21st November, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
21st November 2014
Todays News Headlines
Govt to provide subsidy Rs 5,000 per acre to rice growers

USA Rice Federation disputes latest arsenic report
Corn, rice, wheat, and soybean crops contribute to global
warming, finds research
Arsenic in Rice Levels Compared: Consumer Reports Weighs In
On Safest, Most Dangerous Options
Pakistans food crisis
Fragrant rice of Cambodia, Thailand named world's best
Boon for Odisha farmers: CRRI develops drought, flood
resistant rice varieties
Iraq will buy U.S. rice after all
UA's Rice Symposium Tackles 'People Question'
Turkish National Media Continue to Focus on U.S. Rice Health
USA Rice Conducts Wild Rice Seminars in Istanbul & Antalya
Japan Announces Results of 7th Ordinary Import Tender in FY
2014
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
Iran's ban on basmati may impact Indian paddy prices: KRBL
Basmati rice: ECC spells out criteria for compensation
LCRA seeks approval to cut irrigation water for fourth straight
year
California farm water leaders talk local drought impacts
EPA, federal and state agencies, rice growers, industry act to
protect endangered salmon and steelhead trout in California
USA Rice Federation disputes latest arsenic report
ECC okays subsidy for rice growers
Rice Prices Reverse Recent Slump After Heavy Rains
Paddy prices decline 40 percent on supply glut
REAP urges government to facilitate farmers
Millers probed over adulterated rice
Research and Markets: Rice Bran Oil (CAS 68553-81-1) Market
Research
Report 2014
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Growing Super Crops: Conventional or GM?
Growing a Second Green Revolution

News Detail.
USA Rice Federation disputes
latest arsenic report
11/20/2014 - by Jeff Gelski
ARLINGTON, VA. An executive of the
USA Rice Federation on Nov. 18 said the
federation has not seen any science that
supports new results from Consumer
Reports showing potentially dangerous
arsenic consumption when children eat
rice.Arsenic in our food supply is a
challenging, yet unavoidable, situation,
which is why we support the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration studying the issue
carefully, said Betsy Ward, president and
chief executive officer of the Arlingtonbased USA Rice Federation.
But
CRs
new
consumption
recommendations arent supported by any
science
that
weve
seen.Consumer
Reports originally released a report on
arsenic
in
rice
in
2012.
Most
recently Consumer Reports examined data
released by the F.D.A. in 2013 on the
inorganic arsenic content of 656 processed
rice-containing
products.Consumer
Reports found rice cereal and rice pasta may
have more inorganic arsenic (a carcinogen)
than the 2012 data showed. The new tests
from Consumer Reports showed one serving
of rice cereal or rice pasta could put children

over the maximum amount of rice
that Consumer Reportsrecommends they
have in a week.Rice cakes supply close to a
childs
weekly
limit
in
one
serving, Consumer Reports said. Rice
drinks also can be high in arsenic, and
children younger than 5 shouldnt drink
them instead of milk.
Arsenic has two chemical forms: organic
and inorganic. Organic may be less toxic,
according to Consumer Reports. Regular
exposure to small amounts of arsenic has
been shown to increase the risk of bladder,
lung and skin cancer, as well as heart
disease and type 2 diabetes, according
to Consumer Reports.Scientists from the
F.D.A. in 2013 determined the amount of
detectable arsenic is too low in rice and rice
product samples to cause any immediate or
short-term adverse health effects. Ms. Ward
said the rice industry, labs at land grant
universities and the F.D.A. have tested U.S.grown rice extensively.
The rice has been found to contain arsenic
levels that are below safe maximum levels
established
by
the
World
Health
Organization/Food
and
Agriculture
Organizations
Codex
Alimentarius.Consumer
Reports also
investigated arsenic levels of different types
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of rice and other grains, including glutenfree grains. Scientists at its Food Safety and
Sustainability Center tested 128 samples of
basmati, jasmine and sushi rice for arsenic.
Results were combined with the results of
2012 tests and F.D.A. data on arsenic in rice
for a total of 697 samples of rice.Our latest
tests determined that the inorganic arsenic
content of rice varies greatly depending on
the type of rice and where it was
and that if found the regional claims

perplexing.
All the tests weve seen show that levels of
inorganic arsenic are lowest in U.S.-grown
rice, regardless of what state it came from,
said Michael Klein, a spokesperson for the
federation.He said few, if any, rice packages
identify the state where the rice was
grown.Weve seen levels vary from plot to
All types of rice (except sushi and quick

cooking) with a label indicating its from
Arkansas, Louisiana or Texas or just from
plot and field to field, he said. So making

blanket statements about one state versus
another is totally unscientific, disingenuous
and misleading. Analyzing toxins in food is
not the same as analyzing which television
gives you the best picture in a well-lit
room. CR should let the F.D.A. continue its
careful scientific evaluation and make the
recommendations to the public.Consumer
the United States had the highest levels of

inorganic arsenic in the tests. For instance,
white rices from California had 38% less
inorganic arsenic than white rices from other
parts of the country.Brown rice has 80%
more inorganic arsenic on average than
white rice of the same type, according
to Consumer Reports. Arsenic accumulates
in the grains outer layers, which are
removed to make white rice. Brown basmati
Reports also looked at the inorganic arsenic

levels in 114 samples of non-rice grains. The
gluten-free grains amaranth, buckwheat,
millet and polenta or grits had negligible
levels of inorganic arsenic. Glutencontaining grains bulgur, barley and farro
also had very little arsenic. Gluten-free
quinoa had average inorganic arsenic levels
comparable to those of other alternative
grains, but some samples of quinoa had
from California, India or Pakistan is the best

choice since it has about a third less
inorganic arsenic than brown rice from other
areas, according to Consumer Reports.The
USA Rice Federation said it still is
analyzing the newConsumer Reports data
quite a bit more.
grown, Consumer Reports said. White

basmati rice from California, India and
Pakistan and sushi rice from the U.S. on
average has half of the inorganic arsenic
amount of most other types of rice.
Corn, rice, wheat, and soybean

crops contribute to global
warming, finds research
Posted on Nov 21 2014 - 9:00am by Charles
Omedo

is still released during winter via the soil to
the earth.
Something is changing about this cycle.
Ecosystems are becoming more productive,
pulling in more atmospheric carbon during
the summer and releasing more during the
dormant period, Friedl adds.
While the UN and other world governments
are blaming industrial facilities and
greenhouse gas emissions as contributing to
climate change, a new study has revealed
that four crops, namely: corn, rice, wheat,
and soybean are also playing their parts in
the whole climate change game.Scientists
found that it is true that crops require carbon
dioxide for respiration and to manufacture
their food, but they do not burn up this
element before their deaths; they store it.
Carbon dioxide is therefore re-released into
the soil when these crops die, and this
ultimately makes carbon dioxide to find its
way back into the environment.
According to Mark Friedl of the University
of Boston, Its a remarkable story of what
weve done in agriculture in general. And
particular in corn, which is one crop thats
just exploded. Over the last 50 years, the
area of croplands in the Northern
Hemisphere has been relatively stable, but
production has intensified enormously. The
fact that this land area can affect the
composition of the atmosphere is an
amazing fingerprint of human activity on the
planet.Friedls research establishes one
fact: the return of CO2 via dead crops like
corn to the earth enriches the soil and makes
it more fertile and efficient for further crop
growths. The soil yields more crops per
acre, even though more carbon dioxide gas
The National Science Foundations Water

Sustainability and Climate Programs
director, Tom Torgersen, notes that these
indications of increased productivity speak
well for agriculture. But such enhanced
agricultural productivity makes significant
demands on water supplies, which will
require further investigation.While crop
scientists continue to research the effects of
enhanced agriculture on natural water
supplies, researchers found that corn, rice,
wheat, and soybean constitute 64% of all
calories consumed around the world. And
that, is something of interest.
Arsenic in Rice Levels

Compared: Consumer
Reports Weighs In On Safest,
Most Dangerous Options
Nov 20, 2014 05:21 PM By John Fischer
Consumer Reports has found that certain
rice products contain higher levels of
inorganic arsenic, a toxic mineral, than
previously reported in a 2012 study. Reuters

oxygen and sulfur. Both
inorganic arsenic are toxic
though inorganic is worse,
the Occupational
Safety
Administration.
organic and
to humans,
according to
&
Health
Rice is a grain used in many products,

including cereal, pasta, even wine. But a
The main factors that determine how much

inorganic arsenic is present are region and
variety of rice grains. Consumer Reports
found that all types of rice, excluding quick
2012 study by Consumer Reports pointed

out that these products contain worrisome
levels of arsenic. Now, the organization has
come back, saying that those levels are even
higher.Consumer Reports, in a follow-up to
the 2012 study, has found that through the
examination of 656 rice-based products,
cereals and pastas consist of higher levels of
inorganic arsenic than previously noted in
cooking and sushi, from Texas, Arkansas, or

Louisiana had higher levels of the substance
than rice from any other part of the United
States. But white rice from California had 38
percent less inorganic arsenic than white rice
from other parts of the country.White
basmati rice from California, India, and
Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on
average has half of the inorganic-
the information from the original study,

putting infants especially at risk.
arsenic amount of most other types of rice,

Consumer Reports said in the follow-up,
adding that brown basmati rice from these
regions is also ideal, containing a third less
of inorganic arsenic levels found in other
brown rice.
According to the results of our new tests,

one serving of either could put kids over the
maximum amount of rice we recommend
they should have in a week, said Consumer
Reports in the follow-up. Rice cakes supply
close to a child's weekly limit in one
serving. Rice drinks can also be high in
arsenic, and children younger than 5
shouldnt
drink
them
instead
of
milk.Arsenic is an element that makes up
earths crust, with high levels of the
substance found in soil, rocks, and water.
Inorganic arsenic is a combination of natural
arsenic and other elements, including
Variety extends even farther, with brown

rice containing 80 percent more inorganic
arsenic than white rice of the same type,
though Consumer Reports still encourages
people to consume some level of brown rice
as it contains more nutrients. Gluten-free
grains such as buckwheat and millet also
have low levels, along with certain gluten
grains, such as burro and barley. Quinoa has

an average amount compared to other types
of grains.The report recommends rinsing
one cup of rice with up to six cups of water
before cooking will help reduce the amount
of inorganic arsenic.
The 2012 study only tested 60 rice-based
products,
with
Consumer
Reports
recommending that babies and toddlers be
served cereals from a variety of grains, and
that they consume only one serving of infant
rice cereal per day. Data from the follow-up
did not change this view, though the Food
and Drug Administration recommends that
everyone, from babies to pregnant women,
eat many different grains. The FDA has yet
to set a federal limit on arsenic levels in rice.
Pakistans food crisis

By Shah Faisal Afridi
November 21, 2014
There is an emergent need to reorganize the
agriculture sector of the country, and bring
about the revolution in the production of
agriculture. The agriculture lands are being
drastically reduced in the country and Foodrelated social unrest is putting burdens on
already weak or borderline governance
systems in Pakistan, which is experiencing
persistent food insecurity. If the country
faces recurrent food crises in the future, this
situation could deteriorate further. How
much patience will the people of Pakistan be
prepared to continue to show?
Pakistan on a list of 36 countries that face a

serious food crisis. Like rest of the world
Pakistan is also facing food crisis that has
two sides; one is unavailability of edibles
and second is soaring prices due to gap in
demand and supply of edibles. A recent
analysis
of
the
causes and consequences of Pakistans
food insecurity points out that food security
has been under constant threat since 2008,
when world food prices reached their
highest levels and Pakistans food inflation
registered
as
high
as
34%.
World Food Programme (WFP) data fro
m
2008
concluded that 77 million Pakistanis
nearly half the countrys population
were going hungry.
Pakistan
is an agriculture economy where more
than
seventy
percent
of
the population is directly or indirectly de
pending on agriculture. This vital sector
has been contributing more than 24% to our
GDP. In spite of its vital significance the
economy is facing challenges of food
deficiency. Analysts observed that food
crisis in Pakistan come hand in hand with an
energy crisis and uncertain political
environment along with the extremist
threats. It is expected that food and energy
shortages could become worse in Future.
More problem appears to those economies
that are not agriculture based and Pakistan is
a wheat and rice producing country and
shouldnt have had to face an acute shortage.
A very important question arises here how
did it get to this stage?
The worlds financial experts have placed


The impact of floods on economy and
agriculture has been devastating in Pakistan.
The UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs estimates that, more
than 20 million people had been displaced
by the flood and some estimates the damage
to crops, housing, other buildings, roads, and
irriga-tion infrastructure now reached $6.5
billion. Huge numbers of people still suffer
from
lack
of
shelter,
hunger and disease, and winter is approa
ching, when in many parts of the country
temperatures can fall below zero centigrade.Therefore individual hunger in
Pakistan needs to be seen as a national
security threat, not just charity work .
Whatever the improvements in Pakistans
food security responses, they will be
meaningless
without
addressing the
underlying structural causes of poor
governance, skewed resource allocations
and severe inequality including the highly
unequal
distribution of land ownership. The
skyrocketing prices are jeopardizing the
purchasing power of financially crumbling
consumers.
The price of food items such as vegetables,
chicken and meat has increased by more
than 20 percent just in one month, which has
further made the half of the population of
country food insecure. It is stated that 50
percent of the population is talking less
calories recognized for average human
need. The situation of food shortage in
Pakistan calls for a multi-sectoral strategy to
address this serious issue. It is also
important to note that Ministry of Finance
alone cannot provide a solution to the
worsening problem. Pakistan needs cohesive

strategy including the focus on revising the
import parity; pricing formula and revised
structure of taxes levied on petroleum
products, further demand and supply
management in energy sector, agriculture,
and communication.
It is also suggested that the Planning
Commission of Pakistan should take lead in
formulating
proposals
in
this
regard.Agriculture scientists will have to
introduce modern technologies for high
yield at low price to enable the government
to cope with the persistent crisis of food
shortage. We can observe examples of
various countries like Brazil, India, China
and Philippines which became self sufficient
in the food production by the adaptation of
the biotech crops and Eco Friendly
Cultivation model.
China has achieved great success in
increasing crop yield, China, accounting for
only 10 percent of arable land, produces
food for 20 percent of the worlds
population and it ranks first in worldwide
farm output. It is because they have devised
different techniques to increase the yield of
crops just by making use of nature, and such
farming model is termed as, ECOFARMING. Ecological Farming ensures
healthy farming and healthy food for today
and tomorrow, by protecting soil, water and
climate, and does not contaminate the
environment with chemical inputs.The
current model of destructive, polluting
agriculture relies on expensive nonrenewable and artificial resources (fossil
fuels, pesticides and agrochemicals) that
damage the basic natural resources needed

for food production. Destructive agriculture
pollutes nature with synthetic fertilizers and
toxic chemicals that strip the soil of its
fertility harm biodiversity and destroy
natures capacity to keep pests and disease
under control.
Chinese scientists and farmers in Yunnan

during 1998 and 1999, demonstrated the
benefits of biodiversity in fighting rice blast,
the major disease of rice, caused by a
fungus, by growing a simple mixture of rice
varieties across thousands of farms in China.
Fungicidal sprays were no longer applied by
the end of the two-year program.A recent
analysis showed that globally, ecological
farming can produce, on average, about 30
percent more food per hectare than
conventional agriculture. Pakistans per
hectare rice yield is 3.1 ton whereas China is
the largest producer of rice with per hectare
yield of 6.5 ton, similarly Pakistan produces
pulses per year with per hectare yield of 0.6
ton and China produces 1.2 ton per hectare
which is twice that of Pakistan. Pakistans
sugarcane production is 52.4 ton per hectare
whereas China obtains a yield of 65.7 ton
per hectare.
Some of the interesting techniques implied

by China under the cultivation model of
ECO-FARMING are Rice Duck Farming;
in which ducks are raised on rice paddies
and feed on pests and weeds, which means
the farmer doesnt have to use earth and
water-ravaging chemical pesticides and
herbicides on their plants. Duck droppings
are also an excellent, natural fertilizer for
rice plants. Similarly, growing two or more
crops in proximity helps reduce disease

outbreaks. The technique is particularly
effective at reducing loss from rice blast
disease, a destructive fungus that causes
damage on panicles and leaves, killing them
before
rice
grains
form. Therefore Chinese cultivation pattern
is the best model to be implemented, on the
land of Pakistan in order to cope with the
upcoming expected food crises.
Defining the strategy to ensure food
security, Government should allocate land to
locals in association with Chinese to obtain
farm productivity on the same pattern as
Chinese are doing. Corporate farming trend
should be introduced to compensate rising
inflation and high input prices through
which agricultural productivity can be
increased, he added.
Cooperative society model could be
introduced Under specialized technical
support with Chinese collaboration through
national productivity organization in
Pakistan where people can join hands, pool
their resources-invest and deduct all
expenses to share fortune.Chinese Model of
Eco- Farming ensures healthy farming and
healthy food for today and tomorrow, by
protecting soil, water and climate, promotes
biodiversity, and does not contaminate the
environment with chemical inputs or genetic
engineering.
The writer is a professional businessman and
CEO of Ruba SEZ Group. He received his
formal education from Stamford College,
Singapore and afterwards joined the family
business and gained extensive experience in
business management

Fragrant rice of Cambodia,
Thailand named world's best
Phnom Penh, Nov 20 (IANS): Fragrant rice
from Cambodia and Thailand was awarded
the world's best rice for 2014 prize during
the 6th World Rice Conference here
Thursday.Jeremy Zwinger, president and
chief executive officer of the Rice Trader,
which organised the competition, said 25
rice samples from 15 countries and regions,
including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam,
India, Myanmar and the US joined the
contest.Rice from Cambodia and Thailand is
awarded the best rice for this year," he
announced during the World Rice
Conference, and added that the judgement
was made mainly based on the rice's
appearance and taste.
Sok Puthyvuth, president of the Cambodia
Rice Federation, said it was the third year
that Cambodia's fragrant rice won the
award."It is another significant milestone for
Cambodia's rice industry," Xinhua quoted
him as telling reporters. "The award clearly
reflects our rice's high quality and I hope
that the reputation of our rice will grow
internationally."He
said
Cambodia's
Romduol
rice
species
won
the
prize.According to Puthyvuth, during the
first 10 months of this year, Cambodia
exported 304,788 tonnes of milled rice,
earning about $180 million.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president
of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said
Thailand's brown jasmine rice also won the

prize."We are one of the world's largest rice
exporters and our rice's quality is
internationally recognised," he said, adding
that so far this year, Thailand has exported
about eight million tonnes of milled rice and
is expected to reach 10.5 million tonnes by
the end of the year 2014.Stay updated
wherever you go with Daijiworld.com and
Daijiworld 24X7 tv channel mobile apps.
CLICK HERE to download it for your device.
(available on Android and IOS)
Boon for Odisha farmers: CRRI

develops drought, flood resistant
rice varieties
Odisha
Sun
Cuttack, Nov 20:
Times
Bureau
Scientists at the Odisha based Central Rice

Research Institute (CRRI) at Bidyadharpur
have developed two new varieties of paddy
that are resistant to drought and another that
can withstand floods.While the droughtresistant two varieties require very little
quantity of water to grow, the other can
sustain itself in floods.The three varieties,
which will be made available to farmers for

cultivation soon are CR -204, CR -205 and
CR -306. The first two varieties require very
little water to grow which are ideal for
drought prone areas while the third can
sustain itself in excess water conditions.
These varieties have been developed
keeping in mind climate change and the
needs of the farmers,, informed Sarat
Kumar Pradhan, chief scientist at
CRRI.While the two new drought resistant
paddy varieties can be grown on the
highlands of Kalahandi, Balangir, Angul,
and Dhenkanal districts, the water logging
resistant variety is ideal for growing in the
climatic conditions of Madhya Pradesh,
Bihar and Puducherry, said sources in the
CRRI.The two drought resistant paddy
varieties CR -204 and CR -205 are fast
growing varieties and can be harvested in
105 to 110 days producing an average yield
of 60 quintals of paddy per hectare.CR-306,
the excess water resistant variety of paddy
developed by CRRI scientists can remain
submerged up to a maximum of one metre
in water preventing damage caused to
paddy plants due to blowing winds while
giving an average yield of 50 to 60 quintals
per hectare, said CRRI sources.
Water is a major problem for farmers. To
get a kilogram of paddy yield the farmer
requires 5,000 litres of water. The new
varieties developed through research require
only 3,000 litres of water for the same
yield, said Pradhan.In the last two years,
the CRRI has developed several new
varieties of paddy suitable for climatic
conditions of Odisha as well as outside
states. These varieties are CR-201, 202, 204,
205, 300, 303, 304,305,306,407 and 505.
Similarly, CR-601 has been developed as
adalua variety of paddy. This paddy variety
can be grown even in extreme cold
conditions.
Iraq will buy U.S. rice after

all
Staff report9:54 p.m. CST November 21, 2014
(Photo:
File photo )
132CONNECT 30TWEETLINKEDINC
OMMENTEMAILMORE
After passing on three bids for U.S.-grown

rice, Iraq has decided to commit to buying a
portion of this year's crop, U.S. Sen Mary
Landrieu's office said Thursday.In previous
years, Iraq has been a steady customer of
American rice, buying approximately 1.5
million metric tons a year.Rice is grown in
30 Louisiana parishes. There are 1,225 rice
farm operators and rice mill workers in
Louisiana, making the state the third-largest
producer in the country, the LSU AgCenter
Rice Research Center reported.
Last week, Landrieu, D-New Orleans, called
on the State Department and the U.S.
ambassador to Iraq, Stuart Jones, to take a
close look at why the Iraqi Grain Board and
the Iraqi Minister of Trade, Mallas alHussaini, declined to buy American rice

from the 2014 harvest, her office said in a
statement issued Thursday."Last week, I
heard the concerns of Louisiana rice farmers
and pushed the State Department and the
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq to quickly address
the issue," Landrieu said in a statement.
"Our rice farmers are hardworking and just
produced one of the best crops we've seen in
years.
They know how to produce some of the best
long grain rice in the world, but without a
fair international market, their livelihood is
put at risk."I'm proud to say our farmers
have been chosen to continue providing their
world-class rice at competitive prices,"
Landrieu added. "Today, Iraq purchased
more than $75 million of rice from
American farmers. After five months of Iraq
passing on opportunities to purchase U.S.
rice, I hope today's purchase signals a
renewed commitment to our farmers. I
appreciate the State Department and
Ambassador Jones' cooperation to assist me
and Louisiana farmers."
UA's Rice Symposium

Tackles 'People Question'
By Lisa Romero, BIO5 Institute |
November 20, 2014
Rod Wing explains the rice genome for the

specific genus Oryza and how this
information will lead to better crops and
more food production for growing
populations. (Photo: Christina Close/BIO5

Institute)
Rice will remain the primary source of food
for half of the world, but the world's
population is expected to grow by more than
two billion in the next 35 years.
Among the most pressing issues facing the
world today is how to grow enough food to

feed a human population that will expand by
more than two billion in the next 35 years
without exhausting resources and destroying
the environment.Rice will play an essential
role in the quest to solve this "9 Billion
People Question." Rice is, and will
continue to be, the primary source of
food/calories for half the world and many
rapidly growing regions.
The University of Arizona is home to
innovative research and scientists committed
to forging new paths to make sure that a
crisis is averted and the situation is
improved for future generations.Several
hundred of the worlds top scientists spent
this week at the UA participating in the12th
International Symposium on Rice
Functional Genomics, or ISRFG.This
years symposium marked a significant
milestone. It was at the ISRFG meeting held
at the UA 10 years ago that the International
Rice Genome Sequencing Project celebrated
the completion of the rice genome. This was

the first genome completed for any crop
plant, and to date it remains the highestquality reference genome, impacting the
fields of plant biology and agriculture.
The UAs Rod Wing director of the
Arizona Genomics Institute, a member of
the
BIO5
Institute
and
the Bud
Antle Endowed
Chair
Professor
in
the School of Plant Sciences, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology served as co-chair
of this years symposium.The implications
of the 2004 landmark were scientifically
complex but applicable to other genome
sequencing projects."We learned how many
genes rice have and their order across its 12
chromosomes," Wing said. "The rice
genome provided an unlimited set of genetic
markers that could be used to map
agriculturally important genes related to
yield, grain quality, biotic (diseases) and
abiotic (drought, heat, salt) stresses, for
example.
"The genome opened the door for the
cloning of hundreds of important genes for
understanding plant biology, evolution, and
domestication that informed the sequencing
of other cereal genomes, such as maize,
sorghum, barley and wheat.The goal was to
ensure that further work could be translated
into practical solutions that rice breeders
could use to improve and stabilize the world
food supply for generations to come.This
years symposium focused on recent
breakthroughs in structural, functional and
evolutionary rice genome biology and
breeding pushing current scientific
knowledge to address the need of
sustainably increasing crop yields and global
food security.
A series of sessions was aimed at

capitalizing on biological resources and new
discoveries to design a new age of crop
plants that have less of on environmental
footprint (plants that use less water,
fertilizer, pesticides) but are higher yielding
and more nutritious. There also was
discussion on promoting collaborative
research opportunities across the world.In
addition, collaborators devised a set of
strategic plans to promote a campaign for $9
billion to help solve the 9 billion people
question. This effort will focus on raising
funds to create and staff a half-dozen
collaborative, green science and technology
centers across the globe to perform
coordinated research aimed at creating the
next generation of crops that will feed the
world's population in a sustainable
way.The Arizona Genomics Institute,
housed in the UAs BIO5 Institute,
specializes in building a physical map of a
genome, which will allow scientists to locate
and identify genes that can improve and
strengthen crops and increase yield, creating
strains of crops that make up 60 percent of a
person's diet.
Turkish National Media

Continue to Focus on U.S. Rice
Health Advantages
Now that's healthy

ISTANBUL,
TURKEY -The
USA
Rice

Contact: Hartwig Schmidt, (011-49-40-45038660)
USA Rice Conducts Wild Rice

Seminars in Istanbul &
Antalya
Get wild, Turkey
ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- The
Federation has been aggressively promoting the

health benefits of U.S.-grown rice here to help
boost consumption, and garnering a great deal of
media coverage as a result.Seventeen major
national newspapers featured U.S. rice articles
and recipes with photos during the month of
September, and in October, a record 76 articles
and recipes were published.At least 22 regional
newspapers and major online media commended
U.S.-grown rice for its "outstanding nutrients
and great taste" in October, including major
daily newspapers with between 3 and 6 million
daily readers.
The estimated ad value generated from this
positive media coverage exceeded $50,000 in
October 2014.In 2013, Turkey was the twelfth
largest export market for U.S. rice, at over
140,000 MT valued at $62 million. In the first
nine months of 2014, Turkey has jumped to our
fifth largest export market, due to paddy rice
sales of over 73,000 MT and medium grain,
milled rice at 70,000 MT. Thus far this year,
Turkey is the third largest export market for
medium grain, milled rice.
USA Rice Federation conducted two

seminars in collaboration with Chefs
Associations here and in the resort city of
Antalya that featured U.S. wild rice in
cooking demonstrations and workshops that
reached more than 200 executive chefs.USA
Rice regional director Hartwig Schmidt
showed a documentary about the benefits of
using U.S. wild rice, and provided chefs
with samples.
The seminars focused on incorporating wild
rice as an ingredient in meals as a means of
increasing profitability and providing
nutritious and flavorful meals.The attendees
participated in hands-on cooking of U.S. rice
with wild rice-based recipes. Three major
media representatives attended the seminar
and reported on the event. The results of a
post event survey indicated that 110
participants decided to incorporate wild rice
into their cooking routine.
Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457

Japan Announces Results of 7th Ordinary Import Tender in FY
2014
Country of
Origin
USA
China
Thailand
Variety
Number of
Importer
Quantity (MT)
Participated
Bidders
Amount of
Bids (MT)
Non-glutinous
milled rice
(medium grain)
Non-glutinous
milled rice
(medium grain)
Non-glutinous
milled rice
(long grain)
Glutinous
milled rice (long
grain)
12,000
14
168,000
12,000
13,000
21
130,494
35
298,494
3,247
Grand Total
40,247
JPY 95,630/mt
(tax excluded)
JPY 103,280/mt
(tax included)
Avg Price for

Successful Bids
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 21
Month
Price
Net Change
January 2015
$12.595
+ $0.015
March 2015
$12.855
+ $0.010
May 2015
$13.095
+ $0.010
July 2015
$13.295
+ $0.010
September 2015
$12.450
+ $0.005
November 2015
$12.350
+ $0.005
January 2016
$12.350
+ $0.005

Iran's ban on basmati may
impact Indian paddy prices:
KRBL
Iran has barred rice from other countries as
its local crop is reported to be good this year
1 13 0Google +2 0Comments (7) Bazaar
08:00 am Media reports indicate that Iran
has imposed an import ban on basmati rice.
Iran has barred rice from other countries as
its local crop is reported to be good this year
and is set to arrive in the market there. The
move may further drag depressed prices of
basmati rice in the domestic market.
Confirming the news, Anil Mittal, CMD,
KRBL , said the ban could impact the Indian
paddy prices.
The company exports around 2 percent (of
total exports) to Iran. Below is the transcript
of Anil Mittal's interview with Latha
Venkatesh & Sonia Shenoy on CNBCTV18. Latha: Is this true that Iran is not
going to import basmati this season? A: It is
not new, every year when new harvest is
expected to arrive, they increase the duty in
Iran and they try to put some ban on the
imports to safeguard their farmers and thats
one of the reason. Every year they put a stop
by increasing the duties to 40-50 percent but
this year they have specifically put a ban not
only on Indian but on all varieties of rice
which will definitely impact the Indian
basmati market.
Latha: What did Iran import last year, so
what is the market you have lost in terms of
million tonne? A: It will be too difficult to
say what quantum of market we will lose
because if they open up in January again
then the shortfall of November and
December can be met in January. Therefore,

it is too premature to say what would be the
impact but Indian paddy prices will come
down definitely. Latha: By how much you
think? A: It will have an impact of another
Rs 1,000-1,500 a tonne. Sonia: What is
KRBLs exact exposure to the Iranian
market? How much do you export annually?
A: We annually export around 2 percent of
our total exports. Our exposure to Iran is
very less.
Our prime exposure is into Middle East, Far
East, Europe and America. KRBL stock
price On November 21, 2014, KRBL closed
at Rs 94.55, down Rs 4.95, or 4.97 percent.
The 52-week high of the share was Rs
107.45 and the 52-week low was Rs 30.40.
The company's trailing 12-month (TTM)
EPS was at Rs 11.69 per share as per the
quarter ended September 2014. The stock's
price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 8.09. The
latest book value of the company is Rs 43.33
per share. At current value, the price-tobook value of the company is 2.18.
Basmati rice: ECC spells

out
criteria
for
compensation
November 21, 2014RECORDER REPORT
The Federal Minister for Finance Senator
Mohammad Ishaq Dar Thursday chaired a
meeting of the Economic Co-ordination
Committee (ECC) here at the Prime
Minister''s Secretariat. As the Prime
Minister has already approved the proposal,
the Ministry of National Food Security and
Research moved a summary on his direction
to ECC to compensate the farmers of
basmati rice at the rate of 5000 per acre
subject to the following provisions: The total
amount of compensation would be shared
equally between the Federal and provincial

governments, said a press release issued
here.
The total amount of subsidy will be around
Rs 10 billion. The compensation will be
made to small growers of 25 acres only. The
farmers who have already received
compensation against crop damage in recent
floods in Punjab will not be eligible to this
additional compensation. The Committee
also considered and approved the proposal
moved by the Ministry of Water and Power
for allowing an extension in the subsidy to
agriculture consumers at the rate Rs 10.35
per unit till 30.6.2015.
According to the earlier decision, Ministers
of Water and Power and Finance had
decided in a meeting with the
representatives of Kissan Ittehad (in August
2013) to subsidise tariff for agriculture
consumers whereby the Federal government
bore the tariff differential subsidy while
provincial governments were directed to pay
the GST. In yesterday''s decision it was also
decided that the GST will be adjusted
against the electricity fee payable to the
provinces. It is also important to mention
that during peak hours agri- tube wells will
not be entitled for power supply.
The Federal Minister for Finance said the
amount paid in subsidy will be around 22
billion rupees which was around 18.5 billion
rupees last year but the Federal Government
has taken the decision to support farmer as
with the help of this decision Punjab has
given a historic crop of wheat production of
19.470 million tons during 2013-14, fuel
price adjustment will also be paid by the
federal government, the Minister added. The
ECC also considered and approved the
policy guidelines under section 21 of the
OGRA ordinance 2002. According to the
guidelines: Volume pilfered by non
consumers but detected and determined by
the companies in accordance with OGRA

procedure as provided in rule 30 of Natural
Gas licensing Rules 2002.
Till the finalisation of a new tariff regime by
Ogra, the income from non-core activities
(LPS, meter manufacturing plant, royalty
from JJVL and sale of condensate/LPG)
may also be provisionally treated as nonoperating income. The provision of doubtful
debts may be determined at the minimum of
1% of the sales in line with the prevailing
accounting practices. The chair and the
participants of the meeting, however, did not
agree to the idea of "volume against
minimum billing amount charged to
domestic
consumers".
The
chair
emphatically ordered all the relevant
ministries and authorities to discuss the
proposals in advance and suggest mutually
accepted and well prepared plans to be
accepted by the esteemed forum as this
place is not the place for debate on minor
details.
The chairman also acknowledged and
appreciated the services of Rukhsana Shah,
federal Secretary of Textile Industry, in
preparing the Textile policy 2014-19, but
gave the Ministry one month''s period to
review and scrutinise it in detail as
suggested by Minister for Planning. The
ECC also approved the proposal of Ministry
of P&NR to allocate around 110MMCFD of
gas produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to this
province for power generation with the
condition that the gas will be given to PPIB
available to KP only after following the
appropriate procedures laid down in rules
and regulations of the PPIB.
LCRA seeks approval to cut

irrigation water for fourth
straight year

Nov 20, 2014Logan Hawkes
While it comes as no surprise, farmers and
community leaders in the Lower Colorado
River Basin are struggling with the news
that they face yet another year without
irrigation water from the Colorado
River.The Lower Colorado River Authority
(LCRA) Board of Directors voted 11 to 2
this week to ask permission from the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality
(TCEQ) to curtail releases from the lakes
once again in 2015. LCRA's request is
identical to the one requested and granted by
the state for 2014, which cut off releases of
interruptible water supplies for most
downstream irrigation, including Texas rice
growers in the lower basin.
This year's emergency request comes with a
new twist to the usual story. The latest
request to the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality also seeks to reduce
downstream water releases for the blue
sucker, a state-listed threatened species of
fish."This was not an easy decision, but we
must protect the regions water supply,"
LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson told
the board Wednesday. "More than a million
people depend on water from the Highland
Lakes, and right now, there is just not
enough water for everyone to have all they
want.
"The board will also continue limiting
outdoor watering by LCRA firm customers
and their customers to a maximum of one
day a week in an effort to conserve water in

2015. Firm customers include cities in
Central Texas that depend on water from the
Highland Lakes.In response to LCRA's
action Wednesday, the Lower Colorado
River Basin Coalition (LCRBC) released a
statement acknowledging the need for the
unprecedented request by LCRA to cut off
most irrigation water for a fourth straight
year. But the Coalition also called for
increased water conservation and drought
contingency measures to help stretch water
supplies.
California farm water leaders

talk local drought impacts
Nov 19, 2014Cary Blake
All California farmers and water districts

want for Christmas this year is a slow, rainy
winter with perhaps a timely rain tucked in
the
stocking
hanging
from
the
fireplace.While the winter rain scenario will
be determined in the weeks and months
ahead, three California agricultural water
leaders have plenty to say about the
California drought, and how the lack of
moisture from the sky and regulator

intervention on the environment have placed
farmers in financially perilous situations.
During the 2014 Western Plant Health
Association annual meeting held this fall in
Palm Desert, Calif., the water leaders took
center stage for a two-and-a-half hour water
discussion chocked full of drought facts and
placing some blame at government
regulators.The water leaders included: Jason
Peltier, the Westlands Water Districts chief
deputy general manager; Ron Jacobsma,
Friant Water Authority general manager;
and John Garner, a Northern California
Water Association board member and
Colusa County rice grower.
Image: Three California agricultural water

leaders describe the California drought, and
how the lack of moisture from the sky and
regulator intervention on the environment
have placed farmers in financially perilous
situations.
Three California agricultural water leaders
discuss drought and water at the Western
Plant Health Association annual meeting
from left rice grower John Garner, board
member, Northern California Water
Association; Ron Jacobsma, general
manager, Friant Water Authority; and Jason
Peltier, chief deputy general manager,
Westlands Water District.
Hit hard by the three-year-old drought is

farm land in the Westlands Water District
(WWD) which provides water to about
600,000 irrigated acres on the Westside of
the San Joaquin Valley in western Fresno
County.The WWD has a contract with the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for about one
million acre feet of surface water annually.
Surface water deliveries to farmers this year
were zero percent.About half of the (farm)
land in our district is out of production this
year, said Jason Peltier of Westlands.
EPA, federal and state

agencies, rice growers,
industry act to protect
endangered salmon and
steelhead trout in
California
Farmers are employing coping strategies to

deal with the zero allocation, but those who
rely on a healthy farm production sector like
farmworkers, schools, social service
agencies, and small businesses have few, if
any, viable coping strategies.
SAN FRANCISCO Today, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency and
National
Oceanic
Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, in
cooperation with state agencies, rice growers
and industry, announced an agreement to
create federally enforceable restrictions of
the pesticide thiobencarb, an herbicide used
Release Date: 11/20/2014

Contact Information: Suzanne Skadowski,
415-972-3165, skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov

on rice crops, to protect threatened and
endangered salmon and steelhead trout in
California. Working closely with our state
and federal partners, our joint efforts will
protect salmon and steelhead trout while
maintaining rice production in California,
said Jared Blumenfeld, EPAs Regional
Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.
This action also supports EPAs
commitment to minimize pesticide pollution
in the San Francisco Bay Delta.This is a
smart approach to pesticide use that includes
important safeguards for protected fish
while still allowing growers to care for their
crops, said Will Stelle, administrator of
NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Region. This
demonstrates that we can find balanced and
workable
solutions
through
collaboration."U.S. EPA, NOAA Fisheries,
California
Department
of
Pesticide
Regulation (CDPR), the California Rice
Commission, and Valent, the manufacturer
of the pesticide thiobencarb, worked to put
these restrictions in place.
The CDPR put in place measures to protect
salmon and steelhead trout based on
proximity to endangered species habitat
according to NOAA Fisheries geographic
locations and information from rice growers.
After reviewing CDPRs data on pesticide
use and the states protective measures,
NOAA Fisheries found that thiobencarb use
on rice in California would not jeopardize
salmon and steelhead trout provided
protective measures currently being applied
in California are ensured.
U.S. EPA is now making Californias
geographic use limits federally enforceable
by incorporating them into the pesticide
label. These use limitations will be effective
April 1, 2015. This action represents U.S.
EPAs first implementation of a NOAA

Fisheries salmon and steelhead trout
Biological Opinion. This action was a result
of litigation brought against U.S. EPA and
NOAA Fisheries by the Washington Toxics
Coalition and the Northwest Center for
Alternatives to Pesticides. NOAA Fisheries
final Biological Opinion for thiobencarb is
at:www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/consultation/opini
ons/biop_thiobencarb.pdf
The protection measures included in the
NOAA Fisheries final Biological Opinion
came from several sources including the
California enforcement standards, the use
limitations on Californias on-line database
that recommends protective measures for
endangered and threatened species and from
the management practices the California
Rice Commission receives from the Central
Valley Regional Water Quality Control
Board.
California is the only state within the range
of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout where
rice is grown. Thiobencarb is typically used
on rice from May 1 through June 15.View
the Thiobencarb use restrictions for
endangered salmon in 14 California counties
where
rice
is
grown
at:www2.epa.gov/endangeredspecies/thiobencarb-use-limitations
For more information on endangered species
protection bulletins visit our BullentinsLive
site
at:www.epa.gov/oppfead1/endanger/bulletin
s.htm
Learn more about EPAs work to restore and
protect the San Francisco Bay Delta
at: http://www2.epa.gov/sfbay-delta

USA Rice Federation
disputes latest arsenic report
11/20/2014 - by Jeff Gelski
ARLINGTON, VA. An executive of the
USA Rice Federation on Nov. 18 said the
federation has not seen any science that
supports new results from Consumer
Reports showing potentially dangerous
arsenic consumption when children eat
rice.Arsenic in our food supply is a
challenging, yet unavoidable, situation,
which is why we support the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration studying the issue
carefully, said Betsy Ward, president and
chief executive officer of the Arlingtonbased USA Rice Federation. But CRs new
consumption
recommendations
arent
supported by any science that weve seen.
Consumer Reports originally released a
report on arsenic in rice in 2012. Most
recently Consumer Reports examined data
released by the F.D.A. in 2013 on the
inorganic arsenic content of 656 processed
rice-containing
products.Consumer
Reports found rice cereal and rice pasta may
have more inorganic arsenic (a carcinogen)
than the 2012 data showed. The new tests
from Consumer Reports showed one serving
of rice cereal or rice pasta could put children
over the maximum amount of rice
that Consumer Reportsrecommends they
have in a week.
Rice cakes supply close to a childs weekly

limit
in
one
serving, Consumer
Reports said. Rice drinks also can be high
in arsenic, and children younger than 5
shouldnt
drink
them
instead
of
milk.Arsenic has two chemical forms:
organic and inorganic. Organic may be less
toxic, according to Consumer Reports.
Regular exposure to small amounts of
arsenic has been shown to increase the risk
of bladder, lung and skin cancer, as well as
heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according
to Consumer Reports.
Scientists from the F.D.A. in 2013
determined the amount of detectable arsenic
is too low in rice and rice product samples to
cause any immediate or short-term adverse
health effects. Ms. Ward said the rice
industry, labs at land grant universities and
the F.D.A. have tested U.S.-grown rice
extensively. The rice has been found to
contain arsenic levels that are below safe
maximum levels established by the World
Health Organization/Food and Agriculture
Organizations Codex Alimentarius.
Consumer Reports also investigated arsenic
levels of different types of rice and other
grains, including gluten-free grains.
Scientists at its Food Safety and
Sustainability Center tested 128 samples of
basmati, jasmine and sushi rice for arsenic.
Results were combined with the results of
2012 tests and F.D.A. data on arsenic in rice
for a total of 697 samples of rice.

Our latest tests determined that the
inorganic arsenic content of rice varies
greatly depending on the type of rice and
where
it
was
grown, Consumer
Reports said. White basmati rice from
California, India and Pakistan and sushi rice
from the U.S. on average has half of the
inorganic arsenic amount of most other
types of rice.All types of rice (except sushi
and quick cooking) with a label indicating
if any, rice packages identify the state where

the rice was grown.
its from Arkansas, Louisiana or Texas or

just from the United States had the highest
levels of inorganic arsenic in the tests. For
instance, white rices from California had
38% less inorganic arsenic than white rices
from other parts of the country.
room. CR should let the F.D.A. continue its

careful scientific evaluation and make the
recommendations to the public.
Brown rice has 80% more inorganic arsenic

on average than white rice of the same type,
according to Consumer Reports. Arsenic
accumulates in the grains outer layers,
which are removed to make white rice.
Brown basmati from California, India or
Pakistan is the best choice since it has about
a third less inorganic arsenic than brown rice
from other areas, according to Consumer
Reports.
Weve seen levels vary from plot to plot

and field to field, he said. So making
blanket statements about one state versus
another is totally unscientific, disingenuous
and misleading. Analyzing toxins in food is
not the same as analyzing which television
gives you the best picture in a well-lit
Consumer Reports also looked at the

inorganic arsenic levels in 114 samples of
non-rice grains. The gluten-free grains
amaranth, buckwheat, millet and polenta or
grits had negligible levels of inorganic
arsenic. Gluten-containing grains bulgur,
barley and farro also had very little arsenic.
Gluten-free quinoa had average inorganic
arsenic levels comparable to those of other
alternative grains, but some samples of
quinoa had quite a bit more.
ECC okays subsidy for rice

growers
November 21, 2014
The USA Rice Federation said it still is

analyzing the newConsumer Reports data
and that if found the regional claims
perplexing.All the tests weve seen show
that levels of inorganic arsenic are lowest in
U.S.-grown rice, regardless of what state it
came from, said Michael Klein, a
spokesperson for the federation.He said few,
Imran Ali Kundi
Islamabad
- The
Economic
Coordination
Committee (ECC)
of the Cabinet on
Thursday approved

to compensate farmers of basmati rice @
Rs5000 per acre for which federal as well as
provincial governments would provide Rs10
billion subsidy.The ECC, which was chaired
by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, has
approved the summary of Ministry of
National Food Security and Research of
giving compensation to the rice farmers.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif already
approved the proposal.
Federal Govt. bore the tariff differential

subsidy and provincial governments were
directed to pay the GST. In todays decision
it was also decided that the GST will be
adjusted against the electricity fee payable to
the provinces. It is also important to mention
that during peak hours agri- tube wells will
not be entitled for power supply.
The top economic decisions making body of

the country, the ECC approved the
compensation to the farmers of basmati rice
@ 5000 per acre subject to the following
provisions: total amount of compensation
may be shared equally among Federal and
provincial governments. The total amount of
subsidy will be around Rs.10 billion. The
compensation will be made to the small
the amount paid in subsidy will be around

Rs22 billion which was around Rs18.5
billion last year but the Federal Government
has taken the decision to support farmers as
with the help of this decision Punjab has
given historic crop of wheat production
19.470 million ton during 2013-14, the Fuel
Price adjustment will also be paid by the
federal government, added the Minister.
growers of 25 acres only. The farmers who

have already received compensation against
crop damage in recent floods in Punjab will
not be eligible to this additional
compensation.
The Federal Minister for Finance said that
Meanwhile, the Committee also considered

and approved the proposal moved by the
Ministry of Water and Power for allowing
The ECC also considered and approved the

policy guidelines under section 21 of the
Ogra Ordinance 2002. According to the
guidelines, Volume pilfered by nonconsumers but detected and determined by
the companies in accordance with Ogra
procedure as provided in rule 30 of Natural
Gas Licencing Rules 2002. Till the
extension of subsidy to the agriculture

consumers @Rs10.35 per unit till 30.6.2015.
According to the earlier decision, Ministers
of W&P and Finance had decided in a
meeting with the representatives of Kissan
Ittehad (in August 2013) to subsidise tariff
for the agriculture consumers whereby the
finalisation of the new tariff regime by Ogra,

the income from non-core activities (LPS,
Meter Manufacturing plant, Royalty from
JJVL and sale of condensate/LPG may also
be provisionally treated as non-operating
income. The provision of doubtful debts
may be determined at the minimum of 1pc

of the sales in line with the prevailing
accounting practices.
The chair and the participants of the meeting
however did not agree to the idea of
volume against minimum billing amount
charged to domestic consumers. The chair
emphatically ordered all the relevant
ministries and authorities to discuss the
proposals in advance and suggest mutually
accepted and well prepared plans to be
accepted by the esteemed forum as this
place is not the place for debate on minor
details.
The chairman also acknowledged and
appreciated the services of Ms. Rukhsana
Shah, federal Secretary of Textile Industry
in preparing the Textile Policy 2014-19, but
gave the Ministry one months period to
review and scrutinise it in detail as
suggested by Minister for Planning.The
ECC also approved the proposal of Ministry
of P&NR to allocate around 110MMCFD of
gas produced in KP to Khaber
Pakhtunkhwa for power generation with the
condition that the gas will be given to PPIB
available to KP only after following the
appropriate procedures laid down in rules
and regulations of the PPIB.
Rice Prices Reverse Recent

Slump After Heavy Rains
By KYAW HSU MON / THE
IRRAWADDY| Friday, November 21, 2014
|
Rice farmers
sow
their
crops
in
western
Burmas
Arakan
State.
(Photo:
Steve
Tickner / The Irrawaddy)
RANGOON Rice prices have pulled back
from a sharp slump in recent days, amidst a
predicted rise in exports and expectations
that recent heavy rains could reduce the size
of this years crop.Prices bottomed out at
US$280 per 100 baskets (about 1.5 tons) in
the middle of October, rising to $380 per
100 baskets this week.Due to the heavy
rains earlier this month, traders thought
there might be a rice shortage in the
market, Chit Khaing, the chairman of the
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF), told The
Irrawaddy on Friday.
Thats why the slumped rice prices have
been increasing in the last few days.Aung
Chan, the owner of a 30-acre paddy field in
Rangoons Mingaladon Township, said that
his paddy production will be less than last
years yields once he finishes harvesting
next month.I expect that the paddy prices
wont decrease next month due to the heavy
rainthere will be less production, which
will increase prices, he said.
The collapse in rice prices came right before
the start of the harvest season, threatening a
severe impact on the livelihood of farmers,
already one of the poorest sectors of
Burmese society.Soe Tun, the chairman of
the Myanmar Farmers Association, said that

his organization had enacted a scheme to
buy paddies at a fixed price above the
market rate to alleviate an impending
production crisisa plan that has now been
rendered unnecessary by the boost to
prices.Prices have increased about 10
percent in the last week [from 350,000 to
380,000K], so farmers will be happy, they
wont want to sell us with our prices, he
said.
China has taken steps this year to regulate
the import of Burmese rice, demanding a
trade agreement guaranteeing that most rice
is milled and meets certain quality and
hygiene
requirements.As
a
result,
warehouses have retained higher than usual
stockpiles of rice, depressing prices to the
levels seen last month.China has long been
one of Burmas biggest customers for rice,
much of which is harvested in Burmas
Irrawaddy Delta and shipped over land
borders in Shan and Kachin States.
A bilateral agreement on rice standards
would allow the MRF to legally export some
200,000 tons of milled rice to China, starting
from early January next year. At the same
time, the MRF has attempted bolster the
market by encouraging a swift conclusion to
the export deal.Weve been encouraging to
China to buy as much as earlier than January
to pull up prices, Chit Khaing said.In
October, the Myanmar Rice Federation
reached an agreement with Indian rice
traders to supply two states in northeastern
India with 240,000 tons of rice per year at
US$400 per ton, although Burmese traders
will incur all costs for transporting the goods
to the Indian border.
The tender for the Indian export deal will

close on Nov. 26. Anticipation over the
commencement of trade, along with the
impending Chinese deal, has buoyed the
market rate for rice this month, according to
Soe Tun.Despite the recent increase, rice
prices are still well below the 2013 season
rate of US$400-450 per 100 baskets.
Chit Khaing said he expects rice prices to
rise to 2013 levels once export arrangements
with China are finalized.A delegation will
come here soon to check the quality of
export rice to China, he said. I hope that
paddy prices will increase as soon as the
China and Myanmar bilateral trade
agreement is a success.According to recent
MRF figures, Burma exported 900,000 tons
of rice to China, Europe, Japan and South
Africa from April to October. The
government has set an export target of 1.5
million tons for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Paddy prices decline 40 percent

on supply glut
Salman Siddiqui
Friday, November 21, 2014
From Print Edition
KARACHI: A pick up in paddy harvest
has weakened its prices to at least 40
percent this season and they are likely to
fall considerably more if the rice millers
further delay buying of the stockpile,
growers said on Thursday.
The price of paddy raw rice has dropped
by Rs1,000/40 kilogram to around Rs1,5001,600/ 40 kilogram against the last years
price of Rs2,500-2,600/40 kg.This is a man
made crisis... a group of paddy buyers is
deliberately delaying the buying, said

Hamid Malhi, president of Basmati Growers
Association.Growers harvest most of the
paddy from the first week of October to end
of November.
Growers, who lack storage facility, have no
other option but to sell it, but buyers
notably the mill-owners and middlemen
are deliberately delaying the buying to
pressurise the growers sell the crop at
throwaway rates, Malhi added.Initially, rice
exporters have halted buying to exploit the
growers. Later, local traders also joined
them and put their buying on hold, he
said.Malhi said local paddy prices should be
steadier due to good demand of rice
internationally. Exporters got an average
price of $1,153/ton last fiscal year of 201314.The price is stable at world markets.He
demanded the government to fix the
minimum export price at the previous year
average export rate of $1,153/ton. This will
help avert such price crisis at the growers
end.The government should also not
intervene through the Trading Corporation
of Pakistan and Pakistan Agricultural
Storage and Supplies Corporation.
The government should immediately
announce subsidy to farmers through
providing subsidised fertilisers, seeds and
diesel for the next crop. And for this year, it
should compensate growers in cash, Malhi
demanded.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has
also taken notice of the situation and has
asked the Ministry of National Food
Security and Research and other authorities
concerned to submit a proposal for
providing subsidy to the paddy growers to
support them.Malhi said the buyers are even
not willing to quote Rs3,200/40 kilogram for
basmati at the wholesale this year, which
was quoted at Rs4,600 to Rs4,800/40
kilogram last year.The country is estimated
to produce 2.2 million tons of basmati this
harvest against the local consumption of one
million tons. Last year, the country exported

around 733,860 tons of aromatic basmati.
Total rice production, including nonbasmati, stands at six million tons.Syed
Javed Shah, another paddy grower in
Ghotki, expressed the hope the prices would
increase in a month or so.
The paddy and rice prices will go up a few
weeks
after
the
completion
of
harvesting.Shah said the average price of
paddy in Ghotki has declined to Rs1,200 /40
kilogram from around Rs2,500/40 kilogram
last year.Farmers, mostly in Sindh, grow
export quality rice, Kaynaat and Kernel, and
Russian basmati, Irri-6 and Irri-9.Shah
demanded the government to announce the
paddy support price like it has been doing
for wheat and sugarcane. Zulfikar Thaver,
president of the Union of Small and Medium
Enterprises, said the farmers are exploited
by the middlemen who finance them on
severe terms and get lien on their crops
before the harvest.Farmers are compelled
to sell their crops to the middlemen and the
millers in haste who drive hard bargains, he
added.
REAP urges government to

facilitate farmers
November 21, 2014
RECORDER REPORT
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan's
(REAP) acting Chairman Mohsin Aziz has
urged the federal government to fully
facilitate the farmers who are one of the
most important stakeholders of the rice
industry. In a statement issued here on
Thursday, he said all the rice exporting
countries are facing tough competition and
prices are on the declining trend. He further
said that this is the market phenomena and
due to the demand supply aspect, we see
such trend in times and have to cope with it.

He urged the government to compensate
farmers in the shape of free seeds, free
pesticides, free water, free fertilizer, free
electricity and other facilities. As farmers
are not equipped with the latest machinery
and due to the mishandling, every year we
have to see crop loss, and we could not get
the right quality of rice.
Millers probed over

adulterated rice
He said, "We are agreeing with the

government to support farmers, but this
should be done through a proper
mechanism". He recalled that in year 2008
Passco had procured 200,000 m/tons rice
with prices higher than the prevailing market
and even after 6 years they could not dispose
off these stocks and ultimately the
government had to face up to Rs 24 billion
loss. He also quoted the example of
Thailand, where the government procured
the rice with high prices and that could not
be materialised and up to 17 million tons of
rice was damaged, as they do not have the
proper storage and warehousing facility and
finally they have to face $30 billion loss to
the
exchequer
SURIN Two millers are being

investigated after pledged rice delivered to
buyers arrived as a mix of two different
varieties. Charoen Pokphand Group, which
won an auction to buy fragrant rice from the
Phoon Phol mill in Muang district and the
Namchai mill in Sangkla district complained
to the Commerce Ministry that it found
white rice mixed with the fragrant rice the
company purchased.Local authorities have
been asked to investigate the case.Col
Ekkaparp Surai, deputy commander of
Surin's Internal Security Operations
Command, said representatives from local
agencies met Thursday to discuss the case
and assess the damage.
He said the government's involvement in

such business activity would be harmful to
the private sector who had invested billion
of rupees to build an infrastructure and
human resources and rice export trade
become the 2nd largest foreign exchange
earner for the country. However, in case of
the government involvement in rice
business, we will lose a heavy foreign
exchange as well as the credibility which the
rice exporters have earned after long hard
working. REAP demanded the government
to give due consideration to the grievances
of the rice industry and give free hand to the
private sector for playing their positive role,
boosting the economy which badly affected
due to certain reasons. He appealed to the
prime minister for sympathetic consideration
in the larger interest of rice industry.
Published: 21 Nov 2014 at 11.21 Online news:

General
Writer: Nopparat Kingkaew
He said CP still had not yet taken delivery of

around 6.7 tonnes of rice from Phoon Phol,
so the company wanted to determine the
exact amount of adulterated rice. Experts
will be sent to check the remaining
stock.The
previous
government
implemented a rice-pledging scheme that
saw stocks auctioned off to both domestic
and foreign buyers. The scheme was
accused of being tainted by huge amounts of
corruption.
Research and Markets: Rice Bran

Oil (CAS 68553-81-1) Market
Research Report 2014
November 21, 2014 11:57 AM Eastern Standard Time
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Sector: Process and Materials
Growing Super Crops:

Conventional or GM?
Aida Akl
Posted November 21st, 2014
A customer stands in a supermarket as a

label of GM-free food is seen in the
foreground in Moscow, Russia, June 22,
2007. (Reuters)

A lot of folks probably dont like their food
messed with, meaning theyd rather not have
carrots cross-bred into pea-carrots, for
example, or potatoes genetically fortified
with nutrients they werent born with. But in
regions like Sub-Saharan Africa or South

Asia, fortified crops can help populations
struggling for survival.Fortified crops are
created either through conventional farming
techniques or genetic modification (GM)
two methods that have enough supporters
and opponents to start a food war. But that is

a topic for next weeks post.
Biofortification, conventionally speaking
Biofortification enables farmers to add
higher levels of micronutrients to staple
crops.
With conventional breeding, the method
uses naturally occurring varieties that have
the desired nutrients, says Yassir Islam,
spokesman for HarvestPlus, a non-profit
group that fights global hunger by enhancing
crops with essential nutrients to populations
in need.Biofortification is getting the plants
to develop [the] capability to do the work
they take up zinc or iron from the soil or
produce Vitamin A, so that the higher levels
of nutrients are already in the crop at
harvest, he said in an email. We focus on
three critical micronutrients that the World
Health Organization has identified the
peoples diets to be most deficient in iron,
zinc, and Vitamin A.
HarvestPlus breeds Vitamin A into maize,
cassava and sweet corn, iron in pearl millet
and beans, and Zinc in wheat and rice. And
the seeds that grow these crops are not
transgenic or genetically modified, says
Islam.The science behind our biofortified
crops is largely confined to conventional
hybridization in fields using conventional
breeding, he said. This is the reason why
our biofortified crops are not controversial
and do not require approval from regulatory
bodies of the governments.

To enhance pearl millet with iron, for
example, scientists single out a strain of
pearl millet with naturally high content of
iron and cross it with other popular or
acclimatized varieties with other desirable
traits, said Islam. This results in new
varieties that are very high in iron, as well as
high-yielding, drought-resistant and diseaseresistant.
Climate tolerance
Biofortification also allows farmers to grow
crops that are better able to withstand
climate change. HarvestPlus grows what
Islam calls climate-smart crops like iron
beans and iron pearl millet.They are heat
and/or drought tolerant, he said. The
orange sweet potato, which is being widely
grown in Africa, is also drought
tolerant.But both types of crops are also
being
developed
through
genetic
modification the more controversial of the
two methods.
An undated handout photo from the

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
shows genetically-modified Golden Rice.
(AFP/IRRI)
Genetic modification
There are 100,000 varieties of rice in the
world and not a single one has any Vitamin A
in the grain. And so the only way you can add
the beta carotene content in rice is
through genetic engineering, said C.S.
Prakash, Professor of Plant Molecular
Genetics at Tuskegee University and a

proponent of genetically-modified foods.
GM can add one or more traits to a crop, with
varying degrees of complexity. Some traits
can only be added with genetic engineering, as
in the case of Golden Rice, which has
enhanced Vitamin A content.
So how long does it take to genetically
engineer a crop trait?
It takes anywhere from 3-10 years, I would
say, because much of it is the time that we are
spending really in testing and in meeting the
regulatory requirements to make sure that this
is safe, said Prakash.
As the technology progresses, he says we can
not only add many traits, but we can also
remember a lot of improvement in nutrition
comes from turning off traits that are not
necessarily good for nutrition, like allergens
and toxins.
In GM lab trials, scientists have enhanced
protein content in crop lines, which are
typically less nutritious than meat-based or
animal-based proteins.
We have ongoing research [to see] how
we can improve the protein quality and also
many other nutrients, including
phytonutrients.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) can
also be manipulated to acquire a degree of
resilience to climate change, making them
more heat-tolerant or flood and drought
tolerant.Drought-tolerance varies, so that a
crop might be engineered to last two weeks

without water, for example. But Prakash says
more research is needed to achieve longer
periods.
In rice-growing areas in the Ganges,
Brahmaputra and Mekong rivers in Southeast
Asia, which are often flooded due to
overflowing rivers, Prakash says the
International Rice Research Institute is
developing flood-tolerant rice using genetic
engineering
and
a
combination
of
conventional technologies.And in regions
where climate change is more acutely felt,
Prakash says there is an increase in pests and
diseases.
Wheat right now is being threatened by a
new race of disease called Ug99, which
originated in Uganda and it is already
spreading beyond and threatening the wheatgrowing areas of Asia, for instance, he said.
And a good resistance might be found in wild
wheat.
the difference between the two methods is

ultimately philosophical, not scientific,
according toRicardo Salvador, Director of
the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit scientific analysis group.That debate is
the subject of next weeks post.
Growing a Second Green

Revolution
The golden rice champion on the
bewildering campaign to stop a miracle food
that could save millions of children from
blindness and death.
KEN FALLIN
By HUGO RESTALL
Nov. 21, 2014 6:39 p.m. ET
Los Baos, Philippines
Robert Zeigler is an environmentalist, but he
is also a plant scientist. And that has led him
He argues that it is faster, but also more

precise to introduce that resistance using
GM.
to question the motives of an environmental
Going forward: conventional or GM?
they are safe.As director general of the
HarvestPlus spokesman Islam suggests the

two methods can continue to co-exist,
although he believes that conventional
breeding is still the fastest way to get the
crops into the hands of farmers as there are
no regulatory hurdles to overcome.
movement that opposes genetically modified

crops despite overwhelming evidence that
International Rice Research Institute, Mr.

Zeigler is pushing the development of
golden rice, a genetically modified variety
that began in the lab about two decades ago.
Geneticists inserted a gene into the rice plant
that allows it to produce beta carotene,
Prakash says the two co-exist without

problems as farmers already grow a mix of
conventional and GMOs on separate lots.But
which makes its grains yellow.

Because the human body converts beta
Greenpeace is petitioning the Philippine
carotene to vitamin A, golden rice has the
government to ban GMOs and promote
potential to dramatically improve the lives
organic farming. The organization says that
of millions of people around the world,
vitamin A deficiency can be tackled with
particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia,
more balanced nutrition and calls golden
where vitamin A deficiency is an especially
rice a Trojan horse designed to overcome
common malady that can cause blindness
public resistance to a dangerous technology.
and increases the risk of death from disease.

Children are particularly vulnerable: An
estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin Adeficient children become blind every year,
half of them dying within 12 months of
losing their sight, according to the U.N.
More than just golden rice is at stake. Total

rice production is stagnant but populations
are growing. Asia badly needs a second
green revolution of increased yieldsMr.
Zeigler estimates that the harvest must
increase to 550,000 tons of milled rice a
World Health Organization.
year by 2035 from 450,000 tons today.One

Golden rice thus sounds like a godsendbut
important way to achieve that is through
dont tell that to activists opposed to
genetic modifications that will produce
anything that falls in the category of
higher-yielding
genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
International Rice Research Institute will be
In August 2013, anti-GMO vandals broke
central to that effort. Founded in 1960 with
into
Research
funding from governments and the Ford and
Institutes research facilities and destroyed
Rockefeller foundations, the IRRI was one
field trials of golden rice.The attack set back
of the leading institutions in the original
the program by only a few months, and Mr.
green revolution of the 60s and 70s.
the
International
Rice
varieties,
and
the
Zeigler still hopes to bring the new variety

to market in the next two to three years. But
the
episode
was
reminder
that
environmental groups will campaign hard to

put political obstacles in his way, and try to
scare farmers and consumers off the yellow
rice.
Transgenic technology is becoming an

important part of its research arsenal.Mr.
Zeigler is an avuncular 63, but he maintains
a grueling schedule. He is just back from
Nepal, where a deal was signed for India,
Bangladesh and Nepal to accept the others

approvals of new rice varieties, and he will
holders stipulated that golden rice could not
give the keynote address at the World Rice
be sold for a profit. While the rice will be
Congress in Bangkok next week. Sitting in
provided
his office, he looks out on rice fields that the
eliminating all profits meant that it would be
institute has cultivated since 1963 to test
excluded from existing marketing and
whether high-yield varieties will exhaust the
distribution channels.Finally there are the
soil (so far so good). Nearby is a refrigerated
extra safeguards imposed on any transgenic
gene bank that holds seed samples of more
crop, even though they are safer than those
than
developed
117,000
rice
varieties
used
in
crossbreeding programs.
to
farmers
using
at
traditional
low
cost,
breeding.
Crossbreeding different rice varieties runs

the risk of creating a weed that cant be
Golden rice is a proof of concept in several

ways, he explains. It started out showing
that you could engineer a relatively
complex trait into a staple food that
killed without destroying the crops it infests,

whereas GM rice can incorporate a single
well-understood gene into an existing
variety.
addressed a major dietary deficiency in

hundreds of millions of people. But on the
Solving the problems facing golden rice will
way to market, golden rice ran into difficulty
demonstrate that publicly funded entities can
not of the radical-protester variety: The
use transgenic technology to enhance food
difficulty and expense of developing a GM
security.
food beyond the lab turned out to be much
like Monsantomake important contributions,
harder than golden rices champions initially
Mr. Zeigler believes governments can play a
understood.For
crucial role when there is no clear business
instance,
the
Philippine
While
companies
government has a well-established process
model.
for assessing rice varieties that are already
Rice is a good example. It is self-pollinating,
approved in other countries.
so farmers can buy a new variety and then

save some of the grain to plant next year.
The IRRI had to work with the authorities to

develop new procedures to certify a GM
crop developed in the country.Then there
was the problem that the original patent-
Some firms sell sterile hybrids, but these

have weaknesses that have confined them to
a small share of production. Rice farmers
have tended to be poor and isolated and

produce on a small scale, hardly an
The
question
is,
will
this
fantastic
appealing market demographic.
technology that has the ability to address so

many serious human needs be limited so that
Yet the returns to society as a whole from
only short-term, high-profit products of the
higher-yielding rice varieties are staggering.
private sector will be enjoyed, or will the
The IRRIs semi-dwarf varieties, including
broader public be able to benefit from
the famous IR8, saved India from famine in
them? Mr. Zeigler asks. And I think its a
the
good
pretty important question. You cant destroy
investment opportunities for the World Bank
the public sectors ability to take advantage
across the region, since they responded well
of this and move it forward and then at the
to better growing conditions. Up went dams
same time complain that its only the
and fertilizer factories, and up went Asian
multinationals that use the technology.
1960s.
And
they
provided
incomes and living standards.

GM food has become a casualty of the
However, about half of Asias rice farmers
anticapitalist ideology of the environmental
were left behind because they tilled marginal
movement, he explains. You see that
land, prone to drought, flooding and other
jingoism used when people talk about
problems. The 1960s breeding technology
corporate farming, it is a code word for
didnt have answers for them. But today the
evil. This obscures the fact that the
rice institute is developing varieties that
fundamental
have better resistance and grow well on
sound.Mr. Zeigler cant resist a comparison
poorer land. That will be one part of a new
to partisans on the right who he says
jump in yields.The environment will also
willfully misrepresent science in a similar
benefit from the second green revolution, as
way: If you strip away the actual words and
crops will require less water, fertilizer and
look at the argument structure, its exactly
pesticides. There will be opportunities to use
the same as the climate-change deniers, he
GM technology to develop new varieties
says, and the anti-fracking people.
science
behind
GM
is
faster and more safelyas long as the green

activists dont succeed in demonizing them.
If youre not tied to the science and the

facts,
you
can
anything.Nevertheless,
say
just
about
the

environmentalists are his main target: This
sectors working on GM food in parallel,
is the thing that drives me crazy. As youve
each focused on what it does best. A
probably figured out, my politics are a little
partnership of that sort underpinned the
bit to the left and I feel that society has roles
original green revolution, but it has been
to play, etc. And to see my former allies just
lost.Thats because the world has become
throwing out any association with fact and
complacent
what Id like to think of as truth, its very
assumption is that grain shortages are a
disheartening because I look at the position
thing of the past and we can concentrate on
of the left on the environment and GMO
better nutrition and how to meet the demand
technology as being totally indefensible.
for meat.
Mr. Zeigler also says that governments
While those are legitimate goals, if we take
need to stop trying to control prices in ways
our eye off the basic staples, we could run
that prevent incentives from reaching the
into trouble, Mr. Zeigler warns.He makes a
farmer. Shortsighted export bans during the
good case that mass starvation is the kind of
spike in food prices in 2008 further
risk
disrupted an already thin and distorted
contingency
market. And he cites the lack of clear
solutions. Even on current trends, the
property rights in many countries as a
International Rice Research Institute has a
deterrent for farmers to invest in their
significant role to play. And if the institute
land.Private companies may also be able to
can get golden rice to market, it will have
take advantage of the telecommunications
forged a key part of the second green
revolution that has put cellphones in the
revolution.
that
about
food
security.
governments
plans
for
should
and
The
make
invest
in
hands of rice farmers.

Mr. Restall is the editorial-page editor of
The kinds of tailored information services
The Wall Street Journal Asia.
that help big American farmers make

decisions based on satellite images and big
data could be provided to small farmers at
little marginal cost.Ideally Mr. Zeigler
would like to see the public and private

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