24th July (Friday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

July 24, 2015
Vol 5 ,Issue VII

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Minister Warns Babus Over PDS Mess
By Express News Service
Published: 24th July 2015 06:19 AM
Last Updated: 24th July 2015 06:19 AM
HYDERABAD: Finance and Civil Supplies minister E Rajender warned that the government
would take stern action against officials, if they are found colluding with the black-marketeers.At
a review meeting on Thursday, Rajender directed the officials to register cases under PD Act
against those who divert essential commodities intended to supply through public distribution
system. If any official is found colluding with the black-marketeers they would have to face
serious action, he said.
Officials informed the minister that they raided on several rice mills in Warangal and seized
1,620 quintals of PDS rice from millers who wanted to divert the same after re-cycling. The
millers were found diverting PDS rice to sell it for higher prices in the open market, the officials
informed.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Minister-Warns-Babus-Over-PDSMess/2015/07/24/article2937382.ece
Japan, U.S. eye compromise on rice ahead of TPP talks

12:38 am, July 24, 2015
The Yomiuri ShimbunNegotiations on raising the ceiling for the volume of rice imported from
the United States the largest remaining issue in Japan-U.S. talks on tariffs in connection with
the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement are approaching a settlement. As negotiations
enter the final phase, Japan and the United States are apparently showing their willingness to
compromise, from the perspective of aiming to achieve a high-level TPP deal at the ministerial
meeting to be held later this month.
Unprepared to leave the rice imports to transactions among private companies, the United States
is asking Japan to guarantee a volume of U.S. rice imports, in an effort to ensure an increase in
the amount. The two countries will speed up the process of last-minute negotiations from now
on.Based on rules set by the World Trade Organization, Japan uses the so-called minimum
access rice system, under which the nation imports a total of 770,000 tons of foreign rice per
year, including 360,000 tons from the United States, without applying a tariff. At present, the
focus of negotiations is to set up a special TPP quota, separate from the minimum access rice
system, and determine the amount by which the rice imports can be boosted.
For the special TPP quota, the United States is also seeking for Japan to guarantee imports of
U.S. rice as an obligation of the Japanese government, in the same manner as the minimum
access rice system.Japan, however, has insisted on leaving the exact volume to be determined by
private companies transactions. Under the Japanese formula, for example, it would be possible
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for the actual import volume to remain at 50,000 tons despite an agreed quota of 80,000 tons.
Therefore, Washington is demanding concessions from Tokyo.Behind this is the fact that
differences in rice prices between Japan and the United States have been reduced due to the
yens continuing depreciation, among other reasons. Therefore, U.S. rice is losing its price-based
appeal for the food service sector and other industries in Japan.Meanwhile, if the Japanese
government agrees to guarantee rice imports, there is a possibility that the United States could
make a concession to reduce the volume of U.S. rice imports. Therefore, from now on, the
Japanese government is likely to explore measures that are advantageous for Japan.
Meeting in Maui
Chief negotiators from 12 countries involved in TPP negotiations will hold a meeting on the
island of Maui in Hawaii from Friday to Monday. Ahead of the ministerial session starting from
Tuesday, where participating countries aim to strike a broad deal at the meeting, chief
negotiators are trying to narrow as much as possible any differences of opinion on intellectual
property rights protections and other matters.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002307131
Ending Rice Importation

24 Jul 2015
Farmers at a rice farm
With the World Banks support for the FADAMA project to increase local capacity, the
importation of rice, a staple food in Nigeria may be a thing of the past. Solomon Elusoji writes
It was the immediate past
Minister for Agriculture, who is
now the President, African
Development Bank (ADB), Dr.
Akinwumi Adesina, who told
Nigerians that about N30
billion have been lost by
Nigeria due to abuse and lack
of transparency in import
waivers on rice importation.
That naturally set the ball
rolling for a total revamp of
that sector of the economy.The
Senate then followed up by
asking the Central Bank of Nigeria to collaborate with the Nigerian Customs Service to retrieve
the N30 billion from the importers who are said to have manipulated due process and evaded the
payment of importation duty.What led to the waiver scandal was the inability of Nigerian rice
farmers to meet local demand for the staple food. Rice could be said to be the most consumed
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staple food in Nigeria today. It is estimated that about N1 billion worth of rice is consumed daily
in Nigeria, and a majority of that is derived from imports.
The rice import bill for Nigeria, which was N123.61 million in 1980, rose to N9.72 billion in the
year 2000. In 2002, Nigeria even ranked among the top six largest world rice importers with total
milled rice import put at 1,251,718 tonnes.There is no doubt that such huge level of demand
provides immense opportunities for the production of rice and other activities along its value
chain. This was the opportunities that foreign countries producing rice have seen and which
informed the off-loading of rice from their stores into the country, what Dr. Adesina described as
rice that has spent decades in the strategic grain reserve of these countries and that is not even
fit for animal consumption.
Adesina has been vociferous in his campaign that locally produced rice is more nutritious.It was
therefore a pleasant step in the right direction when the World Bank, through FADAMA,
identified rice as a priority staple food for support under the $200 million FADAMA III
Additional Financing (AF), which is aimed, among others at ramping up production and
increasing income of farmers operating within the catchment of the selected States and other
production areas engaged in priority staple foods, namely rice, cassava, sorghum, and
horticulture in Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Niger, Enugu and Anambra States.
The details of the implementation arrangement are outlined in the amended Subsidiary
Agreement of the Parent Project satisfactory in form and substance to the Association. The
amended Subsidiary Agreement has to be executed on behalf of the Recipient and the
Participating State concerned, as a condition of disbursement of additional finance in respect of
activities taking place in that those State.Lagos State has been selected for rice production under
the current project because of the success stories of FADAMA parent projects in the state.The
cooperation of the state government in prompt payment of its counterpart funding of the projects,
and the establishment of Eko Rice Mills by the state government at Imota-Ikorodu with a
capacity of 20, 000 metric tons per annum made that happened.
For instance, about 400 farmers are presently being prepared for the rice planting season in
Lagos State under the FADAMA III Additional Finance Project for which the Federal and Lagos
State Governments recently signed a $25 million agreement.Lagos State has a huge market, not
only because of its daily increasing population, but also because the States of South West rely
mainly on the Lagos market for the sales and purchase of agricultural produce. It is therefore the
commendable foresight of the World Bank and the Federal Government to have picked Lagos
State for this special support.
A visit to the Imota factory of Eko Rice Mills, which is producing unpolished rice revealed stateof-the-art equipment in a hygiene and safety-conscious environment. The rice being produced is
very nutritious and is packed in bags of five, 25 and 50 killogrammes. The mill is presently
sourcing materials/paddy from two farm sites in Toga, Badagry and Itokin, all in Lagos State.

www.ricepluss.com
The AF, apart from boosting production and raising income of farmers, is also creating
employment in Lagos and neighbouring States. For example, a 10, 000 hectares of land has been
acquired in Ogun State for rice farming to feed the Eko Rice Mills.
The Lagos State Government has also introduced Rice-for-Job Programme, which is a sort of
empowerment programmes for youths who are encouraged to go into rice farming.Every year,
according to the Management Information System Officer for State FADAMA Office in Lagos,
Mr. Oladipo Azeez, the youths are trained in rice production and at the end of the training they
are supported by FADAMA with technical and financial aids, and advisory services to go into
rice production and to start their own farm. About 3, 000 youths participate in the programme,
while rice plantations have been established in Itokin, Egua, Imota and Badagry on the basis of
one hectare of land per farmer.The Eko Rice Mills, manned by Nigerian Engineers, has been
enjoying the yearly patronage of the Lagos State Government, especially during festive periods.
The patronages from other individuals and organisations have increased tremendously, as the
people have been educated and informed that locally produced rice is more nutritious, better and
even cheaper than the imported rice.
Mr. Azeez remarked: "we dont even know how many years the imported rice has spent in their
stores and how many months on the sea before getting to our markets and finally the consumers.
Our own rice here is farm-fresh. This is last years harvest.
For example, the quality of a pack 500g of imported rice bought from one of the stores, when
tested, was below that of Eko Rice Mills, and worse still, it was sold for N1, 500, whereas the
5kg pack of Eko Rice goes for N1, 000. So, it does make a lot of economic sense to grow,
patronize and consume local rice, just as FADAMA III Additional Financing for Lagos rice
farmers makes a lot of development sense.On the success of FADAMA III, the FADAMA state
coordinator, Foluso Ajijola, noted that many projects were started and completed.
Farmers were supported in the acquisition of productive assets and in their production lines.
Equipment for fisheries, livestock, and crops were purchased to increase farmers activities and
income.Furthermore, fishing equipment, boats and engines were provided for fish farmers to be
able to go to high sea fir fishing, while many of the groups acquired cold rooms to store and
preserve their fishes. One of them is the five tons cold room of Agbelere FCA in Eti Osa LG. We
also have in Epe and other parts, while butchers have also been assisted with cold rooms and
market reconstruction, he said.
Tags: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ending-rice-importation/215444/Featured, Importation, Life, Life and Style, RICE
Pakistan asks Kenya to lower import duty on rice

Facing surplus rice stocks of close to 1 million ton due to falling commodity prices in the
international market, Pakistan has asked Kenya to lower the import duty on Pakistani rice which is
affecting rice exports.Finance Minister Ishaq had a meeting with Kenyan High Commissioner Prof
Julius Kibet Bitok on Thursday. The minister highlighted the issue regarding enhancement in import
duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya and asked for a review of the matter.He said that enhancement of the
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duty was affecting Pakistani rice exports to Kenya. The matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in
Pakistan was also discussed with emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.It is
important to mention that Pakistani exporters use Kenya as a hub for exports to the Africa region.
Pakistani exporters are facing stiff competition from Indian, Thai and Vietnamese exporters.
Pakistan, for the last two years, has not managed to export its surplus rice and this year another
bumper crop of 7 million tons is expected which is estimated to increase the exportable surplus for
current 0.6 million tons to over 1 million tons.The lowering international commodity prices are
impacting the farmer, whose cost of production is estimated around Rs 70,000 per acre but in return
they are getting Rs 36,000 per acre. The government is under pressure to buy the surplus stocks from
the rice mills and export them on government to government basis to protect the farmers.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/07/23/business/pakistan-asks-kenya-to-lower-import-dutyon-rice/
APEDA News India

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 22-07-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2100
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2000
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1800
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
4600
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
5100
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3000
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
4470
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
1890
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2990
Garlic
Ginger
Guar Gum Powder
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 23-07-2015
Domestic Prices
Product
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Cachar (Assam)
Other
2000
2500
Kheda (Gujarat)
Other
1850
3300
Rice

www.ricepluss.com
3
Deogarh (Orissa)
Other
2000
3000
Amirgadh (Gujarat)
Other
1400
1825
Alappuzha (Kerala)
Other
1950
2050
Gumla (Jharkhand)
Other
1950
2500
Jagraon (Punjab)
Other
1800
2000
Shillong (Meghalaya)
Other
2000
2400
Chala (Kerala)
Other
3300
3352
Talalagir (Gujarat)
Other
1500
1540
Chala (Kerala)
Other
1700
1750
Nilagiri (Orissa)
Other
1300
1500
Wheat
Pine Apple
Cucumbar
1
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 23-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
Ahmedabad
332
Chittoor
323
Mysore
310
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 23-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
Potatoes
High
Package: 50 lb cartons
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
23.50
23.50
Chicago
Idaho
Russet
19
22
Detroit
Wisconsin
Russet
21
Cauliflower
21.50
Package: cartons film wrapped
Atlanta
California
White
14
17
Chicago
California
White
15
17
Miami
Mexico
White
16
Grapefruit
16
Package: 7/10 bushel cartons
Atlanta
California
Red
29
29.50
Baltimore
California
Red
23
26
Dallas
California
Red
20
20.75
Source:USDA
Have Scientists Found A Way To Feed The World Without

Warming The Planet?
BY NATASHA GEILING
7
JUL 23, 2015 2:50PM

www.ricepluss.com
CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK
Aside from corn, rice
might be the single most
important staple crop on
Earth. According to the
International Center for
Tropical
Agriculture, more
than
3.5 billion people around
the world depend on rice
for at least 20 percent of
their daily caloric intake.
But rice is also a major
source of methane, a
potent greenhouse gas
thats more effective, at
least in the short term, at
trapping heat than carbon
dioxide.
Now, scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences think theyve found a
solution: a high-yielding, low-methane type of rice that can cut methane emissions from rice
cultivation by up to 90 percent.To create the starchy, climate-friendly rice, the scientists
transferred a single gene from barley to rice that stimulates the production of starch in grain and
stems. According to the study, published this week in Nature, previous research has shown that
rice plants with smaller root systems tended to expel less methane than plants with larger roots,
and the scientists hoped that by emphasizing starch growth in the stems and grains, the rice
plants would naturally grow smaller root systems. Root systems in rice secrete the carbohydrates
created by photosynthesis when rice paddies are flooded, the oxygen-devoid environment
provides the perfect breeding ground for methane-producing bacteria that feed on these
carbohydrates. By reducing the size of the rice plants roots, the scientists hoped that they could
curb the amount of methane produced in the fields.
To test how the modified rice plants fared in the real world, the scientists planted the rice in two
different fields in China, alongside conventional rice, which served as a benchmark. Over three
years, they measured the methane emitted by the plants in the fall and summer, near the end of
the growing season. They also took measurements of starch content in the plants stems, roots,
and seeds.
They found the modified rice plants extremely effective at producing starch and curbing methane
emissions. In the summer, when temperatures were highest, the modified rice cut methane
emissions to 0.3 percent of conventional rice. On average, the modified rice produced less than
10 percent the methane of conventional rice, while providing 43 percent more grain per
plant.In an essay in Nature that accompanied the studys publication, Paul Bodelier, a researcher
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www.ricepluss.com
at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology who was not directly involved with the study, called the
findings a tremendous opportunity for more-sustainable rice cultivation, but cautioned that
large-scale trials are necessary before moving forward with full-scale commerical use. Without
more trials, Bodelier wrote, its difficult to know how the genetic modification impacts the rice
cultivars long-term chances for survival. Its also important to study how the plants root system
impacts microbes in the soil microbes that themselves contribute to the production and
consumption of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bruce Linquist, a plant scientist at the University of
California at Davis, echoed Bodeliers sentiment. The research is too preliminary to know for
sure how the genetic modification impacts methane production, Linquist said, and there is some
concern that smaller root systems might impact the plants ability to take up nutrients.Even if
further trials prove the efficacy of the modified rice, it faces huge hurdles in order to become
commercially viable. Largely in response to public distrust of genetically modified foods, no
genetically modified rice has ever been successfully used in commercial production. Golden
rice a genetically modified strain of rice that contains beta carotene to combat malnutrition in
developing countries was ready for full-scale use in 2002, but has faced staunch
opposition that has kept it from market for over a decade.
Despite public distrust a January poll conducted by Pew found that 57 percent of
Americansthink genetically modified foods are generally unsafe to eat nearly all scientific
evidence suggests that genetically modified foods pose no threat to human health.There is some
concern, however, about the environmental impact of genetically modified foods. Crops like
Roundup-resistant soy or corn have led to a marked increase in the use of herbicides in the
United States, though some studies have also shown that genetically modified crops have led to a
decrease in the use of some pesticides. Since the low-methane strain of rice isnt bred to be
herbicide or pesticide resistant, this most likely wont be an issue with this particular strain
though the way that its root-system interacts with microbes in the soil is something to watch.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/23/3683754/gmo-rice-climate-change/
IIRR scientist nominated to FAO panel on soils

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has nominated Brajendra,
working with Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), as one of the 27 top global soil experts to
the panel of UNFAO-GSP Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS).Project Director
of ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, V. Ravindra Babu, said on Thursday that the third
plenary assembly held at FAO headquarters from June 22 to 24 has nominated Mr. Brajendra
here for a period of two years. The scientist has also been invited by UNFAO from Asia to
participate in the ITPS meeting to be held at Rome, Italy, from September 14 to 18 this year for
developing global soil partnerships pillars of action.Working as a senior scientist with IIRR here,
Mr. Brajendra has more than 15 years experience in research, developing soil technologies, soil
extension and popularising the sciences among the masses and making it accessible to the
common people, Mr. Ravindra Babu stated.
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Post Comment
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/iirr-scientist-nominated-to-fao-panel-on-soils/article7459055.ece
Unlocking rice immune system will benefit humanity: Scientists

Washington, July 25 (IANS): Rice is a staple food for half of the world's population. To protect it against
deadly pathogens, a team of researchers has identified a bacterial signal that, when recognised by rice
plants, enables them resist a devastating blight disease.The team discovered that a bacterial protein called
RaxX activates a specific rice immune receptor protein named XA21.This activation triggers an
immune response against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that causes bacterial blight, a
serious disease of rice crops.
"Our results show that 'RaxX' - a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein - is required for
activation of immunity to Xoo, said Pamela Ronald, plant geneticist for the US Department of Energy
(DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and the University of California (UC) Davis.XA21 can detect
RaxX and quickly mobilise its defenses to mount a potent immune response against Xoo."Rice plants that
do not carry the XA21 immune receptor or other related immune receptors are virtually defenseless
against bacterial blight, Ronald added in a paper that appeared in the journal Science Advances.
Pathogens of grass-type biofuel crops that would reduce the yield of fuel-producing biomass likely use
similar infection mechanisms to Xoo."Having identified the activator of XA21, we will be able to study
the rice immune system in far greater detail than ever before. This might help in the future engineering of
more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops, explained Benjamin Schwessinger, a grass geneticist
with JBEI.Most plants and many animals can only defend themselves against a given disease if they carry
specialised immune receptors that sense the invading pathogen behind the disease.Rice is also a model
plant for perennial grasses which are prime feedstock candidates for the production of clean, green and
renewable cellulosic biofuels.
Just as bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice crops, bacterial infections of grass-type fuel plants
could present major problems for the future production of advanced biofuels.In addition to its
implications for future grass-type biofuel feedstocks, unlocking the rice immune system also holds
important implications for the worldwide supply of rice, the authors concluded.
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=338819
If moral, political and scientific obstacles can be surpassed,

then this is a breakthrough
By NEOnline | IR
When a new variety of rice is announced, activists in Europe brace for a new fight against
Genetically Modified Foods and US manufacturers seek for a new market, preferably in Asia and
Africa. On Wednesday, the announcement was made in Paris by a team of Chinese, Swedish and
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www.ricepluss.com
US scientists, and everyone was willing to listen.Rice is a staple favored in some of the most
demographically expanding countries in the world. Billions of people eat rice, every day,
thousands of tons of it. This particular varietys claim to fame is not merely that it promises to
feed more people, which it does.
This rice is good for the environment. In fact, it may be the single most important breakthrough
in the fight against global warming made in years, if politics, the ethical argument, and science
will allow (in that order). This rice emits less methane.The key are starchier grains that on the
one hand are more nutritious and, on the other, they can curb global warming. Rice emits
methane, a gas that makes up 16% of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.
Unlike coal, methane dies out faster once released to the atmosphere, but traps far more heat on
the Earths surface whilst up there.
Each year, rice paddies emit 25 to 100 million tones of methane. And as human grow more and
more of the staff each year, rice is turning into a climate liability of unbelievable
proportions.Since 2002, it was noted that the bulkier the grain of the rice plant, the less methane
emitted. Apparently, that is because starchier rice grains mean allow for less carbon to
transferred to the soil, where it is turned into methane via decomposition. Plants left to rot, stink.
Rather than focusing on farming practices, the scientists are now focusing on the rice itself. The
key, apparently was the addition of a barley gene, giving rise to a strain dubbed SUSIBA 2.
Three year of experimental cultivation in China indicates the strain emits significantly less
methane.As always, this groundbreaking discovery comes with ethical issues to be addressed.
It is as yet unknown how the spread of this seed could affect rice plant survival and there is the
perennial issue of how safe GM crops are for human consumption. In addition, it is unknown
whether lowering the rate of carbon transferred to the ground by rice affects the ecosystem
otherwise.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/rice-against-climate-change/
Unlocking the rice immune system

Joint BioEnergy Institute study identifies bacterial protein that is key to protecting rice
against bacterial blight
DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY
IMAGE: RICE IS A STAPLE FOR HALF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AND THE
MODEL PLANT FOR GRASS-TYPE BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCKS.
CREDIT: PHOTO BY ROY KALTSCHMIDT, BERKELEY LAB
A bacterial signal that when recognized by rice plants enables the plants to resist a devastating
blight disease has been identified by a multi-national team of researchers led by scientists with
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and the University of
11

www.ricepluss.com
California (UC) Davis.The research team discovered that a tyrosine-sulfated bacterial protein
called "RaxX," activates the rice immune receptor protein called "XA21." This activation
triggers an immune response against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that
causes bacterial blight, a serious disease of rice crops."Our results show that RaxX, a small,
previously undescribed bacterial protein, is required for activation of XA21-mediated immunity
to Xoo," says Pamela Ronald, a plant geneticist for both JBEI and UC Davis who led this study.
"XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its defenses to mount a potent immune response
against Xoo. Rice plants that do not carry the XA21 immune receptor or other related immune
receptors are virtually defenseless against bacterial blight."Ronald, who directs JBEI's grass
genetics program and is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology, is one of
two corresponding authors of a paper describing this research in Science Advances, along with
Benjamin Schwessinger, a grass geneticist with JBEI's Feedstocks Division at the time of this
study and now with the Australian National University. The paper is titled "The rice immune
receptor XA21 recognizes a tyrosine-sulfated protein from a Gram-negative bacterium." (See
end of story for a complete list of authors.)
Rice is a staple food for half the world's population and a model plant for perennial grasses, such
as Miscanthus and switchgrass, which are prime feedstock candidates for the production of
clean, green and renewable cellulosic biofuels. Just as bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice
crops, bacterial infections of grass-type fuel plants could present major problems for the future
production of advanced biofuels. However, the mechanisms by which bacteria infect such
12

www.ricepluss.com
grasses is poorly understood."Pathogens of grass-type biofuel crops that would reduce the yield
of fuel-producing biomass likely use similar infection mechanisms to Xoo," says Schwessinger.
"Having identified the activator of XA21, we will be able to study the rice immune system in far
greater detail than ever before.
As rice is the model for grass-type biofuel feedstocks, this might help in the future engineering
of more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops."Most plants and many animals can only
defend themselves against a given disease if they carry specialized immune receptors that sense
the invading pathogen behind the disease. In 2009, Ronald and her group identified a small
bacterial protein they named "Ax21" as the molecular key that binds to the XA21 receptor to
activate a rice plant's immune response. Diligent follow-up research by her group led to Ronald
retracting these results and continuing the search for the true key.
"We were ecstatic with our results in 2009 because identifying the molecule that XA21
recognizes provides an important piece to the puzzle of how the rice plant is able to respond to
infection," Ronald says, "but then it was back to the drawing board. Now we have the real XA21
activator."To uncover the true XA21 activator, Ronald and her collaborators studied mutations
around an operon known as "RaxSTAB." Operons are small groups of genes with related
functions that are co-transcribed in a single strand of messenger RNA."We hypothesized that the
activator of XA21 might be encoded in the proximity of the molecular machinery that we already
knew was involved in production of the activator," says Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's
research group and a co-lead author with Schwessinger of the Science Advances paper.
"One of these bacterial mutants had a deletion of a then unknown gene, now called raxX."Adds
Schwessinger, "When we looked more closely in this operon region we identified raxX as a
potentially expressed gene. This small gene stuck out as it was very well conserved in other
Xanthomonas that encode RaxSTAB but not conserved in any other bacteria that miss this
operon."In addition to its implications for future grass-type biofuel feedstocks, the revelation of
RaxX as the bacterial molecule that triggers the XA21-mediated immune response also holds
important implications for the worldwide supply of rice. The research team has shown that a
number of strains of the blight bacteria can evade XA21-mediated immunity because they
encode a variant of raxX alleles.
"Like prescribing the best vaccination for the flu each season by monitoring which flu strains are
going to be the most prevalent, it should be possible to screen wild Xoo populations in the ricegrowing regions of Asia and Africa for whether they encode RaxX alleles that are recognized by
XA21," says Schwessinger. "We can then inform farmers which rice varieties will be resistant to
those bacterial populations."Schwessinger also notes that several major human diseases involve
tyrosine-sulfated proteins, including HIV. However the precise role of tyrosine sulfation in
receptor binding and cell invasion is not understood."Understanding the RaxX/XA21 ligandreceptor pair might help medical researchers better understand the role of tyrosine sulfation for
receptor binding in human disease," Schwessinger says. "This could lead to the development of
novel components that block the binding of specific tyrosine-sulfated proteins."
###
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This research was supported by both the DOE Office of Science, the National Institutes of
Health, and the Human Frontier Science Program.In addition to Ronald, Schwessinger and Pruitt,
other co-authors of the Science Advances paper were Anna Joe, Nicholas Thomas, Furong Liu,
Markus Albert, Michelle Robinson, Leanne Chan, Dee Dee Luu, Huamin Chen, Ofir Bahar,
Arsalan Daudi, David De Vleesschauwer, Daniel Caddell,Weiguo Zhang, Xiuxiang Zhao, Xiang
Li, Joshua Heazlewood, Deling Ruan, Dipali Majumder, Mawsheng Chern, Hubert Kalbacher,
Samriti Midha, Prabhu Patil, Ramesh Sonti, Christopher Petzold, Chang Liu, Jennifer Brodbelt
and Georg Felix.Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent
scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new
materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe.
Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes.
The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office
of Science. For more, visithttp://www.lbl.gov.DOE's Office of Science is the single largest
supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to
address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the
Office of Science website atscience.energy.gov/.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/dbnl-utr072415.php
Beating hunger: This Emirati farmer shows how to grow

rice in the desert
Using hydroponics, Emirati farmer unveils exciting solution to curb hunger -- by growing rice,
pineapple, papayas, nectarines, oranges, black and blueberries and grapes without soil
Image Credit: WAM
Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri shows a rice variety he is growing using
hydroponics. He is one of exhibitors at the on-going Liwa Dates Festival 2015, an agricultural
event which ends on July 30.
PUBLISHED: 19:55 JULY 24, 2015
STAFF REPORTER
Western Region: Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri has demonstrated his amazing
green thumb by growing rice in the desert.On Friday, he exhibited an exciting experiment that
could potentially help beat hunger especially in the world's arid regions. He is planting rice in his
farm in Liwa, an oasis in the UAE's south-western region.And his new experiment is starting to
bear fruit using a water-efficient farming method called hydroponics.Al Mansouri has been
growing vegetables and fruits too, which he brought for everyone to see at the on-going Liwa
Dates Festival 2015, an annual event which ends on July 30.The Emirati farmer had been using
hydroponics to grow vegetables for years.Hydroponics is a branch of hydro-culture which
14

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employs a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions directly in water -- without
soil, according to the official agency WAM.
Many commercial farms in the UAE had been using
hydroponics for decades now to grow everything from
strawberries to celery for both local and export markets.But Al
Mansouri has now taken it to higher pitch -- by demonstrating
he can also grow and harvest rice too -- potentially helping
solve land and water scarcity for the cultivation of rice.The
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Los
Banos, Philippines, estimates that up to 20 million hectares of
irrigated rice fields may suffer from water scarcity by
2025.Japanese researchers at the Chiba University estimate that global production of rice, a
staple for much of Asia, must increase by more than 50 per cent before 2050 to satisty an
expected spike in demand by the world's growing population.
Experiment
The Emirati farmer said he started his experiments
back in 2010 by planting various types of
vegetables and other plants in his Liwa farm.As the
experiments proved to be a complete success, Al
Mansouri decided to grow the vegetables in
commercial quantities.At the festival, Al Mansouri
is exhibiting other fruits which he grew using the
same method -- such as pineapples, papayas,
nectarines, oranges, black and blue berries and
grapes.
Then he started planting rice and is now exhibiting
his hydroponic rice product samples at the agroindustrial event.Al Mansouri's passion for
hydroponics makes him believe this modern food
production method could be used on a much larger
scale over the coming years, through the use of a
smart irrigation system.He also urged other farmers
to try and use it. "Some farmers," Al Mansouri said,
"believe this method is complicated and costly ... and
that is not true."Hay from rice could also potentially
boost local production of animal fodder, which could help the local dairy industry.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/beating-hunger-this-emirati-farmer-shows-how-to-grow-ricein-the-desert-1.1555586
Huge rice import alarming, say lawmakers

15

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A vendor sells varieties of rice at a retailer shop in Makati, Metro Manila in the Philippines. The Philippines,
one of the worlds biggest rice importers, could ship in more to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices
stable because of an El Nino dry weather pattern now forecast to last until next year, potentially hurting the
local
harvest.
10:37 PM 24 July2015
The Aquino administration has imported an alarming 2.1mn metric tonnes (MT) of rice this year
alone that would reduce prices of farm-gate palay (unhusked rice) to the detriment of farmers,
lawmakers said yesterday.Party-list Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate made
the warning in House Resolution 2231, which calls on the House Committee on Agriculture and
Food and the Special House Committee on Food Security to conduct a joint inquiry, in aid of
legislation, into the excessive importation of rice by the National Food Authority (NFA)
Council.The 2.1mn MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down into 500,000 MT procured by the
NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two rounds of government-to-government
transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the lean season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200
MT private sector imports from the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT
delivered this year from 2014 MAV.
The 805,200 MT private sector imports from the MAV came from China, India, Pakistan,
Australia, El Salvador, Thailand and Vietnam, among others, with the biggest chunk of 293,000
MT sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.The 2.1mn MT in rice import for 2015 is
highly irregular and doubtful. Excessive importation jeopardises the livelihood of our farmers
nationwide. In fact, even the NFA admitted that importation would surely cause the farm-gate
prices of palay to go down from its current price pegged at P17 per kilo, the resolution of the
lawmakers from Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan Muna said the NFA made matters worse by
16

www.ricepluss.com
merely procuring 7,789 MT of palay for January-October 2014, a steep decline from the 365,582
MT palay procured in 2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department of Agricultures
National Rice Programme said the NFA should at least buy 1mn MT of palay from farmers to
ensure the stability of farm-gate prices.It is rather incomprehensible that the NFA managed to
[procure] excessive amounts of imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from
buying more palay from farmers due to lack of funding, Bayan Muna pointed out.
The government did not even assure farmers that they would take necessary measures to
stabilise the prices to ensure food security. Hence, should this excessive importation continue,
the public will be expecting another round of price hikes not only of rice, but other
commodities, the lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the Aquino
administration has been marred by low rice distribution based on NFA records.From a total rice
distribution of 1.7mn MT in 2010, the NFA only distributed 1.9 MT in 2011, 766,000 MT in
2012, 758,000 MT in 2013 and 1.2 mn MT in 2014.Rice distribution is the capacity of the
government to judiciously disperse stocks, thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in
critical areas of the country.
This means that despite the Aquino administration attaining record-setting importation volumes,
the consuming public did not benefit from the same, Colmenares and Zarate said.It is the
primordial duty of Congress to partake in measures or actions that would ensure not only food
security to the public but also their protection from those who try to abuse our resources.
President Benigno Aquino 3rd himself questioned the excessive importation of rice during the
Arroyo administration. And yet, the situation worsened during his term, the two lawmakers
added.
http://www.gulf-times.com/asean-philippines/188/details/448559/huge-rice-import-alarming,-saylawmakers
U.S. Sells Rice to Iran

ARLINGTON, VA -- In the weekly sales report released
Room for U.S. rice
yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was
announced that 60,000 MT of long grain rice was sold to Iran. The last shipment of U.S. rice to
Iran was in May 2013, a year in which the U.S. exported 126,000 MT of rice to that
country. U.S. sanctions toward Iran, like in Cuba, has an exception for food, but requires
licenses be obtained from the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control to complete
sales.
17

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This sale follows closely on the heels of a similar 60,000 MT sale to Iraq, which was the result of
significant efforts and engagement of USA Rice with the U.S. State Department, the U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq, and the Foreign Agricultural Service."These sales could not have come at a
better time for rice farmers and the rice milling industry," said Betsy Ward, USA Rice President
& CEO. "With the current market situation, any added demand is most welcome."
Contact: Jim Guinn (703) 236-1474
USA Rice Meets with Taiwan Government Officials and USDA

about Rice Imports
Michael Rue
TAIPEI, TAIWAN -- Last week, Michael Rue, California rice producer
and chairman of USA Rice's Asia Trade Policy Subcommittee, and USA
Rice COO Bob Cummings met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Foreign Agricultural Service employees stationed in Taiwan and with
officials from Taiwan's Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) and the
Ministry of Economic Affairs to discuss ongoing concerns about access for
U.S. rice in Taiwan.When Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization,
officials agreed to import 64,634 MT (brown basis) of U.S. rice annually.
Approximately 45 percent is imported directly by AFA and the remainder
is purchased under a Simultaneous Buy-Sell system managed by AFA
officials.
Import tenders for U.S. and other origin rice often fail because the offered prices exceed a price ceiling
set by AFA. "We continued our discussion with AFA about the non-transparent nature of the price ceiling
mechanism and the problems this causes Taiwan in fulfilling its WTO obligations," said Michael Rue.
Taiwan did agree to hold an annual rice technical meeting with USA Rice members. Taiwan officials
18

www.ricepluss.com
also expressed interest in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement following completion of
negotiations among the current 12 participants, including the United States.
Contact: Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for July 24
Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015
$11.045
- $0.065
November 2015
$11.310
- $0.065
January 2016
$11.580
- $0.065
March 2016
$11.780
- $0.065
May 2016
$11.970
- $0.065
July 2016
$11.970
- $0.065
September 2016
$11.980
- $0.065
Researchers use test plots to adapt recommendations

Bruce Schultz7:02 p.m. CDT July 23, 2015
(Photo: Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter))

CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
19

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RAYVILLE The differences in growing rice in north and south Louisiana create the need for
researchers to study how farmers can adapt their practices to fit the varied environments, an LSU
AgCenter expert said recently.Speaking at the Northeast Louisiana rice field day, LSU AgCenter
rice breeder Steve Linscombe said test plots on farmers land help test potential rice varieties to
see how the perform in different settings with varying soil types and climates.The field day was
held at the Woodsland Plantation south of Rayville where Linscombe has a series of test
plots.Among the rice included in the test plots are two lines that could become varieties this year,
he said.The line LA2134 has a yield potential similar or perhaps higher than CL151 with better
grain quality, better lodging resistance and more blast disease resistance, he said.
A seed increase grown in Puerto Rico has been planted in a 20-acre field at the LSU AgCenter
Rice Research Station near Crowley.Also up for consideration as a release is a medium-grain
line, LA2008, he said.Blast is a problem for some growers this year, although it is not as bad as
in 2012, Linscombe said. The severity may have been reduced this year because farmers are
using fungicides more effectively.Bacterial panicle blight has been found in the varieties CL111
and Jazzman 2, Linscombe said. Sheath blight problems are about average.Check-off funds paid
by farmers are essential for rice research and to buy equipment researchers need to do their work,
Linscombe said.
These check-off funds are extremely valuable to bring new technology to the station.The new
rice breeder at the station, Adam Famoso, said he wants to use technology to screen new rice
lines earlier in the breeding process to obtain desired traits and to eliminate unwanted
characteristics.AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said this years growing season will be
remembered for heavy rainfall that kept soil wet and interfered with fertilizer applications.Preflood nitrogen has to go out on dry ground, or youre going to lose much of that nitrogen,
Harrell said.AgCenter entomologist Sebe Brown said keeping levees clear of weeds can slow the
migration of stink bugs into a field.
20

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Acephate cannot be used legally for stink bugs, and traces of the pesticide found on rice can be
rejected by overseas buyers.Stink bugs probably will become resistant to pyrethroids eventually,
Brown said. Its not if, but when.Rogers Leonard, AgCenter program leader for plants and
soils, said the recent legislative session ended with a resolution of a potential funding crisis that
could have led to closures of AgCenter research stations and parish extension offices.Leonard
credited legislators for realizing the potential for disaster and voted for items they disliked to
prevent the drastic action. We will try to thank them as much as we can
http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/louisiana/2015/07/23/researchers-use-test-plots-adaptrecommendations/30596725/?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+July+24%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C
+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email
Huge rice importation alarming lawmakers

July 24, 2015 11:45 pm
by LLANESCA T. PANTI, REPORTER
The Aquino administration has imported an alarming 2.1 million metric tons (MT) of rice this
year alone that would reduce prices of farm-gate palay (unhusked rice) to the detriment of
farmers, lawmakers said on Friday.Party-list Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate
made the warning in House Resolution 2231, which calls on the House Committee on
Agriculture and Food and the Special House Committee on Food Security to conduct a joint
inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the excessive importation of rice by the National Food
Authority (NFA) Council.
The 2.1 million MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down into 500,000 MT procured by the
NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two rounds of government-to-government
transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the lean season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200
MT private sector imports from the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT
delivered this year from 2014 MAV.The 805,200 MT private sector imports from the MAV
came from China, India, Pakistan, Australia, El Salvador, Thailand and Vietnam, among others,
with the biggest chunk of 293,000 MT sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.The 2.1
million MT in rice import for 2015 is highly irregular and doubtful. Excessive importation
jeopardizes the livelihood of our farmers nationwide.
In fact, even the NFA admitted that importation would surely cause the farm-gate prices of palay
to go down from its current price pegged at P17 per kilo, the resolution of the lawmakers from
Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan Muna said the NFA made matters worse by merely procuring
7,789 MT of palay for January-October 2014, a steep decline from the 365,582 MT palay
procured in 2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department of Agricultures National Rice
Program said the NFA should at least buy one million MT of palay from farmers to ensure the
stability of farm-gate prices.It is rather incomprehensible that the NFA managed to [procure]
excessive amounts of imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from buying
more palay from farmers due to lack of funding, Bayan Muna pointed out.
21

www.ricepluss.com
The government did not even assure farmers that they would take necessary measures to
stabilize the pricesto ensure food security. Hence, should this excessive importation continue, the
public will be expecting another round of price hikes not only of rice, but other commodities,
the lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the Aquino administration has been
marred by low rice distribution based on NFA records.From a total rice distribution of 1.7 MT
million in 2010, the NFA only distributed 1.9 MT in 2011, 766,000 MT in 2012, 758,000 MT in
2013 and 1.2 million MT in 2014.Rice distribution is the capacity of the government to
judiciously disperse stocks, thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in critical areas of the
country.
This means that despite the Aquino administration attaining record-setting importation volumes,
the consuming public did not benefit from the same, Colmenares and Zarate said.It is the
primordial duty of Congress to partake in measures or actions that would ensure not only food
security to the public but also their protection from those who try to abuse our resources.
President [Benigno] Aquino [3rd] himself questioned the excessive importation of rice during the
Arroyo administration. And yet, the situation worsened during his term, the two lawmakers
added.
http://www.manilatimes.net/huge-rice-importation-alarming-lawmakers/203231/
NFA, groups to keep monitoring rice prices

By Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 24, 2015 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) it will continue to work with
groups that have been helping the agency monitor rice prices.We are grateful for the support of
concerned groups and individuals who have partnered with us to monitor rice prices. The tips we
have received have helped us to identify which areas require more supplies and which do not,
NFA administrator Renan Dalisay said yesterday.Dalisay noted that rice prices have remained
stable at the onset of the lean season.Rice inflation has fallen to 2 percent from a high of 14
percent in August 2014.
A kilo of regular milled rice now retails for P37.30, P1.60 lower than the average prices in
January.Dalisay said an NFA project called Bantay Bigas has allowed the NFA to coordinate
with all the other stakeholders including, but not limited to, farmers, millers, consumer groups,
retailers, local government units and civil society.The NFA has personnel but like most
government agencies, our resources are limited. With volunteer groups like Kaya Natin, were
able to cover more areas and have more eyes and ears on the ground, he said..The project has
encouraged other civil society groups, youth groups and local government units to participate in
efforts to ensure that rice remains affordable and accessible to every Filipino.Such programs are
part of the NFAs reform agenda, aptly named BIGAS, which hopes to involve the community
and other sectors in NFAs various activities, Dalisay added.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/24/1480403/nfa-groups-keep-monitoring-rice-prices
22

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Group warns against importing more rice
Agri-Commodities
by Mary Grace Padin - July 24, 2015
A non-governmental organization (NGO) on Friday warned the National Food Authority (NFA)
against pushing through with its plans to import more rice under the so-called minimum-access
volume (MAV) scheme.The Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) said allowing the private
sector to bring in an additional 805,200 metric tons (MT) of rice under MAV would be
disastrous for local rice farmers.We all know that oversupply of imported rice will spell the
death of livelihood for our local rice farmers. The traders will exploit this situation to drive the
farm gate prices of palay at its lowest possible rate, Lead Convenor of R1 Aurora Regalado said
in a statement.
The NFA has already imported a total of 750,000 MT of rice earlier this year. Including the
250,000 MT reserve volume on standby, the 805,200 MT private-sector importation under the
MAV scheme, and the 300,000 MT of rice imported under MAV in December last year, this
adds up to a total of 2.1 million MT of rice-importation plan for 2015.Rice imports that fall
within the MAV are slapped a lower tariff of 35 percent.NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay
said the government has not yet decided on putting on hold its purchase of an additional 250,000
MT of rice from foreign sources. The government is also not suspending the rice-importation
scheme under MAV.
As of now, the importation under MAV will push through. Based on my own estimate, private
traders have applied for permits to bring in some 200,000 MT, Dalisay said in a text message to
BusinessMirror.Dalisay said the NFAs total rice inventory is currently at 773,038 MT, which is
sufficient for 25 days. He said this is below the 30-day buffer stock, which the NFA must
maintain during the lean months of July, August and September.For the week ending July 17, the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said prices of regular-milled and well-milled rice remain
stable.Prices were generally stable although movements in two trading centers were noted,
thereport read.
In Tacloban City, PSA data showed that the price per kilo of well-milled and regular-milled rice
dropped by P2 each. The report also noted that the prices of special rice and premium rice
declined by P5 per kilo and P1 per kilo, respectively.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/group-warns-against-importing-more-rice/
Ministry postpones |the auction of rotten rice to next month

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI,THE NATION July 25, 2015 1:00 am
THE COMMERCE Ministry has postponed until next month a planned auction of Grade C
(rotten) rice for industrial use, to ensure this lot has not been mixed up with good-quality rice
that would demand a better price.Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said the
ministry would delay open bidding for 1.29 million tonnes of rotten rice in the government
stocks for a couple weeks.
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However, the ministry will maintain its plan to auction 450,000 tonnes of good-quality rice by
late July to increase the market supply as the drought cuts production.The ministry is cooperating
with the Thailand Development Research Institute, the National Farmers Council, and rice
surveyors to inspect the government's rice stocks.The ministry will set up a team to ensure that
no Grade C rice finds its way into batches meant for human consumption.
Given the high demand for rice amid the drought, the Commerce Ministry is confident that
Thailand will be able to export a total of 10 million tonnes this year as it expects rising demand
in many markets.In an upcoming trade mission to South Africa, the ministry will witness the
signing of a rice-purchase contract for the supply of about 700,000 tonnes from Thailand this
year.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Ministry-postpones-the-auction-of-rotten-rice-to-n30265182.html
Thai Commerce Ministry Set To Revise Exports Expectation

HANOI, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Thailand Ministry of Commerce is set to adjust the 2015
exports projection due to the global economy's uncertain recovery, and has ordered the
Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) to communicate with private companies on the release of instock rice, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).The Minister of Commerce Gen Chatchai
Sarikulya has revealed that the Ministry will be revising this year's exports growth projection
down from previous forecast at 1.2 per cent, as Thai exports are still overshadowed by the
uncertainty of the global economy.
New projections will be concluded by next week.Regarding the government's release of in-stock
rice, the Commerce Minister has said that the DFT has been ordered to communicate with the
millers associations and exporters to discuss the plan's scope, in order to push the total exports of
Thai rice this year over 10 million tonnes.The principles for the release of 400,000-500,000
tonnes of good quality rice will be announced next week, while the ministry is also compiling the
principles for the release of another 1.29 million tonnes of poor quality rice to the industrial
sector.
Regarding claims by rice exporters stating that the purchasing price of rice in the market that
should be higher than the current price, the Minister of Commerce has said that the DFT has
been ordered to verify factual information on this matter, but he believes that the current price of
9,000 THB (US$285) per tonne is the proper price, in line with market mechanisms.He said that
the price of rice will continue to increase, but much of this depends on the market's demand and
supply.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1155120
24

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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-July 24
Nagpur, July 23 Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on lack of demand from local millers amid poor quality
arrival.
Easy condition on NCDEX, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reports about beginning of
monsoon in the regions also pulled down prices, according to sources.
*
FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM
* Desi gram raw showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers amid ample
stock in ready position.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply
position.
* Rice HMT Shriram varieties recovered in open market on increased festival season
demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing regions like
Chhasttisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
* In Akola, Tuar - 7,100-7,200, Tuar dal - 10,100-10,300, Udid at 9,500-9,900,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,000-11,400, Moong - 7,000-8,000, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,800-10,100, Gram - 4,100-4,200, Gram Super best bold - 5,700-5,900
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, other varieties of rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in thin trading activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction
3,800-4,430
3,800-4,590
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
6,700-7,400
6,700-7,550
Moong Auction
n.a.
6,000-6,400
Udid Auction
n.a.
4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a.
2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold
6,000-6,200
6,000-6,200
Gram Super Best
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
5,700-5,800
5,700-5,800
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
5,350-5,550
5,350-5,550
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Desi gram Raw
4,500-4,600
4,550-4,650
Gram Filter new
5,950-6,150
5,950-6,150
Gram Kabuli
5,600-7,100
5,600-7,100
Gram Pink
6,500-6,700
6,500-6,700
Tuar Fataka Best
10,600-10,850
10,600-10,850
Tuar Fataka Medium
10,200-10,500
10,200-10,500
Tuar Dal Best Phod
9,700-9,900
9,700-9,900
Tuar Dal Medium phod
9,200-9,500
9,200-9,500
Tuar Gavarani New
7,700-7,800
7,700-7,800
Tuar Karnataka
8,100-8,300
8,100-8,300
Tuar Black
11,000-11,300
11,000-11,300
Masoor dal best
8,000-8,300
8,000-8,300
Masoor dal medium
7,700-7,900
7,700-7,900
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
9,500-10,500
9,500-10,500
Moong Mogar Medium best
8,800-9,200
8,800-9,200
Moong dal Chilka
8,800-9,200
8,800-9,800
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
9,600-9,900
9,600-9,900
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,200-11,800
11,200-11,800
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,000
10,600-11,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
9,200-9,600
9,200-9,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
4,600-5,000
4,600-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
3,300-3,400
3,300-3,400
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,300-3,400
3,300-3,400
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,200
3,100-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800
3,200-3,800
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,400-1,500
1,400-1,500
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,700
1,550-1,700
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
1,300-1,500
1,300-1,500
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400
2,200-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100
1,900-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,700
3,200-3,700
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,850
2,550-2,850
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG)
2,750-2,950
2,750-2,950
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)
3,050-3,300
3,050-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
1,600-1,750
1,600-1,750
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,450
2,200-2,450
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,700
2,500-2,700
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,600
3,100-3,600
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)
3,800-4,200
3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,600
4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,100
4,500-5,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000
8,000-10,000
26

www.ricepluss.com
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500
7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800
4,500-4,800
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)
5,100-5,500
5,100-5,500
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,350
2,100-2,350
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
2,400-2,500
2,400-2,500
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 29.4 degree Celsius (84.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
23.0 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 23.1 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum
temperature would be around and 27 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1043LP20150724
Kenya asked to review import duty on rice

July 24, 2015
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday asked Kenya to review its decision of enhancing import
duty on rice, which is affecting the countrys commodity exports.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar
asked the Kenyan High Commissioner, Prof. Julius Kibet Bitok to review the matter of
increasing import duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya. The matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in
Pakistan was also discussed with emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.
Both sides agreed that all matters relating to trade and business cooperation could be taken up at
the long awaited Pak-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) meeting which is to be held in
Pakistan. Finance Minister Dar asked Secretary Commerce to finalise the schedule of the PakKenya JMC in consultation with the Commerce Minister and convey the decision to the Kenyan
side through the Economic Affairs Division on priority.
The Kenyan High Commissioner requested Finance Minister for increasing number of medical
and engineering scholarships offered to Kenyan students by Pakistan. He said given the high
standard of education, a large number of Kenyan students were eager to get enrolled in Pakistani
educational institutions. The Minister directed Secretary EAD to accord due consideration to this
request. Both sides agreed that exchange of high level visits was imperative for furthering
bilateral relations, particularly the economic cooperation.
Korea keen to set up SEZ
Ambassador of Korea in Pakistan Dr Dong Jonghwan said that Korean companies are interested
to establish a Pakistan-Korean special economic zone in Agriculture farming and complete food
processing in Punjab - Pakistan.He made these remarks during his visit to Board of Investment
where he met with Minister of State/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail and discussed and explore the
27

www.ricepluss.com
key areas of investment opportunities between Pakistan and Korea. Minister of State/Chairman,
Dr. Miftah Ismail highlighted the investment potential and opportunities available for Korean
investors / companies in Pakistan. Chairman BOI extended BOIs full support to the Korean
companies for the establishment of SEZ in Pakistan.
The Secretary, BOI informed Korean ambassador about his visit to Korea in the start of this
month. He said that during his two -day visit, had a series of meetings with around 15 President
& CEOs of various Korean companies and Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Korea. He
briefed the Korean companies with detailed discussions and induced them to make more
investment in the potential areas of Pakistan.He said that Korean investors were very much
interested to invest in Pakistan. At the end MOS/ Chairman, BOI thanked Dr. Dong Jonghwan,
Ambassador of Korea for visiting Board of Investment and appreciated his efforts and intention
to boost investment and economic relation between the two friendly countries
http://nation.com.pk/business/24-Jul-2015/kenya-asked-to-review-import-duty-on-rice
Guyana Considers Alternatives as Venezuela Oil Program

Wobbles
by Andrew Rosati
July 24, 2015 9:43 AM PDT
Guyana is considering energy alternatives to the Petrocaribe program as Venezuela fails to meet
export quotas and tensions flare between the neighboring countries.We are actively considering
other options, Guyanese Finance Minister Winston Jordan said in an interview on
Wednesday.The small South American nation receives about half its fuel supply from the
Petrocaribe program, but fears the agreement could be affected by a diplomatic spat with
Venezuela over a longstanding border dispute, Jordan said. Guyana currently receives about
5200 barrels of fuel a day under the Petrocaribe program, though Venezuela has been unable to
meet some delivery quotas, he said.Relations between the South American neighbors have hit
their lowest point in recent years following Exxon Mobil Corp.s announcement of a
significant oil discovery off Guyanas coast in waters that Venezuela also claims as its
own.Venezuela has long contested thats borders drawn in 1899 are invalid and claims nearly
two-thirds of Guyanas as its own.Earlier this month, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
recalled his ambassador in Georgetown for consultations and said he would review relations.
Venezuela will stop purchasing Guyanese rice in November when a bartering agreement for oil
payments expires, according to Guyana.Through the rice for oil deal, Jordan said Guyana
sharply decreased its Petrocaribe debt over the years to its current level of some $160 million.
The oil dispute may have accelerated recent actions, and may have hardened stances, he said.A
signature program of the late Hugo Chavez, Petrocaribe has sold about $28 billion to nations
across the Caribbean and Central America since its creation in 2005. Member countries finance
as much as half the price of the shipments at 1 percent to 2 percent interest over 25 years.Jordan
says Guyana had no plans of exiting Petrocaribe due to its generous terms, while remaining
cautious as no agreement had been signed for 2015.This is a scenario where Venezuela has the
oil and we are buying the oil on an arrangement from them -- they could cut it off at any time.
You have to be prepared.
28

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-24/guyana-considers-alternatives-as-venezuela-oil-program-wobbles

24th July (Friday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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24th July (Friday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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July 24, 2015

Vol 5 ,Issue VII

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Japan, U.S. eye compromise on rice ahead of TPP talks

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Ending Rice Importation

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Pakistan asks Kenya to lower import duty on rice

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APEDA News India

Benchmark Indicators Name

Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

Guar Gum Powder

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Other International Prices

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Have Scientists Found A Way To Feed The World Without

JUL 23, 2015 2:50PM

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IIRR scientist nominated to FAO panel on soils

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Unlocking rice immune system will benefit humanity: Scientists

If moral, political and scientific obstacles can be surpassed,

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Unlocking the rice immune system

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Beating hunger: This Emirati farmer shows how to grow

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Huge rice import alarming, say lawmakers

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U.S. Sells Rice to Iran

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USA Rice Meets with Taiwan Government Officials and USDA

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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

Researchers use test plots to adapt recommendations

(Photo: Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter))

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Huge rice importation alarming lawmakers

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NFA, groups to keep monitoring rice prices

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Ministry postpones |the auction of rotten rice to next month

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Thai Commerce Ministry Set To Revise Exports Expectation

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