NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Strain of rhizobacteria shown to

naturally and sustainably promote rice
growth
by American Phytopathological Society

Working in the lab. Credit: Zhigang Wang

Large amounts of chemical fertilizers can lead to severe environmental pollution.
Biofertilizers are a preferred and sustainable alternative technology that can promote
plant health without damaging ecological impacts. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
(PGPRs) can be used as biofertilizers and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and
pesticides while also ensuring sustainable and increased production.

While scientists know the benefits of PGPRs, they are still unclear on how these
bacteria function. In a recent study published in the Molecular Plant-Microbe
Interactions (MPMI) journal, a group of scientists in China studied the Bacillus
pumilus LZP02 strain. Using proteomic, transcriptomic and metabolomics techniques,
they found that the bacteria could beneficially colonize the rice root surface and promote
growth.

"Our study has demonstrated that B. pumilus LZP02 colonizes rice roots and promotes
growth by improving carbohydrate metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis,"
explained Zhigang Wang, one of the scientists involved in the research. "These findings
show a new light on how microbes and plants communicate in a friendly way."

For more information about this research, read "Bacillus pumilus LZP02 Promotes Rice
Root Growth by Improving Carbohydrate Metabolism and Phenylpropanoid
Biosynthesis," published in the October issue of MPMI.

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-strain-rhizobacteria-shown-naturally-sustainably.html#:~:text=Strain
%20of%20rhizobacteria%20shown%20to%20naturally%20and%20sustainably%20promote%20rice
%20growth,-by%20American%20Phytopathological&text=Large%20amounts%20of%20chemical
%20fertilizers%20can%20lead%20to%20severe%20environmental%20pollution.&text=Using
%20proteomic%2C%20transcriptomic%20and%20metabolomics,root%20surface%20and%20promote
%20growth

Brazil should set new production record in the 2020/21 grain harvest
05 November 2020

With 268.7 million tons, grain production should be 4.2% higher

than the previous season
The 1st Survey of the 2020/21 grain harvest shows that Brazil should
have record production in the period. Production is estimated at 268.7
million tons, a volume 4.2% higher than the record for the 2019/20
harvest, which totaled 257.7 million tons of grains. The data were
released on Thursday (8) by the National Supply Company (Conab).
 The cultivated area is also expected to increase. The estimate is for
growth of 1.3%, which corresponds to 879.5 thousand hectares more.
In the 2020/21 grain harvest, planting should occupy 66.8 million
hectares.
"We know that Brazilian production is of great importance for global and
national supply and our data is part of the planning of market agents
and also of governments", said the president of Conab, Guilherme
Bastos.
Soy
The projection is that Brazil will remain the world's largest soy producer.
Production for the 2020/2021 grain harvest is estimated at 133.7 million
tons.
“Soy prices continue to rise in several Brazilian markets. Our
expectation is that with all this bullish scenario, we will have an
expansion of the soy area for the 2020/21 harvest ”, said the president
of Conab.
Corn
The total corn harvest is expected to reach 105.2 million tons, the
largest in the historical series, with an increase of 2.6% over the
previous one.
Rice
Conab estimates that the area occupied by rice cultivation should grow
1.6%. However, there may be a drop in productivity with a reduction of
4.2% in the volume harvested per hectare. With that, the national
production of rice will be 10.885 million tons, adjusted to the expected
consumption.
Bean
The planted area may increase slightly, but productivity may decline.
Based on current data, Conab estimates production similar to
consumption. Bean production is spread over three harvests, so it may
have adjustments throughout the year. The sum of the three harvests is
expected at 3.126 million tons, which represents a 3.2% reduction
compared to last season.
Crop Plan 2020/21
In three months, rural producers, cooperatives and agribusiness
contract R $ 73.8 billion from the Safra 2020/2021 Plan to finance
 activities. The value represents 28% in relation to the same previous
period.
http://www.thecropsite.com/news/17971/brazil-should-set-new-production-record-in-the-2020-21-
grain-harvest/#:~:text=The%201st%20Survey%20of%20the,257.7%20million%20tons%20of%20grains.

Sri Lanka- MRP imposed on

several varieties of rice

Date
11/4/2020 2:42:58 PM

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(MENAFN - Colombo Gazette) A Maximum Retail Price (MRP) has

been imposed on several varieties of rice.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said the MRP will be imposed
from midnight tonight (Wednesday).

Accordingly, Samba will be sold at Rs 94 per kilogram, Raw Samba at

Rs 94 per kilogram, Nadu at Rs 92 per kilogram and Raw rice at Rs
89 per kilogram.

MENAFN04112020000190011042ID1101072378
https://menafn.com/1101072378/Sri-Lanka-MRP-imposed-on-several-varieties-of-rice

India: Grain and Feed Update

November 4, 2020 

Attaché Reports (GAIN)

Commodities 
Grain and Feed, Corn, Rice, Wheat

Locations 
South and Central Asia, India

On September 21, 2020, the Government of India raised the minimum support prices
(MSP) for the select upcoming rabi (winter-planted) crops, including wheat. Based on
the latest trade figures, the market year 2019/2020 (October-September) rice export
estimate is raised to 12.3 million metric tons (MMT), and calendar year (CY) 2020
(January-December) to 13 million metric tons. No significant changes in the wheat and
corn Production, Supply and Demand (PSD) estimates to report.

India: Grain and Feed Update

https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/india-grain-and-feed-update-23

November 5, 2020

Rice Export revenue reaches over $366 million in first 10 months

Cambodia’s gross revenue from rice exports in the first ten months of this year
increased by nearly $47 million or 15 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
The figures from the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) show that the Kingdom earned
in total $366.44 million from rice exports, in the January-October period.
Cambodia exported 536,305 tonnes of milled rice in the first ten months of 2020, a
year-on-year increase of 17.11 percent, it pointed out.
China remains the biggest market for Cambodian milled rice. According to CRF,
within the 10-month period, China and other Autonomous territories (Hong Kong,
Macau, Taiwan) take 36 percent of overall export, 27 countries in Europe 32 percent,
6 ASEAN members 13 percent, 10 countries in Africa 9 percent, countries in Asia-
Oceania (especially Australia and New Zealand) 6 percent, Dependent
territories/department of overseas countries 2 percent, and countries in North America
and Asia-Middle East take the rest 2 percent. Phal Sophanith – AKP
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50779917/rice-export-revenue-reaches-over-366-million-in-first-10-
months/

Rice exports likely to drop 50% this year,

situation could even worsen in 2021
National

Nov 05. 2020

  

By THE NATION
The Thai Rice Exporters Association estimates total rice exports for 2020 at 5 million tonnes, only half of
last year’s figure of 10 million tonnes, honorary president Vichai Sriprasert said.

“Next year the situation could be worse as the water level in 35 major dams is still lower than the
previous year’s, while the rainy season will end soon. Therefore, rice output in 2021 could be
lower than this year.” he warned.
“Furthermore, China now has more than 100 million tonnes of rice in their stocks, so they can
compete with us in foreign markets such as Africa by using a price cutting strategy, as our rice
production costs are still higher than those of our competitors.”
Wichai said that due to drought, the cost of rice production is Bt8,000 per tonne, while other rice
producing countries such as China, Vietnam, India and Myanmar are witnessing a cost of around
Bt6,000 per tonne.
“This makes Thai rice more expensive that foreign rice by around $100 per tonne. Luckily in
some countries such as India, the Covid-19 situation has resulted in a nationwide lockdown and
crippled their logistics system, forcing them to import rice from us,” he said.
“It is estimated that when India’s Covid-19 situation improves, they will have over 30 million
tonnes of rice on their hands and Thai rice would no longer have the chance of penetrating their
market,” Wichai pointed out.
“Thai farmers and related authorities need to focus on cost reduction and developing water
resources for rice paddy. Currently, our irrigation system is not comprehensive enough, causing
farmers whose paddy is far away from reservoirs to spend extra on water pumps, thus further
increasing their production costs,” said Wichai.
“We also need to conduct research on new breeds of rice to penetrate new markets, or risk losing
the opportunity to Vietnam, which has introduced several new rice breeds in the last few years,”
he added.
Tags:
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30397373?
utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral#:~:text=Around%20Thailand-,Rice%20exports
%20likely%20to%20drop%2050%25%20this%20year%2C%20situation,could%20even%20worsen%20in
%202021&text=The%20Thai%20Rice%20Exporters%20Association,honorary%20president%20Wichai
%20Sriprasert%20said.
New 5-year rice plan to halve costs, launch 12
new Thai strains
Nov 05. 2020

By The Nation
The Rice Policy and Management Committee on Wednesday approved the five-year national rice
strategy (2020-2024), said Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit.

The strategy offers guidelines on adding value to Thai rice.

It also aims to reduce the cost of cultivating rice from the current level of about Bt6,000 per rai
to Bt3,000 per rai, while at the same time boosting yield from 456 kilos per rai to 600 kilos.
Jurin added that the strategy would introduce 12 new strains of Thai rice by 2024, as part of
ongoing efforts to tap new markets.
He also urged state agencies to ask China to import an additional 100,000 tonnes of Thai rice this
year under the existing memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
Under the deal, China will purchase one million tonnes of rice from Thailand, of which 700,000
tonnes has already been purchased.
https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30397340?
utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=internal_referral

 November 5, 2020

Figures on flood-damaged paddies across nation released

Sok Chan / Khmer Times 

A man holding paddy damaged by flash flooding in Battambang province. Ministry of Agriculture

More than 290,000 hectares of paddy fields were inundated and over 87,000 hectare
of paddy fields were damaged across the country as of Oct 27 because of flash
flooding, according to a  report from the National Committee for Disaster
Management (NCDM).
The report stated the cultivation plan of paddy in the country is more than 2.591
million hectares in 2020-21. However, it had achieved more than 2.756 million
hectares of actual cultivated paddy planting as of Aug 15. The report added that
affected paddy fields amounted to about 10.5 percent among total cultivated land and
only 3.16 percent of the paddy fields were damaged compared with total actual
cultivated land.
NCDM spokesman Khun Sokha said that that there were no updated figure besides
those released on Oct 27 for either affected or damaged paddy fields. Thus far, he said
the water is shallow and no longer affects the paddy fields.
“We are now setting up a plan to rehabilitate the infrastructure and agriculture crops
after the flood. There are four ministries to work on these tasks. They will work
immediately on the rehabilitation of the infrastructure: roads, bridges and agriculture,”
Sokha added.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that more than 5,000 tonnes of paddy seedlings will
be distributed to flood-hit farmers on top of the 1,000 tonnes which have already been
distributed. The donation of paddy seedlings is to help farmers begin replanting rice in
areas damaged by floods.
Secretary-General of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) Lun Yeng said that the
damage of paddy fields from the flash flooding was around 3 percent among the total
paddy cultivation plantations and some were not damaged. Therefore, he said there
was no impact on exports or food security.
Yeng added that some areas were also affected by the flood but produced a better
yield of rice because those areas can sustain more water. That was the case in
Kampong Thom. “The recent flash flooding has not affected food security and
exports,” he said.
Chhim Vichara, director of the Battambang provincial agricultural department, said
that around 127,189 hectares were affected by flooding and 42,517 hectares of paddy
field were damaged across the province. However, industrial and other crops made up
63,567 hectares and  about 43,464 hectares of them were damaged.
He added that the province is seeking paddy seedlings from the government through
the NCDM.
“We will distribute about 1,050 tonnes of paddy seedling to the families. Each of them
will receive 100 kilogrammes of paddy seedling,” Vichara added. He said the seedling
is a three-month crop including the Sen Kro Ob variety provided by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Pursat Agricultural Department Director Lay Piseth also said that more than 17,000
hectares of paddy fields were damaged and rehabilitated and more than 20,000
hectares were affected.
Piseth said more than 1,731 tonnes of paddy seedlings will be delivered to the farmers
with each family receiving 100 kilogrammes, including Sen Kro Ob and CAR15
paddy varieties. “Farmers will begin farming once they receive the seedlings,” he
added.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50779985/figures-on-flood-damaged-paddies-across-nation-
released/#:~:text=More%20than%20290%2C000%20hectares%20of,for%20Disaster%20Management
%20(NCDM).

05.11.2020, 15:40

Rice exports to EU market remain modest

hanguyen0409


Many enterprises export fragrant rice to the EU after the EVFTA became effective. (Photo:
SGGP)

The Agro-Product Processing and Market Development Authority under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on November 4 held an international seminar on
regulations for rice exports to the EU market to guide the regulations on fragrant rice varieties
exported to the EU to take advantage of tariff preferences in the quotas granted annually by the
EU.

In the first nine months of this year, rice exports to the EU reached over US$10 million, up 2349
percent over the same period last year. Vietnam exports from 6.4 to 7.0 million tons of rice to
more than 30 countries and territories every year. Of which, fragrant rice varieties on the export
list of to the EU enjoying preferential tariff quotas account for about 43 percent to 46 percent of
the total annual rice export volume, with over 3 million tons.

Rice is a commodity with great potential for export to the EU when quotas are expanded. This is
a market with plenty of room. It is expected that rice exports, including fragrant rice, to the EU
from now until the end of this year, will continue to increase. In recent years, the MARD has
actively restructured the sector and implemented international commitments. In which, it drafted
and revised legal documents to submit to the Government and the National Assembly for
approval to accord with the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in the negotiation
process of the EVFTA.

According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), from the beginning of September to the end
of October, ten enterprises had applied for certification with a volume of about 5932 tons of
fragrant rice. Expectations for exporting fragrant rice to the EU in the coming time will be more
optimistic because this is a great opportunity for Vietnamese rice to compete in this market in
terms of price and quality. To prepare for long and steady strides in the coming time, rice
exporters must build their position to grasp and realize this opportunity.

VFA said that enterprises should research, improve technology, and organize closed production
lines under international quality standards, such as HACCP, HALAL, or BRC, to ensure the
capacity to supply products suitable to the tastes and demanding requirements of high-end
consumer markets like the EU.
https://vietreader.com/news/22164-rice-exports-to-eu-market-remain-modest.html

NOVEMBER 5, 20207:08 PMUPDATED 21 HOURS AGO

Asia Rice-New crop weighs on India

rates; Vietnam bets on Philippines
deal
By Anjishnu Mondal
3 MIN READ

* Indian govt aggressively buying paddy rice from farmers

* Bangladesh expects rain-fed rice output to fall by 15% this year

* Thailand exported more than 4 million tonnes of rice in Jan-Sept

Nov 5 (Reuters) - India’s rice export prices fell this week on thriving
new season supplies and a depreciation in the rupee, while traders in
Vietnam expect fresh orders from the Philippines even as domestic
supplies are running low.

Top-exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety rates RI-

INBKN5-P1 were quoted at $366-$370 per tonne this week, down from
the last week's $370-$375.

Supplies have been rising in southern and eastern states from the
summer-sown rice crop, said an exporter based at Kakinada in the
southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

“The government has been buying paddy rice from farmers aggressively,
but still ample amount of rice is available for traders,” he said.

India’s new season paddy rice purchases from local farmers rose 21% by
the end of October.

In neighboring Bangladesh, the rain-fed rice output or Aman crop is

expected to fall as much as 15% this year, due to repeated floods and
excessive rainfalls, a senior official at the Agriculture Ministry said.

With shortfalls, the government’s domestic rice procurement in the

upcoming harvesting season could see a setback when price of the staple
grain goes up, traders said.

Vietnam's 5% broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 prices were little changed at

$493-$497 per tonne, compared with $495 per tonne last week.

Demand is expected to increase later this month on anticipation of new

orders from the Philippines, which has been suffering from floods and
storms recently, a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

However, traders said the country’s domestic rice supplies are running
low and shipments in November won’t likely exceed October sales.
Thailand's benchmark 5% broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices narrowed
to $455-$458 from $452-$480 a week earlier.

Two Bangkok-based traders attributed the price change to a muted

demand and incoming supply.

Thailand exported more than 4 million tonnes of rice between January

and September this year, a decline of 31.9% from the same period a year
earlier, according to new data from the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma
Paul in Dhaka, Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Bangkok, and Swati Verma
in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
https://www.reuters.com/article/asia-rice/asia-rice-new-crop-weighs-on-india-rates-vietnam-bets-on-
philippines-deal-idINL4N2HR3OX

UA researcher studies microwave rice

drying
by Fred Miller Special to The Commercial | Today at 2:54 a.m.

  

Follow
Luchen Walls Jr. harvests rice at Brantley Farms near England in Lonoke
County in this undated file photo. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / Staton
Breidenthal)

Microwave technology may offer a faster drying system for rice than
conventional heated-air drying systems, said Griffiths Atungulu, associate
professor of food processing and post-harvest system engineering for the
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Atungulu is co-principle investigator with AMTek Microwaves, a Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, company, on a $100,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and
Agriculture.
Rough rice is reaped, ideally, at a harvest moisture content of 19-21%,
Atungulu said. Before milling, processors must reduce the moisture content to
a target of about 12.5%.
Conventional rice drying systems use natural air in-bin or crossflow column
dryers. In-bin drying can require many days to dry rice. Rice processors
commonly use crossflow column dryers, which direct heated air across a
column through which rough rice falls. Dryers can speed up the process but
still take considerable time, Atungulu said.
Crossflow column dryers usually require multiple passes of the rice through
the column separated by tempering periods, which maintain the rice at a warm
temperature. It commonly takes about three passes through the crossflow
dryer to reduce the rice to 12.5% moisture content.
Because tempering often takes place overnight, the drying process often
takes two days or more to complete, Atungulu said.
It also impacts head rice yield, the percentage of kernels that are at least
three-quarters of their original length after milling, Atungulu said. The
extended exposure to heated air can cause fissures in rice kernels' physical
structure, making them brittle. Milling the rice then results in breaking some of
the fissured kernels, reducing the head rice yield. Other factors, including
environmental conditions and rice genetics, contribute to head rice yield. In
the U.S., head rice yield averages 55-58% of the total rice volume.
"The yield could be lower, depending on prevailing environmental conditions
during harvest," Atungulu said.
Using an AMTek microwave dryer about the size of a commercial restaurant
oven, Atungulu has developed a method of drying rice to the target moisture
content of 12.5% in a single pass under laboratory conditions, he said.
His goal was to develop a one-pass drying method that maintained head rice
yield at or above the national average. He looked for a microwave drying
method that did not adversely affect rice color or flavor or increase rancidity,
which can occur in the bran layer.
"We didn't want to change anything that would affect consumer acceptance of
rice products," he said.
SCALING UP
AMTek is providing a large microwave drying oven that will allow Atungulu to
advance his single-pass rice drying process to a commercial scale.
"This will be a proof-of-concept study," he said, "based on extensive
preliminary research."
In years of preliminary research, collaborating with AMTek and several rice
processing companies, Atungulu showed that a microwave frequency of 915
Megahertz -- most home microwaves operate at a maximum of 2.45 MHz --
could dry rice in a single pass with less impact on head rice yield. It also met
the requirement of not affecting consumer-desired color or flavor.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

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More related headlines
In the proof of concept, Atungulu has two goals.
"First, we have to satisfy the rice processors," he said. "We want to
demonstrate that microwave drying reduces the time required for drying rice
while reducing fissuring to improve head rice yield."
Atungulu's target is to improve the national average of 55-58% head rice yield
to at least 65%.
"That would translate to a $145 million increase in rice value annually," he
said.
Also, a microwave drying system requires a smaller machinery footprint,
saving space, Atungulu said.
"Second, we have to satisfy consumers," he said. "That means we have to
preserve flavor, texture, color and cooking quality."
During the industry-scale research, Atungulu said, he will be working on
optimizing the system to meet those industry and consumer requirements.
His research so far has identified 915 MHz as an efficient frequency to meet
his goals. But on a large scale, Atungulu said, that may not be the ideal
frequency for all rice varieties.
"Some frequencies may not penetrate fully into some varieties," he said. "We
may also have to adjust how the microwave energy is delivered. Perhaps
some components will have to be designed to control how the energy diffuses
into the rice.
"These are the things we'll have to play around with to find the optimal design
and control for commercial microwave rice drying," Atungulu said.
COMMERCIALIZATION
Existing multiple-pass crossflow column dryers may be less efficient than
microwaves, but Atungulu says they have a proven track record. They are
also durable, continuing to work for decades with regular upkeep.
Rice processors will not be easily persuaded to convert their drying systems.
An essential goal of the proof-of-concept stage of his research, Atungulu said,
is to demonstrate, with conclusive data, the economic benefits of microwave
rice drying.
"We understand the feasibility of microwave drying," Atungulu said. "We also
want to be able to articulate the merits of the system."
Even with convincing data, Atungulu expects conversion will not happen
overnight.
"It's more likely to happen in stages," he said. Given the durability of existing
rice dryers, that may take considerable time.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas
Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow the
agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
Fred Miller is with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Topics
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