the memory of being forced inside his home on days the smoke was thick -- sometimes so acrid it made him choke or faint -- he joined an initiative that removes straw from the fields and turns it into mushrooms and organic fertilizer, earning a small income on the side.

"If we can collect the straw and make money, all of us benefit," he told AFP, running his fingers through a large, soft mound of straw, cow dung and rice husks that will soon become nutritious food for Mekong crops.

Shrinking emissions

The program -- organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) -- is one of a handful across Vietnam and the region trying to steadily shrink methane emissions from rice production.

Many of the initiatives are not new but have been spotlighted since around 100 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge two years ago, agreeing to reduce emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

Several of the world's biggest rice producers, including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam, are on board -- although the two largest, China and India, failed to sign.

In Vietnam, as the harvesting season draws to a close, farmers push carts overflowing with straw bales that will later be soaked and laid out to grow straw mushrooms.

Once the fungi are ready they will be sold before the farmers take back the straw and funnel it into a composting machine. Two months later it will be ready -- and can be sold for around 15 cents a kilogram.

"In the past a few farmers did this manually but it took too much manpower and the cost was high. Now we've cut costs by half and we will expand to meet the demands of the market," said Le Dinh Du, a rice farmer who also heads the local district's plant protection department.

"The rice goes on a nice journey. We don't waste anything."

Methane-producing bacteria

Vietnam's environment ministry says irrigated rice accounted for almost half of methane emissions in 2019.

Climate-friendly straw management has been introduced and spread "widely to farmers and local agricultural officials" throughout the country, according to CGIAR, an international agricultural research center.

How many practice what they have learned is unclear. Last year the World Bank said that more than 80% of rice straw in the Mekong Delta is still burned in the fields after harvest.

The need to find solutions is pressing.

Unlike other crops, rice paddies have a layer of standing water, so there is no exchange of air between the soil and the atmosphere, explained Bjoern Ole Sander, a senior scientist at the IRRI in Hanoi.

These conditions mean different bacteria are active in rice, compared to wheat or maize fields.

"And these bacteria eat organic matter and produce methane," he said.

As well as straw management, IRRI says another scheme called Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), which involves breaking up standing water to replenish oxygen and reduce methane-producing bacteria, could also help cut emissions.

Practiced on more than 200,000 hectares of rice-growing land in the Mekong delta's An Giang province, CGIAR says it has made a significant difference.

For Mekong farmers that have taken the leap, there is pride in contributing to more sustainable farming while getting the most out of their crops.

"We lived hard lives," said Canh. "But once we realized how to take advantage of the straw, things have gotten easier."

Vietnam is outlining a plan to cultivate one million hectares of low-carbon, high-quality rice in the Mekong River Delta to meet its net zero emission targets

The plan, being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), is expected to be submitted to the Government for approval in March and be under implementation in 2024. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The plan, being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), is expected to be submitted to the Government for approval in March and be under implementation in 2024. 12 out of 13 provinces in the region have signed up for the plan, having committed to reaching 200,000 ha next year, 719,000 ha in 2025, and more than one million hectares in 2030.

An Giang Province took the lead with a commitment to grow 150,000 ha in 2025 and 200,000 ha in 2030, undertaking a large share of the target.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Trần Thanh Nam, said most Vietnamese firms do not develop rice paddies to cater to their exports. The firms rely only on traders to maintain their trade activities, resulting in a volatile rice market. As such, the involvement of firms in the plan would hold the key to its successful implementation.

He also said several Japanese firms were making a request for their participation in the plan. If the ministry accepts their request, they would undertake 200,000 ha of the target and use the rice to produce biofuel.

Lê Thanh Tùng, deputy director of the Department of Crop Production, MARD, stated that the target for 2024 would be within reach because 184,000 ha of land under vnSAT projects (Vietnam Sustainable Agriculture Transformation) could be easily transformed into low-carbon paddies.

Nguyễn Thanh Truyền, director of Long An Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, revealed that his province would contribute 60,000 ha to the common efforts in 2025, and 120,000 ha in 2030.

The World Bank's agriculture economist, Animesh Shrivastava, underlined two challenges for the plan which centre around farmers' incomes and the market. He said rice is an agricultural staple of the country but it has not provided farmers with a decent income. Food security would always be at risk unless the country could improve farmers' livelihoods. The expert urged Vietnam to invest further in market research and brand promotion to help its rice gain ground globally.

Nguyễn Văn Thành, chairman of the Phước Thành IV Trading - Production Company Ltd., said the ministry must offer firms some kind of incentive if it wants firms to actively take part in the plan. Such incentives could include preferential loans to help firms take hold of machinery, equipment, and warehouses more easily.

STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, US — Four universities are participating in an effort through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming as the staple grain grapples with extreme weather and climate challenges.

Scientists at Louisiana State University (LSU), the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University (MSU) and Texas A&M University are part of a team awarded a four-year $10 million grant by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The grant is part of an overall $70 million investment from the USDA to establish robust, resilient and climate-smart food and agricultural systems.

According to the LSU AgCenter, the specific project objectives are to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of current crop management practices, identify barriers to adopting novel technologies and practices, develop novel genotypes with enhanced tolerance to biological and environmental stressors, develop and optimize environmentally friendly crop management practices and implement a robust extension program to disseminate the concepts and benefits of sustainable farming techniques.

“Because of our interdisciplinary expertise and MSU’s facilities, we are developing genetic mapping tools to identify the genes associated with stress tolerance, including projected changes in climate,” said Raja Reddy, an agronomist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES). “Being able to identify these genes will help rice breeders develop climate-resilient cultivars, or plant varieties.” 

Reddy, a research professor in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is working with assistant research professors Raju Bheemanahalli Rangappa and Hunter Bowman, also MAFES agronomists, on MSU’s part of the project, which is funded by a $970,000 grant.

Ranking sixth in the nation, Mississippi rice production is a $97 million industry, with over 115,000 farmed acres. In recent years, increasing extremes and unpredictability in weather patterns have begun to threaten the stability of this agricultural commodity.

“Like much of the US mid-South, Mississippi is seeing greater extremes in our high and low temperatures and greater intensities of drought during the early season,” Reddy said. “These conditions and higher temperatures during flowering are significant impediments to rice yield and grain quality.”Reddy said the researchers, who collectively have many years of experience studying rice cultivation and breeding, also are planning extension activities to help growers optimize their resources, particularly water and nutrients, to get the best growth and yield from newly developed cultivars. 

BANGKOK, THAILAND — Rice production in Thailand in the 2023-24 marketing year is forecast to reach its highest level in five years due to abundant rainfall and attractive farm-gate prices, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA projected output at 20.4 million tonnes, up 1% from the previous year’s total of 20.2 million.

It noted that “well above normal precipitation and reservoir levels during the rainy season in 2022 improved conditions for rice planting.”

With farm-gate prices of white and fragrant rice up 18% and 16%, respectively, an increase in planted hectares is anticipated, the USDA said.

With higher anticipated larger exportable rice supplies, the USDA said Thai rice exports in 2023-24 are forecast to increase by 2.5%, to 8 million tonnes.

In the same report, it noted that Thailand’s 2023-24 wheat imports are projected to increase to 2.7 million tonnes.

Growing wheat-based food consumption and feed wheat consumption will push wheat imports 17% higher than in 2022-23, the USDA said, adding that it also “expects 2023-24 milling wheat imports to be 1.3 million tonnes, up 18% from 2022-23.”

“Flour mills are actively importing wheat despite facing high import prices,” the USDA said.

Feed wheat imports are expected to increase by 40% year-on-year to 1.4 million tonnes due to an anticipated recovery in swine production and growing exports demand for poultry meat and products, the USDA said.

This is according to a study by the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, March 21

Climate change—in the coming years—is going to make a huge impact on one of the important sectors of Indian economy, agriculture. According to the study by the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), agri produce, in the absence of the adaptation measures, would plummet a great deal.

This was revealed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Lok Sabha on Monday. 

Rain-fed rice yield in the country is projected to reduce by 20 per cent by 2050 and by 47 per cent by 2080, while wheat yield by 19.3 per cent by 2050, and by 40 per cent by 2080 with significant spatial and temporal variations. Climate change is projected to reduce the kharif maize yield by 18-23 per cent by 2050.

“The Centre, through its various ministries and departments, continues to assess the impacts of climate change: taking into account new data and increased scientific knowledge on the subject,” said the Environment Ministry in Lok Sabha, in a reply to a question on the steps taken by the Centre to study the impact of climate change.  

However, the Agriculture Ministry in another reply said the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, and All India Coordinating Research Project on Wheat and Barley, were working on developing climate-resilient varieties. They were also keeping a strict vigil on disease situation in the country, said the ministry.

Listing out the new varieties, the agriculture ministry in the Rajya Sabha said: “From 2014 to 2023, a total of 156 wheat varieties have been released. The wheat varieties such as DBW303 and DBW187 have an average yield of eight tonnes per hectare. Further, 28 bio-fortified varieties of wheat have been developed by ICAR which are rich in multi-nutrients. These are DBW327, DBW332 and DDW47, etc.”

Tanzania becomes Africa’s food-producing hub, aided by conducive business environment

Tanzania, besides becoming an apex investment destination in Africa, has now developed as a food-producing hub in the continent, according to latest data from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The food production boom in the East African country was possible thanks to the initiatives of its current administration, which has doubled investments in irrigation farming, fertilizer subsidies, seed production, and seed subsidies.

Tanzania has developed into a center for food exports, feeding nations in the African region as well as the rest of the world, having sold veggies worth $1.01 billion over the course of the past five years. Tanzania also exported grain crops worth nearly $1 billion during the same period, primarily rice and maize.

“These statistics indicate that Tanzania is among the top five rice producers on the entire African continent and the largest rice producer in East Africa,” the BoT said in a statement.

These figures were released as Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan raised the curtain on the Africa Food Systems Forum, a significant agricultural gathering that will take place in Tanzania in September this year.

This growth in Tanzania’s agricultural sector is coming alongside a growing FDI rate in the country, all of which has been fueled by the government’s business-minded approach to governance. The growth in these sectors is a result of the favorable business conditions, being put in place via the president’s initiatives, making local and foreign businesses operate in one of the most conducive business ecosystems in all of Africa.

KARACHI: Acting President of FPCCI Suleman Chawla has proposed that Pakistani exporters should tap the potential to export to Lithuania in the Baltic Region.

He also expressed admiration that Lithuanian economy has grown by over 500 percent since 1990 and that, he said, points to the direction where the Lithuanian economy is headed.

Chawla appreciated the fact that Ricardas Degutis, ambassador of Lithuania to Pakistan, visited the FPCCI Head Office within days of assuming his office. That shows his seriousness to promote trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Acting FPCCI chief highlighted the fact that Pakistan has always considered Lithuania as one of the important countries for trade and strategic affairs given its geographical location at the Baltic Sea; and, sharing land borders with Russia, Poland and Belarus.

Chawla extended his full support from the platform of FPCCI to help organise trade visits and B2B engagements of Lithuanian importers and investors to explore Pakistani world-class textiles, leather products, IT & ITeS, sports goods, surgical instruments, mineral and natural resources, rice, fruits and vegetables and hospitality and tourism.

Suleman Chawla apprised the session that Pakistan has made tangible gains with Lithuanian neighbors Russia and Belarus in the recent months vis-a-vis trade relations.

Ricardas Degutis, Ambassador of Lithuania to Pakistan, informed the prominent business personalities at FPCCI Head Office that he is willing to play his role, as country’s top diplomat for Pakistan, to connect FPCCI to Chamber of Lithuania as people-to-people and business-to-business linkages must be fostered to strengthen economic relations.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

ARLINGTON, VA – USA Rice and all seven state rice organizations joined 400 other farm and agricultural groups in a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Budget Committees on Tuesday calling for additional funding for Congress to write the 2023 Farm Bill.

The USA Rice Farmers, the leading national organization representing rice farmers in all rice producing states, adopted policy this past December in favor of additional Farm Bill resources. Particular areas where funding is needed are the commodity title to improve the farm safety net and the trade title to increase funding for critical international promotion programs.

“USA Rice strongly supports additional funding for the Farm Bill as Congress begins its work on the 2023 Farm Bill,” said Curtis Berry, a Mississippi rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers.  “Having an adequate farm safety net in the Price Loss Coverage program is the key priority for USA Rice and the additional Farm Bill funding would be instrumental to ensuring the program’s improvement.”

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Scientists at Mississippi State are part of a multi-institutional, $10-million effort to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming in the face of climate change.

“Because of our interdisciplinary expertise and MSU’s facilities, we are developing genetic mapping tools to identify the genes associated with stress tolerance, including projected changes in climate,” said Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Agronomist Raja Reddy. “Being able to identify these genes will help rice breeders develop climate-resilient cultivars, or plant varieties.”

Reddy, a research professor in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, is working alongside assistant research professors Raju Bheemanahalli Rangappa and Hunter Bowman, also MAFES agronomists. The research team has been awarded $970,000 as part of a four-year, $10 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Louisiana State University is the lead institution on the grant from NIFA’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program. Other partners include the University of Arkansas and Texas A&M University.

Ranking sixth in the nation, Mississippi rice production is a $97 million industry, with over 115,000 farmed acres. In recent years, increasing extremes and unpredictability in weather patterns have begun to threaten the stability of this agricultural commodity.

“Like much of the U.S. Midsouth, Mississippi is seeing greater extremes in our high and low temperatures and greater intensities of drought during the early season,” Reddy said. “These conditions and higher temperatures during flowering are significant impediments to rice yield and grain quality.”

Reddy said the researchers, who collectively have many years of experience studying rice cultivation and breeding, also are planning extension activities to help growers optimize their resources—particularly water and nutrients—to get the best growth and yield from newly developed cultivars.

According to the LSU AgCenter, the specific project objectives are to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of current crop management practices, identify barriers to adopting novel technologies and practices, develop novel genotypes with enhanced tolerance to biological and environmental stressors, develop and optimize environmentally friendly crop management practices and implement a robust extension program to disseminate the concepts and benefits of sustainable farming techniques.

The grant is part of a $70 million investment from USDA to establish robust, resilient and climate-smart food and agricultural systems. 

Learn more about the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station by visiting the MAFES website: https://www.mafes.msstate.edu.

FILIPINO households do not consume all the food on their dining tables, and the resulting wastage has grown into a problem that requires serious attention.

This finding is highlighted in the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology's Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).

According to the study, rice, vegetables and meat are the three most wasted foods in Filipino households. The bigger the household, the higher the waste. And rural households squander more food than their urban counterparts.

In terms of income class, households in the highest one-fifth or quintile had a bigger wastage than the poorest quintile.

"This implies that households incur more wastes when higher quantities are purchased, which most probably are not consumed and end up being thrown away due to spoilage." the FNRI noted.

The study reflects a glaring disconnect: millions of Filipinos go hungry every year, but the average Filipino wastes 86 kilograms of food annually. The vast amounts of food that go uneaten and thrown away would have been enough to feed hungry stomachs.

Food waste is a global malaise. By one estimate, as much as 40 percent of food, or 2.5 billion tons, around the world is wasted every year. The wastage is enough to feed 3 billion people.

Food waste impacts the environment as well, and is already recognized as one of the drivers of climate change. Estimates suggest that 8 to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed.

"The increasing and persistent global demand for food is also driving fertile land useless while contributing to more land degradation and deforestation, which as a result, destroys our precious natural habitats and biodiversity, limiting the services that they provide and disrupting entire ecosystems," according to one study.

The Philippines is struggling with its own food security woes. We ranked 69th among the 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index of 2018, indicating a "serious level of hunger incidence."

Fifteen percent of the population experience "severe food anxiety," the highest rate among five Southeast Asian countries.

Based on monitoring by the World Food Program last year, one out of 10 Philippine households is food insecure. The problem is most acute in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Eastern Visayas and Soccsksargen, three of the country's poorest regions.

Addressing food waste must be a multisectoral effort if it is to be effective. The United Nations has made curbing food waste a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target. SDG 12.3 aims to cut by half per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030.

In its 2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggested increasing efforts "to measure food and inedible parts wasted at retail and consumer level and track food waste generation in kilograms per capita at country level."

The World Food Program noted that Filipino households with heads who only had a primary or elementary education "are more likely to be food insecure." That could be a cue for the government to include food security in school curriculums to raise family awareness on managing food needs.

Food manufacturers and dining establishments can do their share by donating surplus food to charitable and social work institutions instead of throwing it out as garbage.

FNRI Director Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa stressed the need for new strategies to focus on reducing plate waste, which is beneficial from a nutritional, economic and environmental point of view.

Training people to prepare and choose less food in terms of portion and meal size reduction and formulating policies on waste reduction could be an effective strategy in preventing additional food waste, Angeles-Agdeppa said.

The FAO is urging governments to rethink how to reallocate their budgets "to make them more cost-effective and efficient in reducing the cost of nutritious foods and increasing the availability and affordability of healthy diets, sustainably and leaving no one behind."

It will be in the Philippines' best interest to heed FAO's suggestion.

MANILA — Rice, vegetables, and meat are the most wasted food in Filipino households, the Department of Science and Technology said in a recent study.

Based on the two-stage cluster survey to assess the household plate waste in the country by the agency's Food and Nutrition Research Institute, some of the factors to wastage to the following food are: 

• larger household meal portion size 
• greater number of household members 
• higher wealth status

The study also found that households with the highest rice consumption were more likely to have rice wastage compared to households with the lowest consumption. 

"Rice wastage is also more common in households with a household head whose age ranges from 50–69 years old, than those with a younger household head," DOST said.

"More food are wasted in households with 5 or more members, and those residing in rural areas," it added. 

DOST said that households with the highest vegetable consumption were more likely to waste vegetables compared to those with the lowest consumption, as well. 

"This implies that households incur more wastes when higher quantities are purchased, which most probably are not consumed and ends up being thrown away due to spoilage," the agency said.

"Households composed of five or less members were found to have greater chances of wasting vegetables, which mirrors the results of a previous study which found that larger households were more efficient in meal consumption," it added.

Meanwhile, fish, meat, and poultry plate waste was less likely in households with less than or equal to five members than in households with more than five members.

The study used the data from 20,151 Filipino households who participated in the 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS).

DOST said that richer families tend to have more food waste than poorer families. 

"Households belonging to the richest quintile were found to have greater plate waste compared to the poorest quintile. Past studies exhibited the same, where higher income households were found to waste more food than lower-income households," it said. 

"This may be explained that higher-income households consume diets that tend to include more perishable items. Some of the waste can be explained by food spoiling before the household had a chance to eat it."

The agency said that the plate waste is closely linked to hunger incidence and threatened food security. 

“Millions of Filipinos under poverty and experiencing food insecurity are struggling to be fed, and the food that is simply thrown away or discarded might actually be enough to feed them,” said Dr. Imelda Angeles‑Agdeppa, lead researcher of DOST-FNRI.

It noted that plate waste also generally emits a portion of the total global greenhouse gas emissions that impact on global warming. 

"The study suggested that a more effective strategy for reducing food waste may be to train people to prepare and select less food (portion and meal size reduction) and to formulate more policies tackling waste-reduction programs," DOST added.

This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Emissions from the food system alone will drive the world past 1.5 C of global heating unless high-methane foods are tackled.

Climate-heating emissions from food production, dominated by meat, dairy and rice, will by themselves break the key international target of 1.5 C if left unchecked, a detailed study has shown.

The analysis estimated that if today’s level of food emissions continued, they would result in at least 0.7 C of global heating by the end of the century, on top of the 1 C rise already seen. This means emissions from food alone, ignoring the huge impact of fossil fuels, would push the world past the 1.5 C limit.

The study showed that 75 per cent of this food-related heating was driven by foods that are high sources of methane, like those coming from ruminant livestock such as cattle, and rice paddy fields. However, the scientists said the temperature rise could be cut by 55 per cent by cutting meat consumption in rich countries to medically recommended levels, reducing emissions from livestock and their manure, and using renewable energy in the food system.

Previous studies have shown the huge impact of food production on the environment, particularly meat and dairy, but the new study provides estimates of the temperature rises their emissions could cause. These could be a significant underestimate, however, as the study assumed animal product consumption would remain level in the future but it was projected to rise by 70 per cent by 2050.

“Methane has this really dominant role in driving the warming associated with the food systems,” said Catherine Ivanovich, at Columbia University in the U.S., who led the research. “Sustaining the pattern [of food production] we have today is not consistent with keeping the 1.5 C temperature threshold. That places a lot of urgency on reducing the emissions, especially from the high-methane food groups.

“We have to make the goal of sustaining our global population consistent with a climate-safe future,” she said.

The contribution of global food production to the climate crisis is complex because it involves several important greenhouse gases, all of which have different abilities to trap heat and persist in the atmosphere for different amounts of time. Previous studies have converted the impact of methane and other gases into an equivalent amount of CO2 over 100 years, but this underplayed the high potency of methane over shorter timescales.

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, treated each greenhouse gas separately for 94 key types of food, enabling their impact on climate over time to be better understood. Feeding this emissions data into a widely used climate model showed that the continuation of today’s food production would lead to a rise of 0.7 C by 2100 if global population growth was low, and a 0.9 C rise if population growth was high.

“As we had already reached more than 1 C warming above pre-industrial levels by 2021, this additional warming [from food production] alone is enough to surpass the 1.5 C global warming target,” the scientists concluded. “Our analysis clearly demonstrates that current dietary production and consumption patterns are incompatible with sustaining a growing population while pursuing a secure climate future.”

Food-related temperature rise could be curbed, the researchers said. If people adopted the healthy diet recommended by Harvard Medical School, which allows a single serving of red meat a week, the rise could be cut by 0.2 C. Such a diet would mean a big cut in meat eating in rich nations but could mean an increase in some poorer countries.

Cutting methane emissions from cattle using feed additives and better management of manure could avoid another 0.2 C, the researchers said, while switching to green energy in the food system would cut 0.15 C. Ivanovich said the emissions reductions options included in the study were those possible today but that future technological advances might be able to reduce emissions further.

“We already know that livestock production has a disproportionate contribution to climate change — even using traditional metrics, in 2021 we showed that 57 per cent of emissions from the food system arise from animal agriculture,” said Prof. Pete Smith at the University of Aberdeen. “This very neat study uses a simple climate model to show the disproportionate impact of methane emissions from agriculture on temperature increases, and throws light on the importance of reducing methane emissions from the food system.”

Only a third of the world’s countries have included policies to cut emissions from agriculture in the climate plans they have submitted under the UN Paris Agreement. The researchers said their work was aimed at increasing the understanding of the impact of global food consumption on future global heating. Ivanovich also said policies to cut emissions had to protect access to food and livelihoods for vulnerable populations.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Food prices continued to rise high since February 2022 for the 11th consecutive month (except for a decline by 0.1% in Dec-2022), with CPI food inflation in January 2023 increasing by 42.94% over January 2022. National and international drivers (fuel price hikes, energy costs, devaluation of rupee against dollar increasing prices of food/Non-food imported items, Russia-Ukraine war, etc) suggest that prices will remain high for the coming months.

• Headline inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is now 27.55%, the highest in 48 years (since 1975), representing an increase of 27.55% in January 2023 over January 2022. It should be noted that inflation rates in neighbouring countries stand at 5.2% (Afghanistan), 6.5% (India), and 8.6% (Bangladesh).

• In January 2023, prices increased for staple cereals wheat (+27.1%), wheat flour (subsidized) (+17.0%), wheat flour (Fine) (+8.2%), rice Basmati (+16.3%) and rice Irri-6 (+14.6%) compared to December 2022, representing an increase of 90% in wheat, 78% in both wheat flour (subsidized) and wheat flour (Fine), 61% in rice Irri-6 and 53% in rice Basmati from the same time a year ago.

• Among non-cereal food commodities, prices increased for chicken (+21.0%), pulses (Moong (+5.2%), Gram (+2.7%), Mash (+2.6%), Masoor (+2.0%)) and eggs (+2.0%) from the previous month, representing an increase in chicken (+99%), eggs (+60%), Moong (+56%), Gram (+48%), Mash (+40%) and Masoor (+21%) from the same time a year ago. On the other hand, prices decreased for ghee (-2.1%) and sugar (-1.1%) from December 2022.

• A comparison of pre-flood (June 2022) and post-flood (January 2023), some food commodities indicated huge increase in prices; for instance, price of onions increased up to 220%, wheat flour 74%, rice Irri 68%, pulse moong 65%, rice Basmati 45%, and milk 39%.

• Average Terms of Trade (ToT) for January 2023, measuring the amount of wheat flour that can be purchased with one-day of casual unskilled labor wage worsened by 14.0% from the previous month. The retail prices of automotive fuels increased in January 2023 compared to the previous month i.e., Super Petrol (+16.0%) and High-Speed Diesel (+15.0%).

Indonesia may procure another 500,000 tonnes of rice from abroad this year to fill up the diminishing government rice reserves, the Trade Ministry has said.

Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia may procure another 500,000 tonnes of rice from abroad this year to fill up the diminishing government rice reserves, the Trade Ministry has said.

The announcement came despite the government having imported 500,000 tonnes of rice from countries including Vietnam, Thailand, and Pakistan starting last December.

Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the government had agreed to offer the option, arguing that the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) only had around a quarter of the required minimum reserves of 1.2 million tonnes.

They decided at a meeting with the President that whenever necessary, they can import again as many as 500,000 tonnes, the minister told a recent session with Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

However, he noted, the government will not import rice in the near future as the harvest season is coming and the import of foreign rice may affect domestic prices.

Rice prices has kept rising in Indonesia since the year’s beginning despite the rice import since late 2022 and recent market interventions by Bulog.

Head of Bulog Budi Waseso said this agency has distributed about 230,000 tonnes, or nearly half of the imported 500,000 tonnes to stabilise prices.

He pledged continued distribution to meet demand of retailers and traditional markets, affirming that import is licensed only in emergency cases./.

VNA

PRICE increase watchdog Bantay Bigas has belied the government's claim that people can now buy rice at P25 per kilo.

"The [government's claim of] P25 per kilo... we haven't seen it yet," Bantay Bigas spokesman and Amihan Secretary General Cathy Estavillo told The Manila Times in Filipino.

"That's in the Kadiwa Center where they put the P25-per-kilo rice. These P25-per-kilo rice in Kadiwa centers have a volume limit — on how many kilos a consumer can buy — when the stocks run out, people have to buy rice again at a regular price," she added.

Bantay Bigas said that as of the first week of March, the retail price of well-milled rice at local markets registered an increase of P4 from the previous price of P200 per sack, while that of regular-milled rice had a P1 to P2 increase from the previous price.

"We just don't see any rice that's at P25 per kilo in the regular market. We now see prices at P42 per kilo and above. We used to see prices at P38 to P39. Now, it's even rare to see rice being sold at those prices," Estavillo said.

A Department of Agriculture infographic presented by Bantay Bigas said the retail price for regular-milled local commercial rice is P34 to P40 per kilo while imported commercial regular-milled rice is P37 to P44 per kilo.

Estavillo attributed the high price of rice to the scrapping of the subsidy program of the National Food Authority in 2019, after the enactment of Republic Act 11203 or "Rice Liberalization Law," mandating the price of rice at P25 per kilo.

"Had this law not been implemented, the farmgate price of rice would have reached P18 [per kilo]. At the time of implementation, the farmgate price of palay (unmilled rice) was even at P7 to P10," she added.

Estavillo said they are against the importation of rice.

"The government is expecting to see prices of products decrease, by means of importing, we oppose this, and because of RA 11203, it allows the country to take in imported rice that importers pay 35 percent tax, regardless of how much rice they can import, which is not the right solution," Estavillo said.

"When RA 11203 was signed into law, the country became the rice net importer to the whole world, that was in 2019. Around 3.1 million metric tons (MT) of imported rice have reached the markets, which is why data from the Philippine Statistics Authority [shows] that the Philippines is the number one rice net importer. In 2022, 3.8 million MT of imported rice reached our markets, but prices did not go down," she said.

"It's a monopoly; they can dictate, because they can import a lot, and with that large importation, it results in a low farmgate price, because millers and traders say their warehouses are full, so they are stock buying," Estavillo added.

Estavillo called on the government to prioritize programs that will strengthen local rice production, which includes subsidies, farm inputs, subsidized loans and post-harvest facilities for farmers.

According to market observers, the price of the most common food grain in Nepali homes has gone up by Rs100 to Rs700 per bag.

Food prices from wheat and meat to edible oils have shot up sharply and refuse to come down. And now even rice, the staple food of millions of Nepalis, has become more expensive.

According to market observers, the price of the most common grain food in Nepali homes has gone up by Rs100 to Rs700 per bag.

Analysts blame higher fertiliser costs for making food more expensive for inflation-hit consumers.

Prem Lal Maharjan, president of the National Consumer Forum, said that based on their market assessment, the price of rice has increased by Rs500 per 30-kg sack in the past five months.

Taichin rice now costs Rs4,400 per 25-kg sack, he said, up from Rs3,300.

The price of rice has been rising continuously in the past few months even though India has lifted export restrictions.

“Prices are increasing mainly due to a black market,” said Maharjan. “There is no specific reason why the price is rising in the domestic market.”

In a bid to control domestic prices, the Indian government banned exports of broken rice and slapped a 20 percent export tax on several varieties of rice starting September 9 last year.

The repercussion was felt in Nepal immediately with the price going up beyond control.

On November 2, India allowed the export of 600,000 tonnes of unmilled rice to Nepal, and lifted the 20 percent duty imposed on several varieties of rice.

Pavitra Bajracharya, immediate past president of the Nepal Retailers Association, says traders have increased prices on the pretext of a tax hike in India.

“But that’s not true. Nepal harvested its paddy crop in November, and the supply situation should have eased,” said Bajracharya. “The price should have dropped around this time, but we don’t know why it has been increasing.”

According to the association, the price of Trishuli Pokhreli rice increased to Rs90 per kg from Rs75 per kg two weeks ago. The price of steamed jeera masino rice has remained unchanged. The price of long-grain basmati rice has risen slightly to Rs130 per kg from Rs120 per kg.

The price of steamed sona mansuli rice increased to Rs60 per kg from Rs55 per kg.

Nepali farmers are expected to harvest 5.48 million tonnes of paddy this fiscal year, which is 7 percent more than last year, despite a crippling shortage of chemical fertiliser during the key transplantation period in the monsoon.

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government of Punjab has signed an agreement to hand over at least 45,267 acres of land in three districts — Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal — of the province to the Pakistan Army for ‘Corporate Agriculture Farming’.

According to a document, the military’s land directorate wrote to the Punjab chief secretary, Board of Revenue and secretaries of the agriculture, forest, livestock and irrigation departments for handing over of 42,724-acre land in tehsils Kaloor Kot and Mankera in Bhakkar, 1,818 acres in tehsils Quaidabad and Khushab in Khushab, and 725 acres in tehsil Chichawatni of Sahiwal.

The letter referred to a notification of the Punjab government dated Feb 20, 2023, and a joint venture (JV) agreement of March 8. It reminded that “while signing the JV management agreement on March 8, it was decided that state lands immediately required for the project be handed over to Pakistan Army.”

According to informed sources, the JV has been signed between the military, the Punjab government, and private firms dealing with corporate farming.

Insiders claim military will ‘reap no benefit’; 40pc of revenue to go to Punjab, 20pc for R&D

Speaking about the salient features of the proposed project, the sources said that the Punjab government will provide the land while the army will utilise its resources and retain the management of the project. The private sector, on the other hand, will invest and provide auxiliary support, including the supply of fertilisers.

Military sources confirmed this development and said that the army was “not taking over the ownership of the land as it will remain the property” of the Punjab government. “The intervention of the army will provide a coherent administrative structure,” the sources added.

They said that the land in question is mostly barren, uncultivated, and under-cultivated and added that the army with the assistance of the relevant stakeholders, including its JV partners and locals, will turn this into fertile land.

The sources said that the Punjab Board of Revenue has conducted surveys for months and identified these lands for corporate farming purposes.

The sources said that the project will be managed by retired army officers and the army will not get any pecuniary benefit out of this project rather the profit from the farming will go to the locals, the Punjab government, and firms that will invest in the project.

At least 40pc of the revenue generated from the cultivation will go to the Punjab government, 20 per cent will be spent on modern research and development in the agriculture sector, while the remaining will be used for the succeeding crops and expansion of the project.

They said that the agri sector’s growth rate from 4 per cent in 1960 dropped to 2.5pc in 2022 due to “flawed reforms, ineffective agriculture policies coupled with climate change, and population boom”.

Citing the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the sources said that at least 27pc of the total cultivated land of Pakistan was not being utilised. In order to deal with this situation, the Punjab government has made a plan to restore the agriculture sector with the help of the Pakistan Army. With the use of modern agricultural methods, machinery, and high-quality seeds, agricultural production will be increased manifold, the sources claimed.

According to the sources, in the first phase of the project, different varieties of pulses, millets and rice will be cultivated. This will be followed by large-scale cultivation of canola and wheat.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023

Just the fact that you're reading this article means you probably reside in some type of urban setting. This also means that on many days, you find yourself torn, choosing to stick to the staple rice or treating yourself to something slightly more extravagant for the next meal.

Unfortunately, this is hardly the case for the impoverished in India, many of who resort to meals like plain namak-bhat (cooked rice with plain salt) to pull them out of starvation. India's Public Distribution System helps provide them with grains for the month, but even that falls short oftentimes.

With millions of Indians devastatingly reliant on rice as their staple food, it is imperative that we maintain our crop yields to ensure adequate supply to every sect of society. However, a new report has shown that excessive atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could affect rice yields significantly in low- and middle-income countries, including India and China.

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has shown that high atmospheric CO2 levels can reduce phosphorus availability in soils by more than 20% in rice fields. Since phosphorus is an essential fertiliser for the crop, this could substantially affect final yields.

How substantially? By as much as 55%, it turns out. The research has pinpointed that over half of large rice paddy fields in India and China could experience an increased risk of yield reduction due to this phosphorus deficiency.

This isn't the worst of it either; other low-income countries in Southeast Asia, Central America, Africa and the Middle East could see even riskier percentages, going up as high as 70% in some places.

Atmospheric CO2 is actually an excellent source of carbon for crops, which helps increase them photosynthesise more, improving plant growth, biomass and yield. However, the study revealed that this was actually a double-edged sword, since its long-term presence impoverishes the soil of phosphorous.

Furthermore, phosphorus as a chemical fertiliser is unevenly distributed worldwide, making its import exceedingly valuable to countries without the resource. India is a prime example, with the country 90% dependent on rock phosphate as the key raw material in DAP and NPK fertilisers. In the past, phosphorus import prices have skyrocketed during food crises, which can severely exacerbate the food security of countries with inadequate purchasing powers.

MUMBAI/HANOI/ BANGKOK: Vietnam’s rice export prices extended gains this week as it shipped more of the staple grain to China, while rates in top exporters India and Thailand were weighed down by a weakening in their domestic currencies.

Vietnam’s 5% broken rice prices were offered at $450 per tonne on Thursday, up from $440-$445 range a week ago. “Prices edged up as shipments to China are recovering, while Indonesia is said to be buying more to improve its national reserves,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

The central bank’s move to cut its policy rates on Wednesday would give a boost to export activities, including rice shipments, the trader said. Top exporter India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $382 to $387 per tonne, down from last week’s $385 to $390 range.

“Rupee’s fall is allowing us to reduce export prices.

Demand from African countries is also weak,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $455 per tonne, down slightly from last week’s $460. Prices were impacted by changes in the exchange rate, said a Bangkok-based trader. “Supply and demand have been quiet,” the trader said. A weakening currency makes exports from the country cheaper in dollar terms.

Rising rice prices reflect increased fertilizer costs, farmers’ group says

RICE PRICES are rising even during the dry season harvest, reflecting the higher cost of fertilizer, according to a farmers’ organization.

In a Viber message, Raul Q. Montemayor, chairman of Federation of Free Farmers, said high fertilizer prices raised the cost of production for palay (unmilled rice).

In Metro Manila markets, the price of domestically-produced rice between March 1 and March 15 rose P2 per kilogram compared with February levels, while the price of imported rice rose around P4, according to government price monitoring reports.

According to Mr. Montemayor, the dry season crop accounts for about 44% of annual rice production. The harvest for this crop is currently ongoing.

Mr. Montemayor also attributed higher prices to the rising cost of rice in Vietnam, one of the Philippines’ top suppliers of the staple grain.

He said that the “overall increase in import prices allowed local prices to inch up.”

“We expected this to happen in late 2022, but large imports during the year may have resulted in some delayed reaction which we are seeing now,” Mr. Montemayor said.

Citing data from the Bureau of Customs, Mr. Montemayor said that the Philippines imported 3.85 million metric tons of rice in 2022 which was the highest total since the rice tariffication law took effect in 2019.

He said imports do not seem to have kept prices from increasing.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Rex C. Estoperez said that prices usually increase during the dry season, but agreed that fertilizer costs were a factor.

Mr. Estoperez said that the Philippines has been heavily dependent on chemical fertilizer.

“It might be better to source locally. Either organic or chemical fertilizer, it is better to have (domestic production) so that we are not dependent on imports,” he said.

“We still cannot say that the (rice prices) have normalized as the harvest has not peaked yet. We are still dependent on the remaining supply we are importing,” Mr. Estoperez told reporters. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

The eligible agencies which have undertaken the initiatives for the promotion of Geographical Indications (GIs) products shall be provided financial assistance by the government.

Operational guidelines have been issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for the financial assistance for undertaking the initiatives for the promotion of GIs.

Financial Assistance to Agencies to Promote Geographical Indications (GIs) Products

Dealing with the investments and intellectual property rights (IPRs), DPIIT is an arm of the commerce and industry ministry whereas the Geographical Indications (GIs) products are primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Essentially attributable to the place of its origin, typically this name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness.

Some of these famous goods that carry GI tag include Basmati rice, Darjeeling Tea, Chanderi Fabric, Mysore Silk, Kullu Shawl, Kangra Tea, Thanjavur Paintings, Allahabad Surkha, Farrukhabad Prints, Lucknow Zardozi and Kashmir Walnut Wood Carving.

In a note DPIIT said that “In accordance with the objectives of national IPR policy, Government of India will provide financial assistance to eligible agencies for undertaking initiatives for Promotion of GIs, which aims to create awareness about significance of GIs and its uniqueness, promoting registered Indian GIs, identify potential GIs and encourage stakeholders towards registration”.

The objective as per DPIIT is to be provide varied platforms to GI stakeholders thereby giving them ample opportunities for business development and income generation.

Extra Information Related to GI goods producers shall be added

It said that the initiatives would also include capturing socio- economic status of GI goods producers, their livelihood conditions and other related information, which would assist in devising suitable policy interventions.

It said that the “financial assistance will be extended to eligible agencies as 100 per cent grants in aid for undertaking initiatives for promotion of GIs.”

As mentioned in the operational guidelines, the disbursement of the assistance will be subject to actual expenditure or head-wise maximum permissible amount whichever is less for grants-in-aid.

It also said, while throwing light on eligible agencies, that the department may on its own undertake initiatives for the promotion of GIs within the country as well as abroad with Indian diplomatic missions or its agency or jointly with India’s apex industry chambers and their overseas counterparts.

After a product gets a GI tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name. This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.

The other benefits of GI registration include legal protection for the item, prevention against unauthorised use by others, and promotion of exports.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — The government cannot unilaterally cancel any contract to import rice into the country because it needs to consider the social obligations which Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) has agreed to implement, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin said as the country’s main rice importer, Bernas needed to fulfil 10 social obligations without getting any grants from the government.

The obligations include managing the country’s rice buffer stock, maintaining its role as the last padi purchaser at a minimum price, and managing padi price subsidy payments as well as the scheme for millers, Bumiputera wholesalers and farmers’ cooperatives.

Apart from this, Bernas also has to allocate funds for supply of machinery and padi mechanisation, development of large-scale padi farms and providing allocations for several programmes, including development of padi seed buffer stock, padi cultivation disaster fund aid and an information system on padi and rice.

“The cost that Bernas needs to bear to continue with the implementation of all these obligations, whether directly or indirectly, is RM3.22 billion, and of this figure, RM1.85 billion involves farmers and RM1.37 billion is for industries and consumers.

“Furthermore, Bernas now also gives a cash contribution of RM60 million and shares 30 per cent of its net profit from rice imports with farmers this year,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2023 at the committee stage on behalf of the ministry.

Earlier, several parties had questioned the extension of Bernas’ concession period as the country’s sole rice importer but the government stressed that it was necessary to ensure the commodity remains stable and under control.

The RM3.7 billion allocation for the ministry under Budget 2023 was approved at the committee stage by a majority voice vote after being debated by 21 government and opposition MPs. — Bernama

NEW DELHI, INDIA – Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in the March World Agriculture Supply and Demand Report that India will continue to dominate the world rice trade in the 2022/23 marketing year, projecting that they will break their own world record with 22.5 million metric tons (MT) of rice exports on tap.

In May 2022, the U.S. government along with nine other governments initiated technical consultations with India regarding their egregious trade distorting rice subsidies that feed into their public stockholding program and violate the terms of the Bali Peace Clause. However, to date, the U.S. government has not taken formal action to address India’s explicit World Trade Organization (WTO) violations.

The rise in exports shown above is not coincidental but corresponds with significant increases in production which corresponds with the Indian government’s significant increases in the price they pay farmers to buy their paddy rice for government stocks. According to USDA figures, in 2010/11, that price roughly translated to $120 per MT of paddy rice whereas the 2022/23 price is roughly translated to $259 per MT of paddy rice.

A government-guaranteed price of $259 per MT of long grain paddy rice converts to about $13.16 per hundredweight coupled with a series of input subsidies that cover as much as 85 percent of the total cost of production. USDA estimates that the Indian government will purchase as much as 59 million MT of paddy rice from Indian farmers this year, which equates to $15.28 billion in just procurement costs alone at the government rate of $248 per MT.

“Just six months ago, the Indian government had imposed export restrictions on rice because of alleged food shortages, but within weeks they had put themselves on track for another record crop year and another record year of rice exports, continuing to penetrate markets across the globe, including the United States, with their artificially low-priced rice,” said Bobby Hanks, Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee.

Despite India’s claims around their domestic food security last year, they continued to export a record amount of rice and crowd out other, more reliable exporters, worsening uncertainty for needy rice importers. At the same time, India was making deals with Russia to funnel fuel and fertilizer into their country while most of the world stood in solidarity with Ukraine.

“India’s policies not only violate their WTO commitments, but also impact the livelihoods of those that produce or consume rice across five other continents,” Hanks added. “It is long overdue for countries that are concerned about the future of the multilateral trading system and the livelihoods of their producers to address India’s protectionist policies through formal dispute settlement. We encourage the U.S. Trade Representative to initiate a dispute settlement action to help American farmers and our counterparts compete on a level playing field and prevent further industry consolidation.”

LAHORE: The sub-committee on ‘rice seed’, which met here on Tuesday with Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur-Rehman in the chair, discussed various proposals aimed at boosting rice production for fetching precious forex through the export of commodity.

Suggestions were also presented in the meeting regarding the improvement of rice seed.

Speaking on this occasion, the Governor said that rice is important cash crop that fetches billions of foreign exchange besides meeting the country’s nutritional requirements.

“All the stakeholders would have to give special attention on research on rice seed to increase rice production substantially and explore new markets to increase export of rice,” he said. “Modern research is needed to improve the quality of seed to increase the export of rice so that the production of high quality rice in the country and its export can be boosted through joint efforts.”

He said he will play his role in conveying the recommendations of the Rice Seed Committee to the provincial and federal governments to support the rice seed producers and rice exporters in the country.

Convener of the sub-committee on rice, Shahzad Ali Malik, put forward the recommendations and said that private seed companies producing hybrid seeds of modern technology in the country should be allotted government land on easy terms for the cultivation of seeds.

He also demanded to simplify the rules and regulations related to breeding at the local level and also to provide interest-free loans for research and development of the institutions that produce seeds of modern technology at the local level. He emphasized on providing the facility of conducting tests from, at least three accredited laboratories.

Members of the Rice Seed Committee, Dr. Khalid Hameed, Muhammad Asim, Tahir Saleemi, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Haider and Dr. Abid Mehmood, besides representatives of Agriculture University Faisalabad, MNS Agriculture University Multan were present.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

LAHORE    -    Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman presided over a meeting of Sub-Committee on Rice Seed to review suggestions regarding improvement of the rice seed at the Governor’s House, here on Tuesday.

Speaking on this occasion, Gov­ernor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman, said that rice is important cash crop that earns country billions of foreign exchange besides meeting the country’s nutritional require­ments. He said that all the stakehold­ers have to give special attention to the research on rice seed to increase rice production substantially and explore new markets to increase export of rice. The Governor Punjab said that modern research is needed to improve the quality of the seed to increase the export of rice so that the production of high quality rice in the country and its export can be boost­ed through joint efforts.

He said that he will play his role in conveying the recommendations of the Rice Seed Committee to the pro­vincial and federal governments to support the rice seed producers and rice exporters in the country.

Convener Sub Committee on Rice Seed Shahzad Ali Malik put forward the recommendations and said that private seed companies producing hybrid seeds of modern technol­ogy in the country should be allot­ted government land on easy terms for the cultivation of seeds. He also demanded to simplify the rules and regulations related to breeding at the local level and also to provide interest-free loans for research and development of the institutions that produce seeds of modern technol­ogy at the local level.

He emphasized on providing the facility of conducting tests from at least three accredited laboratories.

Members of the Rice Seed Com­mittee, representatives of the Agri­culture University Faisalabad and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (MNS) Agriculture University Multan were present in the meeting.

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman presided over a meeting of Sub-Committee on Rice Seed at Governor’s House here Tuesday. In the meeting, various suggestions were presented regarding the improvement of rice seed.

Speaking on this occasion, governor said that rice is important cash crop that earns country billions of foreign exchange besides meeting the country's nutritional requirements. He said that all the stakeholders had to give special attention to the search on rice seed to increase rice production substantially and explore new markets to increase export of rice.

Punjab Governor said that modern research was needed to improve the quality of the seed to increase the rice export so that the production of high quality rice in the country and its export can be boosted through joint efforts. He said that he would play his role in conveying the recommendations of the Rice Seed Committee to the provincial and federal governments to support the rice seed producers and rice exporters in the country. On this occasion, Convener, sub-committee on rice, Shehzad Ali Malik, put forward the recommendations and said that private seed companies producing hybrid seeds of modern technology in the country should be allotted government land on easy terms for the cultivation of seeds. He demanded the government simplify the rules and regulations related to breeding at the local level and provide interest-free loans for research and development of the institutions that produce seeds of modern technology at the local level. He emphasised on providing the facility of conducting tests from, at least three accredited laboratories.

Meanwhile, Governor in his message on Punjab Culture Day, said that Punjab is the custodian of regional customs and cultural traditions. He said the Punjab government deserves congratulations for celebrating March 14 (Punjab Culture Dihar) with zeal.

Health Consortium: The Vice-Chancellors of different medical universities suggested promoting academic research and modern trends in the field of medicine. They floated these suggestions during a meeting of the Consortium on Health chaired by Punjab Governor Balighur Rahman on Tuesday.

The trends in health education was the topic of the Consortium meeting which was attended vice chancellors of various medical universities. Convener of Health Consortium Committee, Vice Chancellor of FJMU Prof Khalid Masood Gondal briefed the governor about the suggestions and recommendations of the consortium.

VC University of Health Sciences Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore, VC Children's University Prof Masood Sadiq, VC Faisalabad Medical University Prof Zafar Ali Ch, VC Nishtar Medical University Prof Rana Altaf Ahmed, VC Rawalpindi Medical University Prof M Umar and Pro VC King Edward Medical University Prof Ijaz Hussain also participated in the meeting.

Meeting was held at the Governor’s House

LAHORE:

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman presided over a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Rice Seed to review suggestions regarding improvement of the rice seed.

The meeting was held at the Governor’s House on Tuesday.

The governor said that rice was an important cash crop that earned the country billions in foreign exchange besides meeting the country’s nutritional requirements.

He said that all the stakeholders had to give special attention to the research on rice seed to increase rice production substantially and explore new markets to increase export of rice.

The governor said that modern research was needed to improve the quality of the seed to increase the export of rice so that the production of high quality rice in the country and its export could be boosted through joint efforts.

Raipur: The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Monday organised an export outreach programme in Atal Nagar Nava, Raipur, with the exporters and investors from the state to increase the exports from the Chhattisgarh.
Exporters from Chhattisgarh have demanded that the 5% tax exemption of mandi fee on rice export — set to expire after two months — should be continued.
They also demanded a concession on the export units for goods transport and modernisation of processing plants, as Chhattisgarh is a landlocked state.
Raipur district collector Dr Sarveshwar Bhure said that pro-industry policies of the state have led to increase of more than 22% in the exports in the last five years. He said that special efforts are being made to promote the export of rice, construction machinery, and materials and processed spices from Chhattisgarh.
Raipur and Durg district are among 75 districts of the country that have been identified as potential districts for export promotion by the government of India.
Raipur district collector Bhure also emphasised on the possibilities of export of wire, rods, bars, coils, TMT bars, steel as well as forest produce tamarind, mahua, lac and small grain millets, Kodo, Kutki and Ragi.
Representatives of the Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority, Shellac and Forest Products Export Promotion Council, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited attended the programme.

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) is working on improving specialty rice varieties and developing specialised rice-growing areas with high commodity value, in association with building trademarks for rice products in regional localities.

Hanoi (VNA) - The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) is working on improving specialty rice varieties and developing specialised rice-growing areas with high commodity value, in association with building trademarks for rice products in regional localities.

CLRRI Director Tran Ngoc Thach said the institute has improved 6,000 ha of milky-colour variety (Tai nguyen Duc) - a rice variety for the summer-autumn crop in Soc Trang province, and built a certification mark for this type.

It will also research and improve the output and quality of other varieties such “nang Thom cho Dao” and “Nanh Chon”  which have been degraded because of unfavorable cultivation conditions, Thach said.

The institute also focuses on research of selected rice varieties, towards improving rice quality suitable for climate change in the region in accordance with a project to plant one million hectares of high-quality rice associated with green growth for the Mekong Delta region, he noted.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
In addition, it will also research and evaluate the nutritional potential of rice varieties and develop high-value products from rice and by-products in rice production and processing; develop models rotating between rice and crops and aquaculture adapt to climate change, especially in drought and saltwater intrusion areas, in areas affected by salt water in coastal fish and shrimp farming zones, he added.

Implementing scientific research and technology transfer in the rice industry serving the socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta region, the institute was tasked with performing many relevant scientific and technological projects at national and ministerial levels.

It has also developed rice farming procedures for four ecological sub-regions, which are being widely applied in rice production in the Mekong Delta region; and built an organic rice farming process in the shrimp-rice farming system in coastal areas of the Mekong Delta.

ISLAMABAD: The prices of essential kitchen items have witnessed a mixed trend during this week past against the previous week, revealed a survey carried out by Business Recorder, here on Saturday.

A reduction in the prices of chicken and vegetables was observed, while spices, packed milk, sugar, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), rice, pulses, cooked food items, detergents, ghee, cooking and bathing soap prices remained stable. Wheat flour and pulses prices witnessed an increase.

Chicken price went down from Rs 16,100 per 40 kg in the wholesale market to Rs 15,500, which in retail, is being sold at Rs 410 per kg against Rs 440 per kg, while chicken meat is being sold at Rs 600 per kg against Rs 650 per kg. Eggs prices went up from Rs 6,000 per carton of 30 dozens to Rs 6,500 per dozen, while in retail, eggs are being sold at Rs 250 per dozen against Rs 245 per dozen.

Wheat flour price witnessed an increase as best quality wheat flour price went up from Rs 1,930 per 15 kg bag to Rs 1,960, which in retail is being sold at Rs 2,000 per 15 kg bag against Rs 1,960. Normal quality wheat flour bag is being sold at Rs 1,940 per 15 kg bag against Rs 1,880 in the wholesale market, which in retail is being sold at Rs 1,980 against Rs 1,900 per bag.

Tea price remained stable as Lipton Yellow Label tea is available at Rs 1,750 per 900 gram pack and Islamabad tea price remained unchanged at Rs 1,650 per 900 gram pack, powder chilli price remained stable at Rs 720 per kg, and turmeric powder price remained stable at Rs 360 per kg.

Sugar price went up from Rs 4,800 per 50 kg bag to Rs 4,805 per bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs 105-110 per kg. LPG is available at Rs 390 per kg which is Rs 105 higher than the Ogra’s fixed price of Rs 275 per kg.

The survey observed no changes in the transportation costs which witnessed a significant increase following an increase in petrol and diesel prices. The increase in transportation cost has also played an important part in increasing the prices of all the essential kitchen items.

No changes were observed in spices prices as normal size of a spice pack is available at Rs 100 per pack, prepared tea cup is available at Rs 60 per cup, a plate of cooked daal at a normal hotel is available at Rs 200 per plate, cooked vegetable at Rs 200 per plate, and roti price remained stable at Rs 20 per roti.

Rice prices remained stable as best quality basmati rice is available at Rs 12,800 per 40 kg bag, while the retailers are selling at Rs 350 per kg, normal quality Basmati at Rs 10,500 per 40 kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs 300 per kg, and broken basmati rice price at Rs 7,000 per bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs 180 per kg.

B-Grade ghee/cooking oil price remained stable as it is available at Rs 6,800 per carton of 16 packs, which in retail is varying from Rs 450 per kg to Rs 500 per pack of 900 grams. While best quality cooking oil/ghee brands such as Dalda prices are stable at Rs 3,220.

Pulses prices witnessed an increase as best quality maash is available at Rs 460 per kg against Rs 440 per kg, gram pulse is being sold at Rs 250 per kg against Rs 240 per kg, whole gram pulse is being sold at Rs 400 per kg against Rs 360 per kg, bean lentil at Rs 400 per kg against Rs 380 per kg, moong at Rs 320 per kg against Rs 240 per kg, and masoor at Rs 280 per kg against Rs 260 per kg.

Packed milk prices remained unchanged as small Milk Pak and other brands are available at Rs 70 per pack, while one litre pack is available at Rs 240. Fresh milk price remained stable at Rs 190 per kg and yoghurt prices at Rs 200 per kg. Detergents prices witnessed no changes.

Ban on broken rice exports is likely to have an adverse impact on farmers and millers, especially in Telangana, where a huge quantity of broken rice is expected during the Yasangi (Rabi) crop season

Hyderabad: The Centre’s decision to levy 20 percent duty on raw rice exports and ban export of broken rice has put paddy farmers and millers from Telangana in a tricky position. Though the Centre is claiming that the decision was taken to discourage rice exports and ensure availability of adequate stocks domestically, it is likely to have an adverse impact on farmers and millers, especially in Telangana, where a huge quantity of broken rice is expected during the Yasangi (Rabi) crop season.

Paddy is being cultivated in a record 55 lakh acres in Telangana during this Yasangi season, which expected to result in an yield of 1.5 crore tonnes. While the State government is planning to procure nearly 90 lakh tonnes, the Centre had agreed to purchase the rice but with a rider that the State would supply only raw rice. It is now well-known that the Yasangi crop would result in huge quantity of broken rice if the paddy is milled into raw rice.

India banned overseas shipments of broken rice and imposed a 20 percent duty on exports of various other grades in September 2022 amid concerns over production due to below-average monsoon rainfall in key paddy growing States. Though the Centre anticipated a shortfall of rice stocks in the country, the situation appears to be different.

The Union government has recently informed the Parliament that India’s rice exports recorded 22.26 million tonnes in 2022, an increase of 3.5 percent, making it the largest exporter of rice globally. Further, officials said India has ample stocks of rice domestically and would ensure that the restrictions have not deprived the world of rice.

The Centre’s decision not to lift the ban on broken rice exports is expected to affect buyers, particularly in China, who use broken rice as raw material for making ethanol or cattle feed. China was the largest buyer of India’s broken rice, with purchases of 1.1 million tonnes in 2021. Thus, this would affect Telangana farmers and millers adversely as well with the State turning into largest producer of broken rice due to the Centre’s mandate to supply only raw rice to the Food Corporation of India.

Meanwhile, a large quantity of parboiled rice which is used to make idli and dosa batter has been reportedly held up at some ports in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, after the Customs authorities assuming it to be normal raw rice due to presence of chalky white grains in rice. The parboiled rice is largely exported to countries like Dubai, Japan, Singapore and Canada. The officials are asking the exporters to pay 20 percent duty to export it, treating it as raw rice. Except exports from Kerala, where idli rice is double parboiled, parboiled rice exports are affected in all other States.

Commodity prices surged due to supply constraints, rupee devaluation

The price of essential goods, particularly that of onions, rice, pulses and petroleum products, spiked to 42.27% in the week ended March 9, 2023, ahead of the holy month of Ramzan, reported the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI), comprising of 51 essential commodities, rose by 1.37% in the week under review, compared to the week-ending on March 2.

According to the PBS data, the price of onions increased 305.23% in the week, compared to the same week of the last year. Cigarettes became expensive by 165.86%, gas charges for Q1 jumped 108.38%, the price of diesel rose by 93.82%, eggs by 78.63%, rice Irri-6/9 by 78.14%, petrol by 77.89% and basmati rice (broken) by 77.27%.

In the fruit category, the price of bananas increased by 74.01% in the week. Among pulses, the price of moong rose by 72.54%, mash by 56.02% and gram by 55.97%.

Similarly, the price of tea (Lipton) surged by 66.31% and the price of bread went up by 55.36% in the week compared to the same week of the previous year.

In an opposing trend, the price of tomatoes dropped by 41.79% in the week compared to the same week of last year, and chilli powder became cheaper by 7.42%. Among utilities, electricity charges for Q1 came down by 6.64%. The price of commodities is on the rise partially due to supply constraints and a massive devaluation of the rupee in recent times.

The rupee has deprecated by 18%, or Rs50, in the past six weeks to Rs281 against the US dollar in the interbank market on Friday.

The SPI inflation has also made imports exorbitantly expensive – a worrying fact as the country meets most of its local demand for energy and partial demand for food through imports. To control the high inflation reading, the central bank has increased its key policy rate by a massive 300 basis points in March to a record high of 20%. The move, however, has hit economic activities adversely and has rendered millions of people jobless.

NEW DELHI: India’s rice export prices extended their decline this week as demand from key importing countries faltered, while supplies in Vietnam boomed due to peaking winter-spring harvest in the Mekong Delta.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $385-$390 per tonne this week from last week’s $390-$395. Prices have been sliding from around $400 reached in the week of Feb. 23, their highest since March 2021.

The recent upside in export prices and an increase in freight rates for break bulk vessels were affecting demand, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, India’s leading rice exporter.

India does not plan to lift a ban on broken rice exports and cut a 20% tax on overseas shipments of white rice, as the world’s biggest exporter of the grain tries to keep a lid on domestic prices, two government sources said last month.

In Vietnam, the 5% broken rice was offered at $440-$445 per tonne, unchanged from a week ago.

Traders said the winter-spring harvest is peaking in the Mekong Delta provinces, giving a boost to domestic supplies, which hasn’t impacted prices as demand is expected to be strong.

The country exported 534,607 tonnes of rice in February, according to government customs data released on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices was quoted at $460 per tonne, little changed from $450 to $460 seen last week.

“Prices are still standing at this level because (changes to) supply and demand have been quiet,” said a Bangkok-based trader. “We have to wait for the new harvest.” Meanwhile, domestic rice prices in Bangladesh stayed elevated, despite efforts to cool rates of the staple grain.

The government has allowed private traders to import rice while it’s also buying from the key exporting countries such as Vietnam, India and Myanmar.

Unlike the case in EU, Pakistan did not contest India's application in Australia

ISLAMABAD: The Australian government has rejected India’s application for exclusive rights of Basmati rice on the grounds that it is not grown only in India.

The development comes while the European Union (EU) remains undecided on a conflict between India and Pakistan over basmati’s Geographical Indication (GI) tag.   

According to officials, the development in Australia will support Pakistan’s case in the EU wherein Islamabad has opposed the Indian application on the grounds that the rice variety is grown in both South Asian countries. 

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and ensures good qualities or a reputation in the region. A protected geographical indication does not entitle the holder to prevent someone from making a product using the same techniques that are used in the standards for that indication.

Sources informed Profit that unlike the case in EU, Pakistan did not contest the India’s application in Australia. In fact, Canberra itself rejected New Delhi’s application knowing that the rice is grown in both the neighboring countries. However, India has reportedly moved the federal court of Australia in appeal against the decision.

The trade dispute started back in 2019 when India filed the application for basmati’s name and logo. Sources informed Profit that India has applied for the exclusive trade rights of basmati in over 20 countries where the best quality of rice is marketed. 

“After the case in EU, Pakistan has also applied for exclusive GI Tag for Basmati in a number of countries like USA, Thailand, UK and others,” they claimed, adding that the applications may face opposition from India in the same way Pakistan did in EU.

Pakistan registered Basmati as GI product after approval of the GI Law of the country. It had registered its GI for basmati rice in 2020 after India had falsely claimed its produce of basmati rice to be original in an attempt to hinder Pakistan’s trade in the EU. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) was given the task of registering all the merchant profiles and trade routes and with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO). 

In September 2020, India had applied for an exclusive GI tag for Basmati rice in the EU. The EU had applauded India’s application in its official journal, showing basmati rice as an Indian origin product asking if there was any opposition to the application within 90 days.

To support its claim of exclusivity, India in return referred to various reports and dictionaries to show that the basmati rice is of Indian origin and conveniently left out the part that the same rice is widely produced in Pakistan.

Subsequently Pakistan, the second-largest exporter of basmati, filed opposition against India’s claim. The main grounds for opposition were that both Pakistan and India produce basmati, and therefore, it was a joint product of both the countries.

Rice industry facing series of challenges amid global headwinds

KARACHI:

Unquestionably hybrid rice is a model of China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation in Sindh, remarked Zhou Xusheng, Director of Pakistan Business Department, Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Co Ltd, a Chinese developer and provider of hybrid seeds.

Amidst global headwinds, Pakistani rice is facing a series of challenges.

Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) President Chela Ram Kewlani indicated that during the first seven months of FY 2022-23, exports of Pakistani rice decreased by 15.82% year-on-year to $1.08 billion.

The decrease came mainly due to flood damage to paddy fields in Sindh, where rice production decreased by 40%, he added.

Qingfa Hesheng has been providing hybrid seeds of rice, canola and vegetables to Pakistan for nearly 20 years as well as training more than 300 local agriculturalists. It registered the first hybrid rice variety, QY0413, in the history of Pakistan.

“It may take three years for rice export, which is an important means to earn foreign exchange, to recover,” Zhou noted. “However, we have made preparation for such a situation.”

First, the stress resistance of crop varieties should be improved. Second, seed production can be carried out separately in Pakistan and China, spreading risk in the face of extreme weather. Currently, test fields are located in Lahore, Chiniot, Shikarpur and Golarchi.

Annual average temperature here is much higher than that in China’s main rice climate zone. Therefore, in the selection of rice varieties, it is imperative to guarantee the seed setting rate and quality under high temperature.

“It is precisely because of the hot and dry climate in Pakistan that hybrid rice diseases are much less than those in China, such as bacterial blight, but far less hazardous.”

Exports of Basmati rice fell 22.95% to 316,055 tonnes in the first seven months of current fiscal year from 410,207 tonnes in the same period of last year. Similarly, exports of non-basmati rice fell 25% to 1.62 million tonnes, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE CHINA ECONOMIC NET

BENEO’s rice ingredients production site in Wijgmaal, Belgium, has changed the long-term working life of more than a hundred small-scale farmers in Laos thanks to the provision of harvesting and threshing machinery. This investment reflects BENEO’s commitment to its stakeholders throughout the supply chain and has enabled the business to strengthen its farm-level partnerships even further.  

As the primary economic activity in Laos, small-scale rice farming accounts for 70 percent of the total cultivated area and one-fifth of the total GDP. BENEO liaised with its longstanding partner IDP, the leading producer and supplier of rice in Laos, to find out how working conditions for local farmers could be improved. As a result, eight harvesting machines and four threshers were purchased to help ease workloads and improve field yields.  

Whilst BENEO retains full ownership of the equipment, the farmers have been trained on how to use and maintain it to ensure the long-standing success of the project. The machines support 10 groups of 10 small-scale farmers. They help lighten the workload and speed up the harvesting process for them and their families by eradicating the need for hand cutting and manual threshing. With threshing now taking place directly on the field, this lowers the risk of loss caused by rainfall, as well as mould formation. As a result, the farmers can expect higher yields and better income. They can also earn additional money by renting out the machines to other farmers in the region, enabling many more families to benefit from BENEO’s investment.   

Roland Vanhoegaerden, Operations Managing Director for BENEO’s rice ingredients, comments: 

“We value our long-term relationship with our farming and logistical partners in Laos. By liaising with IDP, we could quickly see where our investment would make the most impact. As a result of supporting our farmers with new equipment, more than 100 farming families have their everyday workloads eased. Also, by offering these economic resources to rice farmers we are helping to further work towards the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given the success of this initiative, we intend to launch another project of this type in the coming year to support more rice farmers.”  

Frédéric Jullien, CEO at IDP comments: “We are honoured that BENEO chose IDP to work with on this project. As a company, we are focused on assisting farmers in improving their work conditions whilst maintaining rice quality. BENEO’s contribution has shown its commitment to the sustainable development of the rice value chain here in Laos.”  

KARACHI, March 10 (China Economic Net)– "Unquestionably hybrid rice is a model of China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation in Sindh Province," Mr. Zhou Xusheng, Director of Pakistan Business Department, Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed Co., Ltd. a Chinese developer and provider of hybrid seeds, told the reporter of China Economic Net (CEN).

Amidst global headwinds, Pakistani rice is facing a series of challenges. Chela Ram Kewlani, President of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), indicated that during the first seven months of the FY 2022/23, the export value of Pakistani rice decreased by 15.82% year-on-year to USD 1.08 billion, mainly due to flood damage to paddy fields in Sindh, where the local rice production has been reduced by 40%. 

Qingfa Hesheng has been providing hybrid seeds of rice, canola and vegetables to Pakistan for nearly twenty years, as well as training more than 300 local agricultural personnel. In particular, it registered the first hybrid rice variety -QY0413 in the history of Pakistan. 

“It may take three years for the rice export, which is an important means for Pakistan to earn foreign exchange, to recover,” Zhou noted, “however, we have preparation for such situations. First, the stress resistance of crop varieties should be improved. Second, seed production can be carried out separately in Pakistan and China, spreading risk in the face of extreme weather. Currently, our test fields are located in Lahore, Chiniot, Shikarpur, Golarchi.”

“Except for floods, extreme high temperatures brought about by climate change are also difficulties that must be overcome in the upgrading of Pakistan’s rice industry. The annual average temperature here is much higher than that in China’s main rice climate zone. Therefore, in our selection of rice varieties, it is imperative to guarantee the seed setting rate and quality under high temperature. Nevertheless, a coin has two sides. It is precisely because of the hot and dry climate in Pakistan that hybrid rice diseases are much less than those in China, such as bacterial blight, but far less hazardous.”

Data from PBS showed that exports of basmati rice fell 22.95% to 316,055 tonnes in the first seven months of this year from 410,207 tonnes in the same period last year, while exports of non-basmati rice fell 25% to 1.62 million tons. Despite a sharp drop in exports, rice prices have seen unprecedented increases in the domestic market due to inflation and rising international rice prices. In this regard, Zhou put forward his viewpoint.

“Affected by currency depreciation and inflation, the cancellation of natural gas subsidies means that fertilizer prices have risen, and even supply shortages. Various expenses have pushed up the purchase price of basmati rice. On the other hand, the main purpose of non-basmati rice is to export foreign exchange, and the three leading rice enterprises account for more than 50% of non-basmati exports. Rising costs have led to a decline in the competitiveness of non-basmati rice in the international market, so orders have dropped significantly.”

Soaring price of rice has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of local farmers to plant hybrid rice, but expensive fertilizers and gasoline and diesel has pushed up the cost simultaneously. “For us, in order to make the hybrid rice business go further in Pakistan, ensure local food security, and further increase Pakistan’s foreign exchange, help the local establish relevant downstream industrial chains, lower the cost to improve the competitiveness and added value of its agricultural products, and further expand employment is is our top priority.”

The Myanmar government has regulated its agricultural and export industry through one specific crop: rice. What are the future prospects of the rice economy?

When a central power decentralizes its markets, it should ensure the durability of alternative political structures; otherwise, it risks economic and/or political disarray. The agricultural system of Myanmar (formerly Burma)—intrinsically linked with the state’s rice paddies—offers testimony of what happens when deregulation isn’t supplemented with adequate policy. When the state introduced sweeping policy reforms to its rice production operations, it also reinforced economic instability by way of government control.

Economics and resource management scholar Ikuko Okamoto specifies two liberalizations of Myanmar’s rice marketing system history: the first in 1987, the second in 2003. The first, taking place shortly after Myanmar gained independence from British rule, launched a new rice collection method from state farmers. Along with other exogenous factors, the general political tumult strained both the new policies and the agricultural workers.

During both liberalizations, policies issued to alleviate pressure on farmers ultimately backfired.

The second liberalization, part of an effort to open more exports and lift up Myanmar in the international market, also stressed producers and farmers. Producers submitted their harvest to either the Myanmar Agricultural Produce Trading (MAPT) or private contractors hired by the MAPT—fortifying the government’s monopoly over the agricultural market instead of the working peoples.

During both liberalizations, policies issued to alleviate pressure on farmers ultimately backfired. A government-issued procurement quota, introduced early in the process, was meant to spur domestic rice production. However, it accounted little for details: the differences in farm sizes, for one, was not considered—straining medium- and small-scale mills that couldn’t produce the same output as their large counterparts.

These infrastructural disparities had historical implications—many large farms were holdovers from British rule—but they only worsened as other liberalization issues arose. The challenges ultimately led to a number of consequences—one of which compromised the quality of harvested rice: to meet their quotas, many farmers moved their better crops toward a free, unregulated market, delivering lesser product to the government-controlled market.

Both liberalizations cemented government control over agricultural trade via the very policy targets they meant to address. The public policy to aid a shift towards privatization was ultimately found lacking, creating issues in other economic and political arenas as well as within the rice market itself. Today, in post-coup Myanmar, rice is still very connected to agricultural public policy. Paddy procurement standards, however, continue to be a catalyst for further instability, especially given contemporary pressures. While rice farmers have long been unable to make a profit off their crops, they’re faced with new handicaps such as rising temperatures and changing climates that also threaten general rice production. The lack of policy worsens the situation—and a precedence for a government-regulated price deficit continues to threaten the state’s economic stability.

MUMBAI/HANOI/ BANGKOK/DHAKA India’s rice export prices extended their decline this week as demand from key importing countries faltered, while supplies in Vietnam boomed due to peaking winter-spring harvest in the Mekong Delta.

India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $385-$390 per tonne this week from last week’s $390-$395. Prices have been sliding from around $400 reached in the week of Feb. 23, their highest since March 2021.

The recent upside in export prices and an increase in freight rates for break bulk vessels were affecting demand, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, India’s leading rice exporter. India does not plan to lift a ban on broken rice exports and cut a 20% tax on overseas shipments of white rice, as the world’s biggest exporter of the grain tries to keep a lid on domestic prices, two government sources said last month.

In Vietnam, the 5% broken rice was offered at $440-$445 per tonne, unchanged from a week ago. Traders said the winter-spring harvest is peaking in the Mekong Delta provinces, giving a boost to domestic supplies, which hasn’t impacted prices as demand is expected to be strong.

The country exported 534,607 tonnes of rice in February, according to government customs data released on Thursday. Meanwhile, Thailand’s 5% broken rice prices was quoted at $460 per tonne, little changed from $450 to $460 seen last week.

AS DAVAO Region only reached 54 percent rice sufficiency in the last two years, an official from the Department of Agriculture - Davao Region (DA-Davao) said the Rice Hybridization Program would help achieve the goal for the region to become completely rice-sufficient as it will solve the lack of local rice production.

Evelyn Basa, DA-Davao agricultural center chief said during the Agribiz Media Forum, for both 2021 and 2022 Davao Region missed 46 percent to become rice-sufficient.

Rice sufficiency is the ability of the region to produce local rice crops for public consumption.

Basa added that with DA’s efforts of strengthening the Rice Hybridization Program, hybrid rice seeds, along with inbred rice seeds, will be distributed for free to eligible farmers.

“The hybrid rice ay may kakayahang magpa-increase og production (Hybrid variants can increase rice production) by up to 10 to 30 percent based on the techno-demonstrations na gina-conduct namo (that we are conducting) nationwide ,” Basa said.

“For as long as fully irrigated siya mabuhi man ang atong hybrid rice, and tested na pod na siya sa Davao Region (As long as the area is fullyirrigated, our hybrid rice will survive. Seeds are also proven effective here in Davao Region),” she added.

Basa added the department earmarked P492 million for this program, in which 11 variants of hybrid rice seeds will be distributed to eligible farmers.

“They [The farmers] must register first from RSBSA (Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture), then through LGU coordinations gihapon nato sa RFO (regional field office) ato siyang [seeds] i-distribute sa atong farmers,” Basa said.

Basa said hybrid seeds cost P5,000 per bag compared to inbred seeds which only cost P1,520 per bag.

Although hybrid seeds are pricey, they give more return on investment (ROI) than their inbred counterpart.

Basa added that farmers who don’t want to plant hybrid rice, the department can provide them with free inbred seeds.

Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data from 2022, about 490,125 metric tons of rice was produced in Davao Region compared to 2020, which was only 484,000 metric tons.

Basa said the Rice Hybridization Program, which was started through High Yield Technology Adoption for Hybrid Rice Project (HYTA-HR) aims to meet the need for growing food consumption. She added that Davao Region is importing rice from neighboring regions and countries.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is scheduled to monitor the harvest activities and inaugurate shrimp ponds in Central Java Province on Thursday, March 9.

The President and First Lady Iriana boarded the Indonesia-1 presidential aircraft to leave for the Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, from the Air Force Base Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta on Thursday morning.

Accompanying the state head on the flight include Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Military Secretary of President Rear Admiral Hersan, Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) Commander Maj. Gen. Rafael Granada Baay, and Deputy for Protocol, Press, and Media of President Bey Machmudin.X

Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and his wife, Commander of IV/Diponegoro Military Command Major General Widi Prasetijono and his wife, Regional Police Chief Inspector General Suwondo Nainggolan and his wife, and Adi Sutjipto Air Force Base Commander First Marshal Dedy Susanto and his wife welcomed the President's entourage upon arrival at Yogyakarta International Airport. 

Then the President went straight to the location of the rice harvest in Lajer Village, Ambal District, Kebumen Regency, Central Java Province. After that, the entourage moved to the shrimp cultivation pond located in Plesung Village, Karangrejo, Petanahan District, Kebumen Regency, to inaugurate it.

President Jokowi is also scheduled to visit Petanahan Market to hand over a number of social assistance to traders and then will return to Yogyakarta International Airport and depart for the Adi Soemarmo Air Force Base in Boyolali Regency for the next agenda. 

Rise comes despite 20% export duty on white rice, ban on fully brokens

India’s non-basmati rice exports surged 4 per cent to 14.56 million tonnes (mt) during the April-January period of the current fiscal from 14.01 mt a year ago. This is despite the Government imposing a 20 per cent export duty on white (raw) rice and banning shipments of fully broken rice.. However, with an upward trend in freight cost, the realisation by exporters may get hit if importing countries do not absorb any increase.

The non-basmati rice segment registered a 3 per cent growth in value at $5.17 billion (₹41,273 crore) from $5.01 billion in the year-ago period, according to the latest data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). In the entire 2021-22, non-basmati rice export was 17.26 mt worth $6.12 billion (₹45,652.35 crore).

Freight uptrend

Exporters said when the government imposed the duty in September last year, the freight cost was about $100-$120/tonne and it was declining. While it dropped to about $50/tonne in February, it began to show an uptrend in the first week.

“Importing countries did not feel the impact of export duty as in the same period there was a fall in the freight cost. One thing is established the world now knows India as a credible destination for non-basmati rice,” said BV Krishna Rao, President of The Rice Exporters Association (TREA). There is no concern for now and exporters are ready to wait for the next kharif crop’s arrival in October to see if any policy change will be required, Rao said.

He said the increase in non-basmati rice has to be seen amid the crop failure in Pakistan and also the quantitative restriction in Myanmar. However, he said: “The world needs Indian rice. We will seek a change in policy if at all there is a drop in export.”

Fair assessment in Sept

Rao further said even after the imposition of export duty, neither there is a substantial improvement in procurement, nor a decline in export. He said a fair assessment could be made by September about how the kharif paddy crop would be and a decision could help exporters to enter into new contracts for shipments from October-November.

“As no fresh crop from any other origin to come before September, we are fairly covered till then. A policy review at that time will be definitely of help,” Rao said.

Meanwhile, basmati rice increased 41 per cent to $3.82 billion (₹30,514 crore) in the 10 months to January and there was an 18 per cent surge in volume to 3.66 mt. Total exports of rice (both non-basmati and basmati) increased 16 per cent to $8.98 billion (₹71,787 crore).

HANOI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese rice export prices increased to 528.5 U.S. dollars per ton, up 9.8 percent in the first two months this year from a year earlier, the Vietnam News reported on Wednesday.

The Ukraine crisis has prompted buyers to import more rice and build up their inventories on fears that the disruption in the supply chain of food grains would make a comeback, the newspaper quoted Nguyen Quoc Toan, head of the Center for Digital Transformation and Agricultural Statistics under the Agriculture Ministry, as saying.

Prices of Vietnam's 5-percent broken rice prices in February rose to 457 U.S. dollars per ton from 449 U.S. dollars in January, Toan added.

Vietnam exported 789,000 tons of grain in January and February, earning 417.2 million U.S. dollars, down 18.8 percent in volume and 10.8 percent in value compared to the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The Philippines was the biggest import market in January with over 129,000 tons worth 64.55 million U.S. dollars, accounting for 34.6 percent of Vietnam's total export.

Supply remains a concern as the drought in some countries affected production and the situation in Ukraine raised concerns over shortages, traders said.

Besides, India's ban on broken rice exports and a 20-percent tax levy on white rice varieties have added to the supply difficulties given the fact that the South Asian country is one of the largest rice exporters in the world. Enditem

The European Union suggests raising the maximum residue level (MRL) for tricyclazole in rice from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.09 mg/kg after determining that the increased level poses no risk to consumers.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed raising the level of tricyclazole in rice after concerns about permitting a higher limit were addressed sufficiently.

The European Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health is now expected to ratify the proposal in May. The decision should encourage Indian rice exporters, as the presence of fungicide residue has been a source of concern for shipments to the EU. However, India has requested that the MRL for the chemical be reduced to 1 mg/kg.

Tricyclazole is a fungicide used to treat blast disease in rice. Japanese scientists conducted tests on mice that resulted in decreased body weight gain as well as increased organ weight and others in the rodent's liver.

Corteva Agriscience had applied to Italy's competent national authority, which is the rapporteur Member State (RMS) of the EU, to set an import tolerance for the active substance tricyclazole in rice, according to EFSA. According to trade experts, Italy is one of the EU members who is dissatisfied with the EFSA regulations because it is a major producer of rice.

In accordance with EU regulations, the RMS created an evaluation report. On April 26, 2018, it was submitted to the European Commission and forwarded to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). "The RMS proposed setting the MRL for rice imported from Brazil at 0.09 mg/kg," it said.

As a result, the EFSA identified the evaluation gaps, and the RMS submitted a revised evaluation report on October 7, 2022. "Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concluded that the short-term and long-term consumption of residues resulting from the reported agricultural practise of tricyclazole is unlikely to pose a risk to consumer health," the authority stated.

Tricyclazole "is stable," according to hydrolysis studies conducted to investigate the effect of processing on its nature. "Because the proposed use of tricyclazole is on imported crops, residue investigations in rotational crops are not required," EFSA stated.

Rice bran, a byproduct of (husked) rice, may be used for feed purposes, and a potential carry-over into animal food was assessed. For all relevant animal species, the measured livestock dietary burden did not exceed the trigger value of 0.1 mg/kg dry matter (DM).

"Because the relative contribution of tricyclazole residues from rice hulls to total livestock exposure was insignificant, animal commodities were not further considered in this application," according to EFSA. The EFSA concluded that "the recommended use of tricyclazole on rice will not lead in a consumer exposure exceeding the toxicological reference values so it is unlikely to pose a risk to consumers' health".

Drones and deep learning: Researchers develop a new technique to quantify rice production

Rice, a major food crop, is cultivated on nearly 162 million hectares of land worldwide. One of the most commonly used methods to quantify rice production is rice plant counting. This technique is used to estimate yield, diagnose growth, and assess losses in paddy fields. Most rice counting processes across the world are still carried out manually. However, this is extremely tedious, laborious, and time-consuming, indicating the need for faster and more efficient machine-based solutions.

Researchers from China and Singapore have recently developed a method to replace manual rice counting with a much more sophisticated method, involving the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones.

According to Professor Jianguo Yao from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications in China, who led the study, "The new technique uses UAVs to capture RGB images—images composed primarily with red, green, and blue light—of the paddy field. These images are then processed using a deep learning network that we have developed, called RiceNet, which can accurately identify the density of rice plants in the field, as well as provide higher-level semantic features, such as crop location and size."

Their paper has been published Plant Phenomics.

The RiceNet network architecture consists of one feature extractor, at the front end, that analyzes the input images, and three feature decoder modules that are responsible for estimating the density of plants in the paddy field, the location of plants in the paddy field, and the size of the plants, respectively. The latter two features are particularly important for future research on automated crop management techniques, such as fertilizer spraying.

As a part of the study, the research team deployed a camera-equipped UAV over rice fields in the Chinese city of Nanchang and subsequently analyzed the acquired data using a sophisticated image analysis technique. Next, the researchers employed a training dataset and a test dataset. The former was used as a reference to train the system and the latter was used to validate the analytical findings.

More specifically, out of the 355 images with 257,793 manually labeled points, 246 were randomly selected and used as training images, whereas the remaining 109 were used as test images. Each image contained an average of 726 rice plants.

According to the team, the RiceNet technique used for image analysis has a good signal-to-noise ratio. In other words, it is able to efficiently distinguish rice plants from background, thus improving the quality of the generated plant density maps.

The results of the study showed that the mean absolute error and root mean square error of the RiceNet technique were 8.6 and 11.2, respectively. In other words, the density maps generated using RiceNet were in good agreement with those generated using manual methods.

Moreover, based on their observations, the team also shared a few key recommendations. For instance, the team does not recommend acquiring images on rainy days. It also suggests collecting UAV-based images within a period of 4 hours following sunrise, so as to minimize fog time as well as the occurrence of rice leaf curls, both of which adversely affect the output quality.

"In addition to this, we further validated the performance of our technique using two other popular crop datasets. The results showed that our method significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art techniques. This underscores the potential of RiceNet to replace the traditional method of manual rice counting," concludes Professor Yao.

RiceNet further paves the way toward other UAV- and deep learning-based crop analysis techniques, which can in turn guide decisions and strategies to improve the production of food and cash crops worldwide.

Talking on the phone from his tractor in Colorado County, Texas, Craig Gutman said he was not surprised to hear water would not be available for rice farmers like him this year.

"I was pretty much expecting it. We've been watching the lake levels," he said, referring to the Highland Lakes.

The lakes sit well over 100 miles away from his farm, upstream on the Colorado River. These are the reservoirs that supply water not only to Austin, but also to agriculture and industry downstream.

Ever since drought took serious hold last summer, the reservoirs have been depleted enough to trigger an automatic cutoff for farmers who hold “interruptible” water contracts with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the agency that manages the reservoirs.

Those cutoffs began last July, and the LCRA announced Thursday they would continue this year.

“LCRA’s state-approved Water Management Plan requires it to cut off Highland Lakes water to agricultural customers ... based on the intensity and duration of the drought,” the agency said in a press statement.

That water management plan was adopted after the drought of 2011, which remains the worst single-year drought in Texas history.

All About Rice Farming In Texas

Early in that drought, water sent downstream for agriculture reduced the reservoir storage in the Highland Lakes considerably. It was so low some worried it put reserves for cities like Austin, with firm water contracts, at risk.

“During hot, dry times like these, the plan requires the curtailment of water to interruptible customers so LCRA can continue meeting the needs of cities, businesses and industries," John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, said in the statement.

Gutman says that some farmers in his area will use groundwater to keep growing rice, but tens of thousands of acres will now go uncultivated this year. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that a new reservoir which was constructedafter the 2011 drought to help farmers is still not up and running.

"When they were filling itup, the water was ... running straight back into the river," he said. “They're trying to seal it and line it ... to where that thing will hold water and do what it is supposed to do.”

He says crop insurance should soften the blow for the owners of approximately 250 rice farms that cultivate roughly 160,000 acres of cropland near the Texas Gulf Coast. But the rest of his community doesn’t have insurance to fall back on.

"The support industries are the ones that are really going to suffer,” he said. “It's our flight services, our chemical companies, our seed companies, our rice driers, and just the local economy is going to take a major, major hit.”

“It all starts with rice,” he said. “And rice has to have water.”

Rice farming is extremely water intensive – so much so that many have wondered whether the industry will survive in Texas, as water scarcity continues and water demand grows.

"To be really honest with you," Gutman said, "it is a major concern in this area."

As water supplies dry up, farmers look to drought-friendly alternatives if rice becomes unsustainable.

George Tibbitts, a third-generation farmer in Arbuckle, CA, has been growing rice on his 1,200-acre farm for three decades. His Sacramento Valley irrigation district, one of the oldest in the state, has long benefitted from senior water rights, which date back to 1914. The rights allow farmers such as Tibbitts to keep their fields flush with water, even in arid conditions.

But last year, with much of the state in extreme drought, he faced a career first: His district slashed water allocations by an unprecedented 90 percent, leaving him with little choice but to fallow all of his rice fields. 

Fortunately, the tenth of normal supply he received was still enough to plant sunflower, wheat and tomatoes in four of his nine fields. “If I were only growing rice,” says Tibbitts, “I would’ve been in a big world of hurt.”

Because farming is a profession fraught with uncertainty, there are obvious advantages to having options. Yet, when it comes to rotating fields in a region steeped in a long tradition of growing rice, Tibbitts goes against the grain. In fact, only about 10 percent of the Sacramento Valley’s 500,000 acres of riceland is rotated, with heavy clay soils favoring flooded paddies over other field crops. As such, there’s little information or much of a history to support the practice of crop rotation or substitution.

To bridge the knowledge gap, University of California researchers have developed the Rice Rotation Calculator, an online tool that helps growers explore the economic impacts of switching from rice to one of several alternative crops. Like an insurance estimator, it takes the guesswork out of field rotation: Farmers input a host of variables for cultivating rice—everything from seed and input costs to equipment, labor and irrigation—to get instant, dollar-per-acre revenue comparisons for beans, safflower, sunflower and tomatoes.

Crop rotation can help mitigate the economic and agronomic risks of mono-cropping, such as loss of soil fertility, increased reliance on pesticides and vulnerability to price fluctuations, says Whitney Brim-DeForest, a UC Cooperative Extension rice advisor, who developed the calculator with Sara Rosenberg, a UC Davis doctoral student in horticulture and agronomy.

However, because the practice is relatively rare in California’s rice country, the unknowns can make it a daunting proposition. “We don’t want to advise [growers] to crop-rotate if they [don’t] have an idea of what it looks like economically,” says Brim-DeForest. “This tool is designed to help them make informed decisions and, hopefully, reduce the barrier to entry.”

There’s also an enormous effort required to take a field out of rice, including removing levees, bedding up fields and installing irrigation. Rosenberg says that’s just one factor that contributes to “a whole system that’s been created to make rice so feasible.” Yes, there’s the clay soil, flat landscape and senior water rights. But that has created a unique regional economy and industry—one that seeds fields with planes instead of drill seeders, harvests with giant combines rather than tractors and requires far less labor than row crops.

It’s no wonder, then, that there’s very little data to support the practice of rotating rice fields, adds Brim-DeForest, and a lot of uncertainty around adopting such a major transition. “In this region, rice is a cultural crop,” she says—one engrained throughout generations of families and entire communities. The ubiquity often means that information and resources needed to make a switch are harder to come by, as are the social networks that aid in sharing equipment and tapping different markets.

The Rice Rotation Calculator is designed to demystify one of the biggest unknowns of rotating out of rice: the bottom line. Curious growers simply input their current farming costs as well as opportunity costs—the learning curve, in hours, for a new cropping system multiplied by hourly wage—to get a comparative overview of switching to one of four options: dry beans, safflower (both lower in value than rice, with a low barrier to entry), sunflower or tomatoes (both higher in value, with a more complicated transition).

Data pulled from the UC Integrated Pest Management Program, which developed the backend, factors in a comprehensive range of cost considerations. Along with seed, input and equipment costs, the calculator accounts for labor, field reconstruction and even rent for tenant farmers. Users get instant rice-versus-selected-crop comparisons, displayed via a graph and itemized summary for first- and average-year costs and net revenue.

Rosenberg emphasizes that the calculator shows only short-term cost implications, and it doesn’t account for bumps in rice yields, savings in inputs and weed control and additional benefits touted by Tibbitts and other advocates. She hopes that in supporting the wider adoption of crop rotation, data and research will follow and that future upgrades will incorporate that knowledge into forecasting long-term returns on a seemingly promising investment.

In the meantime, the calculator allows growers to weigh sound options for squeezing the most out of a limited water allocation or selecting a robust crop mix for weathering a cool rice market. Given all the uncertainties inherent in farming,“it’s another tool in the toolbox,” says Rosenberg, for growers to build resilience.

In a normal year, the Sacramento Valley produces 97 percent of California’s rice, but with reservoirs drained after three years of continuous drought, production plummeted by half in 2022, to 250,000 acres. Although heavy winter storms have brightened the outlook for this year, “we’re not out of the woods yet,” says Tibbitts. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recently signaled a potential increase in allocations—all the while noting that conditions are still subject to change. At this point, he notes that he’d be happy to get half of his annual water supply.

Regardless of outcome, a diverse planting helps Tibbitts roll with the punches. While four fields are slated for a May seeding of rice, he’ll plant a couple with sunflowers in early spring and lease the remainder to a tomato grower. In addition to stretching water allocation—sunflowers grow solely on residual soil moisture, while drip-irrigated tomatoes require 60 percent less water than rice—crop rotation improves soil health, reduces pesticide resistance and weeds and helps stagger his harvest.

“And when I put a field back into rice after growing tomatoes,” adds Tibbitts, “I always get the best yields.”

The export prices of Vietnamese rice in the first two months of 2023 rose by 9.8% year-on-year to 528.5 USD/tonne, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Hanoi (VNA) - The export prices of Vietnamese rice in the first two months of 2023 rose by 9.8% year-on-year to 528.5 USD/tonne, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Vietnam exported 789,000 tonnes of the grain in the reviewed period, earning 417 million USD, down 18.8% in volume and 10.8% in value compared to the same period last year.

The Philippines is the largest importer of the food from Vietnam in January with over 129,000 tonnes worth 64.55 million USD, accounting for 34.6% of Vietnam’s total export.

Vietnam recorded the highest increase price for rice exported to Taiwan (China) in January, with a surge of 54.6% year-on-year.

It is forecast to have favourable conditions for rice exports in 2023 as many countries such as the US and China, and those in Europe, are being affected by climate change and drought, which cause a shortage of rice supply.

Moreover, India - one of the largest rice exporters in the world, imposes a ban on broken rice exports and a 20-percent tax rate on white rice varieties.

Vietnam aims to export between 6.5 – 7 million tonnes of rice in 2023.

Its export is predicted to increase again as the demand in traditional markets such as Indonesia and Bangladesh has risen, and China – one of the largest importers of Vietnamese farm produce, has opened the market after the COVID-19 pandemic./.

After touching the peak of 4.9 million metric tons during the last fiscal, Pakistan’s rice exports are well on their way to explore a fresh bottom. Seven-month fiscal report from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics indicates that the country would be lucky to manage 3.2 million metric tons in exports during 2022-23, lowest quantum in past 15 years. Per PBS, rice exports are already down 25 percent during 7MFY23, easily making rice one of the worst performers among major exporting segments.

January 2023 turned out to be one of the worst performing months, as coarse rice - which constitutes up to 85 percent of exports by quantity – saw volume exported decline by 56 percent year on year to just 0.18 million metric tons. If last year isn’t fair comparison given record exports, consider that January 2023 underperformed Covid year exports (Jan’21) by 30 percent, and were 51 percent lower than average exports for the month over the last decade.

Export revenue performance from coarse rice offers little cause for hope either, falling 40 percent over last year. It was also one-third lower than the 10-year average, despite 40 percent higher unit prices fetched. At this rate, coarse rice exports would be lucky to breach the 2.8MMT mark in the full fiscal, having managed at least 3MMT every year since at least FY14. Coarse rice export revenue may rake in $1.3 billion, a six-year low. However, it may not the worst year for the exporting firms, who have fetched the highest per unit prices for coarse exports in well over a decade.

Meanwhile, export performance of the higher value basmati rice hasn’t been too different either. Although per unit basmati prices fetched in the export market during the 7MFY23 – nearly $1,100 per metric ton - have climbed up to their highest level in the last 10 years, basmati export volume remained lowest in five years, barely breaching 0.3MMT in the seven-month period. In fact, this may be the first time in five years when annual basmati exports from Pakistan once again fall under half a million metric tons, putting Pakistan’s share in the global market well below 10 percent, barely putting a dent in the market share of neighboring India, which commands the remainder 90 percent market share.

Here too, however, higher prices once again come to the rescue. Basmati unit prices are at least 25 percent higher compared to last fiscal year, raising the average earnings for the exporters. If prices remain elevated for the remainder fiscal year, revenue from basmati exports will only be 18 percent lower than last year, compared to one-third lower had prices remained at the same level as year – when they averaged around $900 per metric ton during the full fiscal. Revenue from basmati exports is expected to remain under $600 million, lowest in five years.

Although higher prices amid low volumes will make 2022-23 a mixed season for exporters, it is surprising that basmati exports did not pick up during the current marketing year. According to provisional crop statistics from provincial authorities, basmati crop had performed better during the kharif 2022 season, unlike coarse rice varieties such as IRRI and hybrid, which had become victim to the devastating floods in southern parts of the country. If export volumes do pick up during the remaining fiscal, it may lend credence to the theory that keeping the currency artificially appreciated during the first half caused irreparable damage to revenue from exports. Keep a close eye!

MANILA, Philippines  -SL Agritech Corp., the country’s largest hybrid rice producer, is asking President Marcos to provide additional and long-term funding for farmers and devote a bigger land area for hybrid rice to achieve the government’s rice self-sufficiency goal.

“We need P7 billion to P8 billion for at least 10 years for us to produce enough seeds. That is what we asked from the government,” SL Agritech chair and CEO Henry Lim Bon Liong told the Inquirer.

He said the company was spending about P1 billion per hectare to produce seeds for hybrid rice, a type of rice bred from two different parents as defined by Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute.

“How can you fund a long-term investment [with] a short-term loan?” he said. “If we want to be self-sufficient in rice, we should also be self-sufficient in seeds. If we are sufficient in rice but we don’t have enough seeds and we only rely on importation, [then] what will happen if there will be a shortage of seeds worldwide?”

SL Agritech technical and promotion support consultant Frisco Malabanan said farmers should also gain easier access to loans with zero or low interest rates.

The issues were raised during a recent meeting with Mr. Marcos, who concurrently heads the Department of Agriculture.

“The problem for farmers is that the government’s credit program is not that accessible. Farmers do not want to go back and forth to the bank to comply with the requirements and secure financing because they are too busy cultivating their lands. That’s why they patronize the informal credit conduits,” said Malabanan.

Wheat yields will definitely be decreased by the heatwaves but the government's food management plan will cover the nation's food security needs.

The central government has doubled down on paddy purchases to tide over any shortages and has advised the millet-growing states to draw up intricate networks to buy the hardy crops in case of scarcity.

According to procurement strategies put in place, the central government will get by with enough stock of rice and millet to cover the country's food security demands since it is aware of the high likelihood of heatwaves over food-bowl states and their potential impact on the wheat harvest.

The government aims to procure 34.1 million tonnes of wheat at federally determined prices. Even if rising temperatures do have an impact on wheat production, as they did last year, estimates of the yield loss are available, an official stated while requesting anonymity.

According to the official data, the government has bought 71.3 million tonnes of paddy, paying farmers ₹1.4 lakh crore in support prices until 1st March 2023.

The government intends to buy 76.6 million tonnes of summer-sown paddy (equivalent to 51.4 million tonnes of rice). They intend to purchase 15.8 million tonnes of winter-sown paddy (equivalent to 10.6 million tonnes of rice). According to official estimates, the government's paddy stockpile will total 90 million tonnes.

Wheat yields will definitely be decreased by the heatwaves but according to the official, the government's food management plan depends on the precise distribution of rice, wheat, and even millets to meet the nation's food security needs, which include providing free grains to 800 million people.

The state purchases of wheat were abnormally low at 18 million tonnes last year, down nearly 58% from the previous year after a disastrous spell of heatwave cut output by 2.5% to 106 million tonnes.

The government intends to buy 76.6 million tonnes of summer-sown paddy (equivalent to 51.4 million tonnes of rice). They intend to purchase 15.8 million tonnes of winter-sown paddy (equivalent to 10.6 million tonnes of rice). According to official estimates, the government's paddy stockpile will total 90 million tonnes.

Wheat yields will definitely be decreased by the heatwaves but according to the official, the government's food management plan depends on the precise distribution of rice, wheat, and even millets to meet the nation's food security needs, which include providing free grains to 800 million people.

The state purchases of wheat were abnormally low at 18 million tonnes last year, down nearly 58% from the previous year after a disastrous spell of heatwave cut output by 2.5% to 106 million tonnes.

EFSA moots raising maximum residue level on tricyclazole to 0.09 mg/kg

The European Union proposes to raise the maximum residue level (MRL) for tricyclazole in rice to 0.09 mg per kg from 0.01 mg/kg after finding that the raised level is unlikely to cause any risk for consumers.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has proposed the hike in the level of tricyclazole in rice after concerns over allowing the higher limit had been sufficiently addressed. 

The proposal is now expected to be ratified by the European Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health in May. 

India’s demand

The decision should encourage Indian rice exporters as the fungicide residue’s presence has been a concern for shipments to the EU. However, India has been seeking an MRL of 1 mg/kg for the chemical. 

Tricyclazole is a fungicide that is used to control the blast disease in rice. Tests carried out by Japanese scientists on mice are reported to have led to decreased body weight gain and increased organ weight and others in the rodent’s liver. 

EFSA said Corteva Agriscience had submitted an application to  Italy’s competent national authority, which is the rapporteur Member State (RMS) of the EU, to set an import tolerance for the active substance tricyclazole in rice. 

According to trade experts, Italy is one of the EU members who has been unhappy with the EFSA regulations since it is a significant producer of rice. 

Evaluation resubmitted

The RMS drafted an evaluation report in accordance with the EU regulations. It was submitted to the European Commission and forwarded to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on April 26, 2018. 

“The RMS proposed to establish MRL for rice imported from Brazil at the level of 0.09 mg/kg,” it said.

In turn, the EFSA identified the gaps in the evaluation and the RMS submitted a revised evaluation report on October 7, 2022. 

“Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concluded that the short-term and long-term intake of residues resulting from the use of tricyclazole according to the reported agricultural practice is unlikely to present a risk to consumer health,” the authority said.

Hydrolysis studies conducted to investigate the effect of processing on the nature of tricyclazole demonstrated that tricyclazole “is stable”. “As the proposed use of tricyclazole is on imported crops, investigations of residues in rotational crops are not required,” EFSA said.

Impact on feed

As by-products from (husked) rice, rice bran may be used for feed purposes, a potential carry-over into the food of animal origin was assessed. The calculated livestock dietary burden did not exceed the trigger value of 0.1 mg/kg dry matter (DM) for all relevant animal species. 

“The relative contribution of tricyclazole residues from rice hulls to the total livestock exposure was insignificant, and therefore, animal commodities were not further considered in this application,” EFSA said.