4th August (Tuesday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Aug 4, 2015
Vol 5 ,Issue VII

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Contact: mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
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AP millers promise normal supply of rice
Rice mill operators from Andhra Pradesh (AP) under the banner of the East Godavari District
Rice Millers Association held talks with open market wholesale rice traders from the districts of
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha here on Monday. Association leaders said the talks
were aimed at instilling confidence in the traders that there would be normal supplies from AP
during the Onam season.
The association had decided to stop supplies to Consumerfed and Supplyco since the State
government owned dues of more than Rs.100 crore to the millers of AP. But after meeting Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday, the association decided to resume supply to Supplyco, but
not to Consumerfed. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/ap-millers-promise-normalsupply-of-rice/article7497956.ece
Crackdown On Rice Millers: Investors Accuse NCS Of

Undermining Rule Of Law
Ankeli Emmanuel
Aug 4, 2015 3:12 am
In the face of the persistent crackdown by the

Nigerian Customs Service on importers of rice
into the country, and the continued shut down of
their warehouses, the rice millers have accused
the leadership of the NCS of undermining the
spirit of the rule of law which the federal
government promises to uphold.According to
some of the investors who spoke with
LEADERSHIP, the behaviour of the operatives
of the NCS in sealing their warehouses without
due process, is a total affront to the gospel of
the rule of law which the President Buhari
administration promises to uphold.The recent physical crackdown by officers of Nigerian
Customs on companies allegedly owing excess duties levied after customs had cleared their
goods for importation is believed to be an effort to paint the present Customs administration
white and escape the cleansing brush of this administration.
If the administration swallows the hook, it will spare the leadership and prolong its stay at the
helms of affairs of the highly lucrative border agency. Or how else does one interpret this sudden
crackdown by Customs, in the face of court orders restraining them from taking action against
the companies until the various court cases instituted in this respect are vacated, one of the
investors told our correspondent.It will be recalled that early in the week of June 27, heavily
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armed men of the Nigerian Customs invaded premises of seven companies allegedly owing
N23.6 billion on account of unpaid levies in respect of rice importation. Customs alleged that the
companies had imported rice in excess of quotas granted them by the Federal Government in its
Rice Policy circular.
They demanded payment of 40% levy on the deemed excess, imported between June and
December 2014.The source further said: One would have asked if Customs officers had access
to this policy paper ahead of the importation and admittance of the goods through our ports. One
would have wanted to know if Customs was aware of the conditions of the incentives attached to
these policy initiatives and the conditions under which the incentives could be availed.
Knowing how thorough our Customs men are, they would have scrutinized the policy document
and referred it to their legal officers for advice before implementation. Based on their
interpretation of the Rice policy circular, they accepted documents submitted by importers
operating under this incentive programme at point of importation, and allowed their cargo be
cleared by paying the prescribed 10% duty and 20% levy.
They accepted this rate repeatedly for six months until December 2014, when the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture woke from its slumber and remembered that it had failed to convene a
meeting of the inter-ministerial committee as directed by the government or issued quotas to
bona fide rice value chain operators as required by the directive. The inter-ministerial committee
was saddled with the task of determining the supply shortfall in rice to be made up by
importation and the allocation of quotas to bona fide investors.
Import Duty: Rice Importers Lament Clampdown

BY KINGSLEY ALU
Aug 4, 2015 4:08 am |
The ongoing dispute between the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and big rice investors in the
country reached a new level today with the NCS threatening to close down one of Nigerias
foremost international hotels, The Intercontinental Hotels, Lagos.The NCS had threatened that it
may shut down the hotel following the non-payment of retrospective duties by the hotels parent
company, the Milan Group.This was disclosed earlier today by the national public relations
officer of the NCS,Wale Adeniyi.
Findings revealed that the rice industry is perplexed with this latest move as they argue that it is
against the rule of law for any action to be taken in any dispute before the decision of the judicial
system. This is because some of the investors have already lodged their cases in court.
Stakeholders, who commented on the development, said that the sealing of a global hospitality
chain like The Intercontinental Hotels, Lagos, for no apparent legal non-compliance may not
spell well for Nigerias image apart from the embarrassment and inconvenience for its
guests.The NCS is demanding retrospective duties from the rice investors for imports pertaining
to 2014 while the investors have claimed that the quota allocations did not comply with
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stipulated regulations issued only in December and were also biased against the bonafide
investors.Following the confusion that trailed the 2014 quotas, the quotas for 2015 were also
issued, cancelled and later reissued again.
The implementation of the policy received a lot of criticism from the rice industry as the
presidential directives were not complied with in the process.The affected rice investors, who
had invested billions of naira in the rice value chain, have been catalysts in Nigerias recent
initiatives to be self-sufficient in rice production.The immediate former minister of agriculture,
Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, had in August 2014, said that our rice today, in terms of total value
added to our local economy, in terms of gross value across all the states is N750billion since we
started in 2012.
http://leadership.ng/business/451512/import-duty-rice-importers-lament-clampdown
India to host 2-day Global Rice Bran Oil Conference from

August 7 at Mumbai
Tuesday, August 04, 2015 08:00 IST
Our Bureau, Bengaluru
India is playing host to a two-day Global Rice Bran Oil Conference to be held in Mumbai on August 7
and 8, 2015.The event would be inaugurated by chief minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and
hosted by the Solvent Extractors Association of India, an association of vegetable oil industry and
trade.Industry and health experts from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and so on are congregating
for the event. It will discuss position, promotion and prospect of rice bran oil as healthy oil in the world.
This is the second such event after it was first hosted at China last year.The two-day event will focus on
issues related to rice bran oil including its nutrition & health benefits, its patronisation by medical
fraternity, regulatory issues, quality control and so on.
The participants will include manufacturers, scientists, doctors and nutritionists. Rice Bran oil is obtained
from the brown layer of rice, which constitutes about 5% of paddy and is enriched in oil to the extent of
10-25%. Research institutes in India and abroad have found rice bran oil a heart-friendly oil with unique
properties beneficial for maintaining good health. It is the only cooking medium which has an ideal
SFA/MUFA/PUFA ratio and EFA ratio which is closer to the recommended levels of WHO.
A number of scientific studies have confirmed that using rice bran oil as a cooking medium could
significantly reduce the bad cholesterol without adversely affecting the good cholesterol due to presence
of a unique component in this oil know as Oryzanol, which is not found in any other vegetable
oil.Globally, about 15 lakh tonne of rice bran oil is produced out of which India produces about 9.5 lakh
tonne per annum used for human consumption as cooking oil, blended oil and vanaspati. Sharing details
of the conference, Dr B V Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors Association of India, mentioned
that the event would further enhance the perception of rice bran oil as the healthiest cooking oil.
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Thanks to its low cost, everyone can access safe and heart-friendly cooking oil. We look forward to learn
from the experiences from different countries that would be shared during the conference he
added. Eminent world authorities on rice bran oil like Prof. Xuebing Xu of Wilmar R&D Centre, China;
Prof. Dr Teruo Miyazawa of Tohuku University, Japan; Dr Tran Thanh Hoa of Cai Lan Oil & Fats
Industries Vietnam; Prasert Setwipattanachal of Surin Bran Oil Company Limited, Thailand; and Fumi
Tsuno, of Tsuno Foods Industrial Co. Ltd, Japan; are among the international leaders who would attend
and present papers at the conference. The experts from India will include Dr V Prakash, distinguished
scientist from CSIR; Dr B Sasikeran, former director, NIN, Hyderabad; Dr Shashank R Joshi, endocrine
and metabolic physician; Dr V Chockalingam, leading cardiologist; Dr R B N Prasad, chief scientist &
head, IICT; and Atul Chaturvedi, CEO, Adani Wilmar Ltd.
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=37607&sectionid=1
Over 2 lakh hectares land damaged in West Bengal rains

By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau | 4 Aug, 2015, 04.00AM IST
Heavy rains in July and early August have had a

contrasting impact on farmers in eastern India this
kharif season.KOLKATA: eavy rains in July and
early August have had a contrasting impact on
farmers in eastern India this kharif season. Rains
brought much cheer to paddy farmers in Jharkhand
as acreage is set to go up by 1 lakh hectares to 17
lakh hectares, but the downpour damaged crops
over 2.1 lakh hectares of land in West Bengal
comprising largely paddy and vegetables. Paddy
crops in Odisha and Manipur have also been
affected due to heavy rains. Rice traders said if
production gets affected then retail prices might
shoot up 10-15 per cent during the festive season.
Trilochan Mohapatra, agricultural scientist and director of Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) said:
"The downpour has been very heavy in a short span of time.There is a flood like situation in northern
Odisha. The main concern is now the distribution of rains in August and September.Even if the farmers
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go in for next round of sowing after water recedes in fields, it should rain well in August for fresh
transplantation of paddy saplings." ohapatra said there has been severe damage to standing paddy crop in
certain pockets of West Bengal and Odisha due to heavy rains. "But right at this point, I cannot say that
crop is in a bad position.The damage can be taken care of if fresh sowing can be undertaken in August.
Short duration paddy seeds may be used to get the required crop," he said.
The CRRI director said prices should not go up as the procurement by government agencies is not
enough. "We have seen that farmers are not able to sell their produce. So the question of price hike does
not arise at all," he said. Senior West Bengal government officials said the flooding in Hooghly and
Howrah districts has worsened and will deteriorate a bit further as the Damodar Valley Corporation
(DVC) has released more water. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who monitored the flood
situation overnight at the state secretariat Nabanna on Sunday, informed the media that besides 47
municipalities, 210 blocks and 9,691 villages were affected by the flood due to heavy rains triggered by
Cyclone Komen.
"Crops in over 2.1 lakh hectares of land were destroyed across the state," she said. In Manipur too, six
districts have been affected by floods and paddy and other crops have been damaged. However, the
situation is completely different in Jharkhand.Mukund Variar, officer-in-charge of Central Rainfed
Upland Rice Research Station, said more than half of the transplantation has been carried out and the rest
will be over by August 15. The acreage is likely to increase to 17 lakh hectares this year from 16 lakh
hectares last time round, he said. Jharkhand produces 37 lakh tonnes of rice a year
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/over-2-lakh-hectares-land-damaged-inwest-bengal-rains/articleshow/48336815.cms
APEDA News from India

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 30-07-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5875
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
5125
Apricots

www.ricepluss.com
3
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
4125
Indonesian Sulawesi saq beans, DAT US East Coast (USD/t)
3396
NYSE Liffe Cocoa Futures (USD/t)
3343
DCE Corn Futures (USD/t)
386
TOCOM Corn Futures (USD/t)
197
White Maize, FOB South Africa (USD/t)
263
Cocoa
Corn/Maize
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 03-08-2015
Domestic Prices
Product
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Dhing (Assam)
Other
1310
1400
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1175
1300
Rudrapur (Uttrakhand)
Other
1273
1325
Amreli (Gujarat)
Other
1050
2120
Kota (Rajasthan)
Other
1550
1550
Parbhani (Maharashtra)
Other
1550
1800
Maize
Jowar(Sorgham)

www.ricepluss.com
Pine Apple
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
2800
3000
Sirhind (Punjab)
Other
1800
2200
Shillong (Meghalaya)
Other
2000
2200
Shillong (Meghalaya)
Other
3000
3600
Bolangir (Orissa)
Other
2800
3000
Una (Himachal Pradesh)
Other
2500
2500
Carrot
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 03-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
Ahmedabad
352
Chittoor
358
Hyderabad
324
Source: e2necc.com
Unit Price : US$ per
package
Other International Prices
Price on 03-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
Potatoes
1
High
Package: 50 lb cartons
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
22.75
22.75

www.ricepluss.com
2
Dallas
Idaho
Russet
20.50
24.50
Detroit
California
Russet
18
18.50
Cucumbers
Package: cartons film wrapped
Atlanta
Canada
Long Seedless
10
Chicago
Mexico
Long Seedless
13
13
Dallas
California
Long Seedless
12
13
Grapefruit
Package: 7/10 bushel cartons
Atlanta
California
Red
22.50
24.50
Dallas
California
Red
20
20
Philadelphia
California
Red
18
20
Source:USDA
The rice industry should diversify

Dear Editor,
I would like to commend all those involved in putting together the National Rice Industry
Conference. The feature address by the President and the presenters, covered most of the
concerns in the industry, except its sustainability. The farming community was well represented
and did air its concerns, mostly on timely payment by millers, ways of bringing down the cost of
production and the paddy price for the coming crop. Unfortunately, no firm decision was made
on any of the concerns, and no mention was made of the sustainability of the industry.
It was highlighted that the number of farmers is getting smaller and holdings are getting larger,
obviously for a reason. Naturally, the bigger farmers are better equipped to have a greater return
on investment, because of lower cost of production and higher yields. Lots of numbers have been
thrown around for cost of production; however, I have decided to consider the numbers
presented by Mr John Tracey, as they seem most realistic.

www.ricepluss.com
Consider $80,000 for cost of production of one acre, and the farmer gets 30 bags per acre and is
paid $3,000 per bag. Then his profit per acre per crop is $10,000. For 2 crops per year its
$20,000 per acre. The minimum wage in the public sector per month is $50,000 that is $600,000
per year. A farmer would have to cultivate a minimum of 30 acres of paddy before he could
make this amount, on which it is impossible for the farmer, his wife and kids to support
themselves.There are many farmers who cultivate much less than this acreage, resulting in lots of
dissatisfied farmers. A farmer cultivating five acres will only earn $100,000 per year.
The problem is compounded by the fact that there is not any other form of employment available
on a regular basis. Obviously, this is the root cause of the problem, but was still not addressed at
the conference. The bottom line is that its not a rice industry issue, but a social issue and it is
important that this issue is addressed urgently and a solution found.The best and only solution at
this time is diversification, which will result in less acreage under paddy cultivation, resulting in
less rice production, which might not be a bad idea, as we are very vulnerable because of having
to market about 75% of our production, while only about 5% of worlds production is traded.
Mr Kuldip gave a thirty-two per cent for cost of labour, which is way too high, as the industry is
relatively mechanised, and the farmer is left with lots of spare time, which can only be taken up
by him doing another job.A farmer cultivating five acres of paddy, earning $100,000 per year,
lives way below the poverty line. With diversification, he could work wonders by earning lots
more in a year, and keeping himself beneficially occupied year round.
An ADP (Export Agriculture Diversification Programme) should be introduced and would
involve three clusters: fruit and vegetables, livestock and aquaculture and aquaponics. This was
implemented recently but failed miserably, mainly because of the non-involvement of
stakeholders and the authority.This system can be implemented, both in the rice and sugar
industries. Consider a rice farmer or a GuySuCo employee with five acres of land. There will be
a mixture of livestock, fruits and vegetables and aquaculture /aquaponics, The mixture will be:
aquaculture /aquaponics 2 acres to produce 5,000 fish per acre;
livestock a combination of two dairy cows and six goats zero grazing; fruits and
vegetables a mixture of cassava, sweet potatoes, black-eye, boulanger, tomato, pepper, sorrel,
passion fruit, pumpkin, water melon, etc.The layout is very important, as the aquaponic system
will be used to allow the farmer to utilise the water from the fish pond as a fertiliser and a source
of moisture, resulting in a high-priced organic crop.It is assumed that the farmer and his family
(when available) will work 6 days per week for six hours per day, earning $5,000 per day; that is
$30,000 per week equal to $120,000 per month equal to $1,440,000 per year, as against
$100,000 per year if he were cultivating paddy. He will also be occupied year round. At the end
of the day he will also have lots more available from the sale of vegetables, milk, fish, and live
animals (goats and cattle).
For the farmer to get started, the following will have to be done: He will have to fence the five
acres; dig two ponds of one acre each; acquire fingerlings and feed. (The infrastructure for
drainage and irrigation is already in place.)
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He would acquire two dairy cows capable of producing two gallons of milk each per day and six
goats (ewes, capable of reproducing, getting to 100 lbs at the end of one year and producing
three births of two each in two years), utilising artificial insemination (AI) for both cattle and
goats.He would also need gardening tools, planting materials and finance (fixed and variable).
The farmer will expect some initial help from the government as its a new idea to be executed.
The five acres owned by the farmer, whether leased or transported has lots of value and can be
held as security at a development bank, at an affordable interest rate. Owing to the nature of the
different crops to be cultivated, after a couple of months the farmer could start receiving income
providing the market is available.Where markets are concerned, it is very, very important that
these are assured before the farmer goes into production.In respect of technology, the relevant
agencies will have to become active: the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute,
the Guyana Livestock Development Agency and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation.
Yours faithfully,
Beni Sankar
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/08/04/the-rice-industry-should-diversify/
Customs uninformed of QRC closure

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) whilst appreciating the disbandment
of the Quality Review Committee (QRC) by the Ministry of Commerce (MINCOM) has urged
the ministry and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to inform the Customs
immediately not to demand QRC certificate from basmati rice exporters in view of the
disbandment of the so called rice inspection cell.President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has taken up the matter immediately after the
closure/disbandment of QRC and problems being faced by REAP members at Karachi Port
with MINCOM and requested them to take immediate measures for clearance of rice containers
stuck up at Karachi Port.
REAP has also requested MINCOM to issue Public Notice for awareness of general public and
for the information of the concerned departments. Thaver regretted that MINCOM and TDAP
should have informed the Customs simultaneously and could have avoided this predicament.
Also REAP should have anticipated this awkward situation and requested MINCOM in good
time when termination notice was served on the QRC staff and the decision to disband was made
by MINCOM and TDAP.The SME basmati rice exporters have sought immediate notice of
disbandment of QRC to the Customs and related departments to enable movement of rice cargo
immediately to avoid delay in shipments and meeting deadline of contracts.
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It is very unfortunate that even in days of advanced communications there is lack of coordination amongst the state organizations and in the bargain the business community suffers.
Even the policy gazettes reach the concerned organizations late. A system needs to be developed
whereby the policy decisions are conveyed immediately online to the concerned.
Rice culture of the Cordilleras

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JUN LEPROZO,08/04/2015 10:18 PM
Come election time in 2016, rice will be a prime topic in the national debates. Everybody will be talking
about rice self sufficiency, food security and playing to the ears of more than 11 million Filipino
farmers.But what is rice other than a staple food of Filipinos? Precisely because it is inherent in the
Filipinos' daily life, it has also become embedded in our culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in the
rice growing culture of the Cordilleras, which predates the Spanish colonial government.Rice cultivation
in the Cordillera Administrative Region's six provinces--Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao and
Mountain Province--is an ancient practice that predates the building of rice terraces by their ancestors,
which scientists believe started around 2,000 years ago.
The rice terraces were built with crude and pre-historic tools made of wood, stone, metal and with
farmers' bare hands. Carved out of an unforgiving mountainous terrain, their sheer determination still
evokes awe in the engineering world.The rice terraces' system of forest, soil and water conservation has
withstood the test of time, and they still dot the Cordilleras, providing work and nourishment to farmers.
Kebbi Government to access N5bn CBN loan to boost rice

production
By Daily Post Staff on August 4, 2015@dailypostngr
The Kebbi Government said it would support

farmers to access N5billion loan from the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost commercial rice
production in the state.The permanent secretary in
the States Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Yahaya
Jega, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen
in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.He said that farmers
would be encouraged to obtain the loan through
financial institutions that would not attract more
than nine percent interest.Jega said the state had
prepared 600,000 hectares of land to be utilised for
rice farming across the state.We would ensure that
we produce enough rice for the country by supporting our farmers to expand the scope of their
production, he said.
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He said solar energy would be introduced to power generators for irrigation farming, adding that
the solar power would reduce the high cost of operating the generators with petrol.The
permanent secretary said commercial rice millers had inspected the variety of the commodity
produced in the state and had expressed satisfaction that commercial production would be
viable.He said silos, marketing strategies and transportation would be provided to assist the
farmers to expand their rice production.Jega said the agriculture would be transformed to attract
the unemployed youth to engage in commercial farming.According to him, government is fully
prepared to encourage mechanized farming, provide improved seedlings, extension services and
fertiliser at low rates.
NAN
Millers and ryots keep their fingers crossed

Millers and farmers in the district are anxiously waiting for the State governments decision on
new paddy pronouncement policy as the Civil Supplies Corporation has convened a State-level
joint collectors and civil supply officers meeting in Hyderabad on Wednesday to discuss possible
alternate ways for its procurement in the wake of Centres decision to stop levy from October.
Following the Centres decision, about 250 rice millers in the district are eager to know the
governments decision.Meanwhile, sources in the Civil Supplies Department told The Hindu that
the government is set to follow Karnataka and Chhattisgarh model by involving private players
in paddy procurement.
Earlier, the Food Corporation of India used to purchase 75 per cent of paddy milled at rice mills
as levy to supply the same to BPL families, but the Centre had reduced the levy to 25 per cent on
October 1, 2014, and from October it has decided to stop the total levy.
Record number of mills
Nalgonda district alone produces about 20 lakh metric tonnes in both the rabi and kharif seasons,
and the district has the highest number of mills in the country. While farmers fear whether they
would get MSP or not on their produce, the millers say that they might incur losses.Rice Millers
Association chairman Dhana Mallaiah urged the State government to keep the interests of
farmers and rice millers in mind while formulating a new policy.Any decisions in haste may
plunge both the farming sector and rice millers into a crisis, he said
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/millers-and-ryots-keep-their-fingerscrossed/article7501512.ece
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These Scientists Think Genetically Modified Rice Can Help
Solve the Climate Crisis
By Rob Verger
August 4, 2015 |
VICE News is closely tracking global environmental change. Check out the Tipping Point blog
here.
A new kind of genetically modified rice with a higher starch content could produce more food
while at the same time reducing the methane, a greenhouse gas, that's emitted when it grows, the
journal Nature reported.Researchers created the genetically modified rice, called SUSIBA2, by
using a gene from barley. The barley gene influenced how carbon in the rice plant was
distributed. Less carbon in the genetically modified plants went to the roots, which meant that
methane-producing bacteria in the soil had fewer nutrients to consume.Compared to control rice,
the genetically modified variety emitted anywhere from 10 percent to less than 1 percent of the
methane that normally would have been emitted, depending on the plant's age when the
measurement was taken.Christer Jansson, the director of plant sciences at the Environmental
Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) in Washington and one of the study's authors, called the
low-methane rice "very promising."
"Because if [it] can be scaled up to large-scale production in rice paddies in China, that could
mean that a significant amount of methane that would otherwise have been released to the
atmosphere, is not being released," he told VICE News.Watch "On the Line" with Environment
Editor Robert S. Eshelman here: Methane is not the most abundant greenhouse gas that's
carbon dioxide but it is a powerful one: the US Environmental Protection
Agency estimates that over the course of a century methane can be 25 times as strong as carbon
dioxide in its contribution to climate change."Methane is the second most important greenhouse
gas," Scott Bridgham, a biology and environmental studies professor at the University of
Oregon, told VICE News.
He studies the methane emitted by wetlands, a prominent source of the gas.But methane is also
released in significant amounts by anthropogenic sources like fossil fuels, landfills, ruminants
like cows, and rice cultivation.According to data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, about 60 percent of all methane emissions come from those anthropogenic sources. Rice
alone accounts for about 10 percent of the methane created by human activities."This study is
following on something of a history of field experiments evaluating different kinds of rice
varieties in this case, transgenic [rice] looking for ways to both increase food production,
and reduce methane emissions," Elaine Matthews, a NASA scientist, told VICE News. "One
thing it doesn't address is whether this kind of rice really has a chance of being really widely
used to gain the methane advantage."The new genetically modified rice might not see
widespread use for multiple reasons, she said. Those include cost, cultural preferences for
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different kinds of rice, and the fact that the rice industry is complex: The crop is cultivated on
many small-scale farms.
David Schubert, a biochemist who works on drug development at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies in California, is concerned about the safety of genetically modified
crops."When you alter the gene expression in any organism you get a lot of changes that you
can't predict," Schubert told VICE News.Kenneth Boote, a crop physiologist and professor at the
University of Florida, said that he doesn't have any problem with genetically modified crops. But
he remains skeptical of this new study, in part because he said increasing the amount of starch in
the rice plant could actually reduce the rice's protein levels. He also questioned whether the new
variety would actually reduce methane emissions, since the gas is also emitted after the rice is
harvested and the stalks are left behind."I worry a little bit about potted plant experiments,"
Boote told VICE News.
Nonetheless, it's important to go after sources of greenhouse gas emissions like the methane that
comes from rice production, says Jesse Lasky, a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia University
who has researched crops, genetics, and climate change. "Especially if it's one where the goal of
reducing emissions is coincident with increasing yield for a major crop," he told VICE News.The
genetically modified rice has less massive roots than the control rice does. Lasky questioned how
the plants might deal with an unexpected drought."The fact that these have smaller roots begs the
question of how they might respond to environmental stressors like that," he said.Jansson from
EMSL referred to the root question as "a very valid point." He explained that the genetically
modified plants will be evaluated in China under a more substantive study, as well as undergo
further research in his Washington laboratory.Columbia University's Lasky said as genetics
becomes a more mature science, researchers in the field might be able to make a greater
contribution to solving problems like how to reduce agricultural emissions."Climate change is
this huge challenge that we're facing as a society, and so we want to really bring everything we
can to bear on it," he said.
Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger
TOPICS: tipping point , environment, climate change, global
warming, gmos, rice, agriculture,methane, greenhouse gases
https://news.vice.com/article/these-scientists-think-genetically-modified-rice-can-help-solve-the-climatecrisis
3 ways GMO rice could improve world but tech hurdles and
anti-GMO protests block way
Iida Ruishalme | August 4, 2015
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Little did I know that rice, the innocent bag of
grains sitting in my pantry, is warming the
planet, inadvertently contributing to millions of
deaths worldwide, and slowly poisoning me
with arsenic. Thats what it says on many
websites, with scary headlines like Rice
Growing Emits More Methane as Climate
Warms and Toxin Found in Most U.S. Rice
Causes Genetic Damage.But I dont want to
contribute to fear-mongering, so let me be
real: we dont need to worry too much about the
arsenic. Before I came to that conclusion, I did
some reading about what arsenic wasdoing in my rice.
I learned that when the US Food and Drug Administration
increased its testing of rice a few years ago, it found levels of
arsenic at about 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving. To put
that in perspective, this value is well above the allowed limit
for arsenic in waterat least in concentration. If one serving of
water is considered, a cup of water would need to have
less than 2.5 micrograms of arsenic. Of course we need more
servings of water per day (lets say 8 cups or 2 liters, max 20
micrograms), and most people dont have 5 servings of rice
per day (13 36 micrograms), so its all relative.FDA also
assures that these levels are not a cause for worry in the US,
headlines be damned. Some of the worlds poor, however, do
live on nothing but rice (several servings per day if they are
lucky); and if they are unlucky, they live in areas with
naturally high levels of arsenic in the water.compounding the
risks.
Clearly it would be good to find a permanent solution to lowering the levels of arsenic in such a
basic staple. The stuff in high concentrations is a world renowned poison, after all.How does it
get into the rice in the first place? The US Environmental Protection Agency tells us that sources
of arsenic include erosion of natural deposits; runoff from orchards as well as runoff from glass
and electronic production wastes. As FDA puts it, arsenic is a naturally occurring contaminant,
and because its in soil and water, its going to get into food.Arsenic happens to get absorbed
into rice particularly well, because its form on rice-fields (arsenate) resembles the form in which
silicon is taken up by the rice plants. Silicon is used to build the sturdiness of its stems. Getting
arsenic in its place is a problem for the plant too. Tough luck.
Theres cause for optimism. While learning about these surprising issues with rice, thankfully,
Ive been learning about even more surprising solutions to them. Promising research on this issue
was published just last year (PDF), as reported here by The Scientist:Researchers based in Korea
and Japan have shown that a rice transporter protein called OsABCC1 prevents arsenic from
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damaging plant tissues by sequestering the element in vacuoles. Because of this, potentially
harmful arsenic remains in these cellular waste containers rather than building up in rice
grains.That is great news! Science could help us truly not worry about arsenic in our rice. In the
meantime, the message seems to be: eat a varied diet and you will be fine. So I will get on
instead with the really bad problems with rice.
Rice, a climate culprit
Anthropogenic Methane emissions by source, from Global Methane Initiative
What problems? Like how the climate toll from
rice cultivation is on par with cow farts, the
leading source of methane gas release in the
world.Take a look at the global methane
emissions chart: contributions from rice
cultivation are big enough to feature in the top
four. The sum of methane leaks from all
ruminant farm animals digestive systems
(AKA Enteric Fermentation) is still by far the
biggest anthropogenic source, since a cow emits
a whooping 250-500 liters of methane per day.
missions from oil and gas are a large second.
But on the nearly shared 3rd and 4th places are
all the worlds landfills and the cultivation of
one single crop: rice.Why is this a problem? Methane, though emitted in much smaller amounts
than carbon dioxide, and receiving far less attention, is in fact a potent greenhouse gas30 times
as potent as carbon dioxide. Wikipedia quotes IPCC on that:
The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report determined that methane in the Earths atmosphere is an
important greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 34 compared to CO2 over a 100year period (although accepted figures probably represent an underestimate[61][62]).
Methane emissions are no joke. I may have been clueless to the emission status of rice, but plant
scientists sure arent. There was recently bignews about a paper in Nature describing a new
variety of rice that eliminates more than 90 percent of those emissions. It quickly became my
new favourite science victory. Climate change combating rice. Awesome. To better illustrate
what an awesome impact the methane-reducing rice could have, I compiled the data
into another infographic:
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Sources: Nature paper Global Methane Initiative EPA calculator

The potential of this discovery is mind-boggling. Comparing that to the yearly climate mitigation
effect that GMO crops have at present, equivalent to closing down 7-8 coal fired power plants,
its huge. This rice alone could do that ten times over, and twice again.So how does the rice do
it? And why is so much methane emitted from rice cultivation in the first place? When we
consider many other methane sources, like ruminants stomachs, or landfills (or compost for the
matter; read more by scientist Steve Savage on the shocking carbon footprint of compost), the
key are anaerobic methane producing bacteria, or methanogens.
Methane is a natural byproduct of the
metabolism of bacteria at work in digesting
plant material, called methanogenesis. These
bacteria are why cows and other ruminants can
live on such tough plant materials (grass stems
and leaves) which are near useless to most other
animals. These bacteria work at conditions
where there is no oxygen, in fact, oxygen is
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largely fatal to them. This brings us to rice, or more specifically, flooded rice fields, or paddy
fields. In the protective anaerobic environment the drowned soils of these fields methanogens
are hard at work munching roots and other plant material, bubbling away with methane.Back in
2002, a paper looked at the issue of rice-field -derived methane more closely motivated by just
this climate impact:
Microbial production in anoxic wetland rice soils is a major source of atmospheric CH4, the
most important non-CO2 greenhouse gas.The authors saw that during the wet season, the
formation of spikelets the flowering, grain-forming parts of the rice plants was reduced, and
the methane emissions were high. They got higher still, when they artificially blocked the plants
ability to form spikelets. Why? When the plant could not store its starches in the developing rice
grain, they went increasingly to the lower parts of the plant, the roots, and more starches became
available for the bottom-dwelling methanogens. It seems that wetter years are bad in particular
for spikelet formation, and simultaneously, with no risk of drying out and being exposed to
oxygen, thats when the methanogens feast and thrive (and the warmer the better).Nipp is the
control, SUSIBA2-77 is the modified rice. The biomass profile is visibly skewed upwards.
This opens a win-win prospect for plant scientists what better way to reduce the starch content
of the roots (and thus emissions), than to promote the plants ability to store its goods in the
grains to improve its yields? Fromthe 2002 study:
The observed relationship between reduced grain filling and CH4 emission provides
opportunities to mitigate CH4 emissions by optimizing rice productivity.Fast forward to
today. The big news: the SUSIBA2-rice is here, as presented in Nature. The new engineered rice
promotes more biomass accumulation above ground, away from reach for the methane producing
bacteria. This results in 90-99.7% lower methane emissions, while also increasing yields up to
1.5 times as much seeds per plant in weight and 10 % higher starch content in the grains.If you
look at their model below, they describe greater sink strenght in the seeds and stems. Sink
describes a plant part that is a sugar sink to differentiate from the sugar sources photosynthesis
locations are the sources, storage compartments are sinks.
Higher starch content in the stems and the seeds, less in the roots for the bacteria to feed on
Optimistic news pieces are popping up left and right. So what are we waiting for? Lets amp up
large scale testing, put some public financing into this and make it an international project of
climate mitigation. In a few years, or a decade, we could be growing vast paddies of climate
combating rice.Well, not so fast. No matter how good the prospects, sometimes simply having a
better solution is not good enough. It can be hard for people to follow the world of science, and
when faced with a novelty, they may go instead with their gut reaction.
Why is rice contributing to so many deaths?
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Maybe you caught that I never explained that third problem I listedthe part about inadvertently
contributing to millions of deaths worldwide part. That problem illuminates this point very well
and reminds us that changing the world is not just up to science. Its also about impressions and
politics.In Asia, many of the very poor depend on a diet of predominantly rice. Thats the
cheapest and best food they can get. But rice lacks some vital ingredients, often leading to a
serious vitamin A deficiency. Here is one concise summary of the global food security challenge:
Three billion people depend upon rice as their main source of food of which 10 percent are at
risk for vitamin A deficiency.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of infections such as
measles and malaria. Severe deficiencies lead to corneal ulcers or blindness. According to the
World Health Organization, VAD is the cause of 250,000 to 500,000 children going blind each
year. Half of these children die within a year. Additionally in Asia and Africa, almost 600,000
vitamin A-deficient women die from childbirth-related causes.
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This is no small matter. What makes it heartwrenching is that we have a solution.
Independent scientists in a Swiss University
created a rice with beta-carotenethe vitamin A
precursor well known from carrot. The rice has
a yellow colour, and is called Golden Rice. Its
a non-profit project, and for more than 10 years,
the scientists have wanted to give it to the
farmers of the developing world to help
alleviate disease and suffering (see Golden Rice
opposition cost $2b and 1.4m life years over 10 years in India alone).
But activists have sabotaged them out of not much else than fear and refusal to listen to scientific
evidence. Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace turned global food
activist, characterizes Greenpeaces vehement campaign against Golden Rice as a crime against
humanity. (See also Sorry Greenpeace, Golden Rice is a Win for Nutrition and Health and GM
plants present low risksay scientists).
A safe more nutritious variety of rice could help prevent millions from death and disability.
Another modification of rice could protect them from arsenic accumulation. A third
revolutionary discovery could help the globe by combating climate change.We can make the
world better with biotechnology. If people will let that happen.
Iida Ruishalme is a writer and a science communicator who holds a M.Sc. in Biology from Sweden. She
is a contributor to both Genetic Literacy Project and Skepti-Forum.org. She blogs over
at Thoughtscapism. Follow her on twitter: @Thoughtscapism or on her Facebook page.
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/08/04/3-ways-gmo-rice-could-improve-world-but-techhurdles-and-anti-gmo-protests-block-way/
This Genetically Modified Rice Could Make More

Food and Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Swedish scientists are developing a high-yield GMO rice that pumps less methane into the
atmosphere
August 4, 2015 | 05:14 PM By Joanna Fantozzi, Editor
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Wikimeda: Angie from Sawara
Preventing hunger and saving the planet, one grain at a time.

Scientists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences are working on a genetically
modified strain of rice that combines barley genes with rice genes.The result would be a highyielding, starchy rice plant that produces less methane gases than regular rice paddies. This plant,
which pumps much less gas into the atmosphere, could have an impact on the severity of the
greenhouse effect.
According to Ars Technica, methane gas emissions are the natural result of humidity in rice
paddies; the wetlands where rich is cultivated emit methane gas in low-oxygen conditions. It is
estimated that more than 25 million metric tons of methane enter the atmosphere every year as a
result of the demand for rice worldwide. TheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change estimates that methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
However, this new GMO rice could pose a solution: the Swedish rice produces 90 to 99 percent
fewer emissions than traditional rice.The research development would provide a tremendous
opportunity for more-sustainable rice cultivation, the researchers wrote in the accompanying
essay.
USA Rice DailyWOTUS Unravels from the Inside

WASHINGTON, DC - Last week the
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House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released
more than 50 pages of documents, some labeled "litigation sensitive,"
in which the Army Corps of Engineers sometimes strongly disagreed
with the U.S. EPA on the process of drafting the final Waters of the
U.S. (WOTUS) rule. The documents, that were not intended to be
made public, tell a story of two agencies in disagreement over not
only process, but the use of data, the definitions in the final rule, and
the scientific and legal justifications for what EPA was doing. Some
of the memos went so far as to seek removal of the Corp's logo from
the final documents, as well as removing them as an "Author, coauthor, or substantive contributor."
Referring to specific points in the final rule, the memos stated that the "1,500 foot limitation is
not supported by science or law" and the "4,000 foot bright line rule is not based on any principle
of science, hydrology or law," rendering both therefore, "legally vulnerable." Perhaps more
importantly, a Corps memo stated that the final rule was "Inconsistent with SWANCC and
Rapanos," the two Supreme Court decisions on Clean Water Act regulations that the final
WOTUS rule was supposed to clarify.
"These documents are pretty damaging to the Administration's notion that WOTUS is a good,
common sense rule," said Ray Vester, an Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice's
Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety Committee "We'll continue to address the rule's legitimacy,
and these documents provide a convenient roadmap to do so."
Contact: Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445
USA Rice, Others Meet with FAS Administrator Karsting
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This afternoon, USA Betsy Ward and Phil Karsting at USA Rice's 2015
Government Affairs Conference in February
Rice met with Phil Karsting, the Administrator of
USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), as
part of a small group of agricultural commodity organizations all uniquely involved in providing
in-kind food aid contributions. The meeting was a follow up to a hearing held in June by the
House Committee on Agriculture that reviewed U.S. international food aid programs where
Karsting and a counterpart with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) served
as witnesses and provided testimony (see "House Ag Committee Pushes Back on Administration
Efforts to Gut Food Aid Programs," USA Rice Daily June 24, 2015)
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The U.S. rice industry has been a long-time participant of the USAID's Food for Peace program
that has accounted for up to five percent of domestic production in recent years. The Food for
Peace program celebrated its 60th anniversary last month, and USA Rice staff participated in a
Capitol Hill event to mark the occasion. (see "U.S. Rice Recognized at Food for Peace
Celebration," USA Rice Daily, July 22, 2015)
"Today's group discussed how important U.S. commodities
have been to the United States' food assistance portfolio in
meeting the needs of the world's hungry," said Sarah
Moran, director of international promotion for USA Rice
who attended the meeting. "The agricultural community
supports the flexibility currently found within the Farm Bill
that includes both cash/vouchers and adequate amounts of
in-kind commodities." Administrator Karsting echoed his
support of the in-kind commodity contributions and said
"we need to continue using U.S. commodities where it
makes sense." In reference to the flexibility aspect of cash vouchers he acknowledged that his
agency and USAID "need a full range of tools in our tool box."
Contact: Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 4
24
Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015
$11.455
+ $0.060
November 2015
$11.710
+ $0.050
January 2016
$11.995
+ $0.060
March 2016
$12.215
+ $0.080
May 2016
$12.400
+ $0.080
July 2016
$12.400
+ $0.080

www.ricepluss.com
September 2016
$11.910
+ $0.080
Golden Ricea star among GMO foodshas a major study

retracted
The golden child of the pro-GMO advocates just got a little tarnished. (Reuters/Erik de Castro)
WRITTEN BYDeena Shanker
August 03, 2015
Golden Rice, often touted as a shining example of the benefits of genetic engineering, might not
be as golden as originally thought.The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has issued
a retraction to a 2012 paper on Golden Rice because of insufficient evidence of consent from the
parents of the children involved in the study, The Ecologistreports. And, perhaps more
significantly, the retraction provides the opportunity to re-raise another question regarding the
validity of the AJCN trial: The diets fed to the children in the trial were, according to critics,
unrealistically high in fat. (Because vitamin A, the primary benefit of Golden Rice, is fat soluble,
the body needs fat to absorb it.)
Golden Rice, first introduced in a 2000 study in Science, is genetically engineered rice thats
extra high in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. It was developed as a potential solution to
vitamin A deficiencies in children around the world, especially those in highly populated,
impoverished areas. In 2005, a paper in Nature Biotechnologyintroduced Golden Rice 2, which
had 23-times more beta-carotene than its predecessor. In the 2012 American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition study, the beta-carotene in Golden Rice 2 (now just Golden Rice) was found to be as
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effective as pure beta-carotene in a capsule, and even more effective than spinach in providing
children with vitamin A. Golden Rice was the golden child of pro-GMO interests.
Even though the private sector was involved in the development of Golden Rice, and companies
including Syngenta and Monsanto have proprietary rights in it, they emphasize that they do not
make money from the marketing or sale of Golden Rice, and the efforts are coordinated not by
them, but by the International Rice Research Institute.
Golden Rices real value to these companies is in publicity. Though there have been protests
about its use from environmental groups like Greenpeace, the nutritional qualities of Golden
Rice have overshadowed the complaints.
All that may now come into question if the studys validity is challenged beyond the consent
issue. The children in the trial ate meals that were 20% fat by calories, and included both pork
and eggfoods not usually available in large quantities, if at all, to the target population of poor
children. Without it, much of the vitamin will go to waste. (The AJCN did not include this
critique in its decision to retract the paper.)
Syngenta did not immediately respond to request for comment. Monsanto directed inquiries to
industry group BIO, which declined to comment.
Myanmar appeals for international assistance for flood relief

Tue Aug 4, 2015 10:15am EDT,YANGON | BY TIMOTHY MCLAUGHLIN
Myanmar said on Tuesday it had appealed for international assistance to help provide food,
temporary shelter and clothing for more than 210,000 people affected by widespread flooding
following weeks of heavy monsoon rains.At least 47 people have died in the floods, according to
the government.Myanmar's call for international aid stands in sharp contrast to stance taken
when it was ruled by generals. The junta had refused outside help in the wake of a devastating
cyclone in 2008, when 130,000 people perished in the disaster.While the quasi civilian
government, which took power in 2011 and faces elections in November, is leading the relief
effort, but the military is handling operations on the ground.
"We are cooperating and inviting international assistance. We have started contacting possible
donor organizations and countries," Ye Htut, the Minister of Information and spokesman for the
President's Office said.He said international assistance was also needed to relocate people and
rebuild communities after the flood waters retreat. With a per capita GDP of $1,105, Myanmar is
one of the poorest countries in East Asia and the Pacific.The Chinese Embassy in Yangon began
providing relief supplies to stricken areas this week.The minister said that the flood waters have
begun to recede in Rakhine state on the west coast, which suffered some of the worst flooding
after being lashed by the tail of Cyclone Komen, which made landfall in Bangladesh late last
week.
Areas northeast of the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe, including Mrauk U and Minbya, were
particularly hard hit.Video footage shot by Reuters on Monday aboard a military helicopter in
Rakhine showed hundreds of people rushing through muddy flood waters to collect air dropped
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supplies.Rakhine is home to around 140,000 displaced people, mainly Rohingya Muslims who
live in squalid camps scattered across the state.
Emergency workers were still facing difficulties in Chin State on Tuesday after the rain caused
landslides in the mountainous state that borders India and Bangladesh.Main roads running
through the state remained impassible and attempts to access cities by helicopter were hampered
by the relentless downpours, Ye Htut said.The state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar
newspaper, citing the Ministry of Education, said that more than 1,300 schools across the
country had been shuttered due to the floods.Shwe Mann, the speaker of parliament, has also
postponed the reconvening of parliament scheduled for Aug. 10, in what will be the final session
before the country heads to the polls on Nov. 8.
Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland have been inundated by the floods, with the U.N.
warning that this could, "disrupt the planting season and impact long-term food security."
The Global New Light reported that the Myanmar Rice Federation would halt exports until midSeptember in an effort to stabilize domestic rice prices and keep rice in country.
Govt decides to engage private players for rice procurement

India Infoline News Service | Mumbai | August 04, 2015 08:41 IST
While 40 per cent of the country's estimated total rice production of over 102 MT comes from
these states, procurement has been minimal.
Private players would now be roped in

by the government for procurement of
rice in Uttar Pradesh and other eastern
states - Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal
and Assam, whenever required, due to
the inadequate facility for storage, says
a PTI report.While 40 per cent of the
country's estimated total rice production
of over 102 MT comes from these
states, procurement has been minimal,
said
the
report.Based
on
the
recommendations of the high-level
committee of the state-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI), a policy has been prepared by the
Union Food Ministry.
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Total procurement target has been kept as 30 million tonnes (MT) by the government for the
kharif season 2015-16 and rice procurement for the season would begin from October, says the
report.In the mentioned states, 5.13 MT of rice was procured in 2014 kharif season. Despite
West Bengal being the top rice producing state at 15.1 MT, procurement here was only 1.80 MT
in the said period, in the season , mentioned the report.States following a decentralised
procurement policy (DCP), Bihar and West Bengal, would be allowed to engage private players
either on behalf of state agencies or independently, said the report.
http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/news-top-story/govt-decides-to-engage-private-players-for-riceprocurement-115080400449_1.html
Monsoon will remain weak in Aug-Sept: IMD

TOMOJIT BASU
The LPA for the country as a whole for the second half of the monsoon is 43.5 cm
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 3:
The India Meteorology Department (IMD) stuck to its South-West monsoon forecast at 88 per
cent of the 50-year long period average (LPA) of 89 cm. This has raised El Nino concerns from
weak to moderate.This can affect yields of kharif crop, with a cascading effect on inflation.
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had highlighted the risk of rising inflation in the June monetary
policy review.Food prices continue to be an issue with retail inflation touching 5.4 per cent in
June, an eight-month high.The latest forecast from the ESSO-IMD-IITM model indicates 72 per
cent probability of El Nino conditions becoming strong during the remaining part of the
monsoon season, said an official statement.
The El Nino phenomenon refers to the warming of Pacific Ocean waters which affects weather
patterns globally. Its strengthening is likely to result in an 86 per cent probability of deficient
rainfall, below the normal 94 per cent of LPA, for August and September.The Met Department
has forecast rainfall for the two months to be at 84 per cent (with a deviation of +/- 8 per cent).
Rainfall in August is expected at 90 per cent (+/- 9 per cent), as forecast earlier in June.The
average rainfall for the second half is estimated at 43.5 cm, around 49 per cent of the seasonal
rainfall, with variation coefficient of 15 per cent.
Could hit crop yields
Sowing has progressed fairly well but a deficient monsoon could impact yields which may put
pressure of prices of pulses, fruits and vegetables, said DK Joshi, Chief Economist, Crisil.
Sowing of kharif crops at the end of July had covered 76.43 million hectares (mha), up 8.7 per
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cent from the 70.34 mha sown during the corresponding period of the previous year.Between
June 1 and August 3, the country received 45.03 cm of rainfall, 6 per cent lower than the normal
48.13 cm. The South, in particular, has been the worst hit with rainfall 22 per cent lower than the
normal 39.82 cm.
(This article was published on August 3, 2015)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/el-nino-to-result-in-deficient-rain-through-second-halfof-monsoon/article7495667.ece
Manager - Research Infrastructure and Operations

Location: Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
Reporting to the Deputy Director General (Research), the Research Infrastructure and Operations
Manager provides leadership in research support through managing functions including the Seed
Health Unit, Experiment Station, Glasshouse and Plant Growth Facilities, Analytical Services,
Research Data and Records management, GM stewardship functions, and Occupational Health
and Safety (within research operations).The position is located in Los Baos and primarily
focuses on research infrastructure and operations on that campus, but provides support to
research leaders managing research support activities at IRRI hub and satellite sites globally.
The Research Infrastructure and Operations Manager will work closely with the senior research
and site management teams to develop short, medium and long term plans for the development
and rejuvenation of IRRI's research infrastructure and will contribute to the development of
infrastructure funding proposals.IRRIs research programs include basic and applied research on
genetic resources, rice biotechnology and breeding, sustainable crop and natural resources
management, climate change, postharvest technologies, socioeconomic and policy research, rice
information and delivery of new technologies. IRRIs research is implemented through
collaboration with hundreds of public, private and civil society sector partners worldwide. This
position is based at IRRI Headquarters, Los Baos, Laguna, Philippines.Screening starts
immediately as applications are received. Interested candidates should submit CV with a cover
letter stating motivation to apply for the position. Candidates should apply online at
http://jobs.irri.org (or via this direct link: https://goo.gl/UqEaxS).
http://www.scidev.net/global/content/jobs_notice.51262952-6C54-49B1-81358BF25FCFEE1D.html
29

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Anti-Golden Rice Activists Want To 'Save The Whales' But Let
Children Go Blind
A 2012 article in the nutrition literature might have been the most momentous contribution to public
health worldwide since Dr. Jonas Salks announcement of the successful trials of polio vaccine. The
operative phrase is might have been, because intimidation, politics and especially the dishonest, antiscience efforts of NGOs to impugn the research have delayed the translation of its findings to life-saving
interventions for millions of children. Why do anti-genetic engineering activists want to save the whales
but let children go blind and die?
The article, by Professor Guangwen Tang of the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
and her multinational colleagues, reported a feeding trial in China of a revolutionary, genetically
engineered variety of rice. Some background is needed to understand why its so important and how it
came to be developed. Ordinary ricewhich itself has been extensively genetically modified over
centuriesproduces -carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, in the leaves but not in the grains, where the
biosynthetic pathway is turned off during plant development. In Golden Rice (GR)called that because
of its golden colortwo genes (one from corn, the other from a bacterium) have been inserted into the rice
genome by precise molecular techniques of genetic engineering. That modification enables the carotenoid
biosynthetic pathway to produce and accumulate -carotene in the rice grains.
Beta-carotene-enhanced Golden Rice and white rice. (Credit: Golden Rice Humanitarian Board,
www.goldenrice.org.)
Beta-carotene-enhanced, genetically engineered Golden Rice; and white rice. (Credit: Golden Rice
Humanitarian Board, www.goldenrice.org.)
Since a prototype of GR was developed in the year 2000, new lines with ever-higher -carotene content
have been generated, and feeding studies in adult humans have demonstrated that GR is a good source of
vitamin A. Why are vitamin A and its precursor, -carotene, important? Vitamin A is critical for normal
vision and also plays a central role in maintaining the integrity of the immune system. The World Health
Organization estimates that 250 million preschool children are vitamin A deficient, which causes 250,000
to 500,000 of them to go blind every year. Half die, often from diarrheal diseases or measles, within 12
months of losing their sight. This ongoing catastrophe is preventable. In theory, the most desirable
remedy would be a varied and adequate diet, but this is not always achievable.
The reasons are manifold, ranging from traditional preferences to geographical and economic limitations.
GR varieties have the advantage of not creating new dependencies or displacing traditional foods.
Moreover, they are sustainable because there is no need for public health infrastructure to provide
repeated alternative interventions for fortification or supplementation. That gets us back to Professor
Tangs study. She and her colleagues fed GR, spinach, or pure -carotene to 68 children aged six to eight
in Hunan province. The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012,
showed that -carotene in GR is as effective as pure -carotene in oil and better than that in spinach at
30

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providing vitamin A to children. A single serving of 100 to 150 grams (about a quarter pound) of cooked
GR could provide about 60% of the daily requirement of vitamin A.
This was groundbreaking, potentially life-saving research, but as so often happens, no good deed goes
unpunished. The trial attracted the attention of activist NGOs, including Greenpeace, which claimed in a
press release that the children had been used as guinea pigs without full and appropriate informed
consent. It produced a furor, with Chinese news agencies inaccurately reporting that the researchers had
conducted dangerous, unauthorized experiments on poor children, and within days Chinese police had
interrogated the researchers and coerced statements disavowing the research. Because of the publicity,
Tufts University conducted internal and external investigations. An official statement released in
September 2013 concluded:
These multiple reviews found no concerns related to the integrity of the study data, the accuracy of the
research results or the safety of the research subjects. In fact, the study indicated that a single serving of
the test product, Golden Rice, could provide greater than 50 percent of the recommended daily intake of
vitamin A in these children, which could significantly improve health outcomes if adopted as a dietary
regimen (emphasis added). While the study data were validated and no health or safety concerns were
identified, the research itself was found not to have been conducted in full compliance with [Tufts
Institutional Review Board] policy or federal regulations. Reviews found insufficient evidence of
appropriate reviews and approvals in China. They also identified concerns with the informed consent
process, including inadequate explanation of the genetically-modified nature of Golden Rice. The
principal investigator also did not obtain IRB approval for some changes to study procedures before
implementing the changes.
The appropriate response to these findings should have been a yawn. Institutional
Review Boards know very well that minor glitches and deficiencies are common
in clinical trials, especially when they are conducted abroad. Incredibly, however,
Tufts barred Professor Tang from human studies for two years, and the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where her article had been published, retracted the
paper! The journal cited several kinds of minor procedural deficiencies but none
that posed any safety problems or challenged the validity of the conclusions of the
study. Their rationale was decidedly unpersuasive; in fact, it was absurd. If, as is likely, these actions
delay even further the regulatory approvals of Golden Ricethe first generation of which, as mentioned
above, was developed 15 years agothe blood of untold numbers of children will be on the hands of the
editors of the journal, the Tufts University officials involved, and Greenpeace. If there were a Nobel
Prize for the Commission of Genocide, they could be co-recipients. A 2009 response from the U.S.
National Institutes of Health (whose National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
partly funded the research) to a query from another extremist NGO about the Tang study (which had not
yet been published) contained these noteworthy observations (all direct quotes):
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Because vitamin A deficiency can lead to serious problems such as blindness and death, clinical research
such as Dr. Tangs is important to further define the functions of vitamin A and its metabolites and to
identify the levels required to improve health and alleviate disease.
Many safeguards were built-in to ensure that the study was carefully planned and monitored to protect the
children who participated. The application was first reviewed and approved by Institutional Review
Boards (IRB) at both Tufts University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. Ensuring that
adequate safeguards were in place for children who would be involved in the project, the reviews from
both IRBs included human subject safety.
Furthermore, while the approval of U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture was not required to conduct the study, project investigators welcomed and received advice
and counsel on safety, nutritional, and regulatory issues from both agencies.Throughout the entire project,
[National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases] scientists
reviewed required progress reports from Dr. Tang. Under an NIH-approved Data Safety Monitoring Plan,
an independent, institutional safety officer monitored interim study data for any potential problems and
reviewed
participants
translated,
informed
consent
statements
(emphasis
added).
Anti-social actions by radical NGOs are neither new nor surprising, and genetically modified food has for
years been a favorite target. Activists have chosen to ignore the scientific consensus about the safety of
32

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genetically engineered cropsa consensus that is the result of hundreds of risk-assessment experiments
and vast real-world experience. In the United States alone, more than 90% of all corn, soybeans and sugar
beets are genetically engineered, and during two decades of consumption around the world not a single
health or environmental problem has been documented.
Anti-technology NGOs consider Golden Rice a critical target precisely because of its great potential to
reduce morbidity and mortality among the poorest and most vulnerable. They regard it as a sort of Trojan
horse that, when widely available, could persuade the public of the usefulness and safety of genetic
engineering. Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace turned pro-biotechnology apostate, put it this way:
If Greenpeace admits that there is one good [genetically engineered] crop, then they would have to admit
there might be other good [genetically engineered] crops and then they would be reduced to a rational
discussion of the subject like the rest of us mere mortals. To activists with pure hearts, vulnerable
children who are going blind and dying unnecessarily are just collateral damage.
The Tang study on Golden Rice cannot just be swept aside into academic limbo. Were this an emerging
new drug with such life-saving potential, no public official would allow these important results to get
buried so irresponsibly, observes former senior U.S. government advisor John J. Cohrssen. The studys
conclusions are valid and need to be acknowledged in public health policy. Tufts University, the several
funders of the research and the public health community have a moral and ethical obligation to see that
the Tang study is rehabilitated and that Golden Rice moves rapidly toward widespread availability.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2015/08/05/the-greenpeace-motto-save-the-whales-let-thechildren-die/
Recipe: Brown rice with soy & ginger tofu & watercress
Kieran Scott
33

www.ricepluss.com
Basmati brown rice takes less time to cook than regular brown rice great for a weeknight meal.
Ads by Google
China Importwww.globalmarket.com
Inquire for Lower Prices in China Contact Quality Manufacturers Now
Flash in the pan. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
250g firm tofu, diced 2cm
1 teaspoon sesame oil
14 cup dark soy sauce, plus extra to serve
2cm piece ginger, peeled, grated
1 12 cups brown basmati rice, washed well and drained
8-10 stems broccolini, trimmed, halved
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
200g watercress sprigs
METHOD
1. Put the tofu in a bowl with the sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger. Set aside to marinate while the rice
cooks.
2. Put the drained rice in a saucepan. Cover with 2cm cold water then bring to the boil and simmer,
uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
3. After the rice has been cooking for 20 minutes, place a colander over the saucepan and steam the
broccolini for 5 minutes or until bright green and tender. Reserve.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat then stir-fry the onion until crisp. Add the tofu and
marinade and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the tofu is hot.
5. Drain the rice, if necessary, then add to the wok, together with the peas and broccolini. Sprinkle with
the vinegar then stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through and combined.
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6. Remove from the heat and stir in the watercress. Serve in bowls, drizzled with extra soy sauce.
668,000 tonnes of rice for auction on Aug 11

4 Aug 2015 at 13:34 2,383
WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS
A total of 668,228 tonnes of stockpiled rice, comprising 11 types, will be offered for auction on
Aug 11, as the Commerce Ministry tries to dispose of old grain inherited from the previous
government. (Bangkok Post file photo)
More than 660,000 tonnes of rice will be put up for auction on Aug 11, from the huge stockpile
accumulated under the rice pledging scheme of the previous government, the Commerce
Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the
Foreign Trade Department, said 11 types of rice
totalling 668,228 tonnes would be offered to
buyers. The rice is now kept in warehouses
under the Public Warehouse Organisation and
the Marketing Organisation for Farmers.The
bidders have to submit documents on Aug 10.
Bidders who qualified would be announced at
8.30am on Aug 11 and woud be able to
submit bids until noon that day. The winners
would be announced the same day.
As of June 30, the ministry had a total of 15.11 million tonnes of rice in the stockpile, in three
categories.The first group comprised 9.15 million tonnes of edible rice -- 1.82 million tonnes of
grade A and B rice, and 7.33 million tonnes of grade A and B rice mixed with grade C rice.The
second group of 5.89 million tonnes of grade C rice comprised 4.6 million tonnes of degradable
rice and 1.29 million tonnes of inedible rice which was crumbling to powder.The third category
consisted of about 70,000 tonnes of rice which the ministry was still examining and grading. In
early July, the ministry sold 1.148 million tonnes of rice for 12.08 billion baht. The ministry
announced earlier that much of the rice to be auctioned would likely to bought for production of
ethanol. Ms Duangporn said the ministry had organised eight auctions of rice under the
government led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, selling 3.88 million tonnes for a return of about
40.95 billion baht.
Myanmar traders suspend rice exports as floods hit

3 Aug 2015 at 21:20 2,216 viewed0 comments
35

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WRITER: DPA
A villager makes his way through flood waters in Min San village, Pwintbyu township, Minbu,
Magway division, in Myanmar Monday. (AP photo)
-YANGON Leading Myanmar rice exporters decided to
temporarily suspend exports Monday in an effort to stop prices
rising during heavy floods across the country, traders
said.Traders decided at a meeting Monday to suspend exports
until Sept 15, when rice is harvested at the end of the rainy
season, said Soe Tun, vice chairman of Myanmar Rice
Federation."This will help stabilise the rice price as rice is the
primary food for Myanmar people, and the price always rises in
such time of troubles," Soe Tun said.
The price of rice had risen sharply in some flooded areas, including in the western states of Chin
and Rakhine, local media reported.The MRF said it was planning to ship rice to flood-affected
areas later this week, in corporation with other rice trader groups.Myanmar exported more than
1.7 million tonnes of rice in the fiscal year 2014-2015, worth nearly US$645 million, a figure
40% higher than the previous year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.Myanmar
aims to have an annual rice yield of over 14 million tonnes, including about 2 million tonnes of
rice for export, according to MRF.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 04

Nagpur, Aug 4 Gram prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid high moisture content
arrival. Fresh fall on NCDEX and easy condition in Madhya Pradesh pulses also pushed down
prices, according to sources.
*
FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM
* Desi gram raw recovered further in open market here on increased seasonal demand
from local traders amid tight supply from producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady here on subdued demand from local traders amid ample
stock in ready position.
* Masoor varieties reported strong in open market here on renewed demand from local
36

www.ricepluss.com
traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 7,300-7,500, Tuar dal - 10,400-10,600, Udid at 9,500-9,900,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,000-11,400, Moong - 7,000-8,000, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,700-10,000, Gram - 4,200-4,400, Gram Super best bold - 5,800-6,000
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in thin trading activity because of heavy rains, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction
3,600-4,585
3,710-4,630
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
n.a.
6,700-7,400
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
5,600-5,800
5,600-5,800
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
5,500-5,700
5,400-5,700
Desi gram Raw
4,650-4,750
4,600-4,700
Gram Filter new
6,000-6,200
6,000-6,200
Gram Kabuli
6,000-7,300
6,000-7,300
Gram Pink
6,700-6,900
6,700-6,900
Tuar Fataka Best
10,800-11,000
10,800-11,000
Tuar Fataka Medium
10,300-10,600
10,300-10,600
Tuar Dal Best Phod
9,900-10,100
9,900-10,100
Tuar Dal Medium phod
9,400-9,700
9,400-9,700
Tuar Gavarani New
7,900-8,000
7,900-8,000
Tuar Karnataka
8,300-8,500
8,300-8,500
Tuar Black
11,000-11,300
11,000-11,300
Masoor dal best
7,900-8,400
7,800-8,300
Masoor dal medium
7,600-8,000
7,500-7,900
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
9,600-10,400
9,600-10,400
Moong Mogar Medium best
8,500-9,000
8,500-9,000
Moong dal Chilka
8,600-9,000
8,600-9,000
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
37

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Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
9,200-9,600
9,200-9,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
4,500-5,000
4,500-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
3,250-3,400
3,250-3,400
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,350
3,100-3,350
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,200
3,100-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,900
3,300-3,900
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)
2,750-3,000
2,750-3,000
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,300
3,000-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
1,600-1,700
1,600-1,700
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)
3,200-3,750
3,200-3,750
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)
3,800-4,200
3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500
4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000
4,600-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000
8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500
7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,700
4,500-4,800
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)
5,000-5,400
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. 27.2 degree Celsius (81.0 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
22.9 degree Celsius (73.2 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 48.1 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum
temperature would be around and 28 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/2015/08/04/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N10F3FT20150804
38


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4th August (Tuesday), 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Aug 4, 2015

Vol 5 ,Issue VII

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Crackdown On Rice Millers: Investors Accuse NCS Of

In the face of the persistent crackdown by the

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Import Duty: Rice Importers Lament Clampdown

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India to host 2-day Global Rice Bran Oil Conference from

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Over 2 lakh hectares land damaged in West Bengal rains

Heavy rains in July and early August have had a

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APEDA News from India

Benchmark Indicators Name

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

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

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Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)

Indonesian Sulawesi saq beans, DAT US East Coast (USD/t)

NYSE Liffe Cocoa Futures (USD/t)

DCE Corn Futures (USD/t)

TOCOM Corn Futures (USD/t)

White Maize, FOB South Africa (USD/t)

For more info

Unit Price : Rs per Qty

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Una (Himachal Pradesh)

For more info

Other International Prices

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Package: cartons film wrapped

Package: 7/10 bushel cartons

The rice industry should diversify

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Customs uninformed of QRC closure

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Rice culture of the Cordilleras

Kebbi Government to access N5bn CBN loan to boost rice

The Kebbi Government said it would support

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Millers and ryots keep their fingers crossed

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Sources: Nature paper Global Methane Initiative EPA calculator

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This Genetically Modified Rice Could Make More

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Wikimeda: Angie from Sawara

Preventing hunger and saving the planet, one grain at a time.

USA Rice DailyWOTUS Unravels from the Inside

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USA Rice, Others Meet with FAS Administrator Karsting

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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

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Golden Ricea star among GMO foodshas a major study