13th August, 2021 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter
13 August ,2021 Vol 6 Issue 08
1|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874
Editorial Board Rice News Headlines…

Chief Editor
 Qaiser calls for coherent plan to boost farm exports
 Hamlik
 Weak baht to fuel rice exports
Managing Editor  Providing vitamins to women who mainly eat polished white rice can
 Abdul Sattar Shah boost infant health
 Rahmat Ullah  USC Purchasing Stocks Of Good Commodities, NA Told
 Rozeen Shaukat  Pakistan ups efforts on GSP plus
 Harvest Starts in Texas and Louisiana; Time Will Tell on Quality and
English Editor
Yield
 Maryam Editor
 Legal Advisor  Providing vitamins to SE Asian women can boost infant health
 Advocate Zaheer Minhas  Inner Workings: Keeping arsenic out of rice
 PCJCCI keen to explore China for rice exports
Editorial Associates  The case of Golden Rice
 Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid  India re-emerges as rice and wheat exporter
 Javed Islam Agha
 PCJCCI plans to increase rice export to China
 Zahid Baig(Business Recorder)
 Researchers develop chain mail fabric that can stiffen on demand
 Dr.Akhtar Hussain
 Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui  FPA says rise in fertilizer prices beyond its control
 Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)  Smugglers Conceal Diesel In Polythene Sacks
 Islam Akhtar Khan  Govt to cut import duty on rice
 Egypt plans strategic rice cultivation
Editorial Advisory Board
 An MDF product made from rice straw? Eureka!
 Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim
 Farmers busy in harvesting rice crop through combined harvester
Assistant Professor, Gomal
University DIK machine in their field
 Dr.Hasina Gul  India gets below-average monsoon rains for second straight week
Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK  Food grain output to hit new record of 308.65 mn tons in 2020-21,
 Dr.Hidayat Ullah says government
Assistant Professor, University  Registration of rice mills suspended
of Swabi
 ASIA RICE High shipping costs, weak baht drag Thai rates to over 2-
 Dr.Abdul Basir
Assistant Professor, University of year low
Swabi
 Zahid Mehmood
PSO,NIFA Peshawar
 Falak Naz Shah
Head Food Science & Technology
ART, Peshawar
Qaiser calls for coherent plan to boost farm exports

Amin AhmedPublished August 13, 2021
This file photo shows National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. ─ DawnNewsTV/File
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that Pakistan’s 0.3 per
cent market share in the $1.6 trillion global food and agricultural trade is not
commensurate with the country’s inherent agricultural potential.
Presiding over a meeting of the National Assembly Special Committee on Agricultural Products
on Thursday, Mr Qaiser instructed the sub-committee, Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and the
Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNFSR) to devise a coherent plan to boost
Pakistan‘s agricultural exports and submit the report to the committee within two weeks.
Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhr Imam endorsed the views of the
NA speaker and said that improved compliance with international food safety and quality
standards — particularly the sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) protocols — were indispensable
to Pakistan‘s enduring quest for improved access to high end markets.
The MoC, MNFSR and the provincial agriculture departments briefed the committee on
Pakistan‘s agricultural trade. The committee was informed that Pakistan share in the global
agricultural exports is 0.3pc while the country‘s agricultural exports have grown by 2pc during
the last two fiscal years. The current tariff rationalisation and free trade agreement with China
would provide significant boost to agri-exports, the committee was informed.
NA panel was informed Pakistan’s share in global agri exports stands at 0.3pc
The MoC officials briefed that fish and fish preparations, fruits, vegetables and meat and meat
preparation products were priority sectors for export. The committee members raised concerns
regarding decline in rice exports. 1.9 million tonnes of rice is available in stock and arrival of the
next crop without a backup plan to export existing stock would suppresses the prices in the
domestic market leading to significant losses the farmers, they members opined.
The NA speaker directed the commerce ministry officials to call all the stakeholders and devise a
coherent strategy to export the existing stock of rice. He also sought a report from the ministry
within one month.
The committee was informed that the commerce ministry was steering pilot projects to transform
Pakistan‘s existing orchards to high density orchards for improved productivity and better market
access. The committee members stated that Pakistani agricultural products would not be able to
access high in markets without improved and strict compliance with global food standards
particularly the SPS standards.
It was stressed that without stringent regulation and certification of the nurseries, it would be
futile to increase exports. The committee recommended that the sub-committee of the Special
Committee on Agricultural Products should thoroughly examine the key obstacles, policy
lacunas and institutional hurdles to increase Pakistan agricultural export.
The committee also deliberated upon the concerns of the tobacco farmers and directed Pakistan
Tobacco Board (PTB) to ensure that no stock is left unsold with the farmers. The NA speaker
urged the PTB and MNFSR to conduct a third-party survey for determining the cost of
production of tobacco.
The tobacco companies and the PTB assured that no stock would be left unsold. The committee
urged cigarettes industry to facilitate the farmers and end their suffering through timely purchase
and better profitability.
The committee also directed the commerce ministry to convene a joint meeting with the tobacco
exporters and devise a plan to facilitate tobacco export to the regional countries and beyond.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2021
https://www.dawn.com/news/1640375/qaiser-calls-for-coherent-plan-to-boost-farm-exports
Weak baht to fuel rice exports

PUBLISHED : 13 AUG 2021 AT 04:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS
WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
A wide variety of Thai rice is displayed for sale at a store in Pathum Thani province. (Photo:
Apichit Jinakul)
Thai rice exports are expected to continue to increase for the rest of this year, helped by the weak
baht and relatively low prices.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said he was
bullish about Thai rice export prospects for the remaining months of 2021 after exports tallied
only 2.8 million tonnes in the first seven months, an average of 400,000 tonnes a month. This is
below the export target average of 500,000 tonnes a month, or 3.5 million tonnes during that
period.
The price of 5% white rice in the domestic market is quoted at 12 baht per kilogramme, down
from 16 baht per kg earlier in the year, while that of Thai hom mali rice was 20 baht per kg,
down from 26-27 baht per kg.
The free-on-board price of 5% Thai white rice is now quoted at US$380 a tonne, while Indian
white rice stands at $370 a tonne, and Vietnam's similar grains at $380-$385 per tonne.
"The prices of Thai rice are now competitive against those of its competitors, leading importers
to buy more Thai rice," said Mr Chookiat.
"Over the remaining five months, rice exporters expect to average 600,000-700,000 tonnes a
month, leading Thai rice exports to meet the target of 6 million tonnes for the whole year."
However, he said important obstacles persist, specifically container shortages, limited shipping
spaces and expensive freight rates, notably in routes to the US and Europe.
For instance, the freight rate to New York has surged to $18,000 per container from $3,000-
4,000 in the period before the Covid-19 outbreak.
According to Mr Chookiat, another key area of concern is labour shortages. If Covid-19
infections keep rising, he suggested the government accelerate the allocation of jabs to foreign
workers.
In a related development, Keerati Rushchano, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department,
said Thai rice exports to Malaysia look promising for the second half of this year as the
Malaysian government's rice import regulatory agency, Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas), is
keen to import rice from Thailand.
Mr Keerati said that following a video conference call with Bernas's representatives on Aug 9, he
was informed that Malaysia's rice production is unlikely to meet local demand this year,
prompting it to import roughly 900,000 tonnes from Thailand, which is 30-35% of Malaysia's
total consumption.
The imports are expected to start in the second half of 2021, he said.
Malaysia imported 1.08 million tonnes of rice last year, largely from India, Pakistan and
Vietnam because of cheaper prices.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2164595/weak-baht-to-fuel-rice-exports
Providing vitamins to women who mainly eat polished

white rice can boost infant health
by Tim Christie, University of Oregon
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Polished white rice is a staple of diets in Southeast Asia, which poses a serious public health
problem because the grain has been stripped of its vitamins and minerals during processing,
according to new research by UO scientists.
White rice lacks thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, an essential nutrient for humans because it
helps the body's cells convert carbohydrates into energy. Thiamine deficiency can lead to
cognitive and physical impairments, particularly in infants of breast-feeding mothers who lack
the nutrient.
A new study led by psychologists at the UO found that providing thiamine supplements to
breast-feeding mothers in Cambodia can help protect the neurocognitive development of their
infants and especially benefits their language development.
UO psychologist Jeffrey Measelle is the lead author of the study, published in the Annals of the
New York Academy of Sciences, and Dare Baldwin, also a psychology professor, is a co-author.
The study is one piece of a large interdisciplinary clinical trial involving researchers from
Canada, France, Australia, Cambodia and the United States. The two UO psychologists have
been colleagues for many years but this is the first time they've worked together on a research
project.
Measelle said he's been working on public health issues in Southeast Asia for a number of years,
and he and Baldwin were seeking funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for further
research. The foundation was particularly interested in acute thiamine deficiency in infants,
known as infantile beriberi, that causes cognitive damage and can kill babies.
The foundation connected Measelle and Baldwin with nutritionist Kyly Whitfield and colleagues
at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia. The nutritionists had been investigating the
benefits of supplement techniques and wanted to know the best methods for measuring cognitive
development in infants, which is where Measelle and Baldwin came in.
The researchers recruited 335 healthy mothers of breastfed newborns in Kampong, Cambodia.
Two weeks after giving birth, women were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups to
receive one capsule a day of varying amounts of thiamine: 0 milligrams, 1.2 milligrams, 2.4
milligrams and 10 milligrams. Supplementation began when infants were two weeks old, and
continued until they were 24 weeks. Neurocognitive assessments took place when infants were
two weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks and at a 52-week follow-up, using multiple methods of
measuring cognitive development.
Analysis of the results indicated that the highest dose of 10 milligrams per day provided
significant benefits for infants' language development but generally not for motor or visual
reception development. Preliminary evidence also suggests that infants' neurocognitive
development may benefit most if the mother begins taking supplements while pregnant.
"For me personally, given that much of my work is focused on prenatal development," Measelle
said, "we need to go back to an earlier stage and protect fetal development during pregnancy so
when the infant is born, they start at a better place and keep going."
The researchers also concluded infants would benefit from continued thiamine supplementation
beyond six months.
"If we can protect the first 1,000 days of life, that would help to cover what is arguably the most
critical period of development," Measelle said.
Thiamine deficiency is rare in western societies because it's readily available in the diet in the
form of legumes, whole grains, pork and other foods. In Southeast Asia, a bowl of rice for an
entire day might be all that some can afford to eat, Baldwin said. And unfortunately, a commonly
available type of fish that is eaten in Cambodia actually depletes thiamine.
In Cambodia, roughly 50 percent of adults are stunted because of malnutrition, the outward sign
of micronutrient deficiencies, including thiamine deficiency, that also compromises immune
systems, brain development and cognitive function, Baldwin said.
One idea to get more thiamine into the diets of Cambodians would be to fortify salt with the
nutrient, just as salt has been fortified with iodine in the United States since the 1920s. Getting
the correct dose will require more research, Measelle and Baldwin said.
Cambodian scientists and public health officials are supportive of the researchers' work,
Measelle said.
"They know babies are vulnerable and all too often dying because of thiamine deficiencies," he
said. "We have a strong partnership with our Cambodian colleagues and we're already talking
about the next phases of work."
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-vitamins-women-white-rice-boost.html
USC Purchasing Stocks Of Good Commodities, NA

Told
Wed 11th August 2021 | 05:50 PM
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2021 ) :The Utility Stores
Corporation (USC) is purchasing stocks of good quality commodities through open competitive
bidding by floating the tenders in the press in accordance with rules framed by Public
Procurement Regulatory Commission Authority (PPRA).
In a written reply to a question raised in National Assembly regarding quality of pulses and rice
in USC, the House further informed that the stock of good quality pulses and rice are being
procured in a transparent manner.
The committee responsible for procurement examines the samples thoroughly so as to ensure
selection of good quality product.
The House further informed that approved samples are delivered to USC Regional Managers
warehouse in-charge who unload the stock after proper examination by the Regional Committee
in accordance with the approved standards.
In case of difference in quality, the stock was being rejected and returned to vendor at his risk
and cost.
The House further informed that the quality of commodities has improved and the USC has
regained the trust of the customers due to strict compliance of the quality of products and
availability of the products on lower prices as compared to open market prices.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/usc-purchasing-stocks-of-good-commodities-na-
1324046.html
Pakistan ups efforts on GSP plus

Envoys in EU increase engagements with host govts to counter Indian influence
Zafar BhuttaAugust 12, 2021
Regarding conflict between Pakistan and India over basmati rice, Saleem said that Pakistan
opposed Indian application of GI tag in EU. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has intensified lobbying in European countries against anti-Pakistan elements to
neutralise influence of India regarding the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), rice brand
and GSP scheme.
―Our ambassadors in EU countries and Brussels have enhanced their engagements with the host
governments,‖ Pakistan Ambassador to Italy Jauhar Saleem told The Express Tribune while
responding to a question regarding the EU parliament‘s resolution against Pakistan.
In April this year, the European Parliament had adopted a resolution calling for a review of the
GSP+ status granted to Pakistan in view of an increase in the use of blasphemy accusations in the
country as well as rising number of online and offline attacks on journalists and civil society
organisations.
He said that EU Parliament‘s resolution is not of a binding nature for the EU Commission.
―Our progress on compliance of 27 UN Conventions is very encouraging and the commission
has recognised that in its review reports,‖ he said, adding that the ongoing review of European
Union GSP plus scheme is taking place routinely and we have not been conveyed anything
unusual from the commission.
He further shared that he also had meetings with chair of the Women Affairs Committee of the
parliament and several members of human rights and foreign affairs committees besides the
relevant government and private sector functionaries who can play a role to support Pakistan‘s
case and the response has been quite positive.
Responding to a question regarding engaging Italy for Pakistan‘s exit from FATF grey list, he
said that Italy has a very prominent position in FATF and the International Co-operation Review
Group (ICRG) within FATF is headed by Italy.
―We are regularly engaging with our Italian friends, including the co-chair of the ICRG to
highlight the progress on the action plan agreed with FATF,‖ he said, adding that they recognise
and appreciate the progress achieved by us.
Regarding conflict between Pakistan and India over basmati rice, Saleem said that Pakistan
opposed Indian application of GI tag in the European Union. Besides Pakistan, many EU
member countries are also opposing Indian claim because they believe it is a false claim.
―Currently we are at consultation stage with India in Brussels that is expected to conclude on
September 5, 2021,‖ he said.
In case these consultations fail, the commission will formulate a committee comprising EU
member countries representatives and experts that will decide the case. The decision of the
committee can be challenged at the European Court of Justice.
―In Italy, we approached the Italian Rice Industry Association, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation as well as the Ministry of Agriculture on the issue. They are not
supporting Indian stance on basmati.‖
He added, ―Despite Indian attempt to undermine our rice exports we remain the largest player in
terms of rice export to Italy and the EU. Pakistan‘s share of imported rice in the Italian market is
an impressive 37% whereas India supplied only 12% this year.‖
He further said that the Pakistan Embassy in Rome and the Consulate General in Milan did not
close temporarily even in the darkest days of the pandemic in Italy.
―Many of our competitors suffered greatly, with their exports to Italy shrinking by 20% in some
cases. Despite these difficult conditions, Pakistan was the least affected and recovered very well
with an impressive growth of 9.1% in FY2020-21,‖ he said.
Pakistan‘s exports to Italy reached an all-time high of $786 million. Value added sectors were
the main drivers of this growth, producing a trade surplus of $300 million. This is 49% higher
than the previous year. In the most recent month ie July 2021, exports have increased by 30%,
the official added.
Similarly, workers‘ remittances from Italy reached $601 million in FY21, which marks a 66%
increase over the last year and is an all-time high figure, making Italy Pakistan‘s biggest source
of remittances in the EU and the seventh largest in the world.
―We expect the growth streak to continue in FY22.‖
He was of the view that this had become possible through adapting to new conditions speedily,
innovation and improvisation. ―We employed digital diplomacy and virtual platforms such as
zoom to keep contact with the businesses in Italy, industrial associations, chambers of commerce
and exporters from Pakistan. We held business meetings, seminars, exhibitions, business forums,
and delegation exchange through digital platforms, which was a tremendous success.‖
Remittances through formal channels
egarding remittances through formal channels, he said in the wake of Brexit, Italy is home to the
largest Pakistani diaspora in the European Union (EU).
The mission is running a comprehensive campaign to promote awareness about formal channels
of remittances, Roshan Digital Account (RDA) and investment opportunities through RDA.
―The other prong of our strategy is to increase the number of documented Pakistani workers in
Italy. We helped thousands of undocumented Pakistanis to regularise their stay in Italy in the last
one year.‖
Labour agreement
with Italy
Pakistan and Italy have agreed in principle to negotiate a labour agreement that will give
Pakistan comprehensive access to Italian labour market. Pakistan has also been included in the
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
Italian Seasonal Work Visa for 2022, which would offer many opportunities for our workers in
agriculture and services sector to work in Italy.
Potential areas of investment for Italian firms
The ambassador shared that Italian firms were keen to invest in the fields of energy, food
processing, leather, textile, dairy & livestock, construction and furnishing. The embassy is
promoting JV mode to increase Italian investment interest in Pakistan that will help in the flow
of technology and skills transfer to our businesses, he said, adding that once travel restrictions
ease there will be multiple visits by Italian investors to Pakistan as has been agreed during
meetings with several CEOs of prominent Italian firms.
Saleem also shared that they were collaborating with the Italian government to set up technology
training centres in Pakistan. In this regard, he informed that a textile training sector has already
been established in Faisalabad, while a footwear training centre has been set up in Lahore.
Meanwhile, a marble technology training centre was in the final stage of completion in Khyber-
Pakhtunkhwa.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2021.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the
conversation.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2315113/pakistan-ups-efforts-on-gsp-plus
Harvest Starts in Texas and Louisiana; Time Will Tell on

Quality and Yield
By Steve Linscombe & Kane Webb
CROWLEY, LA & MOUNTAIN HOME, TX -- Texas rice harvest is well underway west of
Houston and just getting started on the east side of the state. This is typical as the west zone
tends to plant earlier than the east. The consensus among growers in the area is that yields are
average at best to below average. Another common comment from growers is that fields are
taking longer than normal to mature due to excessive levels of rainfall and overcast skies earlier
in the season that tended to slow down the crop.
Harvest coming at you
East of Houston, at the Helena Agri-Enterprises location in Raywood, manager Dorsey Jones
said most of the rice farmers in his area are just starting harvest, and while early yields are off
about 10 percent, the limited number of quality samples have all been excellent.
Timothy Gertson, who farms around Lissie, said yields are off 10-20 percent on the Lissie
Prairie. False smut was a significant problem in the earliest harvested rice but not as severe in the
rice he is currently harvesting. LG Raun, near El Campo, said his yields were closer to normal
but he is dealing with significant lodging in his later rice. His early harvest conditions were
excellent, but the excessive rains recently have complicated matters as he has about 80 acres
remaining to be cut. Terry Hlavinka, near East Bernard, said his yields are off 10 percent and his
harvest is approaching 50 percent completed. However, based on a report from Rice Belt, west of
Houston is only around 35 percent harvested which could possibly have a negative impact on the
ratoon crop.
The ratoon, or second crop, is critical for many Texas rice growers. Ideally, the first crop harvest
should be completed by August 15 to optimize ratoon crop production but many producers will
move that date to September 1 in a year like this one. When asked about ratoon regrowth this
year, most said it was ―decent but a little too early to tell.‖
In the south Louisiana rice growing region, producers are dodging afternoon rain showers, but
harvest is moving along despite all the obstacles. Harvest began with wetter than optimal
conditions, causing some rutting and complications with progress, but the weather improved
somewhat over the past week, bringing drier conditions in most areas.
―The yields we‘ve seen so far are solid, but we‘re not going to break any records,‖ said Ross
Thibodeaux of Thibodeaux Brothers in Midland. ―Considering everything the crop has been
through this season, it‘s not bad, but you always want your yield to be a little higher.‖
Thibodeaux is about halfway through with harvest and hopeful that ―the weather will hold out
for everyone to get to the end.‖
Eric Unkel of Unkel Farms in Kinder, said, ―The harvest is steady, yields are average. The crop
isn‘t great, but it isn‘t as bad as it could have been considering all the early season complications
we went through.‖
John Morgan, with Supreme Rice Mill in Crowley, weighed in when asked about the quality of
this year‘s crop. ―Conventional varieties, LSU Clearfields, and PVL02 have shown good to
excellent early milling. RiceTec 745 is good as well and the rest are a mixed bag but above
average at this point, especially on total milling yields. It‘s a little early to get a handle on the
degree of chalk and uniformity of grain size.‖
In northeast Louisiana, harvest is getting close. Damian Bollich, of Jones, said, ―We are one to
two weeks away from harvesting the early planted rice. Growers in the area began cutting water
off last week.‖ Bollich said the early planted rice looks good. ―I am optimistic that the yields will
reflect what we‘re seeing in the fields. Time will tell.‖
USARice Daily
WASDE Report Released

WASHINGTON, DC -- The outlook for 2021/22 U.S. rice this month is for reduced supplies,
lower domestic use, higher exports, and smaller ending stocks. Supplies are reduced on the
combination of lower beginning stocks, smaller production, and decreased imports. Beginning
stocks are lower based on higher exports and fewer imports in 2020/21.
The first survey-based 2021/22 production forecast reduced total rice production by 2 million
cwt to 197.4 million, all on lower yields. The all rice yield is 7,544 pounds per acre and is down
76 pounds from the previous forecast. Total rice imports are lowered 1 million cwt, all for long-
grain, to 38 million on the reduced availability of shipping containers and higher freight costs,
which are expected to persist into 2021/22. Total domestic and residual use is lowered by 2
million cwt to 151 million on the smaller crop size and less imports. Total exports are increased
to 91 million cwt as higher long-grain exports more than offset lower medium and short grain
exports. Long grain exports are raised by 2 million cwt to 65 million on sales to Iraq for the first
time in two years. Medium and short grain exports are lowered 1 million cwt to 26 million on
reduced supplies and increased competition. Projected 2021/22 all rice ending stocks are reduced
by 4 million cwt to 37.3 million, down 15 percent from last year. The 2021/22 all rice season-
average farm price is increased $0.10 per cwt to $14.50.
The 2021/22 global outlook is for increased supplies, marginally higher consumption, larger
trade, and higher ending stocks. Supplies are raised by 3.4 million tons to 684.4 million,
primarily on a combination of higher beginning stocks for China, Vietnam, and Taiwan and
increased production for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Bangladesh production is raised
to a record 36.3 million tons on increased area harvested and a higher yield. World 2021/22
consumption is raised by 300,000 tons to a record 514.3 million, primarily on higher Bangladesh
consumption. Global 2021/22 trade is raised 600,000 tons to 47.7 million, mainly on increased
exports by India. Projected 2021/22 world ending stocks are increased by 3.2 million tons to
170.1 million, mostly on higher stocks for China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
Go here to read the full report.
USA Rice Daily
Providing vitamins to SE Asian women can boost infant

health
August 11, 2021 - 5:00am
Polished white rice is a staple of diets in Southeast Asia, which poses a serious public health
problem because the grain has been stripped of its vitamins and minerals during processing,
according to new research by UO scientists.
White rice lacks thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, an essential nutrient for humans because it
helps the body‘s cells convert carbohydrates into energy. Thiamine deficiency can lead to
cognitive and physical impairments, particularly in infants of breast-feeding mothers who lack
the nutrient.
A new study led by psychologists at the UO found that providing thiamine supplements to
breast-feeding mothers in Cambodia can help protect the neurocognitive development of their
infants and especially benefits their language development.
UO psychologist Jeffrey Measelle is the lead author of the study, published in the Annals of the
New York Academy of Sciences, and Dare Baldwin, also a psychology professor, is a co-author.
The study is one piece of a large interdisciplinary clinical trial involving researchers from
Canada, France, Australia, Cambodia and the United States. The two UO psychologists have
been colleagues for many years but this is the first time they‘ve worked together on a research
project.
Measelle said he‘s been working on public health issues in Southeast Asia for a number of years,
and he and Baldwin were seeking funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for further
research. The foundation was particularly interested in acute thiamine deficiency in infants,
known as infantile beriberi, that causes cognitive damage and can kill babies.
The foundation connected Measelle and Baldwin with nutritionist Kyly Whitfield and colleagues
at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia. The nutritionists had been investigating the
benefits of supplement techniques and wanted to know the best methods for measuring cognitive
development in infants, which is where Measelle and Baldwin came in.
The researchers recruited 335 healthy mothers of breastfed newborns in Kampong, Cambodia.
Two weeks after giving birth, women were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups to
receive one capsule a day of varying amounts of thiamine: 0 milligrams, 1.2 milligrams, 2.4
milligrams and 10 milligrams. Supplementation began when infants were 2 weeks old, and
continued until they were 24 weeks. Neurocognitive assessments took place when infants were 2
weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks and at a 52-week follow-up, using multiple methods of measuring
cognitive development.
Analysis of the results indicated that the highest dose of 10 milligrams per day provided
significant benefits for infants‘ language development but generally not for motor or visual
reception development. Preliminary evidence also suggests that infants‘ neurocognitive
development may benefit most if the mother begins taking supplements while pregnant.
―For me personally, given that much of my work is focused on prenatal development,‖ Measelle
said, ―we need to go back to an earlier stage and protect fetal development during pregnancy so
when the infant is born, they start at a better place and keep going.‖
The researchers also concluded infants would benefit from continued thiamine supplementation
beyond six months.
―If we can protect the first 1,000 days of life, that would help to cover what is arguably the most
critical period of development,‖ Measelle said.
Thiamine deficiency is rare in western societies because it‘s readily available in the diet in the
form of legumes, whole grains, pork and other foods. In Southeast Asia, a bowl of rice for an
entire day might be all that some can afford to eat, Baldwin said. And unfortunately,
a commonly available type of fish that is eaten in Cambodia actually depletes thiamine.
In Cambodia, roughly 50 percent of adults are stunted because of malnutrition, the outward sign
of micronutrient deficiencies, including thiamine deficiency, that also compromises immune
systems, brain development and cognitive function, Baldwin said.
One idea to get more thiamine into the diets of Cambodians would be to fortify salt with the
nutrient, just as salt has been fortified with iodine in the United States since the 1920s. Getting
the correct dose will require more research, Measelle and Baldwin said.
Cambodian scientists and public health officials are supportive of the researchers‘ work,
Measelle said.
―They know babies are vulnerable and all too often dying because of thiamine deficiencies,‖ he
said. ―We have a strong partnership with our Cambodian colleagues and we‘re already talking
about the next phases of work.‖
—By Tim Christie, University Communications
https://around.uoregon.edu/content/providing-vitamins-se-asian-women-can-boost-infant-health
Inner Workings: Keeping arsenic out of rice

Carolyn Beans
See all authors and affiliations
PNAS August 17, 2021 118 (33) e2113071118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113071118
As a postdoc exploring rice paddies in Cambodia in 2011, Angelia Seyfferth was struck by the towering
mounds of husks piling up outside rice mills. Rice husks, the hard outer layer that encloses each grain, are
a byproduct of rice production. ―It is often considered a waste product that farmers are trying to get rid
of,‖ explains Seyfferth, now a soil biogeochemist at the University of Delaware in Newark. Maybe, she
thought at the time, she could use a key nutrient in these discarded husks to help address a global health
problem: arsenic contamination in the rice itself.
Working as a postdoc in Cambodia in 2011, soil biogeochemist Angelia Seyfferth wondered whether the
towering mounds of husks piling up outside rice mills could help mitigate arsenic contamination in rice.
Image credit: Angelia Seyfferth.
Arsenic, a pollutant stemming from industrial processes and pesticides, also naturally occurs in
soil and groundwater in regions across the globe. In its inorganic form, it‘s highly toxic, with
chronic exposure raising
the risk for a host of
health conditions,
including diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases,
and cancers (1). Drinking
water is often a major
exposure route.
But in the early 2000s,
researchers discovered
that rice, a staple food for
more than half the global
population, can also
contain arsenic (2). In
2012, a Consumer
Reports analysis raised
public awareness of the issue by showing that nearly all of 65 types of rice and rice products
tested contained arsenic—many of them at concerning levels (3). In 2020, a team of researchers
in the United Kingdom found that of 55 samples of commercial rice sold in the UK, more than
half exceeded the European Commission‘s limit for inorganic arsenic levels suitable for infant
food or direct feeding to infants (4).
Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that industry lower
arsenic levels in rice-based infant cereals, and levels are indeed dropping (5), concerns about
arsenic in rice across the globe persist. The contaminant not only affects food safety but also
quantity, as arsenic can diminish a rice farmer‘s yield (6). And the problem may only worsen
with climate change—recent research suggests that arsenic uptake by rice plants will increase
under higher temperatures (7, 8).
So researchers are working on ways to prevent arsenic from getting into rice in the first place.
Seyfferth is developing techniques that could help rice growers use silicon, a nutrient in husks, to
outcompete arsenic for entry into the plant. Other approaches include manipulating paddy water
and soil or pinpointing genes that could stop arsenic from reaching the grain. Solutions, however,
are not straightforward—techniques that decrease arsenic sometimes increase cadmium, another
deadly toxin. And the genes that would make rice more arsenic resistant remain elusive.
The Silicon Solution
Rice is susceptible to arsenic contamination, in part, because farmers traditionally grow the plants in
standing water. In the anaerobic conditions of a flooded paddy, arsenate, an oxidized form of inorganic
arsenic, gets reduced to arsenite, another inorganic form that more readily moves from soil into water
where the plant can soak it up. In some regions, crops are irrigated with groundwater already
contaminated with arsenic, compounding the problem.
Compared with other plants, rice is also especially prone to arsenic uptake. In 2008, an
international team of researchers revealed why: Arsenite enters rice roots through the same
pathway that takes in the chemical element silicon (9). Silicon, an abundant metalloid, is
nontoxic when ingested. Although beneficial for plants in general, silicon is particularly key for
rice, which takes in large amounts for structural support and resistance to pests. ―It‘s a major
transport pathway,‖ explains Fang-Jie Zhao of Nanjing Agricultural University in Nanjing,
China, an environmental scientist and plant physiologist, who co-led the study while at
Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, United Kingdom, along with Jian Feng Ma of Okayama
University in Japan.
―Because the arsenite looks chemically similar [to silicon], it gets taken up through that pathway
as well,‖ adds Seyfferth. Inspired by these findings, Seyfferth, Zhao, and others began looking
for a silicon solution. Numerous studies suggested that silicon added to soil can outcompete
arsenite for access to the pathway, while also suppressing key genes governing the pathway,
thereby limiting arsenite‘s entry (10). In her postdoctoral research at Stanford University in Palo
Alto, CA, for example, Seyfferth demonstrated that adding silica gel to arsenic-contaminated soil
could lower arsenic levels in rice grain by as much as 40 percent (11).
Some farmers were already using silicon fertilizer to increase yield, but the fertilizers are
expensive. ―Farmers don‘t very often use the fertilizer because it‘s a cost,‖ notes Zhao. Rice
husks, however, are extremely high in silicon, low in arsenic, and, as Seyfferth witnessed, quite
abundant. She decided to put them to use. In 2016, Seyfferth showed that adding rice husks to
potted rice plants resulted in grains with 25 to 50 percent less inorganic arsenic (12).
Mills, though, often burn husks to help fuel the machinery. So Seyfferth also tried applying these
charred husks to rice plants and showed that they, too, reduce inorganic arsenic in the grain when
in flooded pots, although only by as much as about 20 percent (13). To fine-tune the technique,
she experimented with charring at different temperatures and reported last December that husks
burned at 450 °C released more silicon into soil than those burned at higher temperatures (14).
Now Seyfferth is investigating how husk fertilizer affects the movement and form of arsenic
within the rice plant. ―It‘s really important to know exactly where it‘s going,‖ she says. ―That has
direct implications for human health.‖ A rice grain consists of the white endosperm coated with a
layer of bran. Typically, rice bran contains higher levels of inorganic arsenic than the endosperm.
For this reason, brown rice tends to be higher in inorganic arsenic than white rice, which is
polished to remove the bran. But in recent work, not yet published, Seyfferth used X-ray
fluorescence imaging to show that rice husk fertilization not only decreases inorganic arsenic
levels in the white endosperm but nearly eliminates arsenic altogether from the bran.
The reason, she says, is that the husks encourage microorganisms to transform inorganic arsenic
into an organic, less toxic form known as dimethylarsenic acid (DMA). Once inside the plant,
DMA preferentially moves to the endosperm rather than the bran. ―Say you are a grower who is
producing rice bran for a company,‖ says Seyfferth. ―If you amend the soil with rice husk, you
can essentially create this bran product that is nearly devoid of arsenic.‖
As a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, plant scientist Daniela Carrijo grew
rice in paddies with different moisture levels to find growing conditions that minimize both
arsenic and another toxin, cadmium. Image credit: Daniela Carrijo.
Water, Soil, and Data
Simply modifying rice farming practices could also lower the amount of arsenic that gets into the grain.
For instance, rice plants don‘t actually require flooding to grow. Indeed, Seyfferth found that
experimental pots left unflooded had low arsenic levels; both fresh and charred husks reduce them even
further (13). But there‘s a catch: Drying the paddies can lower yield, while also resulting in heightened
levels of cadmium, another toxin. ―Cadmium and arsenic are opposite to each other in terms of
biogeochemistry,‖ says Zhao. ―If we flood the paddy soil, we reduce cadmium availability.‖ Removing
both toxins will be a challenge, however.
Plant scientist Daniela Carrijo of Oregon State University in Corvallis is among those searching
for growing conditions that minimize both toxins. As a graduate student at the University of
California, Davis, she experimented with draining paddies to different moisture levels at
different intervals during the growing season. Although not common in California, this ―alternate
wetting and drying‖ strategy is already practiced by rice growers in many regions to conserve
water.
In one study, she found that letting soil moisture drop to 35% volumetric water content twice
during the growing season could halve the inorganic arsenic in the final grain compared with
continuously flooding paddies, and without impacting yield (15). The drying also resulted in the
grain‘s cadmium concentration increasing by about 2.5 times. But this outcome is acceptable in
California, says Carrijo, because the baseline cadmium levels are so low—regions with high
cadmium levels would need different approaches.
One such alternative: simply inverting the soil. In a 2019 study, geochemist Lex van Geen of
Columbia University‘s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY, and colleagues
experimented with inverting soil on farms in the Faridpur district in south-central Bangladesh.
The deeper soil—which is less contaminated by the surface irrigation—was placed on top. In the
growing season immediately after the inversion, they saw no effect, possibly because the
disruption to the soil structure offset any benefit. But in the following season, yield increased in
inverted plots by 15 to 30 percent compared with unmanipulated plots (16). Van Geen says that
several growers in the region, inspired by this research, have inverted soil on portions of their
fields. Unfortunately, this solution is only temporary because irrigation water will continue to
deposit more arsenic.
Providing farmers more information could help, van Geen says. Recently, he developed an
inexpensive soil arsenic test kit for growers (17). His hope is that data about where soils are
contaminated, in combination with a heightened awareness of how arsenic diminishes yield, will
encourage growers to plant different crops or use rivers or ponds as irrigation sources, rather than
groundwater, wherever arsenic is highest.
Searching for a Genetic Fix
Looking for more lasting solutions, some researchers have turned to rice genetics to understand why
certain rice varieties, such as basmati, tend to accumulate less arsenic (18). ―Usually we find up to four-
or fivefold variation in grain arsenic content between different modern rice cultivars,‖ says Zhao. ―But the
genetic reasons underpinning that variation are still not very well understood.‖
Researchers are probing rice cultivars, landraces, and the model plant Arabidopsis for the genes
that make some plants less prone to arsenic uptake so breeders could then select for these genes
to make more resistant cultivars.
But despite more than a decade of work, researchers haven‘t yet revealed the genes that govern
arsenic movement and storage within the plant, causing one cultivar to resist arsenic while
another sucks it up. One reason it‘s so challenging to map genetic contributions to arsenic
uptake, says Zhao, is that environmental factors play such a major role. Moreover, it‘s possible
that numerous genes play a part, making it difficult to tease out the subtle impact of any one.
―Rice husk is a material that would be available to rice farmers all over the world.‖
—Angelia Seyfferth
Still, he and others are making progress. In March, Zhao and colleagues revealed a genetic
mutation that indirectly reduces arsenic accumulation in rice grain by about a third. It does so by
setting off a series of molecular interactions that ultimately increase levels of peptides known as
phytochelatins, which bind to arsenic, limiting its movement into the grain (19). Zhao and
colleagues are now exploring whether they can harness this mutation to breed low-arsenic rice.
And through a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis published in January, United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers identified seven genomic regions associated with
variation in inorganic arsenic in rice grain (20). Within these regions, they identified a handful of
candidate genes, including one that codes for a protein known to help move nutrients, metals,
and other materials across cell membranes. The team is now testing how combinations of
candidate genes affect inorganic arsenic levels in the grain, because their research suggests that
the effect is likely cumulative. ―Specifically, we want to identify the candidate genes that result
in low [inorganic arsenic] accumulation and combine these together (i.e., pyramid or stack them)
in one rice cultivar,‖ says study author Jinyoung Barnaby, a plant physiologist at the USDA ARS
Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, AR.
A Growing Threat
Even as these research efforts advance, the need for actionable solutions grows. Carrijo fears that climate
change-induced droughts may cause more growers to irrigate with arsenic-contaminated groundwater,
rather than surface water sources like rivers.
Moreover, Seyfferth and colleagues at the University of Washington in Seattle recently reported
that warmer temperatures increase mobilization of arsenic from soil into water, making it more
available to rice plants (7). They also found that higher rates of transpiration play a secondary
role, with plants in warmer growth chambers sucking up more of the arsenic-laden water.
A 2019 study by researchers in Germany and California examining the compounding effects of
soil arsenic and climate change on rice production found that doubling atmospheric CO2 and
increasing temperature by 5 °C nearly doubled the inorganic arsenic concentration in the grain,
an effect primarily attributed to the temperature increase (8).
Faced with a warmer future, Seyfferth is trying to convince growers that husks could be part of
an immediate fix. ―Rice husk,‖ she says, ―is a material that would be available to rice farmers all
over the world.‖
Published under the PNAS license.
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PCJCCI keen to explore China for rice exports
LAHORE: Considering the surplus after meeting domestic consumption of 2.5 million tonnes,
Pakistan is ready to export 3.75 million tonnes rice annually to China, an official said on
Tuesday.
S M Naveed, president of the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(PCJCCI), said that China has emerged as one of the destinations for Pakistani rice exports, as
reflected in the 244 per cent increase in rice exports to the country during the last two years.
The PCJCCI has initiated a move to double the exports to China within a year, he said, adding
that the dream of exporting around 10 million tonnes of Irri-6 rice to China could turn into reality
if sustained efforts to market Pakistani rice to China are pursued, focusing on the need of the
Chinese population.
Daud Ahmed, senior vice president of the PCJCCI, said that new hybrid rice varieties are being
developed in Pakistan, which would give maximum yield by utilising minimum input costs
during water scarcity.
The Rice Research Institute had developed new techniques to cultivate rice through a
broadcasting system instead of manual sapling plantation, he said, adding that under this
technique, if farmers succeed in setting up 80,000 plants in a field, they will get more production,
besides saving the input costs up to Rs14,000/acre. This technique is not only cheaper but also
helps save 30 per cent to 35 per cent irrigation water.
Khalid Raffique Choudhry, vice president of the PCJCCI, said that the response of the Chinese
importers for Pakistani rice is overwhelming, compared with the rice imported from Thailand
and Vietnam.
―Our rice industry is not showing its full potential due to some internal barriers related to
planning and strategic implementations.‖
He also said the rice exporters deserve the patronage of the government at par with the textile
industry to develop rice exports as one of the major foreign exchange-earning sectors.
Salahuddin Hanif, secretary general of the PCJCCI, said that the chamber is going to launch a
concrete drive to market Pakistani rice in China by creating a personalised demand among the
Chinese. The body is exploring new techniques with China to improve the quality of rice.
Chinese buyers prefer to buy the rice with good milling quality.
Hence, the PCJCCI will manage match making of the Chinese and Pakistani entrepreneurs in this
sector to increase the demand of the Pakistani rice in China
https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2021/08/pcjcci-keen-to-explore-china-for-rice-exports/
The case of Golden Rice

Read Next
By Fermin Adriano
August 12, 2021
THE old ways are indeed difficult to change.

We saw this in the 19th century when the workers' movement in Britain, called Luddite,
destroyed machines in their factories because they were putting workers out of jobs. In more
modern times, the shift from the use of big computer machines and desktops to laptops was
strongly resisted by giant companies like IBM and its workers because it threatened their jobs.
Similarly, we have seen this phenomenon in the replacement of copper by fiber technology in
communication. The latter allowed the shift from analogue to digital technology, which was
faster and more efficient.
In all these cases, the old ways had difficulty in adjusting to the so-called disruptive technology.
But no matter how one resist the introduction of a new technology, if it is proven to be beneficial
to the public, there is no way of stopping the march of innovation and progress.
We are seeing the same resistance to the introduction of the Golden Rice (GR) variety among so-
called progressive or environmental cause-oriented groups. They claim, without much scientific
evidence, that it will be damaging to the local rice varieties. It is not safe to be consumed by the
public because of health and safety concerns over the new protein added to GR. Worse, they
assert that it will only benefit multinational corporations, which will control its production and
distribution.
It is really ironic that subscribers to "dialectical materialism" or "scientific socialism," the
supposed intellectual anchor of Marxism, have gone down to the level of being pamphleteers.
They have based their opposition mainly against the introduction of GR to nothing less than an
ideological posturing or on dodgy studies that purportedly show the threats coming from this
new variety. Just like the canards peddled in the social media, their assertions are nothing but as
such: fake news.
Rigorous assessment
GR is a new rice variety bred by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in
collaboration with the Philippine Rice Research (PhilRice), which is enriched by beta-carotene
through genetic modification. Beta-carotene in food is a source of vitamin A that can help
mitigate eye-related problems and stunting among kids. Given widespread stunting among our
kids due to poverty, and given the fact that rice is our staple food, enriching the rice consumed
by the public by adding beta-carotene can be a major boost in addressing this health problem.
GR underwent rigorous regulatory assessment for five years. The tests included: a complete
molecular genetic analysis; the safety of the newly introduced protein; a comprehensive nutrient
composition assessment; and phenotypic characterization to identify whether there were
unintended and unexpected effects of the genetic modification. It was also established that the
new rice variety does not pose any environmental threat to traditional rice varieties, and health
and safety hazards when consumed. Moreover, the patent is not owned by any multinational
corporation nor local firm because the variety was produced by publicly funded research
institutions (i.e., IRRI and PhilRice).
Dissemination plan
Almost 10 years have elapsed since GR was first conceived till the approval of its commercial
propagation just last July 21. The approval took so many years because of sustained objection
from its detractors all steps of the way. But finally, scientific facts and progress cannot be
stopped by ideological posturing and slogans.
Commercial propagation of the new variety is being planned by PhilRice in seven sites in the
country where the prevalence of stunting among our kids is widespread. The provinces selected
were Quirino and Catanduanes in Luzon; Antique and Samar in the Visayas; and Agusan del Sur,
Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao in Mindanao.
In the presentation of the PhilRice staff on GR that I attended, I inquired about whether they can
already give samples so that we can test it, particularly its eating quality. I noted that Filipinos
patronize a certain rice variety because of its eating quality and not primarily because of its
nutritional value. For example, incompletely milled rice (still brownish) is more nutritious than
thoroughly milled rice (clean and white) but consumers prefer to buy the latter one because it
tastes and looks better.

Groups slam Golden Rice commercialization
Unfortunately, there are still no samples for distribution. The public will have to wait for a few
more months before they can be released because, as earlier noted, GR's commercial production
was just approved by concerned authorities last month.
Meanwhile, expect detractors of the GR to ramp up their opposition against its commercial
distribution. The same old and tired arguments will be raised: from the new variety being unsafe
and it poses an environmental threat, particularly to local varieties, to being a palliative measure
to address malnutrition among the poor consumers and a propaganda ploy to shift away the
attention of the public to the real problem of widespread malnutrition in the country that can
purportedly be alleviated by GR.
Anti-science
During the term of former agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala under the Aquino administration,
the Department of Agriculture (DA) devoted its efforts to attaining two goals for the sector. One
was it boasted that it would attain rice self-sufficiency for the country. Second, it claimed that
organic farming would be the savior of the agriculture sector. And because of the second item, he
scorned the propagation of genetically modified organism (GMO) plants whose experimental
area in Mindanao was raided and the experimental plants uprooted.
Regretfully, none of the above materialized despite the DA receiving then practically double its
budget under the Arroyo administration. The country never attained rice self-sufficiency despite
having more than 60 percent of the DA's budget going to rice productivity-enhancing programs.
The US Department of Agriculture noted in its report that we imported nearly 2 million metric
tons per year during that time, not counting smuggled rice.
As expected, organic agriculture could not meet the food requirements of our consumers. For
one, it registered lower productivity because it is organic. And two, its products were expensive
because of low productivity. Only those at the upper income echelon could afford organically
raised produce for health reasons.
And GMOs continue to be planted internationally resulting in higher crop production. In
the Philippines, yellow corn production is dominated by GMO seeds.
There is no way that Luddism can stop the march of progress through science.
fdadriano88@gmail.com
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/12/business/agribusiness/the-case-of-golden-rice/1810633
India re-emerges as rice and wheat exporter
Photo: Adobe Stock

08.10.2021
By Eric Schroeder
WASHINGTON, DC, US — Ample domestic supplies, tighter exportable supplies from
competitors and strong global demand have combined to push Indian exports for rice and wheat
to their highest levels in several years, according to an International Agricultural Trade Report
from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
―India has re-emerged as an exporter due to significant production and trade disruptions for other
major exporters,‖ the USDA said. ―As exporter grain prices escalated with strong global import
demand, India‘s previously uncompetitive prices became competitive in 2020-21. Indian rice has
dominated exports globally, while exports for wheat and corn are currently confined to nearby
markets, notably Bangladesh and to a lesser extent Nepal. India‘s rice exports are currently
sustained by Bangladesh‘s short-term purchases but are nonetheless likely to remain high for the
foreseeable future.‖
The USDA said India‘s exports for rice in the 2020-21 marketing year are expected to be record
high, while wheat exports are forecast to be the highest since the 2014-15 marketing year.
While India has been a major rice exporter for many years, the USDA said the country‘s market
share has increased over the past year due to a number of factors, including tighter exportable
supplies from other exporters and the implementation of export bans and quotes in other
Southeast Asian nations. India also is benefiting from the opening of a new deep-water port
access in eastern India, which has allowed the country to regularly ship larger vessels, especially
to West Africa, the USDA said.
Meanwhile, in the case of wheat, India‘s exports have benefited from lower production in the
European Union, a smaller crop in the Ukraine and government policies in Russia, the USDA
said. India also has received a boost from increased demand from China, which is expected to
become the second-largest importer at 10.5 million tonnes, according to the USDA.
https://www.world-grain.com/articles/15674-india-re-emerges-as-rice-and-wheat-exporter
PCJCCI plans to increase rice export to China
LAHORE: Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) on Tuesday said
Pakistan was ready to export 3.75 million tons annually to China after meeting domestic demand
of 2.5 million tons.
In this regard, the PCJCCI has planned to launch a concrete drive to market Pakistani rice by
creating a personalised demand among the Chinese people.
―This drive was being launched considering the surplus after meeting domestic consumption of
2.5 million tons. Pakistan is ready to export 3.75 million tons rice annually to China,‖ a
statement said.
PCJCCI President SM Naveed said China emerged as one of the destinations for Pakistani rice
export, as reflected in the 244 percent increase in rice exports to the country during the last two
years.
The PCJCCI has initiated a move to double the exports to China within a year.
The dream of exporting around 10 million tons of irri-6 rice to China could turn into a reality if
sustained efforts to market Pakistani rice to China were pursued, focusing on the need of the
Chinese population.
PCJCCI Senior Vice President Daud Ahmed said new hybrid rice varieties were being developed
in Pakistan, which would give maximum yield by utilising minimum input costs during water
scarcity.
The Rice Research Institute had developed new techniques to cultivate rice through a
broadcasting system instead of manual sapling plantation. Under this technique, if farmers
succeed in setting up 80,000 plants in a field, they would get more production besides saving
input costs up to Rs14,000 per acre.
This technique was not only cheaper, but also helps save 30-35 percent irrigation water.
The response of Chinese importers for Pakistani rice is overwhelming as compared to rice
imported from Thailand and Vietnam.
―Our rice industry is not showing its full potential due to some internal barriers related to
planning and strategic implementations,‖ the statement said.
Rice exporters deserve the patronage of government at par with the textile industry to develop
rice export as one of the major foreign exchange-earning sector.
The PCJCCI is exploring new techniques with China to improve the quality of rice.
Chinese buyers prefer to buy the rice with good milling quality.
Hence, the PCJCCI will manage matchmaking of the Chinese and Pakistani entrepreneurs in this
sector to increase the demand of Pakistani rice in China.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/876359-pcjcci-plans-to-increase-rice-export-to-china
Researchers develop chain mail fabric that can

stiffen on demand
Nanyang Technological University
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), United States, have developed a new type of
‗chain mail‘ fabric that is flexible like cloth but can stiffen on demand.
The lightweight fabric is 3D-printed from nylon plastic polymers and comprises hollow
octahedrons (a shape with eight equal triangular faces) that interlock with each other.
When the soft fabric is wrapped within a flexible plastic envelope and vacuum-packed, it
turns into a rigid structure that is 25 times stiffer or harder to bend than when relaxed. The
physical principle behind it is called ―jamming transition‖, similar to the stiffening
behaviour in vacuum-packed bags of rice or beans.
Known as ‗wearable structured fabrics‘, the development could pave the way for next -
generation smart fabrics that can harden to protect a user against an impact or when
additional load-bearing capacity is needed.
Potential applications may include bullet-proof or stab-proof vests, configurable medical
support for the elderly, and protective exoskeletons for high-impact sports or workplaces
like construction sites.
Published today (11 Aug 2021, 11am EST) in Nature, this interdisciplinary research result s
from a collaboration between experts in mechanical engineering and advanced
manufacturing.
Lead author of the paper, Nanyang Assistant Professor Wang Yifan, said that their research
has fundamental significance as well as industrial relevance and that it could lead to a new
platform technology with applications in medical and robotic systems that can benefit
society.
―With an engineered fabric that is lightweight and tuneable – easily changeable from soft
to rigid – we can use it to address the needs of patients and the ageing population, for
instance, to create exoskeletons that can help them stand, carry loads and assist them with
their daily tasks,‖ said Asst. Prof Wang from NTU‘s School of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, who started this research when he was a post-doc researcher at Caltech.
―Inspired by ancient chain mail armour, we used plastic hollow particles that are
interlocked to enhance our tuneable fabrics‘ stiffness. To further increase the material‘s
stiffness and strength, we are now working on fabrics made from various metals including
aluminium, which could be used for larger-scale industrial applications requiring higher
load capacity, such as bridges or buildings.‖
Corresponding author of the paper, Professor Chiara Daraio, Caltech‘s G. Bradford Jones
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics, said, ―We wanted to make
materials that can change stiffness on command. We‘d like to create a fabric that goes from
soft and foldable to rigid and load-bearing in a controllable way.‖
An example from popular culture would be Batman‘s cape in the 2005 movie Batman
Begins, which is generally flexible but can be made rigid at will when the caped crusader
needs it as a glider.
The science behind the interlocking fabric
The scientific concept behind the variable-stiffness fabric is called ―jamming transition‖.
This is a transition in which aggregates of solid particles switch from a fluid -like soft state
to a solid-like rigid state, with a slight increase in packing density. However, typical solid
particles are usually too heavy and do not provide enough tensile resistance for wearable
applications.
In their research, the authors designed structured particles – where each particle is made of
hollow frames – in the shape of rings, ovals, squares, cubes, pyramids and different shapes
of octahedrons that are then interlocked together. These structures, known as topologically
interlocked structures, can then be formed into chain mail fabric that has a low density and
yet high tensile stiffness, using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology to print them as a
single piece.
They then modelled the number of average contact points per particle and how much each
structure will bend in response to the amount of stress applied. The team discovered th at by
customising the particle shape, there was a trade-off between how much weight the
particles will have versus how much the fabric can bend, and how to balance the two
factors.
To add a way of controlling the stiffness of the fabric, the team encapsulated the chain mail
fabric in a flexible plastic envelope and compacted the fabrics using a vacuum, which
applies pressure from the outside. The vacuum pressure increases the packing density of
the fabric, causing each particle to have more contact with its neighbours, resulting, for the
octahedron-based fabric, in a structure that is 25 times more rigid. When formed into a flat,
table-shaped structure and vacuum-locked in place, the fabric could hold a load of 1.5kgs,
more than 50 times the fabrics‘ own weight.
In another experiment, the team dropped a small steel ball (30 grams, measuring 1.27cm in
diameter) onto the chain mail at 3 metres per second. The impact deformed the fabric by up
to 26 mm when it was relaxed, but by only 3 mm when it was stiffened, a six times
reduction in penetration depth.
To show the possibilities of their fabric concept using different source material, the team
3D-printed the chain mail using aluminium and demonstrated that it has the same
flexibility and ‗soft‘ performance as nylon when relaxed and yet it could also be ‗jammed‘
into structures that are much stiffer compared to nylon due to aluminium‘s higher stiffness
and strength.
These metallic chain mails could be used in applications such as body armour, where they
must protect against hard and high-speed impacts from sharp objects. In such a case, the
encapsulation or envelope material could be made from aramid fibres, commonly known as
Kevlar, used as a fabric in bulletproof vests.
Moving forward, the team is looking to improve the material and fabric performance of
their chain mail and to explore more methods of stiffening it, such as through magnetism,
electricity or temperature.
/Public Release. This material comes from the originating organization and may be of a
point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. View in full here.
https://www.miragenews.com/researchers-develop-chain-mail-fabric-that-can-611948/
FPA says rise in fertilizer prices beyond its control

Published August 12, 2021, 1:07 PM
by Madelaine B. Miraflor
Amid calls for Senate intervention on the rising cost of fertilizer on rice, a top official from
Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) said price movements of this particular farm input
are beyond the Philippine government‘s control amid a liberalized regime.
As this developed, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will be issuing discount vouchers to
eligible farmers for the purchase of fertilizers. (Keith Bacongco/ File photo/ MANILA
BULLETIN)
In a text exchange, FPA Executive Director Wilfredo Roldan said FPA has always been
monitoring the country‘s fertilizer inventory and prices up to the dealers‘ level to ensure
reasonable prices.
However, he also pointed out that ―fertilizer importation was liberalized in 1986 and maintained
VAT exemption to cushion the price escalation up to the farmers‘ level‖.
Roldan issued the statement when sought about his reaction to the call of Kilusang Magbubukid
ng Pilipinas (KMP) for a Senate probe on the rising cost of fertilizer despite the supposed
government interventions to bring down farm inputs in the country through the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
To be specific, KMP Leader Rafael Mariano said
the Department of Agriculture (DA) should explain to Congress where the P10-billion RCEF is
going and why it is not helping bring down the cost of farm inputs in the country.
As part of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which liberalized rice importation in
the Philippines, RCEF is where the tariff collected from rice imports will be deposited. RCEF is
also supposed to be injected with P10-billion sure funding annually from 2019 to 2024.
Since May this year, fertilizer prices have constantly increased, further burdening rice farmers
who are shouldering the entire cost of production.
According to the FPA, the average price of fertilizer imported by the country was at $500 per
metric ton (MT) as of July, which is higher than the $276 per MT average price registered from
January to May this year.
On average, fertilizer prices have increased by as much as 40.5 percent on an annual basis
depending on the grade.
―On the issue of the increasing price of inorganic fertilizers, this is the results of supply and
demand in the international market. The Philippines, being about 95 percent net importer of
fertilizers, is dependent on the outcome of the international market forces. Our total requirement
of fertilizers averaged 2.6 million MT per year is not significant enough to price leveraging,‖
Roldan further told Business Bulletin.
Regarding the call for senate intervention on fertilizer prices, Roldan only said, ―I trust the
wisdom of the senate and their staff‖.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary William Dar recently signed and issued Memorandum
Circular (MC) 14, which ordered the implementation of the project entitled ‗National Rice
Program – Fertilizer Discount Vouchers to Rice Farmers‖ or referred to as the ―NRP – Fertilizer
Discount Voucher Support‖.
Under the project, farmer-beneficiaries will be allowed to claim inorganic fertilizers using
discount vouchers.
The project, which has a total budget of P3.26 million, targets to cover 1.15 million hectares of
land in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-B, and 5.
Farmers will be provided with discount vouchers that they can use to claim the fertilizer. This
discount voucher shall have a value equivalent to P2000 per hectare (/ha) for inbred and
P3,000/ha for hybrid.
Vouchers may be claimed at any accredited fertilizer merchant, which can be a dealer,
distributor, farmer cooperative and association (FCA) that has undergone accreditation process
by the DA Regional Field Offices (RFO).
Rice farmers in target areas that are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in
Agriculture (RSBSA) will be eligible to avail of this discount. Farmers not yet registered may be
served provided that they would enroll in the RSBSA through the printed forms issued by their
respective local government units.
Interested DA-RFO shall implement the project in partnership with government banks. They
must enter into a supplemental agreement with the government bank for the implementation of
the said project.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/12/fpa-says-rise-in-fertilizer-prices-beyond-its-control/
Smugglers Conceal Diesel In Polythene Sacks

By Biola Azeez - Ilorin On Aug 11, 2021
Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) operations in the North Central zone, Sector 3 Ilorin, Kwara
State has seized 39,000 litres of diesel packaged in 60 litres each concealed with sawdust in
polythene sacks.
Speaking with journalists during the parade of seized items by the Sector between April and
August 10, 2021, the coordinator, JBPT, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, said that smugglers
have continued to advance with their techniques of smuggling.
―They have resorted to using sacks to smuggle petroleum products. A team of officers deployed
to the Lokoja axis of the sector, arrested a truck with Registration No. FST 102 XT along
Lokoja-Abuja highway transporting 650 bags of 60 litres each of diesel concealed with sawdust.
―While conveying the said goods to Sector 3 headquarters, Ilorin, the truck was involved in an
accident around Egbe in Kogi state and the seizing officers had to transfer the goods to another
vehicle. The truck and the two suspects were handed over to Egbe Police station in Kogi State.
―Our streamline measures, professional skills, uncommon courage and tactical operational
strategies adopted had yielded positive results which had led to 82 seizures of different items
within the period.
―These include 650 sacks of 60 litres each of diesel (39,000 litres), 1,735 bags of foreign
parboiled rice of 50 kg each, 1,415 Jeri cans of 25 litres of petroleum products each (36,525
litres), 33 used vehicles, 12 bales of worn clothing, and 10 motorcycles, with the total duty paid
value of N92, 547,752.00‖
The comptroller, who warned the criminal elements operating in the sector, said that any method,
scheme or tactics used shall be uncovered, such perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted.
―We are more determined than ever to make the sector uncomfortable for them, as the sector will
henceforth beam its searchlight on trucks with sacks.
―Since my assumption of duty late last year, under my leadership, we have seized 154, 404 litres
of petroleum product with a duty paid value of N91, 236,450)
―Just yesterday, sector 3 held a sensitisation meeting with IPMAN Kwara State Chapter and
Petrol station owners about the do‘s and don‘ts, as heavy sanction/penalty await any erring
persons or group of persons.
―The sector will not stop on mass sensitisation of our youths, Rice Millers Association, Market
Men/Women Associations, Transport Union Associations, students, traditional institutions,
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and other relevant stakeholders on dangers of
smuggling.
―Finally, the Sector under my watch will continue to be at the forefront of anti-smuggling
activities and will not relent on our oars to make the smuggling activities unattractive to our
teeming youth, while maintaining the high standard and professionalism in performing our duties
to the service and to the nation at large.
―I wish to advise community leaders, youth leaders, opinion moulders to shun smuggling for the
betterment of our dear country.‖
/https://tribuneonlineng.com/smugglers-conceal-diesel-in-polythene-sacks/
Govt to cut import duty on rice
Star Business Report
Thu Aug 12, 2021 12:00 AM
Rice price edged up 4 per cent in July from Tk 42 a kg in June, data from the Department of
Agricultural Marketing shows. Photo: Palash Khan
The revenue authority is likely to slash import tariffs on rice for nearly three months to October
30 to facilitate private purchases from international sources and contain prices of the staple food
in the domestic market.
Total import duty may be reduced to around 25 per cent from the existing 62.5 per cent, in line
with a recommendation of the food ministry last month.
The ministry has urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to slash the import tariff to allow
private businesses to buy 10 lakh tonnes of grain from abroad and increase supply to the local
market. The aim is to stabilise the prices as they are well above the international rates.
In July, the average price of the coarse grain of Boro harvest was Tk 44 per kilogram (kg), which
would be 38 per cent higher than the price of the grain imported from India.
The price edged up 4 per cent in July from Tk 42 a kg in June, data from the Department of
Agricultural Marketing showed.
Market operators blamed the slow release of the staple from the saleable holdings by farmers and
increased stocking by seasonal businessmen, traders and millers for the steady hike in prices.
Prices of coarse rice were up 4 per cent at Tk 46-Tk 50 a kg in the markets in Dhaka yesterday,
as against Tk 44-Tk 48 a month ago, according to the state-run Trading Corporation of
Bangladesh. Under the circumstances, the food ministry decided to grant permissions to the
private sector to import in July earlier.
The rising prices raised questions as government agencies earlier claimed a higher yield in the
last fiscal year. Food-grain stocks at public warehouses also increased. Bangladesh produced 6
per cent more rice year-on-year at 3.86 crore tonnes in 2020-21, estimates by the Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Agricultural Extension showed.
Officials of the NBR said the revenue authority planned to bring down the regulatory duty and
cut customs duty to 15 per cent from 25 per cent currently. In addition, a 5 per cent advance
income tax and advance tax will be applied.
The NBR is expected to attach the condition that importers will get the tax benefit upon
recommendation from the food ministry.
A notification is likely to be issued soon, an official said.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/govt-cut-import-duty-rice-2150361+
Egypt plans strategic rice cultivation

Despite decreases in areas earmarked for rice cultivation this year, no shortages are expected
Ahmed Abdel Hafez, Thursday 12 Aug 2021
Land allocated for rice cultivation was slightly reduced this year to 1.074 million feddans, down
from 1.084 million feddans in recent years. Rice, a summer crop cultivated between April and
October, is one of the highest water-consuming crops, which is why the government is regulating
its cultivation.
This year, rice cultivation will be limited to nine governorates, Alexandria, Beheira, Gharbiya,
Kafr Al-Sheikh, Damietta, Sharqiya, Ismailia, and Port Said.
Some four million tons of rice are expected to be harvested, according to the Ministry of
Agriculture. Additional land may also be cultivated with rice in violation of ministry regulations.
This land is estimated to range between 500,000 and 750,000 feddans.
Such factors drove the US Department of Agriculture to estimate a drop in Egypt‘s rice
production to its lowest level since 2018, or by 550,000 tons. While it did not specify the
quantity of this year‘s production, the department said consumption was estimated to stand at 3.9
million tons.
In March, Egypt‘s parliament approved a new law regulating irrigation to eliminate the illegal
cultivation of rice by toughening up penalties on violators who could face fines of between
LE3,000 and LE10,000 on each illegally cultivated feddan of land or imprisonment for no more
than six months.
However, a delay in issuing the executive regulations of the law has put off its activation for this
year.
According to a statement by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli in March, the decision aims to
engage farmers in the responsibility of reducing water consumption, rather than collect revenues
for the government.
Head of the Farmers Syndicate Hussein Abu Saddam commended the system applied in the new
law, which reduces the fines the earlier they are paid. Farmers receive a 60 per cent discount on
fines if they are paid before 30 June and a 40 per cent reduction if they are paid prior to
September.
Land in violation of the law is calculated by irrigation engineers and via satellite imaging, said a
spokesman for the Ministry of Irrigation. Last year, the government allocated 724,000 feddans
for irrigation by Nile water, 150,000 feddans with treated agricultural waste water, and 200
feddans to be cultivated with dry rice which does not consume much water.
Figures released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in
February put the land cultivated with rice at 1.3 million feddans in 2018-19, up from 0.9 million
feddans the year before.
Some 4.8 million tons of rice were produced in 2018-19, up from 3.1 million tons in 2017-18, an
increase of around 54 per cent.
Mustafa Al-Naggari, a member of the Agriculture Export Council, said Egyptian consumption
habits had changed over the past two years, reducing consumption of the staple rice crop and
allowing the state to stock up on rice for local consumption for the next nine months.
He lauded the state‘s decision to stock up on strategic goods for six months, instead of three
months. The prices of locally produced crops such as wheat, rice, and sugar were stable, he said,
adding that goods that had witnessed an increase in price were those that depend on fodder, such
as meat, due to a global rise in fodder prices.
Ragab Shehata, head of the Rice Division at the Egyptian Federation of Industry, attributed the
stability of the price of rice to the strategy drawn up by the Ministry of Supply, ensuring a
continuous supply all year round.
He explained that the ministry would be receiving last year‘s rice until the end of September and
that the supply of the new harvest would begin in the second half of August and end by
December 2022.
The Ministry of Supply is the only body that has been buying rice since 2008. Egypt had only
needed to import rice in 2018 due to the smaller harvest, Shehata said, adding that the country
was not expected to import rice this or next year as last year‘s production has not been
completely consumed.
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/50/1201/418855/AlAhram-Weekly/Egypt/Egypt-
plans-strategic-rice-cultivation.aspx
An MDF product made from rice straw? Eureka!

By David Biggs
August 11, 2021 | 4:03 pm CDT
Will Sampson, editorial director of Woodworking Network/FDMC Magazine, interviews Jeff

Wagner, Executive Chairman at CalPlant, about the company's new MDF product Eureka at the
recent AWFS 2021 in Las Vegas. Eureka is made from renewable post-harvest rice straw.
CalPlant, creator of the Eureka medium density fiberboard (MDF), was founded with the sole
purpose of creating and manufacturing agrifiber-focused building products for the 21st century.
Strategically located in the heart of the rice-farming community in Willows, California, CalPlant
promotes environmentally conscious practices by producing Eureka from renewable post-harvest
rice straw. Wagner takes us through a brief look at the history and innovation driving Eureka and
also the product value proposition.
Visit the website for more info: https://www.eurekamdf.com/
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
calplant
About the author

David Biggs | Production Management
David Biggs manages production of the Woodworking Network website and associated
newsletters, creation of webcasts and videos, and supports social media audience engagement.
He also assists Woodworking Network in developing and executing integrated social media and
online marketing strategies.
https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/video/mdf-product-made-rice-straw-eureka
Farmers busy in harvesting rice crop through

combined harvester machine in their field
Thu, 12 Aug 2021, 6:20 PM
APP33-120821 MULTAN: August 12 – Farmers busy in harvesting rice crop through combined
harvester machine in their field. APP photo by Qasim Ghauri
https://www.app.com.pk/photos-section/farmers-busy-in-harvesting-rice-crop-through-
combined-harvester-machine-in-their-field/
India gets below-average monsoon rains for second

straight week
by Reuters
Thursday, 12 August 2021 07:23 GMT
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Monsoon rains in India in the week through Wednesday were
below average for the second straight week, the weather office said, raising concerns over
production of summer-sown crops such as cotton, soybean, corn and rice.
India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and top importer of edible oils. A drop in production
could not only limit rice and cotton exports, but also boost imports of edible oils such as palm
oil, sunflower oil and soyoil.
India received 35% less rain than the 50-year average in the week to Aug. 11, with the shortfall
as high as 98% in cotton and soybean growing regions in central and western India, data from the
India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed on Thursday.
"Rainfall distribution was uneven. Some areas were flooded because of excessive rains, while
others are witnessing moisture stress due to a dry spell," said Harish Galipelli, director at ILA
Commodities India Pvt Ltd.
"This could lead to lower crop yields this year, especially in crops like soybean, cotton and
pulses."
Cotton, soybean and pulses are mainly cultivated in rain-fed areas and the sowing of these crops
was delayed this year because of a dry spell.
While monsoon rains were 10% above average in June, they turned 7% below average in July.
Overall rains have been 6% below average so far in the season that began on June 1.
Indian farmers have planted summer-sown crops on 93.4 million hectares as of Aug. 6, down
2.4% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers'
Welfare.
The area planted with cotton stood at 11.6 million hectares versus 12.4 million hectares the
previous year, while soybean covered 11.5 million hectares, down 2.5% from a year earlier.
"Monsoon is likely to revive next week. Central India could receive above normal rainfall in the
second half of August and bring down the rainfall deficit," said a Pune-based scientist with the
state run IMD. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav Editing by Mark Potter)
https://news.trust.org/item/20210812072317-v22zy/
Food grain output to hit new record of 308.65 mn tons

in 2020-21, says government
Releasing the fourth advance estimate for the 2020-21 crop year, the agriculture ministry said
foodgrain production is projected at a record 308.65 million tonnes
The estimate has been revised upward by 3.22 million tonnes from the third estimate of 305.43
million tonnes for the same year (Source:PTI)
PTI
 Aug 12, 2021,
 Updated Aug 12, 2021, 1:45 PM IST
India's foodgrain production is estimated to rise 3.74 per cent to a new record of 308.65 million tonnes in
the crop year 2020-21, on the better output of rice, wheat and pulses amid good monsoon rains last year,
the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. The record output is projected in rice, wheat, maize, pulses,
and oilseeds, it added.
In the 2019-20 crop year (July-June), the country's foodgrain output (comprising wheat, rice,
pulses and coarse cereals) stood at a record 297.5 million tonnes.
Releasing the fourth advance estimate for the 2020-21 crop year, the agriculture ministry said
foodgrain production is projected at a record 308.65 million tonnes.
The estimate has been revised upward by 3.22 million tonnes from the third estimate of 305.43
million tonnes for the same year.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the record foodgrains are being produced in the
country due to the tireless hard work of the farmers, the skill of the scientists and the agriculture
and farmer-friendly government policies.
"The central government is doing concrete work with the states to advance Indian agriculture,
which will continue," he added.
As per the data, rice production is pegged at a record 122.27 million tonnes in the 2020-21 crop
year as against 118.87 million tonnes in the previous year.
Wheat production is estimated to increase to a record 109.52 million tonnes in 2020-21 from
107.86 million tonnes in the previous year, while the output of coarse cereals is likely to increase
to 51.15 million tonnes from 47.75 million tonnes.
Pulses output is estimated to be a record 25.72 million tonnes, as compared to 23.03 million
tonnes in the 2019-20 crop year.
In the non-foodgrain category, the production of oilseeds is estimated at 36.10 million tonnes in
2020-21 against 33.21 million tonnes in the previous year.
Rapeseed/mustard seed production is pegged at a record 10.11 million tonnes for the 2020-21
crop year.
Sugarcane production is pegged at 399.25 million tonnes from 370.50 million tonnes in the
previous year, while cotton output is expected to drop marginally to 35.38 million bales (170 kg
each) from 36.07 million bales.
Production of jute/mesta is estimated to drop slightly to 9.56 million bales (180 kg each) in the
2020-21 crop year, from 9.87 million bales in the previous year.
The government releases four estimates before the final one at different stages of crop growth
and harvesting.
https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy/story/food-grain-output-to-hit-new-record-of-
30865-mn-tons-in-2020-21-says-government-303971-2021-08-12
Registration of rice mills suspended

Written by Amani Nilar 12 Aug, 2021 | 2:10 PM
COLOMBO (News 1st) : Registration of new rice mills islandwide has been
suspended, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena says.
He said that the registration of rice mills was suspended from yesterday (11) following
information received that middlemen were pretending to be the owners of rice mills.
He further stated that new rice mills should be registered with the Divisional Secretariats,
and the Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government will issue a circular in this regard.
Minister Gunawardena added that raids are being carried out islandwide to find out if the
middlemen had stockpiled rice.
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/08/12/registration-of-rice-mills-suspended/
ASIA RICE High shipping costs, weak baht drag Thai

rates to over 2-year low
By Brijesh Patel
Summary
 Vietnam rice exports down 12.7% so far this year
 Bangladesh likely to reduce duty on rice imports
 Indian farmers planted rice on 31 mln hectares as of Aug 6
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Export prices of rice from Thailand slid to their lowest in more than two
years this week due to a weak baht and high shipping costs, while sluggish demand kept India
rates near 4-1/2 year lows for a second straight week.
Thailand's 5% broken rice fell to $380-$395 per tonne on Thursday, their lowest since April
2019, from $385- $410 per tonne a week ago, amid flat demand, traders said.
"As the baht softens, the prices continue to decline but there is no demand partly because the
shipping cost is high," a Bangkok-based trader said.
Top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety rice prices were unchanged at $354 to $358 per
tonne.
"Buyers are taking a pause since prices are correcting," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the
state of Andhra Pradesh.
Indian farmers this year have planted paddy rice on 31 million hectares as of Aug. 6, versus 31.9
million hectares last year.
Neighbouring Bangladesh, meanwhile, is likely to reduce the duty on rice imports to rein in
rising prices, officials said, with prices having jumped around 4% this week from the same
period last month.
A record summer crop and hefty imports have yet to fill the backlog caused by repeat floods last
year that destroyed crops and forced Bangladesh, traditionally the world's third-biggest producer,
to ramp up imports.
Prices of Vietnam's 5% broken rice , meanwhile were also unchanged at $390 per tonne.
"Export activities remain slow amid weak demand and logistics difficulties due to the
coronavirus-related movement restrictions," a trader in An Giang province said.
Domestic paddy prices have picked up in recent days after the government said it would consider
stockpiling rice to support farmers, traders said.
Vietnam's rice exports in the first seven months of 2021 fell 12.7% year-on-year to 3.5 million
tonnes.
Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Panu Wongcha-um in
Bangkok; editing by Arpan Varghese and Ramakrishnan M.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/asia-rice-high-shipping-costs-weak-baht-drag-thai-rates-
over-2-year-low-2021-08-
12/#:~:text=Aug%2012%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20Export,for%20a%20second%20straight%20
week.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

13 August ,2021 Vol 6 Issue 08

Editorial Board Rice News Headlines…

Qaiser calls for coherent plan to boost farm exports

Weak baht to fuel rice exports

Providing vitamins to women who mainly eat polished

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

USC Purchasing Stocks Of Good Commodities, NA

Pakistan ups efforts on GSP plus

Zafar BhuttaAugust 12, 2021

Harvest Starts in Texas and Louisiana; Time Will Tell on

By Steve Linscombe & Kane Webb

Harvest coming at you

WASDE Report Released

Go here to read the full report.

USA Rice Daily

Providing vitamins to SE Asian women can boost infant

Inner Workings: Keeping arsenic out of rice

PCJCCI keen to explore China for rice exports

The case of Golden Rice

THE old ways are indeed difficult to change.

India re-emerges as rice and wheat exporter

Photo: Adobe Stock

Researchers develop chain mail fabric that can

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