16th February 2022 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter
16 February ,2022 Vol 7 Issue 2
1|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874
Iran News in Brief – February 15, 2022

Written byHamideh Taati
15th February 2022
THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:30 PM CET
-le Jour) – The US State Department announced on Monday that it was offering a reward of up to
$10 million for any information on Salim Ayyash, a member of Hezbollah who was found guilty
of participating in the attack that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14,
2005.
―Reward! Up to $10 Million for Info on Salim Ayyash. This Hezbollah terrorist is hiding. Help
us find him. Text us your information. You could be eligible for a reward,‖ a tweet from the US
State Department‘s Rewards for Justice Twitter account read.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop on Monday, February 14, denied the remarks quoted
by IRNA and called on the regime‘s official news agency to remove the news.
According to AFP, the state-run IRNA news agency falsified a report about the Malian Foreign
Minister‘s remarks that Mr. Diop, during a visit to Tehran and a meeting with the regime‘s
Science Minister Mohammad Ali Zolfigol, has described the Iranian regime as ―a role model for
countries who are fighting global arrogance‖ and ―oppose its oppressive sanctions.‖ Mr. Diop
denied having made such comments.
―Mali has been sanctioned by some American, European, and African countries, and we are
interested in using Iran‘s experience to develop science and technology,‖ IRNA had quoted the
Malian FM as saying.
Following the dispatch, the head of Mali‘s diplomacy reacted strongly, ordering on his Twitter
account that the news agency should delete the quote: ―I did not make this statement and request
IRNA news agency to remove it.‖
DEAR FOLLOWERS. I DID NOT MAKE THIS STATEMENT AND REQUEST IRNA NEWS
AGENCY TO REMOVE IT. I DID RECOGNIZED THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE IRANIAN
TECHNOLOGY. HTTPS://T.CO/LVRQM6VXMJ
— AMB. ABDOULAYE DIOP (@ABDOULAYEDIOP8) FEBRUARY 13, 2022
Following the strong reaction, the regime‘s official news agency changed its headline from
―Foreign Minister: Iran a good role model for fighting sanctions‖ to ―Iran welcomes scientific
cooperation with Mali‖ and removed the section concerning sanctions from its report.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET
Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani said as the Iranian regime has doubled its
arms shipments to the Houthis, it is time for the international community to take action and to
bring the Yemeni government back.
Al-Arabiya wrote on Monday, February 14, quoting the Yemeni Minister of Information from
Ma‘rib province that Tehran has accelerated the process of sending weapons to the Houthis. He
added that the recent successive defeats of the Houthis show that the group‘s days are numbered.
Following the price increase of domestic rice, Ebrahim Raisi‘s government officially increased
the price of imported rice from India and Pakistan. The new prices were announced on Sunday,
February 13, in a letter signed by Hassan Hanan, a member of the board of directors at the State
Trading Company.
According to the Mehr news agency, and based on this announcement issued by the Ministry of
Agriculture, the price of each kilogram of Indian rice, which was previously 18,500 tomans,
increased to 24,000 tomans. Pakistani rice also increased from 20,500 tomans to 25,000 tomans.
In order to balance its fiscal problems and failing to stop corruption, inflation and systemic fraud,
the Iranian regime has been increasing the prices of literally all vital commodities in the country,
and it is now depriving many poor families of rice, as the
Iraq‘s security forces are overrun by Iranian-backed militants, the Pentagon disclosed for the first
time publicly in a report indicating Tehran‘s anti-American militias have long been cashing in on
U.S. taxpayer funds.
―Iran and Iran-aligned militias continue to have strong ties to some elements of Iraq‘s traditional
security forces,‖ the Pentagon‘s inspector general informed Congress in a new report on U.S.
military operations in the region. Iraq‘s federal police and emergency response division, both
overseen by Iraq‘s Interior Ministry (MOI), as well as the Iraqi Army‘s fifth and eighth divisions
―are the units thought to have the greatest Iranian influence.‖ However, ―officers sympathetic to
Iranian or militia interests are scattered throughout the security services.‖
https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran-news-in-brief-february-15-2022/
Maldives invites investment

February 16, 2022
KARACHI: Maldivian High Commissioner to Pakistan Farzana Zahir on Tuesday invited

Pakistan businessmen to invest in the tourism and hospitality industries of Malaysia, saying that
the two industries offer good investment opportunities.
Maldives enjoys 74 percent occupancy in the tourism and hospitality industries, and that
guarantees a great return on the investments (ROI), she stated.
She said this while talking to Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry
(FPCCI), where she also revealed that Maldives was looking to diversify sources of construction
materials imports, including cement and steel, coupled with an increasing demand for halal food
products.
Talking on the occasion, FPCCI chairman Irfran Iqbal Sheikh said there was substantial demand
for halal Pakistani food exports to Maldives, including but not limited to fresh fruits, vegetables,
processed and semi-processed foods, dry fruits, organic snacks, rice, and halat meat. He added
that Pakistani food products could compete with their fair prices, quality, and taste in the
Maldivian market.
Sheikh also urged the government to ensure sufficient facilities to boost trade with other
countries. He said issues such as absence of direct flights and business to business (B2B)
contacts hinder realising true trade potential between the two countries. The trade ties between
Pakistan and Maldives currently stand at a meager $9 million.
FPCCI chairman proposed that a revised, updated, and expanded memorandum of understanding
(MoU) should be signed with Maldives National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MNCCI) to
forge B2B alliances, envisaging that it would eventually translate into a more vibrant
government to government (G2G) economic cooperation. He also proposed formation of an
effective and functional Joint Business Council (JBC) between the two counties.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/933981-maldives-invites-investment
KPT Shipping Movements Report

February 15, 2022 | 04:15 PM
Following were the Movements of Ships at Karachi Port Trust (KPT) during last 24 hours,
ending at 0700 hours on Tuesday
KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2022 ) :Following were the
Movements of Ships at Karachi Port Trust (KPT) during last 24 hours, ending at 0700 hours on
Tuesday.
SHIPS BERTHED:
Oriental Viola Tanker
TS SingaporeContainer Ship
SHIPS SAILED:
As Alva
Jwala
Ever Ursula
Leader
APL Oregon
One Henry Hudson
EXPECTED SAILING: DATE
M.T Quetta16-02-2022
EXPECTED ARRIVAL: DATE
APL Antwerp 15-02-2022 D/L Container
Kota Naked 15-02-2022 D/L Container
OEL Kedarnath 15-02-2022 D/L Container
Long Beach Trader 15-02-2022 D/L Container
XIN Wu Han 16-02-2022 D/L Container
Seagull 16-02-2022 D/56195 Wheat
Hai Phuong Glory 16-02-2022 L/5000 Rice
NACC Vega 16-02-2022 L/7150 Cement
CARGO HANDLING TURNOVER:
The total cargo handled at Karachi Port during the last 48 hours closed at 176,960 Metric Tons
The breakup shows that the port has handled 56,156 Metric Tons of export cargo and 120,804
Metric Tons of import cargo during the said period.
Commodity wise handling in metric tons is given below.
COMMODITY IMPORT EXPORT TOTAL

Container 49,025 50,136 99,161
Bulk Cargo ----- 402 402
Rice ----- 218 218
Wheat 8,179 ------ 8,179
Yellow Soya Bean 6,842 ------ 6,842
Oil/Liquid Cargo: 56,758 5,400 62,158
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/kpt-shipping-movements-report-1470570.html
Imports’ continuing impact on PH farmers: Like

dislocating the kneecaps
By: Kurt Dela Peña - Content Researcher Writer / @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net / 06:03 PM February 15, 2022
Image: Daniella Marie Agacer

MANILA, Philippines—There‘s something wrong when Filipino farmers spend more on

producing palay but end up earning next to nothing. Many of them are pointing their fingers at
what they said was the main source of their hardship—rice importation.
Jose Vidal, a farmer in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, told INQUIRER.net that because the cost of
production grew, ―we almost have nothing left for us.‖ This was the reason he said a rise in farm
gate prices could help them.
Last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the average cost of rice production in 2020
was P47,089 per hectare and P11.52 per kilogram. Now, Vidal said the cost could be as high as
P60,000 and P16.
This, as the average palay price in October to December 2021 was only P16.65 per kilogram, 1.3
percent higher from P16.44 in July to September 2021 and a drop of negative 9.5 percent from
P18.39 in October to December 2020.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
―The cost of production is high and it‘s possible that we will even have nothing left for us since we
also have debts to pay. That‘s why we‘re really asking the government for help,‖ said Vidal.
However, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said it was possible for farm gate prices to fall
further—by at least P1 per kilogram in March, April and May—dry season harvest—as a result of
excessive rice importation.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
Raul Montemayor, national manager of FFF, said ―when we have a peak harvest by yearend like
last year––October, November and December––we really have an excess and then there‘s a lot of
rice imports, too.‖
―When we entered 2022, we had a lot of stocks that were way more than the requirement. Now, if
there will still be rice imports until March, when Filipino farmers will harvest their crops, markets
are already filled with rice,‖ he said.
He told INQUIRER.net that yearly, the lack in domestic rice production is 1.5 to 2 million tons.
However, in 2021, rice imports were almost 3 million while the domestic harvest was also high.
The FFF said rice imports in 2021 were 2.98 million tons––out of this, 40 percent or 1.2 million
tons arrived when the Philippines was having its wet, or main, harvest season in October,
November and December.
There was also a record high domestic harvest of 20 million tons of rice in 2021 while last month,
despite the immense carryover of stocks from last year, 262,000 tons of imported rice had arrived.
Endless pain
When farmers harvest in March, the FFF said there will be a glut, which will result in low palay
prices even as the costs of fertilizer, fuel, and other farm needs remain high.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
For Montemayor, ―having a large harvest is meaningless to farmers if it results in low prices for
their harvest‖. He said because of the excess, ―traders will tend to discount farm gate prices.‖
In 2019 limits on rice imports were lifted when President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No.
11203—or the Rice Tariffication Act—a law which paved the way for more imported rice to reach
the Philippines.
The law, which amended Republic Act No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, said
that instead of limiting rice imports, private importers will have to pay a 35 percent tariff.
Republic Act No. 11598, or the Cash Assistance to Filipino Farmers Act, provided that tariffs in
excess of P10 billion a year will be for cash transfers to farmers hit by the Rice Tariffication law.
10 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m
Graphic: Ed Lustan
However, the FFF explained that one out of every three palay farmers will not get any cash
assistance because Republic Act No. 11598, which was signed last year, ―only applies to farmers
tilling two hectares or less.‖
For Vidal, the Rice Tariffication law should be reviewed again, saying that the excess of P10
billion could be given to the National Food Authority (NFA) for its program to purchase palay
from local growers.
This, he said, will help more Filipino farmers, even those who do not till their own lands.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
Last year, because of the increase in rice imports, the government collected tariffs worth P19
billion. However, the FFF said it was not significantly felt, especially by farmers. For
Montemayor, palay prices went down because of excessive rice imports: ―The P9 billion for
farmers is very small compared to the P60 billion that farmers are losing every year.‖
RTL wounds
Ibon Foundation said that in 2019, the year the law took effect, rice farmers‘ net income per
hectare dropped by 32 percent in the dry season, 47 percent in the wet season, and 38 percent on
the average as compared to 2018.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
For Rosario Guzman, head of Ibon Foundation‘s research department, this translated to a lower
profitability ratio for farmers. She said that these were all official data from the PSA.
She said for every peso that a rice farmer spent on one hectare, profit fell in 2019 from 73 to 53
centavos in the dry season, 63 to 36 centavos in the wet season, and 73 to 47 centavos on the
average.
The think tank said the average net income of P21,324 in 2019 translated to P236.93 per day in a
90-day cropping season, down from P34,111 or P379.01 a day in 2018.
Montemayor explained that there is likewise no limit regarding whether private importers could
bring imported rice before or while Filipino farmers are harvesting.
―So in that sense, the effect is immense because while farmers are harvesting, importation is
continuous and the import volume is very big, way more than what is needed,‖ he said.
He said, ―It‘s true that when we import a lot, we get a lot of tariff revenues, however, it‘s like a
double-edged sword against farmers because when rice imports are excessive, palay price would
go down.‖
Even Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is seeking a new term as senator, took a firm stand against
agricultural importation, saying that the Department of Agriculture (DA) should cease
importation during harvest season for local farmers.
READ: Zubiri: Stop importing agricultural products now
The group Bantay Bigas, which fights for enough, safe, and inexpensive rice, said the Rice
Tariffication law was the reason there‘s even a P10 per kilo farm gate price which is too far from
what farmers want: P20 per kilo.
P3–rise, please?
Vidal, who is already 60 years old, is part of the Provincial Farmers Action Council which
resolved to ask Duterte to raise palay price from P19 to P22 through the NFA.
For Vidal, who said that farmers have no choice but to sell their harvest even when the price is
low, a P3–rise would help a lot, saying that now, their income per hectare for four months is
P20,000. Graphic: Ed Lustan
He said if the NFA will get palay for P22 per kilo, farmers will possibly earn 30,000. ―That‘s
already a great help for us, especially now that farming is our only chance to make both ends
meet for our families,‖ he said.
He said they really have no choice, even when the farm gate price is discounted because of rice
imports, explaining that ―we need to sell our harvest so that we can pay our debts.‖
―If we will not be able to pay early, the interest will increase and the worst that could happen is
that we‘ll have no finances to start again if the one we‘re indebted to will no longer lend us some
help,‖ he said.
Last year, the Federation of Central Luzon Farmers Cooperative likewise asked the NFA for the
same move, saying that before the law took effect, the price for newly harvested palay was P16
to P20 per kilo and P20 to P24 for clean and dry.
Time to scrap RTL
Last Monday (Feb. 14), as the Philippines marked the third year since the law was signed, the
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said it‘s high time for it to be repealed.
Why? KMP said it was because ―the law has destroyed the lives of millions of rice farmers,‖
stressing that since it took effect, the law has wrecked the local rice industry and food-self
sufficiency.
Rice self-sufficiency has steadily fallen each year since Duterte‘s second year in Malacañang.
The PSA said it was 95 percent in 2017, 86.2 percent in 2018, 79.8 percent in 2019 and 85
percent in 2020.
Danilo Ramos, chair of the KMP, said the law ―endangered the welfare of both producers and
consumers and undermined the livelihoods of millions of rice farmers.‖
He stressed that the Rice Tariffication law planted the seeds to many problems, like starvation
and indebtedness, while retail prices remained elevated for poor consumers.
Graphic: Ed Lustan
For Herminio Agsaluna, president of the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka,
while the government has interventions to help farmers, ―it would mean nothing if it‘s detached
from reality‖.
He told INQUIRER.net that the distribution of farm needs, like seeds and fertilizer, should take
place way before the time farmers needed them: ―What‘s happening is we‘re given the needs a
few weeks before harvest.‖
This, he said, was the reason the DA should be led by a ―real farmer‖ so that the interventions
would really help farmers, especially those who need it the most.
‗Make a stand‘
Bantay Bigas said it challenges presidential candidates to heed the demands of food producers
and consumers to make certain that ―food security and rice agenda are part of their programs‖.
It said the last three years have only brought distress to farmers: ―That‘s why they are looking for
someone who has a heart and who is ready to promote and fight for their interest.‖
Cathy Estavillo, Bantay Bigas spokesperson, said the increase in rice production cost as well as
the distribution of seeds, fertilizer and cash assistance will remain insignificant.
Why? She explained it‘s insignificant as long as ―depressed‖ palay prices and lack of
government support in farm needs and post-harvest facilities persist and when local markets are
filled with imported rice.
The FFF stressed that the increase in rice production did not benefit farmers significantly despite
the billions spent by the DA on its rice program.
It said overall, harvest per hectare improved by only 1.6 percent in 2021, equivalent to an
additional income of only P1,095 per hectare: This is far from DA‘s claim that farmers earned
P10,000 despite the rise in fertilizer costs.
The FFF then raised concern on the effectiveness of DA‘s interventions, saying that the
additional palay output of about 665,000 tons recorded in 2021 had a market value of only P11
billion.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1555077/imports-continuing-impact-on-ph-farmers-like-
dislocating-the-kneecaps
Strong IP Protection Laws, Licensing Crucial For Africa‘s

Food Security, Sufficiency ― TAAT
By Nchetachi Chukwuajah On Feb 15, 2022
To scale up investments in the agriculture sector and its various value chains for improved yields
and development, governments of African countries have been urged to ensure the protection of
intellectual property and licensing for crop varieties in the continent.
This was the submission of discussants and participants at the 2022 Technologies for African
Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Investors Forum which was held virtually on Tuesday.
The Director, TAAT, Dr Martin Fregene, in his presentation, noted that the issue of non-
protection of intellectual property and assets rights of crop varieties and proper licensing in
various countries of the continent, posed huge challenges to the private sector investment,
research and development of many crop varieties.
Dr Fragene called on the government to ensure the protection of intellectual property of varieties
and licensing agreements, create an enabling environment for the sector to thrive and harmonise
regional seeds markets.
He also said that private sector involvement in agriculture has become crucial for African
countries to achieve food security and sufficiency by integrating innovative technologies in
agriculture for increased yields.
Adipolo
Adipolo
Dr Fregene, while noting that ―the private sector creates a comfortable environment to generate
and attract financing for agriculture‖, said the continent should boost its production of tropical
crops, such as maize, rice, wheat, cassava, sorghum/millet, etc, that it has an advantage over
other parts of the world.
Rodrigo Sara, an Intellectual Property (IP) lawyer and tech-transfer specialist, who spoke on
‗Principles on the management of intellectual assets and intellectual property, said the private
and public sectors have an intersection in their IP licensing approaches which aim at ―serving
emerging markets and addressing global challenges.‖
Sara said for the public sector licensing approach, ―research is upstream and decoupled from
commercialisation; dissemination focuses on International Public Goods (non-excludability, non-
rivalry) and targets small-scale farmers and consumers with limited purchasing power or market
access.‖
On the other hand, he said that in the private sector licensing approach, research is ―linked to
commercialisation pipeline and product life-cycle; produces products that will appeal to paying
customers; dissemination focuses on IP protection/licensing and exclusivity; targets paying
customers and priority is to maximise returns.‖
Sara said for its intellectual assets and property management, Consortium of International
Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) adopt limited exclusivity agreements which include that
varieties are limited in duration, territory and field of use; available for non-commercial use by
public research organisations; available in food security emergencies; necessary for further
development or to enhance the scale and scope of impact and complies with treaties and national
laws governing access and benefits sharing.
Frederick Schreurs, Business Development Officer with the TAAT Clearing House, also spoke
on ‗Scaling and licensing concepts via the private sector‘ during the forum.
The event featured presentations of improved varieties of crops such as rice, maize, wheat,
cassava, etc., by researchers from TAAT and its agencies and innovative agricultural processes
for various crops using agriculture.
Such varieties include the DroughtTEGO maize hybrid which Mr Munyaradzi Jonga of the
AATF, in his presentation, described as ―new elite climate-smart maize hybrids that are drought
and disease tolerant and high yielding‖ and licensed to seed companies in Nigeria, Kenya,
Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa and Burkina Faso.
Mr Ernest Asiedu of Africa Rice, in his presentation on ‗Improved and climate-smart market
preferred rice varieties and hybrids, said the research centre focuses on developing rice seed
varieties that suit the different land types and topography of a country.
While noting that only 26 countries in Africa have attained rice self-sufficiency at various levels,
Mr Asiedu said that such market indices as consumer preference, quality standards and
packaging drives the rice value chain.
On his part, Zewdie Bishaw said with partnership from TAAT, SARD-SC has developed about
30 wheat varieties for irrigated and rainfed areas in Africa such as Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Niger
and Sudan.
Bishaw said the wheat varieties are ―high yielding, heat tolerant and water use efficient varieties
for irrigated lowlands, high grain yield and rust-resistant varieties for cooler rainfed highlands,
short maturing varieties for double cropping in lowland irrigated areas and high grain quality,
with protein content of 12-15 per cent, suitable for agro-processors of food products.‖
He said with these wheat varieties, the sector is guaranteed ―expansion of frontiers of wheat
production in heat stress lowlands in sub-Saharan Africa; increased productivity and production
thereby reducing import gaps of wheat; increased farmer income from wheat production through
value addition; job creation for youth in the wheat value chain and availability of good quality
wheat grain for local agro-processing.‖
Marburg Virus: What You Need To Know About Disease Recently Detected In West Africa
Strong IP protection laws, licensing crucial for Africa‘s food security, sufficiency ― TAAT
FACT CHECK: US Did Not Give Nigeria 48 Hours Ultimatum To Detain Abba Kyari Strong IP
protection laws, licensing crucial for Africa‘s food security, sufficiency ― TAAT
Strong IP protection laws, licensing crucial for Africa‘s food security, sufficiency ― TAAT
https://tribuneonlineng.com/strong-ip-protection-laws-licensing-crucial-for-africas-food-
security-sufficiency-%E2%80%95-taat/https://tribuneonlineng.com/strong-ip-protection-laws-
licensing-crucial-for-africas-food-security-sufficiency-%E2%80%95-taat/
Pakistan’s rice exports to China increased 133% in

2021
FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Pakistan‘s export of rice to China (HS Code 1006) crossed $400 million in 2021, up 133 percent
year on year, and in the first five months of the last year once Pakistan remained the largest rice
supplier to China. China Economic Net (CEN) reported this on Tuesday quoting official data
from the General Administration of Customs of the People‘s Republic of China (GACC).
Commercial Counselor of the Pakistan Embassy Beijing Badar uz Zaman previously said that in
the next few years, his target is to achieve one million tons of rice. He desires that Pakistan will
become the largest player in this market.
This year China imported about 973,000 tons of rice worth $437 million from Pakistan. The
seven new Pakistan rice exporters have been added to the approved list which has risen to 53 last
year, and China relaxed import restrictions on Pakistani rice which helped rice export to China.
Commercial Counselor Badar uz Zaman told CEN that Pakistan has become the third-largest
exporter of rice to China, added that they are using traditional and especially social media
platforms to provide awareness about Pakistani rice in this market.
―We are also in discussion with the Chinese government for the technology transfer of sea rice
because huge saline land along the coastal districts can be used for rice cultivation.
The Chinese have been successful in their experiments to use the saline land and we can learn
this from China,‖ Badar added. This year semi or wholly milled rice (Commodity Code
10063020) crossed about $249 millio, increased 85% as compared to last year, which followed
by broken rice (Commodity Code 10064020) reached $125 million, up 201% year on year. Badar
further said that the number of Pakistani restaurants isincreasing in China that helped Pakistani
Basmati rice improve exports here, and Middle Eastern restaurants like Lebanese and Turkish
restaurants also use Basmati rice. Previously there was no presence of Basmati rice because
Chinese normally like the other varieties of rice, but now the Chinesebuying power is being
increased, and the tendency to use expensive products and special aromatic basmati rice will
create a pull from the Chinese market.
Miss Xie working as a manager in a Pakistani restaurant is amazed that more Chinese customers
are coming to eat Basmati rice because it‘s different from Chinese rice and it has a special
fragrance. The grains remain separate after cooking.
Asif Jalil, owner of Little Lahore a famous restaurant in China told CEN that Thai Jasmine rice is
very popular here because they created the demand in the Chinese market and now, they are
capturing & enjoying the market, he added Pakistan still needs to work hard to grab the whole
market because the Chinese market is too big.
―The quantity of Pakistani rice exported to China, at this moment does not represent the demand
from the local consumers. It only tells that we let some of the consumers try Pakistani rice.
When this export grows over a certain period, then basically, we will be able to see the number
of returning consumers to rightly quantify the growth in demand for Pakistani rice,‖ he added.
Pakistani rice exporters expressed that the shipping cost is too high due to COVID-19 and the
price of rice in the domestic market goes up while the end-users are still buying on old rates. If
they get subsidies or some incentives from the Chinese side, that would help increase much more
exports of Pakistani rice to China.
They also said that 1121 Basmati Rice has very high quality in Pakistan but the price of this type
of rice is the same as Indian traders are getting in the Chinese market, while quality has a huge
difference, adding that the Pakistani government needs much more effort to increase further
exports of rice because China is a very big market.
They also mentioned that right now IRRI-6, IRRI-9, semi or wholly milled rice and broken rice
are the main varieties of rice that are exported to China while Basmati and other top varieties still
need to work hard to capture the Chinese market.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (NFSR) Fakhar Imam said that last
year Pakistan has the best rice production of around 9 million tons, which has helped Pakistan
earn $4.75 billion from rice exports, and he expected that 2022 will break all record of rice
production and exports. It is also worth mentioning that the latest color sorter machines
(technology) and seeds given by China to Pakistan to facilitate the sowing and improvement of
rice grains helped increase rice exports to China and also around the world.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/886338/pakistans-rice-exports-to-china-increased-133-in-2021/
Reduction in fertiliser subsidy unacceptable - Farmer

associations protest
Date: Feb - 15 - 2022 , 11:04
BY: Ama Amankwah Baafi
Category: Business News
Last year, the Daily Graphic carried a report on subsidised fertiliser smuggling hitting
Farmer associations in the country have kicked against the government’s decision to
reduce the subsidy component on fertilisers under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)
programme.
The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Ghana Rice Millers Association (GRMA)
and the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) said there was the need for effective
consultations to allow for informed decisions on such matters of policy to improve the delivery
of subsidies.
https://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/reduction-in-fertiliser-subsidy-
unacceptable-farmer-associations-protest.html
Group berates EFCC over non appearance of FCC chairman

February 15, 2022
Chidinma Uchechukwu
A human rights group, LYGEL Youths and Leadership Initiative, has berated the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over its failure to interrogate the Chairman, Federal
Character Commission (FCC), Dr Muheeba Farida Dankaka, who was alleged to have falsified
her name and some of her academic credentials.
Specifically, the group condemned the anti-corruption war of the current EFCC chairman, Mr
Abulrasheed Bawa, saying the failure of Bawa to question Dankaka was a blow on the EFCC.
Dankaka who was alleged to have falsified her name and other academic documents was said to
have been invited by the EFCC twice but failed to appear before the anti graft agency.
Acting on a petition filed before it by a human rights group, LYGEL Youths and Leadership
Initiative, the EFCC had last year invited Dr Dankaka to appear for interrogation before it twice
but turned down the invitation on the two occasions for reasons not known.
It was learnt that further steps were not taken by the EFCC to compel the embattled FCC
chairman to appear before it despite the weight of the allegations and their implications for the
nation.
The rights group in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday by its Director of Legal
and Compliance, Mr Olalekan Oladapo claimed that Its petition was duly submitted to
appropriate department of the EFCC and necessary documentation was done but expressed
disappointment on why the FCC chairman failed to honour the invitation, and the complacency
of the EFCC to compel her.
The group had in its petition dated 11th March, 2021, signed by its Director of Legal and
Compliance, Mr Olalekan Oladapo and addressed to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr
Bawa alleged that Mrs Dankaka has no justification to hold the position of FCC chairman which
she currently holds, having allegedly falsified most of her credentials.
He said ―subsequent upon the submission of the petition, the rights group was invited to defend
her petition against the embattled FCC chairman and which was done in writing about almost a
year ago. EFCC‘s invitations on her came about a year after the petition. However, she shuned
the invitation.‖
―Worried by the development, the rights group also wrote a reminder and same was received at
the EFCC headquarters on the 11th of January, 2022 but no noticeable step was taken by the
EFCC, save for the visit of the Chairman of the commission to the FCC headquarters and
subsequent processing of waivers not to advertise for employment by the EFCC.
The rights group had in a petition forwarded to EFCC alleged that ―we have every reason to
believe that Mrs Dankaka‘s credentials were falsified and or grossly inconsistent with the name
presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the senate for confirmation.‖
Oladapo said, having gone through the Curriculum Vitae of Mrs Dankaka and her credentials, he
discovered that ―her Curriculum Vitae and credentials are suspicious of foul play and portends
security risk‖
The petition reads in part ―the alleged observed inconsistencies, misrepresentation and
imposition of Dr Muheeba Farida Dankaka as contained in the Certified True Copies of her
Curriculum Vitae and certificates which she submitted to the senate for screening including the
claim that she had honourary degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Pacific Western University,
Denver Colorado, USA in 2007.
―The National University Commission (NUC) had declared the Pacific Western University,
Denver Colorado, USA, Owerri study centre where Mrs Dankaka got her acclaimed honourary
doctorate degree illegal and consequently shut it down. The school was neither registered nor
had the capacity to issue such certificate. Mrs Dankaka upon the award criminally pretend to be a
Ph.D awardee and affixed the title to her name.
―Mrs Dankaka‘s name on her Master‘s degree certificate obtained from the Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria is Muiba Nike Salau which is not consistent with the name presented to the
senate by President Muhammadu Buhari. The name presented to the senate was Dr. Muheeba
Farida Dankaka. While Dankaka May be excused as name adopted at marriage, Farida and
Muheeba are without any reference and are so being used dubiously.
―Mrs Dankaka‘s name that appears on the first degree certificate she obtained from Bayero
University, Kano was Muibat Adenike Salawu. The name is also at variant with the name
officially presented to the senate for screening and confirmation by President Buhari.
―Mrs Dankaka‘s name on the West African Examination School Certificate obtained in 1978 is
Salawu Muibat Adenike, which is also not consistent with other documents she claimed to have
had.
―She also claimed to have obtained her first school leaving certificate in 1972. Gleaning from her
Curriculum Vitae that she submitted to the senate for her screening, she was born on January
2nd, 1964, by school admission age during this period (5 or 6 years old), this record shows she
spent only 2-3 years for her primary school education.
―In summary, her Curriculum Vitae and all her attached certificates are grossly contradictory,
inconsistent and it was on that basis, that her appointment was based,‖ the group added.
Besides, the group alleged that Mrs Dankaka had recently removed the initial F. (Farida) from all
her official portraits at FCC and all official documents she recently append her signature.
The group enjoined the EFCC to do the needful in relation to all the allegations leveled against
Mrs Dankaka, as the agency had done with other suspects for fairness and in the interest of the
nation, stressing that her actions constitute economic sabotage and portends serious dangers to
the security of the nation, just as it expressed concern over her decision to shun the EFCC
invitation.
Also, the group prayed EFCC to bring Dankaka to book if she‘s found guilty of all the
allegations leveled against her as there should be no sacred cow on the issue of crime as
represented by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.
Get more stories like this on Twitter and Telegram
https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/group-berates-efcc-appearance-fcc-chairman-410940
Over 19.64L tonnes rice deposited in central pool

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 | Staff Reporter | RAIPUR
A week ahead of the completion of paddy procurement work in Chhattisgarh, the state
government is working expeditiously to deposit rice in the central pool. Over 19.64 lakh tonnes
of quality rice have been deposited in the central pool so far.
This includes 10.80 lakh tonnes of rice deposited in the Food Corporation of India and 8.83 lakh
tonnes in the Civil Supplies Corporation, a statement from the Food Department said.
The statement said as a result of the visionary thinking and farsighted decisions, about 98 lakh
tonnes of paddy have been procured in a systematic manner from over 21.77 lakh farmers in
Chhattisgarh this Kharif year.
Food Secretary Topeshwar Verma said in a statement that on the initiative of the Chief Minister,
the work of paddy lifting for custom milling is also being done at a rapid pace this year.
A record 72.81 lakh tonnes of paddy have been lifted by the rice millers so far. Verma said that
53.56 lakh tonnes of paddy have been lifted by the millers from the procurement centers.
This year, over 61.65 lakh tonnes of Arva rice is to be deposited in the central pool, Verma said.
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/state-editions/over-19-64l-tonnes-rice-deposited-in-central-
pool.html
Farmer Associations protest reduction in fertiliser subsidies

Fertilizer prices shoot up by more than 200%
We were not consulted on reduction of subsidies, Farmers Association
50 kg NPK fertiliser now sells at GH¢320 from GH¢108

Farmer associations in the country are lamenting the over 200% increase in the price of fertilizer
in the country.
This comes after government‘s decision to reduce the subsidy component on fertilisers under its
flagship Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme from 36% in 2021 to 15% this year.
The associations including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), Ghana Rice
Millers Association (GRMA) and the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) said
farmers were the direct beneficiaries and consumers of fertilizers in the country thus effective
consultation should have been done before taking any decision that directly affects them.
This they say will allow for informed decisions on such matters of policy to improve the delivery
of subsidies to be taken.
Head of Programmes and Advocacy of the PFAG, Dr Charles Nyaaba, who spoke for the
stakeholders, said ―Government has refused to consult and has not officially communicated to
farmers to explain the circumstances for the reduction in subsidies.
―We need to sit together and relook at the prices again to see what can be done,‖ he said in an
interview on February 3, 2022.
According to Graphic Online, per notification of offer being circulated on the various agriculture
social media platforms, the government‘s approved cost of 50 kg NPK fertiliser is now GH¢320,
up from GH¢108 last year.
This is a 200% increase and does not auger well with the farmers.
The farmers have argued that, even with the 36% subsidized rate, farmers could not afford
fertilizers last year due to high prices and unavailability.
―Because they are not getting fertilisers to apply, that‘s why food prices have gone up that high.
So, now if an input has increased by 200 per cent, you can imagine what will happen next year.
We are so much concerned about the situation.‖
Continuing, Dr. Nyaaba explained that it would require about three bags to cultivate an acre of
maize farm, for instance, translating to about GH¢1,000 for just fertilizer.
―You realise the cost of production has actually increased more than the reach of the farmer,‖ he
lamented.
―Perhaps, we can decide to take subsidies out and see where we can invest that money. But
because government has no regard for farmers it is not willing to have any consultations and
every year, we face the same challenge,‖ he told government.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Farmer-Associations-protest-reduction-
in-fertiliser-subsidies-1469734
Cultivation of Bio-fortified rice gaining popularity in

Bihar
ByNewsWire
February 14, 2022
The concept of Bio-fortified rice farming is getting popular among farmers in Bihar these days as
it is not just nutritious but also helps in increasing the farmers‘ earning.
It is believed that bio-fortified rice has rich contents of nutrition including protein and zinc which
is helpful to fight with malnutrition among children especially in a financially backward state
like Bihar.
One such initiative was taken in Bihar‘s Samastipur district where farmers started the cultivation
of bio-fortified rice in Kalyanpur-Samartha village.
―We have started cultivation of bio-fortified rice in a 2.5 acre land in Kalyanpur- Samartha in
Samastipur district as a pilot project and it has given good yield despite adverse situations. It is a
new technique introduced in the farming sector not only to enhance the nutrition of a product but
also to increase the earning of farmers. We need support from the state government to provide
seeds,‖ a local farmer said.
―Over the years, more than 20 districts of North Bihar have been affected by floods every year.
Last year, flood water entered into districts like Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali.
Interestingly, our crops sustained in adverse climatic situations and yielded a good amount of
agricultural produce,‖ he said, while pointing out that the water logged in agricultural fields for
extended periods due to choked drains connected with different rivers.
―I used one 2.5 acre land for farming and used 50 kg seeds of bio-fortified rice in Samastipur.
Besides, the same cultivation is also done in Bela Bilaspur in West Champaran district,‖ he said.
The farmer was guided by some experts of India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and
Bihar origin NRIs related to an USA based forum called Global Indian Scientists and
Technocrats (GIST).
Sharad Mohan, a Bihar origin NRI based in USA along with some other technocrats were
working in the field of technologically upgrading Indian agriculture, had planned such an
initiative last year.
―We took it as challenge to connect technology with farmers that would not only enhance their
income but also help to fight micronutrient deficiency,‖ Mohan said.
The shift from normal farming of paddy to bio-fortified rice may prove to be a boon to the state
like Bihar that ranks lowest with more than 48 per cent stunted children in the country.
―It could be a good initiative to introduce bio-fortified rice in the mid-day meal program of the
state government in schools, Anganwadi centers and different food distribution programs to cater
the needs of poor families having undernourished children. The bio-fortified rice has high protein
content of 10.1 per cent and Zinc containing 20 ppm as per the claim of National Rice Research
Institute Cuttack,‖ Mohan said.
―Bio-fortification could be a step for India‘s transition from availability and access to nutrition
security and eradicating hidden hunger. I firmly believe that Bihari Thali would soon transform
into a Nutria-Thali after adoption followed by replication of the practice by the farmers in the
state,‖ he said.
―Some of the senior officials Ashok K. Singh, DDG of ICAR has shown special interest in this
initiative. He has provided expert views and support for the farming of bio-fortified rice,‖ Mohan
added.
―The cultivation of rice would certainly fetch a premium price in the market. It required branding
followed by awareness and advertisement at government level to promote this product.
Qualitative analysis, especially nutrition aspects mentioned on the packets are key here to
promote the product. At present, rice means carbohydrate which the people know. Once they
know about the nutrition aspect like protein and zinc, people from across the country and world
attract towards it,‖ said Aditya Satsangi, a USA based agriculture trader and owner of a farm
named kisanpro.com.
―India is a big market for bio-fortified rice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also pointed out
this in his Independence Day speech from Red Fort this year. Besides India, if we target African
countries, it would give good export opportunities to generate foreign revenue for the domestic
farmers as well,‖ Rachit Garg, a trader of HFN Mandi said.
―We are looking forward to buying bio-fortified rice from farmers of Bihar and selling it off in
the countrywide market,‖ he says.
Bihar has good potential to produce bio-fortified rice especially in districts such as Rohtas,
Kaimur, Bhojpur, Buxar which are known as ―Dhan Ka Katora‖ of Bihar. Apart from these
districts, the cultivation of rice is being done in all 38 districts as well.
https://www.canindia.com/cultivation-of-bio-fortified-rice-gaining-popularity-in-bihar/
Researchers Find Hybrid Metabolism in Fermented

Food Microbe
UC Davis
Lactic acid bacteria are essential in creating fermented foods like yogurt, cheese and sauerkraut.
Certain strains are also used as probiotics to improve human gut health.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Rice University have discovered that
lactic acid bacteria use a previously unknown energy metabolism, which radically changes the
scientific understanding of how these bacteria may thrive in their natural environments.
Researchers found the species Lactiplantibacillus plantarum uses a hybrid metabolism, which
combines features of respiration with fermentation.
―Using this blended metabolism, lactic acid bacteria like L. plantarum grow better and do a faster
job acidifying its environment,‖ said co-corresponding author Maria Marco, a professor in the
food science and technology department with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.
The findings, published in the journal eLIFE, could lead to new technologies that use lactic acid
bacteria to produce healthier and tastier fermented foods and beverages in ways which also
minimize food waste. Manipulating this metabolism could change the flavor and texture of
fermented foods.
―We may also find that this blended metabolism has benefits in other habitats, such as the
digestive tract,‖ Marco said. ―The ability to manipulate it could improve gut health.‖
A puzzling beginning
The study began with a puzzle. Unlike fermentation, respiration requires an external molecule
that can accept electrons, like oxygen in aerobic respiration. Some microorganisms that mainly
gain energy by respiration can use electron acceptors located outside the cell. This ability, called
extracellular electron transfer, has been tied to specific genes. A newly identified set of
extracellular electron transfer genes were found throughout lactic acid bacteria, which use
fermentation metabolism for energy conservation and growth.
―It was like finding the metabolic genes for a snake in a whale,‖ said co-corresponding author
Caroline Ajo-Franklin, a bioscientist with Rice University. ―It didn‘t make a lot of sense, and we
thought, ‗We‘ve got to figure this out.'‖
The common bacteria they studied, L. plantarum, depends predominantly on fermentation. ―But
when we put them under particular circumstances where we‘re providing them with a carbon
source that makes it harder to make lactate, the main end-product made during fermentation,
they‘ve got to do some workarounds. That‘s when the new metabolism kicks in,‖ Ajo-Franklin
said.
According to Marco, ―This blended metabolism allows L. plantarum to overcome major
bottlenecks in growth by allowing the bacteria to send electrons outside of the cell.‖
The research team showed how showed how L. plantarum uses this metabolism to change its
environment in a food fermentation. Triggering this pathway with electrodes also offers many
possibilities for fine-tuning food fermentations to change how they taste.
Other co-authors include Eric Stevens, Peter Finnegan, James Nelson and Andre Knoessen of
UC Davis, Sara Tejedor-Sanz of Rice University, and Samuel Light of the University of
Chicago.
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, the
Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and a Rodgers
https://www.miragenews.com/researchers-find-hybrid-metabolism-in-fermented-724399/
Add More Years to Your Life with Whole Grains

By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA -- Consuming more whole grains can help add up to 13 years to your life,
according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine. The study, ―Estimating
Impact of Food Choices on Life Expectancy: A Modeling Study,‖ showed that people of any age
could increase longevity by incorporating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into their
diet.
Here's to whole grains and longer, healthier lives

The research study showed the impact of replacing a ―typical western diet‖ with an ―optimized
diet‖ of more whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. A typical western diet was
defined as focused on red meat and processed foods.
Women who change their eating habits could increase their lifespan by more than ten years; for
men, the increase is up to thirteen years. The largest gains in longevity are tied to increased
consumption of whole grains along with legumes.
Researchers concluded that ―health gains are predicted to be larger the earlier the dietary changes
are initiated in life.‖ Their model for this study focused on those eating optimally by age 20.
However, it also showed that eating optimally at age 60 could add eight to nine years to
someone‘s life, and that even beginning to eat more plant-based foods, like U.S.-grown brown
rice, at age eighty can add about three and a half more years of life.
Currently, only five percent of Americans consume enough whole grains according to the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
―The nutritional value of whole grains and their role in maintaining a healthy diet and life are
undeniable,‖ said Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice director of domestic promotion. ―This study once
again demonstrates the direct link between whole grains and positive health benefits at any age.
From reducing risk of disease and providing fiber, to extending someone‘s life span, whole
grains do it all.‖
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889
Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A

modeling study
Lars T. Fadnes,
 Jan-Magnus Økland,
 Øystein A. Haaland,
 Kjell Arne JohanssonAbstract
Background
Interpreting and utilizing the findings of nutritional research can be challenging to clinicians,
policy makers, and even researchers. To make better decisions about diet, innovative methods
that integrate best evidence are needed. We have developed a decision support model that
predicts how dietary choices affect life expectancy (LE).
Methods and findings
Based on meta-analyses and data from the Global Burden of Disease study (2019), we used life
table methodology to estimate how LE changes with sustained changes in the intake of fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, refined grains, nuts, legumes, fish, eggs, milk/dairy, red meat,
processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages. We present estimates (with 95% uncertainty
intervals [95% UIs]) for an optimized diet and a feasibility approach diet. An optimal diet had
substantially higher intake than a typical diet of whole grains, legumes, fish, fruits, vegetables,
and included a handful of nuts, while reducing red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened
beverages, and refined grains. A feasibility approach diet was a midpoint between an optimal and
a typical Western diet. A sustained change from a typical Western diet to the optimal diet from
age 20 years would increase LE by more than a decade for women from the United States (10.7
[95% UI 8.4 to 12.3] years) and men (13.0 [95% UI 9.4 to 14.3] years). The largest gains would
be made by eating more legumes (females: 2.2 [95% UI 1.1 to 3.4]; males: 2.5 [95% UI 1.1 to
3.9]), whole grains (females: 2.0 [95% UI 1.3 to 2.7]; males: 2.3 [95% UI 1.6 to 3.0]), and nuts
(females: 1.7 [95% UI 1.5 to 2.0]; males: 2.0 [95% UI 1.7 to 2.3]), and less red meat (females:
1.6 [95% UI 1.5 to 1.8]; males: 1.9 [95% UI 1.7 to 2.1]) and processed meat (females: 1.6 [95%
UI 1.5 to 1.8]; males: 1.9 [95% UI 1.7 to 2.1]). Changing from a typical diet to the optimized diet
at age 60 years would increase LE by 8.0 (95% UI 6.2 to 9.3) years for women and 8.8 (95% UI
6.8 to 10.0) years for men, and 80-year-olds would gain 3.4 years (95% UI females: 2.6 to
3.8/males: 2.7 to 3.9). Change from typical to feasibility approach diet would increase LE by 6.2
(95% UI 3.5 to 8.1) years for 20-year-old women from the United States and 7.3 (95% UI 4.7 to
9.5) years for men. Using NutriGrade, the overall quality of evidence was assessed as moderate.
The methodology provides population estimates under given assumptions and is not meant as
individualized forecasting, with study limitations that include uncertainty for time to achieve full
effects, the effect of eggs, white meat, and oils, individual variation in protective and risk factors,
uncertainties for future development of medical treatments; and changes in lifestyle.
Conclusions
A sustained dietary change may give substantial health gains for people of all ages both for
optimized and feasible changes. Gains are predicted to be larger the earlier the dietary changes
are initiated in life. The Food4HealthyLife calculator that we provide online could be useful for
clinicians, policy makers, and laypeople to understand the health impact of dietary choices.
Author summary
Why was this study done?
 Food is fundamental for health, and globally dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11
million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years annually.
 The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study (GBD) provides
summary measures of population health that are relevant when comparing health systems
but does not estimate the impact of alterations in food group composition and respective
health benefits.
 The EAT–Lancet commission did present a planetary diet, but it gives limited
information on the health impact of other diets, and few people are able to adhere to strict
health maximization approaches.
What did the researchers do and find?
 Our modeling methodology using meta-analyses, data from the Global Burden of Disease
study and life table methodology showed that life expectancy (LE) gains for prolonged
changes from typical Western to optimizing diets could translate into more than a decade
for young adults.
 The largest gains would be made by eating more legumes, whole grains and nuts, and less
red and processed meat.
 For older people, the gains would be smaller but substantial. Even the feasibility
approach diet indicates increased LE by 7% or more for both sexes across age groups.
What do these findings mean?
 The online Food4HealthyLife calculator (https://food4healthylife.org/) enables the instant
estimation of the effect on LE of a range of dietary changes.
 Understanding the relative health potential of different food groups could enable people
to make feasible and significant health gains.
 The Food4HealthyLife calculator could be a useful tool for clinicians, policy makers, and
laypeople to understand the health impact of dietary choices.
Figures
Citation: Fadnes LT, Økland J-M, Haaland ØA, Johansson KA (2022) Estimating impact of
food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study. PLoS Med 19(2): e1003889.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889
Academic Editor: Luigi Fontana, The University of Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Received: September 20, 2021; Accepted: December 11, 2021; Published: February 8, 2022
Copyright: © 2022 Fadnes et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting
information files.
Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Abbreviations: 95% UI, 95% uncertainty interval; FA, feasibility approach diet; GBD, Global
Burden of Disease study; HRa, alternative hazard ratio; LE, life expectancy; OD, optimized diet;
TW, typical Western diet
Introduction
Food is fundamental for health. Globally, dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11 million
deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years annually [1]. Still, navigating within the
nutritional research field can be overwhelming to clinicians, policy makers, and even
researchers. Since 2017, about 250,000 scientific articles on nutritionally related topics have
been published (S1 Text). Fortunately, several recent meta-analyses have summarized the impact
on the risk of premature deaths for various food groups, including fruits, vegetables, whole
grains and refined grains, nuts and legumes, fish, eggs, milk/dairy, red and processed meats, and
sugar-sweetened beverages [2–6].
The Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) provides summary measures of population health
that are relevant when comparing health systems [7]. GBD includes population-level estimates
for life years lost due to some dietary risk factors [8], but such aggregated health metrics have
little relevance when making individual decisions. The EAT–Lancet commission did present a
planetary diet that presented a diet balancing health and environmental perspectives [9], but it
gives limited information on the health impact of other diets, and few people are able to adhere
to strict health maximization approaches [10]. Although the planetary diet and GBD risk factor
estimates indicate directions of changes in food intake that are useful, more comprehensive
models estimating the impact of various dietary choices on lifetime health are needed.
To better understand the impact on health of dietary choices, we have developed methodology
that integrates and presents current knowledge. The availability of such methodology is essential
in order to make informed dietary choices at all levels from individuals to policy makers [11]. In
this paper, we present new methodology that allows for the estimation of how different diets
affect sex- and age-specific life expectancy (LE).
Methods
The LE at a certain age is the number of years an individual at that age is expected to live before
they die given a set of age-specific mortality rates. We used mortality rates extracted from GBD
2019 (published in 2020) [12]. Johansson and colleagues presented a framework for measuring
LE from disease onset for specific conditions [13]. We modified this approach by considering
―change in diet‖ as a condition that may have both a positive and a negative health impact.
Conceptually, our approach can be summed up as follows:
1. Let LEage(D) be the age-specific LE with prolonged change to diet D.
2. LEage(D) is calculated using standard age-specific lifetable methodology, where annual
mortality rates are adjusted according to the selected diet (i.e., mortality rates after the
age when the diet is changed are multiplied with the hazard rate corresponding to the
change). The baseline diet yields LEage(D0).
3. Life years gained (or lost) because of change from the baseline diet to diet D is now
LEage(D)–LEage(D0).
A more detailed description of the methodology to estimate background LE is given in
Johansson and colleagues‘ paper [13].
Recent meta-analyses provided dose–response data on the impact of various food groups on
mortality for the following food groups: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish,
eggs, milk/dairy, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages [2–5].
To identify meta-analyses on these food groups, a search in PubMed dated 26 April 2021 was
screened and data extracted from these (see search string in S2 Text). When several meta-
analyses were available, we opted for the most comprehensive (usually the latest meta-analyses)
with dose–response relationship data unless later less comprehensive meta-analyses argued well
for excluding studies. For white meat, we did not have a complete dose–response curve, but a
meta-analysis has suggested that the effect on mortality is neutral [14], which also was the case
for small amounts of added oils [15]. Most of the studies were adjusted for intake of other food
groups and factors such as smoking, exercise, body mass index, age, and sex. Each of the food
groups were considered as individual protective or risk factors.
Diets vary between individuals and settings, but as the baseline in our model, we used a ―typical
Western diet‖ (TW) based on consumption data from the United States and Europe (S3 Text).
The optimized diet (OD) values were set where dose–response data on consumption indicated no
additional mortality gain in further increasing or decreasing intake (i.e., the impact on mortality
plateaued). As a compromise between the TW and the optimal diet, we also considered a
feasibility approach diet (FA), which was chosen as the midpoint for each food group between
the typical diet and OD.
In each case, dietary intake was improved from the TW through feasible to optimal levels
(rounded off):
 Whole grains (fresh weight): TW 50 g, FA 137.5 g, and OD 225 g (e.g., 2 thin slices of
rye bread and 1 small bowl of whole grain cereal, and some whole grain rice). For whole
grains, 225 g of fresh weight corresponds to about 75 g dry weight, equivalent of 7
servings/day);
 Vegetables: TW 250 g, FA 325 g, and OD 400 g (5 servings, e.g., 1 big tomato, 1 sweet
pepper, mixed salad leaves, a half avocado, and a small bowl of vegetable soup);
 Fruits: TW 200 g, 300 g, and OD 400 g (5 servings, e.g., 1 apple, banana, orange, kiwi,
and a handful of berries);
 Nuts: TW 0 g, FA 12.5 g, and OD 25 g (1 handful of nuts);
 Legumes: TW 0 g, FA 100 g, and OD 200 g (e.g., 1 big cup of soaked beans/lentils/peas);
 Fish: TW 50 g, FA 125 g, and OD 200 g (e.g., 1 big slice of herring);
 Eggs: TW 50 g, FA 37.5 g, and OD 25 g (half an egg);
 Milk/dairy: TW 300 g, FA 250 g, and OD 200 g (e.g., 1 cup of yoghurt);
 Refined grains: TW 150 g, FA 100 g, OD 50 g (e.g., refined grains in bread if mixed
whole/refined bread);
 Red meat: TW 100 g, FA 50 g, and OD 0 g;
 Processed meat: TW 50 g, FA 25 g, and OD 0 g;
 White meat: TW 75 g, FA 62.5 g, and OD 50 g;
 Sugar-sweetened beverages: TW 500 g, FA 250 g, and OD 0 g;
 Added plant oils: TW 25 g, FA 25 g, and OD 25 g.
Other food groups were not considered. To avoid reporting estimates for insufficiently studied
and unsustainable diet alternatives, the model does not report estimates if the total energy
consumption for the diet input was below 4,000 kJ/day or above 16,000 kJ/day. Energy estimates
per food group were obtained from a food content database [16]. The energy estimates were
8,085 kJ/day for TW, 7,850 kJ/day for FA, and 7,615 kJ/day for OD. The effect of energy
restriction on longevity was not considered.
Health gains from diet changes are generally linked to reduction in cardiovascular disease,
cancer, and diabetes mortality [2–5], all among the leading causes of mortality globally [17]. It
has earlier been assumed that reversing the process of cardiovascular disease following
reductions in major cardiovascular risk factors would require decades, but it has later been
argued that cardiovascular disease mortality can change more quickly within a few years [18,19].
For cancers, the time perspective is likely to be longer. It has been indicated for associations
between fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of lung cancer that associations for studies
with more than 10 years of follow-up on fruits and vegetables are stronger than those with less
than 10 years [20]. More evidence on the time perspective is available for risk factors such as
tobacco, where meta-analyses for duration of smoking has indicated that associations between
duration of tobacco smoking and risk of lung cancer is substantially higher with 50 years of
smoking than 20 years of smoking [21]. To balance between the time perspectives related to both
cardiovascular disease and cancer while weighting in the morbidity burden, we assumed that
time to full effect was 10 years with a gradual, linear increase in effect (e.g., the effect was 20%
of maximum after 2 years). We also conducted sensitivity analyses with 5 years, 30 years, and 50
years to full effect.
We used the following approach to calculate 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UIs) for the overall
and food specific effect on LE of dietary changes: First, we extracted confidence intervals for the
hazard rates for the proposed changes in intake of each food group from meta-analyses. Then,
using a uniform distribution, we drew a number between the upper and lower 95% confidence
interval for each food group and used this as input in the model. This procedure was repeated
200 times (with a fixed seed as starting point), and 95% uncertainty limits were selected as the
2.5 and 97.5 percentiles. Even though most meta-analyses adjusted for intake of other food
groups, there is a possibility of different food groups presenting overlapping gains and thus
overestimating the effects of each food group. Conversely, it is also possible that meta-analyses
have overadjusted estimates so that the hazard ratios are closer to the null than the true effects.
To take these effects into account, we conducted a new set of sensitivity analyses. In these
analyses, we calculated alternative hazard ratios (HRa) based on HR0, the hazard ratio from the
meta-analyses for a given change of intake for a given food group. Assuming first that HR0 < 1,
we use the formula where m is a parameter taking on values
from 0.5 to 1.5. If 0.5 < m < 1, the model becomes more conservative in the sense that the effect
of dietary changes is reduced, whereas if 1 < m ≤ 1.5, the model becomes more ―radical,‖ in that
the effect is amplified. When HR0 > 1, we use HR0* = 1 / HR0 in (1) to get
and then finally HRa = 1 / HRa*.
In addition to the 95% UIs, we report sensitivity adjusted uncertainty intervals where the central
estimate of the model is based on HR0 (i.e., m = 1), the lower interval is when m = 0.5 as and
similarly the upper interval when m = 1.5.
Data on background mortality from 2019 for specific countries and regions were obtained from
the freely available GBD cause of death database [12]. We extracted data for the United States,
China, and Europe, as these are the regions from where most of the nutritional studies providing
mortality estimates originate. Region-specific estimates on total mortality rates in 5-year age
groups were also available from GBD. These were converted to single-year age-specific
mortality rates in our model.
To assess the quality of evidence for each food group from the meta-analyses, we use
NutriGrade, a version of GRADE adapted to nutritional studies [22]. Certainty of evidence is
categorized as ―very low‖ (0 to 3.99), ―low‖ (4 to 5.99), ―moderate‖ (6 to 7.99), or ―high‖ (8 to
10). The quality of evidence was ―high‖ for whole grains (NutriGrade score: 8), ―moderate‖ for
fish (7.75), processed meat (7.5), nuts (7), red meat (6.5), legumes (6), and dairy (6), ―low‖ for
vegetables (5.8), fruits (5.8), SSBs (5.5), and refined grains (5), and ―very low‖ for eggs (3.8)
and white meat (2). We further constructed an overall quality score by taking the mean of the
NutriGrade scores for each of the food groups weighted by their absolute contribution to LE. The
quality of the meta-analyses was assessed with the AMSTAR–2 tool [23]. The quality of the
meta-analyses was rated as high for studies on all included meta-analyses [2–5,15], except for
the meta-analysis on white meat that was rated as moderate [14].
We used the R package Shiny to create a web application (https://food4healthylife.org/) that
enables the estimation of the effect of a range of dietary changes (S1 Fig). In the left food panel
(i.e., the diet before change), the defaults are set to the ―typical diet.‖ The right food panel
represents diet after change. Clicking the ―Optimal‖ or ―Feasible‖ button, the right panel of
sliders are adjusted to the 2 OD and FA diet patterns. In this paper, we present estimated gain in
LE when changing from a typical diet to OD or FA for 20-, 40-, 60-, and 80-year-old adults from
the United States, China, and Europe. Graphs including forest plots are calculated in Stata SE
17.0 (including the admetan package).
Only publicly available data sources have been used, and thus no ethical permission is required.
We adhered to the transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual
prognosis or diagnosis (TRIPOD; see S1 TRIPOD Checklist) [24].
Results
In this section, we will focus on the United States, but the results for China and Europe were
generally very similar (can be found in S2–S15 Figs). Table 1 and Fig 1 estimate the life
expectancies at different ages associated with a typical Western diet, a feasibility approach diet,
and an optimized diet. As seen, an increase in LE of up to 13.0 years (95% UI 9.4 to 14.3) is
possible for male 20-year-olds from the United States by sustained dietary changes, and even for
80-year-olds, gains of 3.4 years (95% UI 2.7 to 3.9) are possible. Corresponding numbers for 20-
and 80-year-old females are 10.7 years (95% UI 8.4 to 12.3) and 3.4 years (95% UI 2.6 to 3.8).
Still, prolonged dietary changes at age 20 years would give about 48% higher gain in LE as
changes starting from age 60 years, and 3 times the gains when compared with changes starting
at age 80 years (Figs 2 and 3). Similar findings were seen for China and the United States.
Changing from a typical diet to the feasibility approach diet would also give substantial gains for
all age groups.
Download:

PPT
PowerPoint slide

PNG
larger image

TIFF
original image
Table 1. LE for males and females at different ages from the United States, China, and
Europe for different diets.
Gain in LE when changing from a typical Western diet to a feasibility approach or optimized diet
is also indicated.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889.t001
Download:

PPT
PowerPoint slide

PNG
larger image
TIFF
original image
Fig 1. Expected life years gained for 20-year-old female adults (left forest plot) and males
(right forest plot) from the United States who change from a typical Western diet to an
optimized or feasible approach diet with changes indicated in grams per day.
Estimates per food groups and total change in LE is presented with uncertainty intervals (UI).
*The meta-evidence is high for whole grains; moderate for fish, nuts, legumes, processed and red
meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages; and low for and very low for white meat. LE, life
expectancy; 95% UI, 95% uncertainty interval.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889.g001
Download:

PPT
PowerPoint slide

PNG
larger image

TIFF
original image
Fig 2. Expected life years gained for 60-year-old female adults (left forest plot) and males
(right forest plot) from the United States who change from a typical Western diet to an
optimized or feasible approach diet with changes indicated in grams per day.
Estimates per food groups and total change in LE is presented with uncertainty intervals (UI).
*The meta-evidence is high for whole grains; moderate for fish, nuts, legumes, processed and red
meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages; and low for and very low for white meat. LE, life
expectancy; 95% UI, 95% uncertainty interval.
Download:

PPT
PowerPoint slide

PNG
larger image

TIFF
original image
Fig 3. Expected increase in LE for optimizing different food groups with diet changes
initiating from various ages between 20 and 80 years of age (left plot).
Right plot presents similar estimates with a feasible approach* diet (time to full effect: 10
years). *For the optimal diet and feasibility approach diet, the following intakes were used: 225 g
and 137.5 g whole grains (fresh weight), 400 g and 325 g vegetables, 400 g and/ 300 g fruits, 25
g and 12.5 g nuts, 200 g and/ 100 g legumes, 200 g and 100 g fish, 25 g and 37.5 g eggs, 200 g
and 250 g milk/dairy, 50 g and 100 g refined grains, 0 g and 50 g red meat, 0 g and 25 g
processed meat, 50 g and 62.5 g white meat, 0 g and 250 g sugar-sweetened beverages, and 25 g
and 25 g added plant oils. Note that lines for LE for red and processed meat changes are
overlapping and similarly also for white meat and added oils. LE, life expectancy.
When changing from a typical Western to an optimized diet, the largest gains in LE could be
made by eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts, as well as eating less red meat and
processed meat, with gradual reduction in effect with increasing age (Fig 2 and S2 Table). For a
20-year-old from the United States, LE would increase by more than 1 year for each of these
food groups. Fruits and vegetables as well as fish had substantial positive impact, but the intake
in a typical diet is closer to an optimal intake than for legumes, whole grains, and nuts.
S3 Table indicates that when increasing time to full effect from 10 years to 30 years, gains in LE
were reduced by less than 1 year for 20-year-olds (i.e., by 4% to 7%), but the gains for 60-year-
olds and 80-year-olds were reduced by 35% to 71%. Conversely, decreasing time to full effect
from 10 years to 5 years (S16 Fig, S3 Table), health gains for 20-year-old females and males
increased by 0.1 to 0.2 years (i.e., by 1% to 2%), whereas gains increased by 0.5 to 0.8 years for
60-year-olds (i.e., 6% to 9%) and 1.2 to 1.3 years for 80-year-olds (i.e., 35% to 38%) (S17 Fig).
The overall quality of evidence was moderate for the optimized diet (NutriGrade score: 6.5) and
identical for the feasibility approach diet (NutriGrade score: 6.5).
Discussion
In this paper, we present a method for estimating the impact of food choices on LE. This method
has been implemented in a tool that is freely available online—the Food4HealthyLife calculator.
Our results indicate that for individuals with a typical Western diet, sustained dietary changes at
any age may give substantial health benefits, although the gains are the largest if changes start
early in life.
Eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and eating less red meat and processed meats were
estimated to be the most effective ways to increase LE for individuals with a typical diet. This
reflects a combination of the health effect for each food group combined with the difference
between typical and optimal intakes. Meta-analyses have also shown strong positive health
effects from fruits, vegetables, and fish [2,5]. However, for these food groups, the typical intake
was closer to optimal intake than for other food groups, particularly for vegetables. One could
argue that for some food groups such as legumes, an optimal diet requires large intake and that
such intakes might be unfeasible for many. Thus, we have also presented feasibility approach
diet estimates that are closer to what we may realistically expect from diet changes of most
people in most settings where ideals often are difficult to follow in practice. However, for most
food groups, our estimates in the feasibility approach are within ranges that are common in
cohort studies. There are also substantial individual variations in diet profile, which has impact
on the potential health gain for each food group. As an example, some people have diets that are
relatively similar to optimized diets and can expect less additional benefits from optimizing diets
compared to individuals with a typical Western diet. Our food outcome calculation could take
such variations at baseline into account by using different assumptions on nutrition starting
points beyond what is presented here as default for a typical ―Western diet.‖
For several of the food groups, more than one meta-analysis is available. For red and processed
meats, a more recent meta-analysis from 2019 than the one used in our estimates has been
published [6]. However, this did not present dose–response data for red and processed meats
separately, and the supplemental data for these groups combined indicated similar results as for
the meta-analysis by Schwingshackl and colleagues. It is worthy to note that meta-analyses
indicate worse outcomes on LE from processed meat than nonprocessed red meat when
compared by weight, but if the consumption of unprocessed red meat consumption is double as
high as for processed meat, the total effect is probably similar. For fish, whole grains, and
legumes, more recent but smaller and less comprehensive meta-analyses were omitted from our
data [25–27]. These also provided similar effect estimates to the estimates we used. For some
food groups such as dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, systematic reviews of meta-analyses
were available and supported the selection of the data sources [28,29]. For added oils, there were
mixed results depending on type of oil, where monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil have
been reported to have beneficial effects [15,30,31]. As most added oils contain a combination of
different types of fatty acids, the general trend for health impact of added oils is often neutral
[15]. Many of the background studies were adjusted for other food groups. It can be argued that
food groups are interrelated and thus not independent. Studies presenting outcome measures with
and without adjustment for other food groups have generally indicated minimal changes in the
outcome measures [32–34]. To account for this possibility, we added sensitivity analyses model
adjustment.
Our method has several strengths. First, our food impact estimates are from the most
comprehensive and recent meta-analyses presenting dose–response data on diet patterns and
mortality. We also have developed methodology that integrates different aspects such as time to
full effects and potentially some degree of overlapping with sensitivity analyses and uncertainty
intervals.
Our method also has several limitations. Meta-analyses present associations and some caution
must be used when interpreting these. Still, meta-analyses are in many cases the best available
evidence available as trials on diets could be challenging and, in several cases, could be
unethical. Thus, emphasized several sensitivity analyses. For some food groups, meta-analyses
presenting dose–response data were not available, which yield more uncertainty in model output.
The meta-analyses used in these data had high quality [23], while the meta-evidence ranged from
very low (eggs and white meat) to high (whole grains) with most in the moderate quality
category [22]. The overall meta-evidence was estimated as moderate for the optimal and
feasibility approach diets. Still, the quality of the evidence for diet changes mostly involving
eggs and white meat would be lower than when diet changes are dominated by whole grains,
fish, processed meat, and nuts. This is reported in the tool for transparency. For added oils, it is
likely that olive oils that are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids have beneficial effects and are
probably superior to several other added oils [15,30,31]. However, we did not have sufficient
data to present different oils separately.
GBD provides background epidemiological data for the populations we have presented but
involves a combination of background data and modeling. We have no information on the impact
on past morbidity experienced due to disease, and this was therefore not included in the model,
although different health profiles may be associated with different impact of food choices. Thus,
our estimates are based on population distributions of health indicators and do not account for
differences in risk factors nor genetic vulnerability. The time perspective of diet change adds
another layer of uncertainty. The duration of changes in the studies varies, and it is likely that
short-term changes yield weaker effects than those presented in this article. We assumed 10
years to achieve full effects while conducting sensitivity analyses for both 5, 30, and 50 years.
Still, progress in development of medical treatments and continuous changes in lifestyle can
affect the impact of diet on LE and thus add uncertainty to our estimates [35]. Thus, the
methodology is not meant as individualized forecasting of life years gained, but rather population
estimates under certain assumptions.
Even though the diet approaches were relatively similar in energy, energy differences may have
played a role in the relationships presented, and meta-analyses indicate that patterns in line with
the optimal diet are likely to reduce the risk of obesity/overweight [36]. From the literature, we
also know that one‘s diet has a large impact on health-related quality of life [2–4,36–39].
Although we do not model nonfatal effects, LE is correlated with healthy life years. Most of the
background data are adjusted for factors such as smoking, exercise, age, and sex. However, some
residual confounding may still affect the estimates. Further, we have not considered any long-
term health consequences that are due to sustained excessive intake of food with high levels of
toxins, such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, which are relevant for some types of fish
and sea foods [40,41]. This is more likely to overestimate than underestimate effect sizes. There
is also a risk of overadjustment as some of the studies included in meta-analyses adjusted for
potential intermediate factors. This may contribute to underestimating the full impact on dietary
changes on health. Model development often have iterative improvements that will gradually
give more precise estimates; however, the main messages are likely to be robust. Our sensitivity
analyses indicate how the estimated changes in LE due to dietary changes vary if the true effects
are over- or underestimated. Even the most conservative approaches indicate strong effects.
In conclusion, sustained change from a typical to an optimized diet from early age could translate
into an increase in LE of more than 10 years. Gains are reduced substantially with delayed
initiation of changes, particularly when approaching the age of 80 years. An increase in the
intake of legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and a reduction in the intake of red meat and
processed meats, contributed most to these gains. Fruits and vegetables also have a positive
health impact, but for these food groups, the intake in a typical Western diet is closer to the
optimal intake than for the other food groups. The Food4HealthyLife calculator could be a useful
tool for both clinicians, policy makers, and laypeople to understand impact of various food
choices.
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889
U.S. Rice Price Prospects are Improving

Monday, February 14th 2022, 1:37 PM CST
Price prospects for U.S. rice are better than expected.

The USDA Outlook Board Chairman says globally, rice is set to reach record production and
near record ending stocks, but in the U.S., stocks are projected at 10 million hundred weight
smaller than last season. USDA raised its price forecast for this marketing year to $0.60 per
hundred weight. That was based on market fundamentals and other factors.
"But also based on just strong U.S. commodity prices generally; strong corn prices, soybean
prices, cotton prices kind of lifting all of the commodities."
Those commodity prices also lifted rice to a projected average price of $1.30 higher than last
season.
https://www.rfdtv.com/story/45869987/us-rice-price-prospects-are-improving
Kellogg initiative to reward US rice farmers

Credit: Adobe Stock
02.15.2022
By Eric Schroeder
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, US — The Kellogg Co. has unveiled Kellogg‘s InGrained, a
new $2 million, five-year program to reward farmers‘ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions.
As part of the program, Kellogg will partner with Lower Mississippi River Basin rice farmers to
reduce their climate impact. According to Kellogg, much of the rice sourced from the Lower
Mississippi River Basin is used in rice-based foods such as Kellogg‘s Rice Krispies and
Kellogg‘s Special K cereals.
The InGrained program will pilot in northeast Louisiana in collaboration with GHG
measurement firm Regrow, rice producers, Kellogg supplier Kennedy Rice Mill LLC, and
agribusiness firm Syngenta.
The pilot will provide training opportunities in irrigation management, nutrient management and
soil health to support farmers‘ transition to new practices, then reward farmers with $20 per ton
of GHG abatement their new practices achieve, quantified with Regrow‘s secure Measurement,
Reporting and Verification (MRV) platform, Kellogg said.
Kellogg said the pilot also has the potential to reduce irrigation water, an opportunity to conserve
the region‘s water resources and reduce farmers‘ operating costs. Through InGrained, partners
estimate a reduction of up to 51,000 tons of GHGs from the North American rice ingredient
supply chain over the next five years, Kellogg said, which would be the equivalent of taking
more than 10,000 vehicles off the road.
―Kellogg has established itself as a committed partner to farmers in implementing climate-
positive agricultural practices in important crops like rice,‖ said Steven A. Cahillane, chairman
and chief executive officer of Kellogg Co. ―We are proud to announce a new program to help
advance regenerative practices as part of our Better Days ESG commitments to support 1 million
farmers and workers and reduce scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain by
15%, by the end of 2030.‖
The InGrained initiative is part of the global Kellogg‘s Origins program, which has partnered
with more than 440,000 farmers in 29 countries to support climate, social and economic
resiliency.
https://www.world-grain.com/articles/16496-kellogg-initiative-to-reward-us-rice-
farmers#:~:text=BATTLE%20CREEK%2C%20MICHIGAN%2C%20US%20%E2%80%94,to
%20reduce%20their%20climate%20impact.
‘Put Tariff on Imported Rice’
Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor (middle, with a bundle of paddy) poses with participants
of the program.
Published at: 02/15/2022 - 00:55 / Updated at: 02/15/2022 - 00:55
JK
ARTICLE BYJUDOEMUE M. KOLLIE

— VP Howard Taylor suggests
Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has stressed the need for the government of Liberia to
increase the tariff on imported rice as a way to stabilize domestic production.
She said that farmers are not making much profit from locally cultivated rice due to the high
production cost, which leads to the increase in the price of the commodity, causing it to be
unaffordable.
According to her, once the tariff is increased on imported rice and the government ensures more
subsidies to local farmers, the price of rice will drop to enable smallholder farmers to make more
money.
She spoke recently during the launch of the Liberia Feed Rice Business Harvest in Paynesville,
an event organized by the Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP), a local non-
governmental organization.
The event was attended by some distinguished personalities including former President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Land Authority, as well as the
resident representative of UNDP Liberia, and others.
But while it would appear that the proposal of the Liberian Vice President may help the sector, it
runs contrary to the vision of President George M. Weah to make imported rice affordable for
most Liberians.
The government has continuously suspended tariffs on imported rice that centers on the need to
curb the concurrent increase in the price of rice and to make it more affordable for ordinary
citizens.
―It is important to find a way to put a tariff on imported rice and provide inputs so the production
of rice can become a priority. The Liberian rice is more expensive than the imported rice,‖ VP
Howard Taylor mentioned.
The statistics from the government show that the country still spends close to US$200 million
annually to import rice to ensure food security for its population of four million. Rice, Liberia‘s
staple, has been described as a political commodity for the nation due to the 1979 rice riot when
the administration of late President William R. Tolbert attempted to increase the price of
imported rice, also in order to support local production.
―Do you see how the people have brought suffering on us in Africa? Why should what we
produce be more expensive than what we import? This shows that the government has a very
critical role to play. How do we make this change happen is something that needs to be worked
on,‖ she mentioned emphatically.
―This is the similar situation that we still experience for rice since 1979, which brought about the
rice riot. There was gossip around during such time that rice could be sold for US$10.00 but
when it did not happen, it brought about the conflict. We are still in that situation,‖ she added.
She told this newspaper in an exclusive interview that though the government has not allotted
enough money in the national budget for agriculture, with the help of international partners there
is more money to support the sector.―We have attracted $ 73 million United States dollars from
international partners to support agriculture. The government has not increased the budget for
agriculture due to competing national priorities,‖ she explained.
President Weah has yet to significantly increase the budget for agriculture for the last 5-years,
despite the sector being pronounced as a priority for his administration. Most of the funding for
the sector is still derived from external sources.
Madam Howard Taylor further mentioned that it is the responsibility of every Liberian citizen to
invest in agriculture.
―I want to call on the religious community, especially the churches, to rise up and assist the
government in its effort to feed the nation. It is everyone‘s responsibility to make sure that we
feed ourselves as a nation. Religious leaders should mobilize their people to see the reason to
grow enough food for the country,‖ she cautioned.
Also speaking at the program was the executive director of CHAP, Reverend Robert Bimba, who
explained that the event was organized to demonstrate the success of the project.
Rev. Bimba, said the project with support from UNDP has cultivated 4 hectares and empowered
several youths and women with incomes.
According to him, they are expected to harvest more than 15 metric tons of rice that will be
placed on the local market.
He, however, outlined many challenges confronting the project and called on the government
and its partners‘ assistance to address the constraints.
For his part, Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development, Robert Fagans, called
on the public to depoliticize agriculture.
Minister Fagans said that carrying out politics in the sector will hinder development.
Meanwhile, UNDP Liberia has expressed commitment to support the CHAP program to meet its
objective. UNDP resident representative, Mr. Stephen Rodrigues, promised to provide all of the
necessary support that will make the project successful.
https://www.liberianobserver.com/put-tariff-imported-rice
Cuba thanks Chinese company for donation of rice

(+Photos)
Havana, Feb 14 (Prensa Latina) Cuban authorities on Monday thanked the Chinese company
Yutong for donating 300 tons of rice, worth 210,000 dollars, which reaffirms the friendship
between the two peoples.
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
The gratitude was expressed by Deputy Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Minister Deborah
Rivas, who thanked the firm for the gesture of solidarity, and ratified the close relations between
the company and Cuba.
Rivas stressed that Cuba grants great importance to Yutong, a company that it considers a
strategic partner to guarantee interprovincial and urban transportation, but which is also a close
friend and is willing to lend a hand, as it has demonstrated since 2020, due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
Deputy Domestic Trade Minister Grisel Avila stressed that the donation is a contribution to
mitigate the effects of the intensified economic blockade by the United States against Cuba, and
explained that it will be used for social consumption (hospitals, nursing homes) and the
population.
Yutong‘s representative in Cuba, Yang Tengfei, said at the ceremony that the delivery is the true
expression of the deep relationship established with the Cuban people in recent years.
He added that in the future the company will continue to value the long-term strategic
cooperation between the two parties and will contribute to the development of Cuban society, as
it has done so far.
jg/acl/kmg
 #China #collaboration #Cuba #donation #rice #solidarity #yutong
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/02/14/cuba-thanks-chinese-company-for-donation-of-
rice-photos/
Pakistan's rice exports to China increased 133% in 2021

Published On 15 February,2022 11:02 am
This year China imported about 973,000 tons of rice worth $437 million from Pakistan.
BEIJING (APP) Pakistan‘s export of rice to China (HS Code 1006) crossed $400 million in
2021, up 133 percent year on year, and in the first five months of the last year once Pakistan
remained the largest rice supplier to China, according to the official data from the General
Administration of Customs of the People‘s Republic of China (GACC).
Commercial Counselor of the Pakistan Embassy Beijing, Badar uz Zaman previously said that in
the next few years, his target would be to achieve one million tons of rice. He desired that
Pakistan would become the largest player in this market.
This year China imported about 973,000 tons of rice worth $ 437 million from Pakistan.
The seven new Pakistan rice exporters have been added to the approved list which has risen to 53
last year, and China relaxed import restrictions on Pakistani rice which helped rice export to
China
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/641308-Pakistan-rice-exports-to-China-increased-133pc-in-
2021
Sri Lanka may see 30-pct drop in Maha rough rice

harvest: Paddy Board
BY CHANKA JAYASINGHE
Tuesday February 15, 2022 9:37 am
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka may see a drop of 30 percent in the production of the main
Maha rice harvest season officials at a state paddy purchasing firm said after a chemical
fertilizer ban hit the countries agriculture sector.
Sri Lanka can get up to 3.2 million metric tonnes of paddy in a bumper harvest year in the
main Maha season which ends in March/April but it has fallen to around 1.5 million metric
tonnes in drought years.
―According to the data, under normal conditions, we should have a yield of 3-3.2 million
metric tons of paddy in this season,‖ Deputy Chairman of state-run Paddy Marketing Board,
Duminda Priyadarshana told reporters in Colombo.
―But with the organic fertilizer program, there were complaints about a drop in the harvest. So
after that, we expect around 70 percent of the predicted amount will come in and that is
around 2.3 million metric tons.‖
He said, the harvest now being collected in the field is enough for the local consumption for
another 6-7 months in the year.
―And then we will also get the harvest in the Yala season as well.‖
Domestic rice prices shot up from around 100 rupees to around 160 and 200 rupees over the
past few months due to an import ban and expectation of a failed harvest.
Sri Lanka has allowed 300,000 metric tonnes of rice to be imported which are available in the
market at around 140 rupees.
Sri Lanka‘s farm gate paddy prices were around 50 rupees before the fertilizer ban, which has
pushed the prices to around 90 rupees.
The PMB is buying rice at prices ranging from 90 to 95 based on quality.
The selling price of PMB rice will be decided by the cabinet ministers, Priyadarshana said and
not based on the production cost.
―We are not selling the rice depending on the price we give to the farmers when purchasing
paddy,‖ Priyadarshana said.
―Purchasing paddy for 90 rupees doesn‘t mean the price of rice will soar or go beyond 200
rupees.‖
Rice will be sold at a ‗fair low price‖ he said.
In 2021, the government had a price of 53-55 rupees when purchasing paddy and the rice was
sold at 91 rupees in state-run outlets.
―Because we sold it at that price, we saw the competitors also reducing their prices to match
ours. We do not buy paddy to sell rice to get a profit,‖ Priyadarshana said.
―Therefore, even though PMD and the government make losses, the customer will not get
affected by that. We know we give many benefit to the farmers, and there will be benefits to
the consumers as well, and the cabinet of ministers will decide about the prices when the time
comes.‖ (Colombo/ Feb 14/2022)
https://economynext.com/sri-lanka-may-see-30-pct-drop-in-maha-rough-rice-harvest-paddy-
board-90520/
New rice pest control lab to serve 5 Surigao Sur towns

By Alexander Lopez February 15, 2022, 8:20 pm
BIOCON LAB. Department of Agriculture Region 13 Director Ricardo Oñate Jr. (4th from
right), together with Cantilan Municipal Mayor Carla Lopez-Pichay (4th from left) and Surigao
del Sur 1st District Representative Prospero Pichay (3rd from left) lead the opening of the
Biological Control (Biocon) Agent Laboratory in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur on Monday (Feb. 14,
2022). The laboratory will help the rice farmers eliminate and control pest infestation and rice
farm diseases in five towns in the province. (Photo courtesy of DA-13)
BUTUAN CITY – Rice farmers in five towns of Surigao del Sur can now benefit from a
laboratory that will help eliminate pest infestation and rice farm diseases in the area, the
Department of Agriculture in Caraga (DA-13) said Tuesday.
In a statement, the DA-13 said it formally opened a Biological Control (Biocon) Agent
Laboratory in the town of Cantilan on Monday.
The opening of the laboratory was led by DA-13 Regional Executive Director Ricardo Oñate Jr.,
Cantilan Mayor Carla Lopez-Pichay, and Surigao del Sur 1st District Representative Prospero
Pichay.
―The laboratory will directly benefit the farmers in the towns of Carrascal, Cantilan, Madrid,
Carmen, and Lanuza,‖ the DA-13 said.
The agency added that the laboratory will supply Biocon agents, such as the Metharizium
anisopliae, a fungus that grows upon insect host cuticle that controls the population of rice black
bug (RBB), locust, mosquitoes, and soil termites.
The laboratory will also conduct mass production of other biological control agents, including
Trichoderma and Trichogramma, and intensify the promotion of integrated pest management and
biological control of pests and diseases in its coverage area.
―Through the (laboratory), it will be able to easily supply Biocon agents to the farmers in the first
district of Surigao del Sur while serving the whole province in terms of natural pest
management,‖ the DA-13 said.
The agency also handed over to the Cantilan town government the equipment and materials for
the laboratory, which included a fabricated laminar flow hood, a heavy-duty blender, and a
pressure cooker. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167829
KKU Scientists Develop Nano-Materials from Rice Husks

 Alita Sharon
 February 16, 2022
Khon Kaen University met the press to release news on the research on nano-material production
from rice husk as a new-era battery innovation. The research is under the Pilot Factory Project
that produces materials for electrodes in Li-ion batteries.
The President of KKU led the research team including its Project Leader to present the project
implementation and the research outcome. Over 50 news reporters and interested individuals
attended.
KKU‘s President, who chaired the press meeting session, welcomed the guests and the news
reporters before explaining about the Pilot Factory Project that produces materials for electrodes
in Lithium-ion batteries from rice husk.
He noted that the three involved parties have strong determination for the Project. The two
companies supported in terms of budget, equipment and tools for the implementation, which
were carried out at the Northeast Science Park. Khon Kaen University asked Assoc. Prof.
Nongluck Meethong, PhD, a professor from the Faculty of Science led the research team which
includes researchers of KKU.
The team conducted experiments and developed technology for manufacturing the materials for
making electrodes for batteries from rice husks. The major achievement is that they registered
the outcomes as the University‘s intellectual properties. There are three of these registered,
including the equipment, the production process and the nano-material from husks.
The pilot products are nano-silica, nano-silicon, material for making anodes, and the prototype
battery cell of the Li-ion type. There are the topics to be discussed with two companies for an
extension at a commercial level in the future.
The General Director of one of the companies (R.P.C.G Public Company) explained about the
collaboration in the Lithium-ion battery production market of the world and the research that has
been taking place at a broad scale. The reason for the enthusiastic efforts is that Lithium-ion is
seen as the future of the industrial system of the country. It will enable Thailand to acquire a
place in the electric vehicle industry of the world. The industry is difficult but challenging. There
are also plans to drive forward the manufacturing of other various kinds of businesses.
Meanwhile, the project head and representative of the research team said that the project firstly
used rice, cassava and sugar cane which are farm products and major cash crops of the country as
the raw materials as these crops have high silica contents.
The silicon thus produced was then made into several products for commercial use such as
cosmetics, medical supplies, batteries, electronics cycle, solar cells. The research team believes
that nano-materials from husk should solve the problem of electricity-based industry, which can
be EVs or batteries because when compared to the old-type batteries, the Li-ion batteries have
higher capacitance, are safer, and can be charged quickly. Moreover, the nano-material from the
husk can also be applied to other items.
The Project Lead stated that, from her perspective, husk contains silica that can be made into
silicon that in turn can be used in batteries‘ electrodes with quality.
She stated that the team knows this is viable but it depends on the scale that will enable testing in
real equipment. This is the objective of the project. The team started from the pilot factory and
the scale has been enlarged.
She also added that, at present, Isan people earn a relatively low income, particularly farmers.
Therefore, they think that farmers can sell the husk that can be used as the input material for
heavy industry. It will then build the chances and quality of life of people in the area.
The research and development of nano-material from the husk is the Project that continues from
2017 with the collaboration of three organizations; all saw the chances from using husk to
produce nano-materials. The work has now led to the production of a new type of battery that
can be used in various industries and will be an answer to the problem of world energy now and
in the future.
The Environment Minister of Western Australia and its Innovation and ICT Minister recently
held an industry presentation with three recipients of the WasteSorted E-Waste Grants to discuss
findings from projects aimed at assisting in the development of long-term innovative ways to
process e-waste. At the presentation, Curtin University, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Epichem shared findings from each of their funded projects.
Combined funding of $600,000 was allocated to the three organisations for research and
development programs that will support new and innovative solutions to process collected e-
waste and reduce the amount of e-waste ending up in landfills.
The projects included:
 Curtin University – A project to recover valuable metals and remove toxic metals from e-
waste using a safe leaching system;
 CSIRO – A project to develop innovative bioprocesses to extract precious and base
metals from e-waste through a laboratory-scale prototype; and,
 Epichem – A project to test the use of oxidative hydrothermal dissolution (OHD) to break
down e-waste to produce a range of useful and high-value chemicals.
Through the WasteSorted E-Waste Grants, the Western Australia Government has invested an
additional $400,000 in six projects led by Total Green Recycling, Marlpa Waste Logistics, Shire
of East Pilbara, City of Rockingham, WA Local Government Association and the City of
Bunbury to enable an increase in the volume and range of e-waste collected for recycling.
The grants complement national action and support the WA Waste Avoidance and Resource
Recovery Strategy 2030 objectives to avoid waste, recover more value and resources from waste,
and protect the environment from the impacts of waste.
WA‘s Environment Minister stated that with e-waste becoming a growing concern, the
Government is proud to see that Western Australian researchers are developing innovative ways
to inform best practices when reducing e-waste ending up in landfills.
He noted that through funding such as the WasteSorted E-Waste Grants, WA is making progress
towards the commitment to ban e-waste from Western Australian landfills by 2024.
Meanwhile, the Innovation and ICT Minister stated that in total, the WA Government has
invested $1 million in nine initiatives which, when fully implemented, will divert approximately
1,000 tonnes of e-waste annually from landfills in Western Australia. He added that the
WasteSorted E-Waste Grants are a good example of how different organisations, from across
government, academia and industry, can collaborate to help solve this growing problem.
The WasteSorted e-waste 2020-21 grant was a Western Australian Government initiative funded
by the New Industries Fund and administered by the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and
Innovation in partnership with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. The
New Industries Fund is a $16.7 million investment over 4 years to support and accelerate new
and emerging businesses.
As reliance on technology increases, e-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams. The
global volume of e-waste has grown by 21% over the past 5 years, and in 2019 the UN estimated
up to $80 billion worth of gold, silver, copper, palladium and other high-value materials were
discarded annually as e-waste worldwide (The Global E-waste Monitor 2020).
This round focused on e-waste and provided funding for:
 Stream 1: Innovative Processes (up to $200,000 per project)
 Stream 2: Collection – maximum $80,000 (up to $40,000 per project, per annum for 2
years).
The objectives of the e-waste round are aligned with the priorities of both the New Industries
Fund and the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030.
The objectives of Stream 1 are to support:
 the growth of the recycling industry, technologies and jobs to address the growing local
need to reduce the amount of e-waste going to landfills.
 the recovery of more value and resources from e-waste and protecting the environment
by managing e-waste responsibly.
The objective of Stream 2 is to increase the volume of e-waste being recycled in Western
Australia, which will support job creation in the recycling industry.
https://opengovasia.com/kku-scientists-develop-nano-materials-from-rice-husks/
K-State, Deere Team on Remote Sensing Study to

Improve Grain Protein
February 15, 2022
By Pat Melgares, Kansas State University
K-State researchers have teamed with John Deere to test the accuracy of remote sensors on and
off combines. Photo: John Deere
Researchers at Kansas State University and one of the world‘s largest manufacturers of
agricultural machinery are reporting findings of a project that they say could ―fundamentally
change‖ the way farmers manage and market crops.
K-State Research and Extension agronomist Ignacio Ciampitti said the university is working
with partners at John Deere to analyze information from remote sensors on and off combines that
will ultimately help farmers improve grain protein in crops.
―Our customers tell us that maximizing grain yield and quality is very important,‖ said Yancy
Wright, the business agronomy test lead with John Deere, a Fortune 500 company. ―End users –
including millers, livestock feeding operations and other processors – need high quality grain
crops, and market premiums are beginning to reflect this demand.
―We wanted to validate our current technology development, and discover new approaches to
consider as we develop solutions for helping customers maximize their yield and quality,
especially grain protein.‖
In a paper published in late 2021 in the journal, Remote Sensing, the researchers outline their
analysis of 84 studies on the accuracy of models that predict grain content in a field crop based
on current technology, such as satellite imagery.
Ciampitti said the team was able to compare areas of farm fields before harvest using hand-held
sensors, drones or planes; then after harvest using sensors attached to the combine.
With that information, they compared areas of the field rated as low quality or high quality for
grain protein concentration, and determined where there was variation in the quality of crops
after harvest.
―This is an emerging area of research,‖ Ciampitti said. ―Field crop quality differentiation is
becoming important to understand, and can increase the competitiveness of U.S. crops entering
both local and international supply chains and markets.‖
Ciampitti said the analysis showed that on-combine sensors are more accurate than remote
sensors in predicting grain protein concentration, though off-combine sensors performed better
for in-season management and segregated harvest planning; and cost less to implement.
―However,‖ he adds, ―on-combine sensors may quickly become the gold standard for predicting
in-season grain protein concentration.‖
According to the researcher‘s recent journal article, a recent survey of 186 soybean farmers from
multiple states indicated that more than 55% of them would invest in technology to assess grain
protein concentration if they could earn a $.50 premium per bushel. Because of that, the
researchers say, ―farmer interest is expected to increase as both the direct and indirect benefits of
(grain protein concentration) become more evident.‖
Grain News on AgFax
• Feb. WASDE Report Holds Few Surprises, but Grain Markets Surge – DTN
• Wheat Market: What Is Driving Volatility?
• Corn, Soybeans: Expectations for Acreage, Impacts on Markets
• Winter Wheat: USDA Reports Reflect Why U.S. Farmers Seeded More Acres
• Wheat Market: Adjusting To USDA Estimates In A Record-Setting Year
―As we introduce on-combine grain protein concentration data collection technologies, we will
look to this work to understand how we might carry out some of the proposed uses for this new
data layer with internal solutions and via partnerships, which will help us bring maximum value
to customers who adopt these technologies,‖ Wright said.
―This work,‖ he added, ―will direct technology development that will fundamentally change the
way growers manage their harvest and grain marketing, as well as how they manage their crop
inputs.‖
Ciampitti said the university is moving forward with developing a remote sensing ―decision tool‖
to differentiate spatial variation in field crop quality before harvest that will help farmers make
decisions prior to harvest and marketing their crop.
―In addition, we are working with crop commodity boards to start collecting field data in order to
create one of the largest farmer-centric databases on field crop spatial variation related to the
quality of U.S. crops,‖ Ciampitti said. ―This is happening in collaboration with many other states
and in close partnership with farmers across the country.‖
K-State‘s team included Ciampitti as principal investigator; agricultural engineer Ajay Sharda
(co-principal investigator); Leonardo Bastos (now at the University of Georgia); and Andre
Froes De Borja Reis (now at Louisiana State University).
https://agfax.com/2022/02/15/k-state-deere-team-on-remote-sensing-study-to-improve-grain-
protein/
Not so healthy: several rice noodle brands found to

contain more sodium than labelled, with 1 product a
whopping 41 times higher, tests by Hong Kong
watchdog find
 Consumer Council tests find seven out of 23 samples, including vermicelli and
mixian noodles, exceed sodium content declared on nutrition labels
 Many noodle products come with additional flavourings, such as seasoning and
sauce sachets, and could increase consumer‘s fat and sugar intake if used as a soup
base
Rice noodles are seen by many Hongkongers as a healthier option. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong‘s consumer watchdog has warned that the sodium content of several brands of rice
noodles, seen by many as a healthier staple food, is higher than labelled, with one product 41
times more than declared.
Tests by the Consumer Council found that seven out of 23 samples, including vermicelli
and mixian noodles, exceeded the sodium content declared on their nutrition labels.
That could cause people to unknowingly consume more sodium when eating rice noodles, a
popular food staple, Lui Wing-cheong, vice-chairman of the council‘s research and testing
committee, warned on Tuesday.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167147/not-so-healthy-
several-rice-noodle-brands-found

16th February 2022 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

16th February 2022 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

16 February ,2022 Vol 7 Issue 2

Iran News in Brief – February 15, 2022

15th February 2022

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 6:30 PM CET

AGENCY TO REMOVE IT. I DID RECOGNIZED THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE IRANIAN

— AMB. ABDOULAYE DIOP (@ABDOULAYEDIOP8) FEBRUARY 13, 2022

UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET

Maldives invites investment

KARACHI: Maldivian High Commissioner to Pakistan Farzana Zahir on Tuesday invited

KPT Shipping Movements Report

Oriental Viola Tanker

One Henry Hudson

EXPECTED SAILING: DATE

EXPECTED ARRIVAL: DATE

APL Antwerp 15-02-2022 D/L Container

Kota Naked 15-02-2022 D/L Container

OEL Kedarnath 15-02-2022 D/L Container

Long Beach Trader 15-02-2022 D/L Container

XIN Wu Han 16-02-2022 D/L Container

Seagull 16-02-2022 D/56195 Wheat

Hai Phuong Glory 16-02-2022 L/5000 Rice

NACC Vega 16-02-2022 L/7150 Cement

CARGO HANDLING TURNOVER:

COMMODITY IMPORT EXPORT TOTAL

Bulk Cargo ----- 402 402

Rice ----- 218 218

Wheat 8,179 ------ 8,179

Yellow Soya Bean 6,842 ------ 6,842

Oil/Liquid Cargo: 56,758 5,400 62,158

Imports’ continuing impact on PH farmers: Like

Image: Daniella Marie Agacer

MANILA, Philippines—There‘s something wrong when Filipino farmers spend more on

Strong IP Protection Laws, Licensing Crucial For Africa‘s

Pakistan’s rice exports to China increased 133% in

Reduction in fertiliser subsidy unacceptable - Farmer

Group berates EFCC over non appearance of FCC chairman

Over 19.64L tonnes rice deposited in central pool

Farmer Associations protest reduction in fertiliser subsidies

We were not consulted on reduction of subsidies, Farmers Association

50 kg NPK fertiliser now sells at GH¢320 from GH¢108

Cultivation of Bio-fortified rice gaining popularity in

Researchers Find Hybrid Metabolism in Fermented

Add More Years to Your Life with Whole Grains

Here's to whole grains and longer, healthier lives

Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A

U.S. Rice Price Prospects are Improving

Price prospects for U.S. rice are better than expected.

Kellogg initiative to reward US rice farmers

‘Put Tariff on Imported Rice’

ARTICLE BYJUDOEMUE M. KOLLIE

Cuba thanks Chinese company for donation of rice

Pakistan's rice exports to China increased 133% in 2021

Sri Lanka may see 30-pct drop in Maha rough rice

New rice pest control lab to serve 5 Surigao Sur towns

KKU Scientists Develop Nano-Materials from Rice Husks

K-State, Deere Team on Remote Sensing Study to

Not so healthy: several rice noodle brands found to

You might also like