10th March 2022

Daily Rice News

Debate on efficiency vs resilience unmasks bankrupt
PH food policies

 By Marlen Ronquillo

March 9, 2022
190

I AM a small farmer with "some college" as my highest educational attainment. I lack the
intellectual chops to wade into the current global debates on which of the two — efficiency
versus resilience — is the better policy option in getting critical goods available to consumers in
a seamless manner and at a reasonable cost. So, I will not even try to delve into issues that are
way beyond the processing capacity of my cerebellum. But of course we are all aware of the two
central economic questions in that spirited debate.
Should the cheap production of goods in strategic enclaves in select parts of the world that, in
theory, move through unconstrained supply lines remain the gold standard in supplying the world
with cheap products at breakneck speed, or, at the very least, on schedule? Or, should nations
reconsider resilience, which requires stepped-up domestic manufacturing, buffer stocks and
production reserves though maybe at a cost slightly higher than those sourced from corporate
giants via the global supply chains? And at a slightly higher pass-on costs to end-users.
Free-market economists, called "Friedmanites," meaning the economic disciples of the free-
market intellectual Milton Friedman, have been championing efficiency. Progressive economists
who argue that free market policies have to be tempered with government intervention, and that
means at a universal level, have been pushing for greater resilience. Recently, progressive
economist David Dayen slammed Larry Summers — ex-treasury secretary, ex-World Bank
president, ex-Harvard University president and economic counselor to both Presidents Clinton
and Obama (he was a tenured professor of economics at Harvard at age 28) — calling him a
"Friedmanite" whose policy push meant punishment for the American consuming public while
also delivering immense profit — and market power just as immense — to corporations.
We will soon see clarity on which of these two contending schools of thought will prevail. The
backdrop for the debates, which have rendered off-track the compelling arguments for efficiency,
are the supply chain gridlocks caused by the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an
unfortunate event that has further roiled the already choked supply lines for essential goods, from
oil to durable goods. With, for example, inflation in the US at a 40-year high, and inflation in the
UK and European countries at heightened levels, all rooted on the failure of the efficiency
principle to deliver goods when needed and at a cheap cost, those arguing for resilience have
been scoring points in the debate.

In our own Philippine setting, a debate very similar to that is taking place. In the Philippine
context, the issue is food security, not supply and prices of household and durable goods. Those
in charge of our agricultural economic policies, with technocrat-pretender and the phony William
Dar, the Agriculture secretary, as its public face, have been the prime mover of a primitive
version of efficiency. And the bedrock philosophy has been this: Import rice to death. Import the
other critical foodstuffs to death and recklessly. Because in the short term, in the medium term
and in the long term, sourcing foodstuffs from the global markets will always lead to cheaper
food and great relief to consumers. Which, in the tortured analysis, is also the most effective
inflation-taming policy.
The economic mainstream, its key leaders all devout followers of market fundamentalism, and
propped up by a clueless punditry that is allergic to any form of agricultural production support
and any other public effort at supporting resilience through state funding, has been dominant.
These clueless pundits rate Dar's leadership "good" despite the wastelands and shrunken detritus
that once-thriving agricultural areas have become. This full-throated, giddy kind of intellectual
cheerleading for efficiency has had a steamroller effect on the Congress. In early 2019, the
Duterte-subservient Congress did what previous Congresses aware of massive agricultural
misery failed to do — pass the Rice Tariffication Law and scrap the quantitative restrictions on
rice, our only commodity covered by the QR.
In 2019, rice importers driven by the giddy motives of greed and profit, imported a total of 3.1
million metric tons of rice, a record high. That was the year we beat China, with its more than 1
billion people, as the world's top rice importer. The mendacious Dar did not even bother to
temper the recklessness and greed that spread gloom and doom across the rice farming areas. I
wrote a column in 2019 on the immediate impact of those orgies of reckless rice importation and
I only saw "small rice farmers as dead men walking."
The spread of the lethal African swine fever under Dar's feckless watch, also in 2019, wiped out
thriving hog farms in the areas that mattered most to the country's pork supply — Central Luzon
and Southern Tagalog. As if on cue, after the defenestration of the hog farms, the Duterte and
Dar Team (the DDT), worked out an executive order on reduced tariffs for pork, with the
intention of filling supply gaps with imported pork. Up to now, with the usual adherence to
efficiency, importation remains the prescribed solution to fill up pork shortages.
Importation has been the de facto default policy choice to fill up supply gaps. After pork, it was
fish, which local fishers groups opposed as overkill. Critics said that pelagic fish caught in the
West Philippine Sea by modern Chinese fishing fleets form part of the "fish imports" dumped
into the country. Today, the controversial issue is the approval to import 200,000 metric tons of
sugar, which the sugar industry people said was excessive and not based on actual shortage.
Dar has ordered the creation of a technical working group to study the possibility of cutting corn
tariffs, an order met with protests from local corn farmers.
Those fighting for resilience are the domestic farm producers, from small rice farmers, sugar
industry people, hog and poultry raisers to peasant groups. These are the barely heard voices
trumped by the propaganda machinery of the DDT. It is an uneven fight, like Russia versus
Ukraine. But their main contention, that domestic production should be the preferred policy
because it guarantees national food security and keeps the farming areas and the farmers
productive, is now taken seriously, given the supply gridlocks and the current war of aggression
that threaten food exports from two breadbaskets — Russia and Ukraine.
The tragic Philippine experience, that reckless and liberal importation of critical foodstuffs has
hardly benefited Filipino consumers, has been empirically proven. And this props up the case of
those arguing for resilience.
Maybe, just maybe, the cause of farm voices arguing passionately for resilience will get their
break after the scheduled change in the national leadership soon.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/03/09/opinion/columns/debate-on-efficiency-vs-resilience-
unmasks-bankrupt-ph-food-policies/1835603

Ministry clarifies tariff quotas for rice, dried tobacco

leaves imported from Cambodia
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has signed Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BCT
stipulating regulations on the import of rice and dried tobacco leaves originating from Cambodia
under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022.

VNA Tuesday, March 08, 2022 17:56 

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has signed Circular No.
06/2022/TT-BCT stipulating regulations on the import of rice and dried tobacco leaves
originating from Cambodia under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022.

The circular specifies import quotas for rice and dried tobacco products originating from
Cambodia that are entitled to special preferential import tax rates in Vietnam in 2021 and 2022.

The document says in order to enjoy the special preferential import tax rate, the products must
have a Certificate of Origin form S (C/O form S) issued by the Ministry of Trade of Cambodia or
an authorised agency, and their customs clearance procedures must be conducted at the border
gate pairs specified in Appendix No. 2 issued with this circular.

For dried tobacco leaves, importers must show a licence to import raw tobacco under tariff
quotas issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in accordance with Decree No. 69/2018/ND-
CP dated May 15, 2018 and Circular No. 12/2018/TT-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade.

Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BCT will take effect from April 15./.

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ministry-clarifies-tariff-quotas-for-rice-dried-tobacco-leaves-imported-
from-cambodia/223167.vnp

Indonesian program’s promise of food security backfires for

local farmers
by Hans Nicholas Jong on 8 March 2022
 Indonesia’s food estate program, billed as improving domestic food availability, has had
the opposite effect on farmers recruited into the scheme, a new study shows.
 The research by NGOs shows that farmers in North Sumatra province saw their rice
harvests decline by up to 80% as they were told to farm other crops for the program.
 And the harvests from those other crops, including potatoes and garlic, were not enough
to make up for the loss of their rice harvests, due to the lower prices they fetched.
 The researchers warn that the food estate program also puts participating farmers at risk
of losing their land rights and being coopted by agribusiness interests serving the food
export market.
JAKARTA — The establishment of large-scale agriculture under the Indonesian government’s
“food estate” program is harming local farmers in Sumatra, a study has found.
The program was announced in 2020 by President Joko Widodo to boost domestic food
production and reduce reliance on crop imports. But in North Sumatra province, one of the
regions where the program’s massive farms are being established, food security for at least one
village has gotten worse, researchers say.
Farmers in the village of Ria-Ria, were asked by the government to grow crops such as potatoes,
garlic and shallots as part of the program. As a consequence, their harvests of rice, their staple
food crop, decreased by up to 70%, according to the joint study by NGOs including Food First
Information and Action Network (FIAN) Indonesia and the People’s Initiative Development and
Study Group (KSPPM).
“The [rice] harvest is usually enough for one year, but since last year [when we were asked to]
focus on the food estate program, the harvest greatly declined,” said one farmer, identified only
by her initials of I.S.
The farmers attributed this decline to the timing of the start of the food estate program, in August
2021, which coincided with their rice-growing season. That meant they had to split their time
and labor between tending to their rice crops and the food estate crops.
“The time to work on the paddy field, especially during the maintenance period such as weeding
and clearing bushes, is reduced,” said another farmer, O.P. “As a result, [weeds] in the rice
paddies grow thick and the amount of rats is uncontrollable. The harvest declined drastically, up
to 70%.”
And the harvest of the food estate crops failed to compensate for the decline in the rice harvest,
due to the lower prices that they fetch at the local cooperatives where farmers sell their crops,
according to Fuad Abdulgani, a FIAN Indonesia researcher.
“The ones who already sold their harvest to the cooperatives had to face fund management that’s
not accountable, where the fund was only disbursed two months later,” he said during a recent
online discussion. “All these resulted in lack of food for farmers’ households.”
This decline in productivity is especially concerning because up to 30% of households in the
village now lack enough rice to feed them for a whole year.
Fuad said the government has ignored this fact by pushing ahead with the food estate program at
the expense of addressing the villagers’ basic need for food.
Gusti Nur Asla Shabia, another FIAN Indonesia researcher, said the government had violated the
villagers’ right to sufficient food.
“Food availability should be the responsibility of the state,” she said. “The food estate program is
positioned as a policy [to boost] production. But [we] forget that the ones involved [in the
program] are farmers.”

A farmer in the food estate area in Humbang Hasundutan district, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Image by Barita News Lumbangbatu/Mongabay Indonesia.
Besides harming the farmers’ food availability, the food estate program also puts them at risk of
losing their land rights, the researchers said.
Fuad said some of the Ria-Ria villagers had asked for legal titles to their land rights before the
government commenced with the food estate program.
“But this wasn’t accommodated through a land certification process before the food estate
program began,” he said.
This lack of formal recognition of their land rights compounds the farmers’ already weak
position in the contracts they signed with the companies that would buy their food estate
harvests, Fuad said.
“We didn’t find any contracts that placed both [the farmers and the companies] in an equal
position,” he said. “What we found were statement letters whose clauses were determined by the
companies without explaining the distribution of costs and benefits, and there’s no clear scheme
for how to mitigate risk before the contracts were signed.”
This means the companies essentially wield control over the farmers’ lands, even in the few
instances where a farmer holds legal title to their land, according to Fuad.
“Small farmers only become a supplier to agribusiness” under the food estate program, he said.
Kartini Samon from GRAIN, a nonprofit that supports small farmers and social movements, said
it’s clear the food estate program isn’t aimed at bolstering food security in the country, but rather
at privatizing the nation’s food industry and growing crops for export.
“We see that the original intention [of the food estate program] is to solve hunger and food
insecurity due to the pandemic, but the target itself in the end is to penetrate the international
market,” she said during the online discussion. “Once again, we see [our] farmers being given
the responsibility to feed the world, but [we] forget that the ones who live in the food estate areas
lose their food sources and livelihoods.”
Posman Sibuea, an agricultural lecturer at the Catholic University of St. Thomas in North
Sumatra, said the food estate program was designed with a top-down approach, meaning that
local communities didn’t have a say in the design and implementation of the program.
As a result, the crops chosen for the program are those that suit agribusiness purposes, rather
than those most suitable for feeding Indonesians, he said.
“It didn’t accommodate the aspirations of local farmers and local governments,” Posman said.
Miftah Firdaus, from the office of the Indonesian Ombudsman, welcomed reports submitted to
the office showing that the food estate program was found to be harming the rights of local
communities.
“If the government proceeds with the food estate program, there are things that have to be paid
attention to,” he said during the discussion. “Don’t let the program cause material and immaterial
damage to the people. [We] have to make sure that no one is harmed.”
 
Banner image: The food estate program in Humbang Hasundutan district, North Sumatra
province, Indonesia. Image by Barita News Lumbanbatu/ Mongabay Indonesia.
 
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/03/indonesian-programs-promise-of-food-security-backfires-
for-local-farmers/

Offsets promise to make up for environmental damage in

one place by repairing it elsewhere. But do they really work?
In the most detailed study of its kind, scientists investigated biodiversity offsets purchased by
owners of one of the world’s largest nickel mines. In this case, it looks like the mining company
succeeded.
By Warren Cornwall
March 9, 2022

These days, seemingly everybody has an environmental offset. Their appeal is obvious. Get to do
things that cause environmental damage, while claiming that the damage has been effectively
erased. You can buy offsets to make up for greenhouse gas emissions from that airplane
flight to Hawaii. Large corporations like Microsoft lean on offsets to meet promises to reduce
their climate pollution. Other companies embrace offsets when they cut down forests or pave
wetlands.
The basic premise is simple: Make up for damage in one place by preventing or repairing
damage somewhere else. But ensuring this really happens is notoriously tricky. Did those trees
planted to suck up carbon survive? By one estimate, out of nearly 8,000 offsets aimed to protect
biodiversity in forests, fewer than five have been evaluated to see how well they did.
Now, researchers in the United Kingdom and France have demonstrated a way to better gauge
whether such forest biodiversity promises are being kept. At least in the case of a massive nickel
and cobalt mine in a Madagascar jungle, the results suggest the offset is working.
At the Ambatovy mine, owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, “our analysis suggests that
they have already saved nearly as much forest as was lost at the mine site,” said Katie Devenish,
a PhD student at the UK’s Bangor University, who was part of the research. The work was
funded by UK government grants, not by the mining company.
One of the biggest challenges with offsets is that they are grounded in a hypothetical world
different from what really happened. To work properly, an offset needs to stop something that
would have otherwise happened, or make something happen that would otherwise never have
materialized. If that tree were going to be planted anyway, buying an offset for your vacation
flight didn’t change the future of that tree or the amount of carbon sucked from the atmosphere.
In the case of Ambatovy, the mine’s founders promised to make up for biodiversity lost from
clearing or damaging roughly 5,000 acres of rainforest in the eastern part of the African island
country, by slowing or halting deforestation  on similar forests in the region covering around
70,000 acres. That land is split into four different areas, some directly under the mining
company’s control, others managed by conservation groups including Conservation
International. In those areas, the company paid for ecological monitoring, creating community
associations to help manage the forests, environmental education, crackdowns on activities like
clearing land for farms or gold mining, and support for other economic activities such as growing
fruit trees.
So did all of this alter the future in a way that protected biodiversity? To figure that out, the
scientists created a kind of computerized crystal ball that looked into an alternate world where
these lands weren’t protected. Using satellite data tracking tree cover, the researchers compared
how much forest disappeared over time in the newly protected lands with similar forests that
didn’t get the additional protections. Think of it like those medical studies tracking the fates of
identical twins.

Discover more:  If 20% of Americans swapped red meat for poultry once a day, it would
cut national dietary emissions by 10%

Forest cover was used as a surrogate for biodiversity, a phenomenon too complex to easily gauge
over such large areas. To be certain they were comparing similar forests the scientists matched
up a number of variables. They selected the same kinds of forests from the same region. For
individual segments within each forest, they compared factors such as the slope of hills,
elevation, distance from roads and the edge of forests, and distance from deforestation, as well as
proximity to villages and population density.
Overall, the scientists found that deforestation was reduced by 58% per year in the protected
forests, compared to the unprotected twin forests. That adds up to approximately 4,000 acres of
forest that otherwise would probably have been cut down between 2009 and 2020, putting the
project on course to meet it’s promised target of matching the forest destroyed by the mine, the
scientists reported March 3 in the journal Nature Sustainability.
“This result lends strong support to requirements that mines, and other major developments,
should do their bit by investing in conservation efforts,” said Julia Jones, a Bangor University
professor who was part of the research. “This case study shows that it can pay off.”
The approach could be used in other places to see whether offsets are working. With more than
6,000 industrial-scale mines operating around the world, touching an estimated 57,000 square
kilometers of land, including 10% of the world’s forests, the potential need reaches well beyond
Ambatovy.
But the scientists caution that such offsets aren’t a panacea. People in villages who used the
protected forests complained to scientists that while the economic pain from the restrictions was
immediate, the benefits came slowly. And there is no guarantee the forest protections will last
after the mining company pulls out, something expected to happen between 2040 and 2050,
warned Simon Willcock, a scientist at the UK nonprofit research group Rothamsted Research,
who worked on the study. When that happens, Ambatovy’s promise, he said, “might be
threatened.”
Devenish, et. al. “On track to achieve no net loss of forest at Madagascar’s biggest
mine.” Nature Sustainability. March, 3. 2022.
Photo: Environmental Justice Atlas
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/03/offsets-promise-to-make-up-for-environmental-
damage-in-one-place-by-repairing-it-elsewhere-but-do-they-really-work/

Meeting self-sufficiency in rice production: Agric Ministry

revises strategy
Date: Mar - 08 - 2022 , 10:01
BY: Bagbara Tanko & Urowoli Philips
Category: General News

We need to step up the production of rice locally for food security in the country 
 
Rice is an important strategic crop in the economy of Ghana which is cultivated as both
food and cash crop.

Rice consumption continues to increase due to population growth, urbanisation and change in
consumer habits.

According to statistics from MoFA, between 2008 and 2020, paddy rice production was in the
range of 302,000 MT and 987,000 MT (181,000 to 622,000 MT of milled rice) with large annual
fluctuations.

The total rice consumption in 2020 amounted to about 1,450,000 MT which is equivalent to per
capita consumption of about 45.0kg per annum.

Reliant on imports

Ghana depends largely on imported rice to make up for the deficit in domestic rice supply.

According to Agriculture Research for Sustainable Development (CIRAD, 2007) Ghana’s rice
self-sufficiency ratio declined from 38 per cent in 1999 to 24 per cent in 2006 and increased to
about 43 per cent in 2020.

Hence the need for food and agriculture sector stakeholders to ensure increased and sustained
domestic production of good quality rice for food security, import substitution and savings in
foreign exchange.

It is based on this backdrop that more efforts are needed to make the domestic rice value chain
competitive that will not only lead to contributing to the growth and structural transformation of
the economy but also an important vehicle to mitigate and solve developmental challenges such
as poverty and create more jobs for the youth.

The challenge

According to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Crops, Yaw Frimpong Addo, the
country was still having some teething challenges in both the rice grains and grain value chains,
especially during the post-harvest stage in maintaining quality standards to make our domestic
rice competitive.

Some of these challenges include inadequate processing infrastructure and modern milling
machines, insufficient silos for storing paddy before milling, inadequate quality standard testing
for both seed (paddy) and milled rice etc.
Interventions
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/meeting-self-sufficiency-in-rice-production-
agric-ministry-revises-strategy.html
Chasing climate-ready glutinous rice for food security in
Thailand and Laos
March 8, 2022

Professor Apichart Vanavichit, Director of the Rice Science Center offers insight into how the
next generation of glutinous rice varieties are critical to food security in Thailand and Laos
Rice can be broadly classified based on cooking properties as glutinous and non-glutinous.
Cooked glutinous rice is sticky, translucent, and chewy with a sweet aftertaste, while non-
glutinous rice is fluffier, and less sticky and sweet.
Furthermore, Glutinous rice contains more amylopectin, whereas non-glutinous rice contains
more amylose.
Origin of glutinous rice
There are three groups of glutinous rice-based on grain sizes, small (japonica), medium (upland),
and long slender (indica) grains. The origin of glutinous rice has become a hot topic for
discussion by evolutionists who speculate that glutinous rice has two roots. Glutinous rice has
been grown in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), especially in Laos, for 4,000 – 6,000
years, and at least 2,000 years in Yunnan, China, by Tai ethnic groups. In particular, ethnic
groups in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos helped conserve upland rice diversity. Furthermore,
Laos has contributed the most remarkable genetic diversity in glutinous rice to the International
Rice Genebank at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
The key to food security
Laos and Thailand are the only countries that consume glutinous rice as primary stable
food. Laos consumes glutinous rice at 171 kg per year, the highest per capita consumption
globally. In Thailand, glutinous rice is vital for household consumption in the north and northeast
at 125-155 kg per capita per year. Thai farmers typically grow side-by-side, glutinous rice for
household consumption and Hommali rice for cash. The current consumption of glutinous rice in
Thailand has been on the rise recently due to the popularity of the northeastern cuisines in
restaurants and street foods among Thais and tourists. From 2021 to 2026, the demand for
glutinous rice is increasing healthily.
Sticky rice is not just sticky
Glutinous rice provides high amylopectin for the food and beverage industries. China is the
major importer of glutinous rice from Thailand and Vietnam, mainly for alcohol production.
Unlike such industrial utilisation, glutinous rice cooking is a delicacy that starts from rice
cooking. Glutinous rice cannot be appropriately done in an ordinary automatic rice cooker but
depends on traditional streaming practices in a unique bamboo basket. Different glutinous rice
varieties are varied considerably on cooking qualities such as degrees of stickiness, chewiness,
hardness, and fragrance.

Cultivation of glutinous rice in Thailand

Thailand is the world’s top glutinous rice producer on 3.17 Mha, generating about 7-7.5 MT and
exporting about 7% annually. RD6, the most popular glutinous rice in Thailand and Laos, is
widely grown in the northeast of Thailand. RD6 and Thai Hommali Rice (KDML105 and RD15)
are the three most cultivated rice varieties occupying lowland rain-fed areas, constituting about
70% in northeastern Thailand.
Fluctuations in rainfall distribution and poor soil fertility are critical constraints in the
northeastern lowland rain-fed. Originated from gamma radiation of KDML105, RD6 is as
susceptible to most biotic and abiotic stresses similar to the progenitor. Resilience to infertile
soil, mild drought, salinity, and acid sulfate soil benefit high-quality Thai Hommali Rice and
RD6 (Bureau of Rice Research and Development, Thailand Rice Department, 2010).
Nonetheless, RD6 has still been the most popular glutinous rice in Thailand and Laos because of
its soft-sticky and perfume quality of cooked rice.
New waxy rice development
Grain yield of glutinous RD6 and Thai Hom Mali Rice is as low as 2.32 t/ha due to their genetic
makeups, soil infertility, and the lack of irrigation system in the main northeast area in Thailand.
Traditional Thai RD6 and Lao TDK1 are tall, photoperiod sensitive, and susceptible to multiple
biotic and abiotic stresses. RD6 has superior cooking quality with a strong aroma. Still, it is very
vulnerable to blast and bacterial blight diseases, easily lodged, and intolerant to flood and
drought, significant production constraints in the lowland rain-fed regions.
To be accepted by farmers and consumers, new rice strains are improved to resist biotic and
abiotic stresses and hold similar cooked rice quality as RD6 for prolonged softness, stickiness,
chewiness, and fragrance. Because cooking glutinous rice is time-consuming, preservation is
convenient for farmers and workers to consume the leftover later. Therefore, prolonged soft-
stickiness is a critical characteristic of cooked glutinous rice to prevent staleness. This cooked
rice quality is the hallmark for the genetic improvement of glutinous rice for household
consumption in Thailand.
By comprehensive gene pyramiding developed by the research team at the Innovative Plant
Biotechnology and Precision Agriculture (APBT), newly improved RD6 varieties are designed to
resist flash flooding, bacterial leaf blight, leaf blast, brown planthopper and gall-midge. In
particular, focusing on canopy architecture such as reducing plant stature, sturdy stem, and early
flowering is essential for the next generation of glutinous rice varieties.
New outstanding glutinous rice varieties targeting the northeast area are released for farmers.
The first famous glutinous rice is Thanyasirin, a photoperiod sensitive variety with superior
cooking quality similar to RD6 but withstanding lodging. It is outstanding in its resistance to a
broad spectrum of blast strains. The next variety, Nan 59, is a semi-dwarf photoperiod sensitive
variety with the same cooking quality as RD6 and additional characteristics such as resistance
to blast and bacterial leaf blight.
Nan 59 has been the favourite variety because of its high yielding in a sustainable low production
cost. The newest generation named Hom Naga is outstanding for early flowering with good
cooking quality, tolerance to flash flooding and drought, and resistance to blast and bacterial
blight. Now farmers can grow Hom Naga two times yearly.
With assistance from the breeding team in Thailand, improving TDK1 for resistance to flash
flooding, bacterial leaf blight, leaf blast, brown planthopper, and grain yield has been
accomplished by the close collaboration between Thailand and Laos. The new high-yielding
TDK8 was released for farmers in Laos. It is aromatic, has good cooking quality with short
stature, early maturing (130-135 days), and most of all, resistance to lodging and leaf blast
disease.
These varieties have helped Thai and Lao farmers improve grain yields at low inputs that allow
more for their households, earn more income through higher yields than traditional varieties, and
are more able to withstand the impacts of climate change.
Cost-benefit of new varieties
The selection of many tailor-made RD6 varieties, such as Thanya Sirin and Nan 59, guided
farmers and stakeholder communities in a farmers’ participatory program. Such a tactic induced
farmers to voluntarily adopt new glutinous rice varieties and perform good farmers’ safe seed
practices for sustainability and benefit-sharing among farmers, breeders and rice millers.
For the popular Thanya Sirin, the economic benefits are mainly to farmers, in terms of increasing
their revenue from yield enhancement both for consumption and sales and reducing production
costs. The present value of net benefits in 2018 was 150 million baht. The benefit-cost ratio was
seven times over the expense, for one baht of research investment, seven-baht return. In
conclusion, the investment in glutinous rice breeding is economically worth it and has already
generated high benefits for society.

Acknowledgement
These projects have been supported by the Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture (ISA), Cluster
and Program Management Office (CPMO), National Science and Technology Development
Agency (NSTDA) (Grant number P-18-52711) and NSRF via the Program Management Unit for
Human Resources and Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation (Grant No.
B16F630088).
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/climate-glutinous-rice-food-security-thailand-laos/
131126/

Black Bush farmers protest for higher paddy prices

-millers say reduction is necessary
Region Six Chairman, David Armogan and Regional Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain visited the
Lesbeholden protest yesterday to listen to concerns raised by farmers.
By Bebi Oosman
 March 9, 2022
      
Rice farmers in Black Bush Polder, Corentyne  yesterday took to the streets to voice their
frustration at the current reduced prices being given to them by millers for their paddy which
they said are expected to take them into losses, however, millers are contending that due to the
effects of the world market prices, the reduction is necessary.
Stabroek News learnt that several weeks ago, the rice farmers were told they would be given
$70,000 per metric ton of paddy. However, on Monday they were informed that they would now
be given $65,000 per metric ton – a price which is expected to further decrease later in the week.
Stabroek News has been reliably informed that while Region Six is being given $4,250 per bag,
Region Two is receiving $3,200 per bag.
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/03/09/news/guyana/black-bush-farmers-protest-for-higher-
paddy-prices/

Rice shortage hits Migori millers as irrigation agency scales

down

THURSDAY MARCH 10 2022

Bags of rice at a Multipurpose Cooperative Society store. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG
    
 A move by the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) to reduce operations at the lower Kuja rice
irrigation scheme has grounded operations of millers.
Already, rice millers are bearing the brunt of the unending stalemate between farmers and the
scheme management with several acres of land lying fallow over compensation delays.
The two parties have been embroiled in legal battles for years since the implementation of the
first phase of the irrigation project in Nyatike.
Locals accuse politicians from the region of orchestrating the current stalemate at the expense of
the residents who have immensely benefited from the project.
“It is hurting that some of our politicians are orchestrating the withdrawal of funds for the project
to make political comebacks in 2022,” Edwin Ochieng, a resident of Sagama village said.
NIA regional coordinator Joel Tanui, during a recent crisis meeting, said unwillingness by the
farmers to cooperate has negatively impacted the scheme’s improvement.
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Acute water shortage hits giant Mwea rice scheme

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Rice shortage pushes price above Sh200 a kilo

“NIA was only tasked with providing an infrastructural framework as part of the production,
leaving farmers to take care of the remaining expenses. Locals are at liberty to choose between
development and legal wrangles," he said.
Millers who had invested in the region as rice production in Nyatike boomed, are now at the
centre of the conflict, with some fearing they might be forced to shut down their operations if the
crisis is not solved any time soon.
Tom Omondi, a manager at Nyakweri rice mill, said they have stock to last them two weeks,
after which they are likely to fold up.
“Farmers who used to supply our mill with paddy rice have since gone down after operations at
the rice farms were scaled down by the irrigation authorities citing high operation costs,” he said.
The miller added that at times he’s forced to source paddy rice from as far as Ahero in Kisumu
county since the diminishing supplies cannot meet their milling demands of five tonnes per day.
The entire irrigation project was to cover 19,000 hectares of land and not even a quarter of the
project has been implemented due to unsettled court cases regarding compensation.
Currently, there are over 20 court cases seeking to have the residents compensated, with sources
noting that NIA had considered pulling out from supporting the project which has cushioned the
semi-arid area from pangs of drought.
A November 13, 2020 investigation report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
revealed that the project had adverse and far-reaching environmental and social effects on locals.
Ibyron@ke.nationmedia.com
https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/rice-shortage-hits-migori-millers-as-nia-
scales-down-operations-3742346

Indofil launches product to control rice brown planthopper

 
BY TELANGANA TODAY
PUBLISHED: PUBLISHED DATE - 09:00 PM, TUE - 8 MARCH 22

Indofil launches new product.

Hyderabad: Agro chemicals company Indofil Industries has launched an innovative product

“Skystar” to help farmers control rice brown planthopper in Karimnagar in the presence of
Telangana State dealers, distributors, and agricultural scientists.
The company’s Agro Domestic business head G K Venugopal, fort folia lead-Fungicides S K
Tirumala Rao, Indofil manufacturing representatives Pada Joshi, Vaibhav Kalan, Ranjit Junde,
Gnanchand Pande, regional sales manager S Venkateswara Reddy, zonal sales manager P V
Rajasekhar Reddy, zonal demand generation manager Ramakrishna took part in the launch event.
Tirumala Rao explained about rice brown plant hopper symptoms, nature of damage and yield
losses that causes. Venugopal spoke to farmers about the newly launched insecticides and
fungicides of the company.
https://telanganatoday.com/indofil-launches-product-to-control-rice-brown-planthopper
China wants to feed millions with seawater rice
Development of salt-tolerant staple food can prevent hunger

© Getty Images / Charles Gullung

Chinese scientists have succeeded in developing a
new saline-alkali tolerant type of rice in coastal
regions where it’s currently impossible to grow
crops. The development comes as China strives to
secure domestic food and energy supplies amid
global warming and geopolitical tensions.
“China is looking at another method now, to
develop grain varieties that can withstand the soil’s
saltiness,” Zhang Zhaoxin, a researcher with the
country’s agricultural ministry, told Bloomberg.
Known as “seawater rice” because it’s grown in salty soil on the coast, the strains were created
by over-expressing a gene from selected wild rice. Test fields in Tianjin recorded a yield of 4.6
metric tons per acre last year, higher than the national average for production of standard rice
varieties.
China has been studying salt-tolerant rice since at least the 1950s. The research has been spurred
on by the country’s coastal waters rising faster than the global average over the last 40 years.
Authorities have raised alarms over China’s heavy reliance on its long and low eastern coast for
grain production.
READ MORE: World’s biggest grain stockpile revealed
The idea of a seawater rice was suggested in 2012
by agricultural scientist Yuan Longping, known as
the “father of hybrid rice.” He said in a
documentary broadcast in 2020, “We could feed 80
million more people” with salt-tolerant rice.
The research center in Qingdao aims to harvest 30
million tons of the crop using 6.7 million hectares
of barren land. The research team said last October
it can meet the goal of growing 6.7 million hectares
of seawater rice within ten years. In 2021, the group was put in charge of 400,000 hectares of
land to expand production of salt-resistant rice.
“If China can be more self-sufficient in staple foods, it would be a contribution to the world's
food security too,” said Zhang. “The less China imports, the more other countries will have.”
https://www.rt.com/business/550267-china-feed-millions-seawater-rice/

Celebrating the Nutrition Influencers Who Help Consumers

Think Rice
By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA – Today is National Registered Dietitians (RD) Day, a fitting celebration of

medical professionals who use their expertise in food and nutrition to help people lose weight,
manage food allergies, treat diet-related chronic diseases, understand food labels, or simply
answer questions about food and diet.

RD Blogger program keeps

rice recipes fresh
“USA Rice has a long-standing relationship with RDs and uses them as a resource to impart
important information about the health benefits of U.S.-grown rice,” said Cameron Jacobs, USA
Rice director of domestic promotion. “Last September, we launched the fourth year of the RD
Blogger program to promote the U.S.-grown difference through recipe creation along with blog
and social posts.”

Six RDs kicked off the new campaign during September National Rice Month to celebrate U.S.-
grown rice and focus on the simple and tasty ways to incorporate more rice into your diet. They
each created unique, nutrition-focused rice recipes, posted on their blogs and social media
platforms, that included USA Rice messaging along with key nutritional benefits of the specific
U.S.-grown rice variety used. At the halfway point of the campaign, the recipes and blog posts
have generated nearly four million consumer impressions.

“With health and wellness considerations rapidly growing in importance with shoppers, this
program allows consumers to hear directly from nutrition experts that rice consumption is a
foundational component to a healthy lifestyle in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans,” said Jacobs. “Our network of RDs do a great job in not only showcasing the
versatility and nutritional benefits of U.S.-grown rice, but also dispelling nutrition falsehoods
associated with rice.”
To date, eleven original recipes been posted and amplified by USA Rice social accounts: Brown
Sugar Glazed Salmon with short grain rice, Fall Chicken and Rice Bake, Caprese Chicken &
Rice Casserole, Creamy Coconut Rice with Spiced Salmon Skewers, Easy Chicken Biryani,
Wild Rice Pilaf, Basmati Arancini Balls, One Pot Creamy Spinach Rice, Veggie Rice Fritters,
Wild Rice Stuffing Casserole, and Shrimp Jambalaya.

In addition to the direct impact of the nutrition influencer program, USA Rice has ownership of
all the created digital assets and the new recipes are available to access, print, or share on the
USA Rice consumer recipe database.

USA rice daily

Application Deadline Extended for RCPP on Idle Rice Fields

This current conservation opportunity is for rice producers that are planning to idle any acres this
growing season and have live vegetation on those fields. The Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) is accepting application for idle fields until this Friday, March 11. 
To be eligible for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), idle fields must have
significant live vegetation on them and must be able to provide a water source within a half-mile
of the fields from April 1 to July 15. Ultimately, this program will provide an incentive payment
to leave vegetation undisturbed for the waterfowl nesting season and allow access to monitor
nesting activity. 
Program Details:
1. New Application Deadline:  Friday, March 11, 2022 
2. Must have idle rice fields for the 2022 growing season
3. Fields that are participating in a water transfer are still eligible
4. Must have vegetation on the fields suitable for nesting birds 
1. Cover crops are preferred but volunteer plants may also be acceptable
5. Must have some form of brood water within a half mile 
1. i.e. flooded rice fields, irrigation canals or ponds
6. Leave the fields undisturbed from April 1 to July 15
7. Payment rate: $24.10/acre
Producers interested in this program should contact Luke Matthews, Wildlife Programs Manager
for the California Rice Commission, at (916) 607-8988/lmatthews@calrice.org. Matthews will
be working with NRCS to verify field condition and assist eligible producers with the application
process.
http://www.calricenews.org/2022/03/08/application-deadline-extended-for-rcpp-on-idle-rice-
fields/

The Crown of the Persian Kitchen: Jeweled Rice

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff
March 2, 2022
Photo by Alexandra Gomperts

Some of the most precious memories that our good friend Mona has
from her childhood are the summers she spent with her grandmother
Mamamohtaram in Tehran.Her grandmother lived on the ground floor
of a three-story building with high walls and a large garden.Her elder
son and his family lived on the middle floor and the younger son and
his family lived on the top floor. Her kitchen was the center of all the
action. Her daughters in law would come downstairs to help her prepare
breakfast for the family. As soon as breakfast was cleared from the
table, her grandmother would start cooking huge lunches. There was a
little courtyard off the kitchen where she and the housekeeper would pluck chickens, wash and
soak the rice, trim the herbs and chop the vegetables.
Her grandmother was happiest when she was feeding everyone. She would spend mealtimes
making sure that everyone had a full plate rather than eating food herself. 
Mamamohtaram was determined that Mona and her siblings enjoy the crown of Persian cuisine
—Shiran Polo (sweet rice). Traditionally served on Rosh Hashana and other festive occasions,
Mona’s grandmother made it for a regular Friday night dinner during their summer vacation.
Mona remembers the love and patience that she put into preparing all the toppings that go into
and on top of the rice. She would candy thin strips of orange peel, roast pistachios and julienne
the carrots by hand. She would sauté barberries and raisins with sweet spices. Then she would
layer all these ingredients on top of fragrant saffron steamed rice.
After the Iranian Revolution, Mona’s grandmother and her extended family moved to Los
Angeles. Whenever Mona would travel from New York for Rosh Hashana and other special
occasions, Mamamohtaram would make jeweled rice. She was in a different country and a
different kitchen but it was the same incredibly delicious rice.
Persian cuisine is rich with intricately spiced and flavored khoresht stews like Ghormeh Sabzi
made from five different herbs and red kidney beans, Fesenjan made with chicken and walnuts in
a sweet and sour pomegranate sauce and Gheima made with meat, yellow lentils, dried lemon
and spices. There are roasted meats, fish, duck and chicken and all the grilled koobidehs (kebab
style meats and chicken). And they all go on top of rice. Basmati rice.
The Persian rice cooking process is precise and includes many steps. First, the rice is rinsed four
to five times, then it is left to soak for at least an hour. The drained rice is added to a pot of
boiling water. After it is cooked till al dente, the rice is washed and drained, then returned to a
pot with oil on the bottom. The top of the pot is covered with a towel or a double layer of paper
towel and the lid. The heat is turned to low and the rice is left to steam.
SHIRAN POLO IS A TRULY SPECTACULAR DISH. THE RICE IS STEAMED SO THAT EACH
GRAIN IS SEPARATE AND THEN THE TOP LAYER IS STAINED YELLOW WITH SAFFRON
WATER. 
Shiran Polo, also known as Jeweled Rice, is a truly spectacular dish. The rice is steamed so that
each grain is separate and then the top layer is stained yellow with saffron water. Then the rice is
layered with the delicately spiced toppings—carrots, sliced almonds, pistachios, orange peel,
currants, raisins and barberries.
In the past, Zereshk, the tart barberries that give this dish it’s uniquely sour notes, were
expensive and hard to find, so it is no wonder that Shiran Polo was reserved for Rosh Hashana,
weddings and other festive occasions.
We were experimenting in the kitchen and we came up with our own recipe. We caramelized
onions, sautéed some Zereshk and raisins, toasted some almonds and pistachios, popped open a
bag of candied orange peel and shredded carrots. We washed and soaked the rice but we skipped
the step of parboiling and rinsing again. 
We served the dish at one of our girls’ nights and we were all obsessed with the delicious
flavors.
We thought we’d share our much simpler Sephardic Spice Girls version of this rice in honor of
the month of Adar and the very Persian holiday of Purim.
Jeweled Rice
Saffron strands
1/2 cup hot water
3 cups Basmati rice
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups shredded carrots
Avocado or vegetable oil for frying
1 onion, finely diced
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup raw pistachios
1/3 cup barberries
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup candied orange peel
 Place a pinch of saffron strands in a bowl and cover with hot water., then set aside to steep.
 Place rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Rinse four to five times until the water is
fairly clear.
 Cover the rice with cold water and soak for at least one hour.
 Drain water from rice and place in a large pot.
 Pour enough water over the rice, so that the water is at least 1 inch above the rice.
 Add kosher salt and olive oil and bring the rice to a boil, stirring occasionally.
 When all the water has been absorbed, reduce the heat to low.
 Fluff the rice, then add the shredded carrots onto the rice.
 Pour the saffron water over the carrots, cover with a dish towel or paper towel and a tight
fitting lid. Let steam for 25-30 minutes.
 In a frying pan, warm oil over medium heat, then add onions and sauté until caramelized.
Then set aside.
 In the same frying pan, toast the almonds and pistachios over low heat. Then set aside.
 Warm a little oil to the frying pan and set over medium heat. Add raisins and barberries and
sauté lightly. Set aside.
 Add orange peels to the frypan and sauté lightly. Set aside.
 Place hot rice on a large serving platter and arrange onions, almonds, pistachios, barberries,
raisins and orange peel in a pretty pattern.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The
Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic
Educational Center in Jerusalem. Upcoming events include interviewing Chef Shimi Aaron at
the WIZO Purim Luncheon and a Sharsheret Passover Cooking Webinar. Follow them on
Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.
Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes
https://jewishjournal.com/culture/food/345551/the-crown-of-the-persian-kitchen-jeweled-rice/?
utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-crown-of-the-persian-kitchen-jeweled-
rice

Heavy machinery is being used to expand IJP Road at

Pirwadhai neighbourhood
Wed, 9 Mar 2022, 4:37 PM

APP03-090322 RAWALPINDI: March 09 - Heavy machinery is being used to expand IJP Road
at Pirwadhai neighbourhood. APP photo by Abid Zia
RAWALPINDI
https://www.app.com.pk/photos-section/general-coverage/heavy-machinery-is-being-used-to-
expand-ijp-road-at-pirwadhai-neighbourhood/
Farmers are Earning Good Income from Improved Rice
Varieties Developed by IARI
Both the varieties, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, Delhi,
fetch farmers like Singh financial benefits in the range of Rs.25,000 to Rs.30,000 per acre, after
taking into account cost of cultivation as well as lease rental for the land.
Ayushi Raina Updated 2 March, 2022 11:19 AM IST Published on 2 March, 2022 10:53 AM
IST

Basmati rice varieties- PB 1121 and PB 1509 at the local mandi sold for Rs.3800 and Rs.3500
per quintal
Pritam Singh, who farms on 110 acres, including some leased land, in Haryana's Panipat district,
has just sold his harvest of Basmati rice varieties- PB 1121 and PB 1509 at the local mandi for
Rs.3800 and Rs.3500 per quintal, respectively. 
Both the varieties, established by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, Delhi,
provide farmers like Singh with financial benefits ranging from Rs.25000 to Rs.30000 per acre,
after deducting cultivation costs and leasing rental for the land. 
"Since the introduction of high-yielding varieties such as PB1121 and PB1509 the production as
well as quality in terms of size of the Basmati rice grain increased thus bringing economic
benefits to us," Singh stated. 
Prior to the introduction of these two varieties, Singh stated that conventional varieties had yields
ranging from 12 to 13 quintal per acre, whereas the PB1121 and PB1509 varieties have average
yields of 24 and 26 quintal per acre, respectively. 
While the high-yielding and larger-grained PB1121 variety was certified as Basmati rice in 2008,
the PB1509 variety, which matures in fewer weeks, was released in 2013. 
Between 2010 and 2019, two Basmati rice varieties developed by IARI contributed 70% of the
entire value of cumulative exports of long-grain aromatic rice from India worth Rs.2.38 lakh
crore, benefiting farmers. During the specified period, India exported an average of 3.74 million
tonne (mt) of Basmati rice annually, out of a total production of around 5mt. 
https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/farmers-are-earning-good-income-from-improved-
rice-varieties-developed-by-iari/

Odisha government to work on export plan for aromatic rice

The State government is exploring the possibility of exporting rice of traditional aromatic
varieties beyond basmati to further enhance the income of the farmers.
By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR:  The State government is exploring the possibility of exporting rice of
traditional aromatic varieties beyond basmati to further enhance the income of the farmers. The
Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment department has been asked to constitute a resource team
and frame a realistic work plan for giving a boost to rice export.
Chairing a high-level meeting with different stakeholders for promoting export of rice from the
State, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra asked the Agriculture department to identify agro-
climatic zones more suitable for cultivation of non-basmati aromatic varieties of paddy in cluster
approach.
The government has decided to send a team to Andhra Pradesh for gaining firsthand knowledge
on the actual practices adopted there in export of aromatic varieties of rice. The Chief Secretary
directed the department to frame a realistic work plan with the suggestions from technical
sessions of the seminar, and inputs from the resource team so that those could be carried forward.
“The State government is committed to enhance farmers’ income by boosting the rice export and
the State will provide all possible support for the purpose,” Mahapatra added. Principal Advisor
to Chief Minister Asit Tripathy said the rice aggregators in the State need to be mobilised,
trained and given handholding support for export-oriented operations.
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:awB3GJSPh5UJ:https://
www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/mar/08/odisha-government-to-work-on-export-
plan-for-aromatic-rice-2427641.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Outburst of pest populations in rice-based cropping systems
under conservation agricultural practices in the middle
Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia
Abstract
Conservation agriculture (CA), which encompasses minimum soil disturbance, residue retention
either through crop residue, or cover crops and crop diversification-based crop management
practices can modify the status of pest dynamics and activities under the changing climatic
scenarios. CA has been advocated extensively to optimize the use of available resources,
maintain the environmental quality, enhance crop productivity, and reduce the climate change
impacts. Information related to the impacts of long-term CA-production systems under rice-
based cropping systems on pest status is lacking, particularly in middle Indo-Gangetic Plains
(MIGP). Under CA, puddling is completely avoided, and rice is directly sown or transplanted to
maintain better soil health. Different sets of experimentations including farmers practice, partial
CA and full CA (CA) as treatments in rice-based cropping systems, were established from 2009,
2015 and 2016 to understand the long-term impacts of CA on pest dynamics. In this study, direct
and indirect effects of tillage (zero, reduced and conventional tillage), residue retention and
cropping sequences on abundance and damage by pests were investigated. After 4–5 years of
experimentation, populations of oriental armyworm [Mythinma (Leucania) (Pseudaletia)
separata (Wlk.)] in wheat, mealybug [Brevennia rehi (Lindinger)] and bandicoot rat [Bandicota
bengalensis (Gray)] in rice were found to increase abnormally in CA-based production systems.
Conventionally tilled plots had a significant negative effect while residue load in zero-tilled plots
had a significant positive effect on larval population build-up of M. separata. Zero tillage had a
higher infestation of mealybug (52–91% infested hills) that used grassy weeds (Echinochloa
colona, Echinochloa crusgalli, Cynodon dactylon, Leptochloa chinensis and Panicum repense)
as alternate hosts. Cropping sequences and no disturbance of soil and grassy weeds had higher
live burrow counts (4.2 and 13.7 burrows as compared to 1.47 and 7.53 burrows per 62.5
m2 during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively) and damaged tillers (3.4%) in CA-based
practices. Based on the present study, pest management strategies in CA need to be revisited
with respect to tillage, residue retention on soil surface, grassy weeds in field and cropping
sequences to deliver the full benefits of CA in MIGP to achieve the sustainable development
goals under the climate change scenarios.
Introduction
The Middle Indo-Gangetic Plains (MIGP) covering eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are endowed
with rich and diverse natural resources but has lower crop productivity and per capita income1.
Rice-based cropping systems are the major production systems of the region occupying an area
of 10.5 M ha2,3. Due to small-fragmented landholdings and resource-poor farmers, agricultural
production systems of the MIGP are less mechanized4,5 and highly labour intensive as compared
to the north-western part of the IGP6,7,8. Major crops grown in the MIGP in rotation with rice
are wheat, maize, oilseeds, and pulses. Conventional crop production practices rely upon the
high inputs in terms of machinery, labour, nutrients, water, and chemical pesticides9,10,11,
which also leads to soil degradation through erosion, compaction, decreased water-holding
capacity, and loss of soil organic carbon (SOC). These practices also alter the habitats of surface
and sub-surface micro- and macro-biota and their niches12,13. Thus, there is a pressing need to
develop a sustainable, economically viable and eco-friendly intensified and diversified cropping
system, and crop management options for the MIGP.
As a technological innovation, CA-based production systems, which retains residue of previous
crops, minimum mechanical disturbance of the soil, and crop diversification, are being promoted
in the MIGP14,15. CA practices not only enhance the soil quality but also favour the habitats for
soil-dwelling organisms16,17. Overall, CA is an approach to crop production for enhancing and
sustaining the production, increasing profits and achieving the food security18,19. However,
many challenges of CA-based production systems still need to be identified and addressed within
the regional context to realize the maximum benefits20,21,22,23. Applying CA-based
management principles within crop production not only changes soil organic matter (SOM), soil
moisture, and nutrient regimes but also shifts the diversity of certain pests24,25,26,27. Pests are
the major threat to crop production and their status changes with the adopted management
practices in agro-ecosystem13,28. Since applying CA-based practices within an agroecosystem
might shift pest density and diversity13, thus, the pest species that can adjust to certain CA
management practices will outburst, while others will disappear.
Tillage management practices and residue retained on the soil surface alter the microclimate
within the crop canopy of CA-based systems; therefore, certain insects will grow and proliferate,
while others may disappear or decrease depending upon the pest concerned. Long-term solutions
to pests can be provided through effective integration of tillage management with other
alternative methods such as cultural, mechanical, physical, and biological. For example,
integration of CA practices in the field can be effectively utilized for the augmentation of natural
enemies of insect pests. Similarly, covering the soil with residue may accelerate the population
density of many insect pests and other arthropods, but an increased population of generalist
predators may be suppressing29,30. Therefore, shifting from conventional production practices
to CA practices may change insect-pest scenarios and management strategies due to changes in
micro-ecology31.
Alterations in pest abundance and subsequent crop damage are the most challenging issues of
CA13. Soil and crops are important habitats for pests and diseases, and we hypothesized that
change in tillage and residue retention patterns in CA in comparison to conventional practices
may have some noticeable positive and negative impacts on the pest dynamics. A report of rice
mealybug, B. rehi, from a long-term rice-based CA production system in MIGP indicates the
potential threat of insect pests and disease in CA; thus, any changes in pest dynamics need to be
reported in scientific literature to advance the management strategies26. Therefore, the present
study was undertaken to have a better understanding of potential emerging issues of pests in
long-term CA-based systems in MIGP and to explore their possible relationship with tillage and
residue management in cropping sequences.
Materials and methods
Site description and weather conditions
Long-term rice-based CA experiments were established from 2009, 2015 and 2016 at the
Research Farm of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)— Research Complex for
Eastern Region (RCER) (25° 35′ N, 85° 05′ E, and 51 m above mean sea level) Patna, Bihar,
India. Soil (Vertic Endoaqualfs) is silty loam in texture (22% sand, 54% silt and 24% clay); pH
7.22; organic carbon 6 g kg−1; electrical conductivity 0.17 dS m−1; available N 188 kg ha−1;
available P 12.9 kg ha−1; and available K 137 kg ha−1. Weather parameters were recorded during
the study period (2015–2021) and are presented in Fig. 1. The climate of the experimental site is
sub-tropical humid with an average annual rainfall of 1127 mm (85–90% of which was received
during June to September). The distribution of rainfall over time and intensity in rainy season
was very erratic. The lowest rainfall (621 mm) was recorded in 2018, and the highest rainfall
(1367 mm) in 2020. The lowest minimum temperature (7.4 °C) was recorded in January 2017,
and the highest (41.3 °C) in May 2018. Generally, the maximum temperature exceeding 35 °C
was noted in April, May, and June and the lowest in January. The rise and fall of maximum
temperature were controlled by thunderstorm activity in summer, and that of the minimum
temperature was controlled by the passage of western disturbance in winter.
Figure 1

Monthly total rainfall and mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures prevailed during
the experimental period (January 2015 to July 2021).
Full size image
Treatment details and experimental design
Broadly treatments were covered under three practices, viz. conventional tillage as farmers
practice (FP), partial CA (pCA) and full CA (CA). The first set of CA experiments was
established in 2009, where conventional tilled (CT) puddle transplanted rice (TPR)-wheat (CT)–
fallow (FP), CT-mechanical transplanted rice (MTR)–wheat (ZT)–mungbean (ZT) (pCA), zero-
till direct seeded rice (ZTDSR)–wheat (ZT)–mungbean (ZT) (CA) and ZTDSR-mustard (ZT)–
ZT spring maize (CA) were followed1,18 (Supplementary Table 1). The second set of
experiments based on diversified CA cropping systems was established in 2015, where an
experiment comprising seven tillage and crop establishment (TCE) methods for a rice–wheat-
mungbean system was established in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three
replications. Briefly, seven treatments in different management practices were divided as
follows: Sc1) random puddled transplanted rice (RPTR)-conventional tilled (CT) broadcast
wheat (BCW)-zero-till mungbean (ZTM); Sc2) line puddled transplanted rice (LPTR)-CT drilled
wheat (CTW)-ZTM; Sc3) conventional tilled machine transplanted rice (CTMTR)-zero-till
wheat (ZTW)-ZTM; Sc4) zero-till machine transplanted rice (ZTMTR)-ZTW-ZTM; Sc5) system
of rice intensification (SRI)-system of wheat intensification (SWI)-ZTM; Sc6) CT direct-seeded
rice (CTDSR)-ZTW-ZTM; Sc7) zero-till DSR (ZTDSR)-ZTW-ZTM15,20 (Supplementary
Table 2). The third set of CA experiments was established in the rainy season of 2016 to address
the rice-fallow production system, where rice-chickpea, rice-lentil, rice-safflower, rice-linseed,
and rice-mustard sequences were followed under diverse tillage production systems (ZTDSR,
CTDSR and TPR with and without residue management practice27 (Supplementary Table 3).
Agronomic management practices were followed in all the experiments, as rice was directly
sown in rows 22.5 cm apart during the 3rd week of June every year by ZT Happy Seeder with
25 kg seed ha–1 at a 3–4 cm seeding depth in all DSRs (CT/ZT). Nurseries for PTR, MTR and
SRI were raised on same day with the recommended package of practice. A mat-type nursery
was raised for MTR with 20 kg seed ha−1 32. For PTR and SRI, nursery beds were prepared with
seed rates of 15 and 7 kg ha–1, respectively. Wheat (HD 2967) was sown during second fortnight
of November. In all CT and ZT, wheat was sown in rows at 22.5 cm apart with 100 kg seed ha–
1
 using ZT Happy Seeder, except in CT-broadcast wheat (BCW) where the manual broadcasting
and mixing with rotavator was done with 120 kg ha–1, and SWI where seeds were manually
dibbled with 25 kg seed ha–1. In summer, short duration (60–65 days) mungbean (Samrat) was
sown under ZT condition immediately after wheat harvest using ZT Happy Seeder at 22.5 cm × 
5 cm spacing with 30 kg seed ha–1 during the second week of April. Recommended doses of
120 kg N, 60 kg P2O5, and 60 kg K2O ha–1 as urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate
of potash (MOP), respectively, were applied to rice and wheat. One-third of the recommended N
and full doses of P and K were applied as basal. The remaining 2/3rd N was applied in two equal
splits at the maximum tillering and panicle initiation stages. For mungbean, 100 kg DAP ha–
1
 was applied as a basal application through Happy Seeder. Pendimethalin (30% EC) at
1.0 kg a.i. ha–1 in DSR and pretilachlor at 0.75 kg a.i. ha–1 in TPR were applied as pre-emergence
(2 DAS/DAT) while bispyribac-sodium at 25 g a.i. ha–1 was applied as post-emergence at 20
DAS/DAT. In wheat, a ready-mix combination of sulfosulfuron (75% WG) + metsulfuron
methyl (5% WG) @ 32 (30 + 2) g a.i. ha–1 was applied as post-emergence (25 DAS). For weed
control in mungbean, pendimethalin at 1.0 kg a.i. ha–1 was applied as pre-emergence (next day
after seeding). A knapsack sprayer fitted with a flat-fan nozzle with 500 L ha–1 of water was used
for applying the herbicides. Rice was irrigated depending upon the occurrence of dry spells
during cropping. In wheat, irrigation was applied at crown root initiation (CRI), tillering,
flowering, and grain filling stages. In mungbean, in addition to pre-sowing irrigation, two
irrigation treatments at 25 and 45 DAS were applied. The authors confirm that experiments on
plant species in different CA systems in the present study comply with the institute guidelines
and legislations.
Pest sampling
After the establishment of experiments, data on abundance and damage by major arthropod pests
were taken to address the potential challenges of conservation agriculture (CA) in MIGP.
Populations of oriental armyworm, Mythinma (Leucania) (Pseudaletia) separata (Wlk.)
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in wheat, rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi (Lindinger) (Hemiptera:
Pseudococcidae) and bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis Gray (Rodentia: Muridae) in rice
were recorded after 3–4 years of the experiment establishment. The population densities of M.
separata larvae and pupae were recorded in wheat at 65 DAS and after crop harvesting,
respectively, placing a quadrate (1 m × 1 m) randomly at 5 places in each plot. Entire anchored
residue in each quadrate were pulled out and larvae/pupae hiding inside crop residues were
counted manually and averaged as number m–2. Infestation of rice mealybug in rice was recorded
by counting the number of mealybug-infested hills in a running metre of a row in each treatment
at the panicle formation stage. Infestation of mealybug was converted into percent infested hills.
To establish the relationships between mealybug and weeds, total grassy weeds were counted in
each year with the help of a quadrate (1 m × 1 m) placed randomly at five places in each
treatment. Damage by bandicoot rats, B. bengalensis was assessed indirectly based on the
presence of live burrows and directly by damaged tillers. The total number of live burrows and
damaged tillers were counted visually for 62.5 m2 area in each treatment. Damaged tillers were
converted into percent damage based on the total number of tillers.
Statistical analysis
Data from the mealybug (B. rehi) and armyworm (M. separata) were analyzed using analysis of
variance (ANOVA) according to Gomez and Gomez33 for randomized block design using SPSS
software (SPSS 21). For homogeneity, data of mealybug and armyworm were arcsine and square
root transformed, respectively, before statistical analysis. Treatment means were separated
using Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) at the 5% level of significance. Data on
rodent burrow counts were analyzed by split-plot ANOVA at p = 0.05, where crop
establishment-cum-residue management (CERM) was included as first factor and winter crop in
sequences was included as the second factor. Mean effects of tillage and residue were
determined using the linear contrast in SPSS 21. To determine any effect of weather parameters
on pest outbreak, correlation analysis of the pest population under different CERM as dependent
factor and weather parameters (minimum and maximum temperature and rainfall) as independent
variables was done. All the figures were generated using XLSTAT34.
Results
Three arthropod species were observed as potential threats in long-term CA production systems
after the establishment of experiments (Fig. 2). They were two insect species (Armyworm, M.
separata & rice mealybug, B. rehi) and one rodent species (bandicoot rat, B. bengalensis).
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of conservation agriculture (CA) production system with positivity and
emerging issues in rice-based cropping systems of the middle Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Full size image
Armyworm, M. separata
Significant variations in larvae and pupae populations of M. separata were observed in wheat
under different tillage-cum-crop establishment and residue management systems of CA
(Figs. 3, 4). In CA-based production systems, a significantly (p < 0.05) higher population of
armyworms in wheat was observed after 5th year of experimentation compared to conventional
farmers practice (FP). The incidence of armyworm was first noticed in 2018–2019, after which
the population increased over the years. The highest number of larvae was observed in CA-based
production system (58.2 larvae/m2), followed by pCA (43.2 larvae/m2), and the lowest number
(below ETL) was observed in FP (10.2 larvae/m2) in 2020–2021 in the first set of experiments
(Fig. 3). In the second set of experiments (rice–wheat-mungbean), established in 2015, number
of larvae and pupae of armyworm increased drastically during 2020–2021 as compared to 2018–
2019 (Table 1). The maximum mean numbers of larvae (3.40 ± 0.93 m−2) and pupae (1.20 ± 
0.49 m−2) were observed in treatment Sc7 during 2018–2019. In the same treatment (Sc7), the
mean populations of larvae and pupae reached 10.4 ± 1.53 m−2 and 2.4 ± 0.24 m−2, respectively,
during 2020–2021. The next maximum population of larvae and pupae was observed in another
CA-based treatment Sc4 during the observation year, although it was not significantly different
from treatment Sc7 (Table 1). The pCA based production systems (Sc3, Sc5 and
Sc6) was recorded a mean population of larvae ranging from 6.8 to 7.6 m2 and was at par among
them. The significantly lowest populations of larvae and pupae were observed in FP-based
scenarios (Sc1 and Sc2) (Table 1).
Figure 3

Mean infestation of Mythimna separata larvae on wheat in different tillage-cum crop

establishment and residue management practices at 65 DAS during recent different years. Bars
with different letters indicate significant differences among agricultural production systems
(LSD; P < 0.05).
Full size image
Figure 4

Mean number of pupae of Mythimna separata in the fields with different tillage-cum-crop

establishment and residue management production systems after harvesting wheat in recent
years. Bars with different letters indicate significant differences among production systems
(LSD; P < 0.05).
Full size image
Table 1 Infestation of Mythimna separata (mean numbers of larvae & pupae) on wheat crop
and their correlations with incorporated/retained residue in different tillage-cum-crop
establishment and residues management practices of Indo-Gangetic Plains at 65 days after
sowing (larvae) and after harvesting of crop (pupae) during recent different years.
Full size table
Temperature (maximum and minimum) had played a significant role in population dynamics
of M. separata (larva & pupae) but it was having non-significant effect among the different
CERM practices (Supplementary Table 4). However, contrast analysis of tillage (till vs. no-till)
and residue (residue retention vs. non-residue) on larval and pupal populations revealed
differential effects (Table 2). CA-based practices had 9.0-, 6.3- and 5.7-times higher armyworm
larval populations during 2018–2019, 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively, than FP (Fig. 3).
Tillage had a negative effect on the larval population during 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 (p = 
0.02), while residue had a significant positive impact on the larval population build up during
2018–2020 (Table 2). Residue retention in CA-based systems also had a significant positive
impact (p < 0.05) on pupae, as observed after wheat harvest. Residues retained in CA had 19.8,
56.3 and 38.2 times higher pupal populations during 2018–2019, 2019–2020 and 2020–2021,
respectively, than FP (Fig. 4).
Table 2 Contrast analysis between years, crop establishment-cum-residue management and
insect pest infestation.
Full size table
Rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi
A significant alteration in infestation of mealybug on rice was observed in full CA system
compared with pCA and FP in the first set of long-term experiments (Fig. 5). Infestation of
mealybug in full CA-based system was significantly (p < 0.05) higher after the first incidence
during 2015 and progressively increased over time (Fig. 5). The highest number of infested hills
was observed in both full CA-based systems (52 to 91% infested hills in CA rice–wheat and CA
rice-mustard systems, respectively) during 2017. In contrast, a very low incidence (4–6%
infested hills) was observed in FP and pCA.
Figure 5

Effect of different tillage cum crop establishment and residue management production systems
on rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi infestation on paddy tillers from 2015 to 2017. Bars with
different letters indicate significant differences among production systems (LSD; P < 0.05). *
CA-based production system with ZTDSR-Mustard (ZT)-spring maize (ZT) sequences.
Full size image
Minimum temperature had played a significant role in population dynamics of rice mealybug
from year to year, but the effect was similar among the different CERM practices
(Supplementary Table 4). Contrast analysis revealed that tillage (till vs. no-till) and residue
management (residue retention vs. non-residue) had no significant effect on mealybug infestation
except in 2016 when tillage had a significant negative impact (Table 2). However, grassy weeds
were higher in CA systems than in FP and pCA production systems (Fig. 6). Grassy weeds,
viz., Echinochloa colona, Echinochloa crus-galli, Cynodon dactylon, Leptochloa
chinensis and Panicum repense, were observed to be comparatively higher in CA. Among CA-
based production systems, infestation of mealybug and weeds was two times higher in ZTDSR-
mustard (ZT)-spring maize (ZT) system than in the ZTDSR-wheat (ZT)-mungbean (ZT) system.
Figure 6

Grassy weed population in fields of different agricultural production systems. Bars with different
letters indicate significant differences among production systems (LSD; P < 0.05). * CA-based
production system with ZTDSR-mustard (ZT)-spring maize (ZT) sequences.
Full size image
Bandicoota rat, Bandicota bengalensis
The number of live burrows by bandicoot rats was significantly influenced by the different crop
establishment-cum-residue management (CERM) and winter crops under rice-fallow system. It
was significantly higher in CA plots than in pCA and FP plots (Tables 3, 4). Data on burrow
counts indicated a significantly higher number in residue retained plots (4.2 and 13.7 burrows per
62.5 m2 during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively) compared to non-residue plots (1.5 and
7.5 burrows per 62.5 m2 in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively) in CA experiment. The
maximum number of burrows was observed in rice-mustard system (15.1 burrows/62.5
m2 during 2020–2021), which was the highest in CA plots, followed by pCA plots. Data on
damaged tillers in rice by bandicoot rats also indicated a significantly higher infestation in CA
(3.4%) and pCA (2.8%) plots as compared to FP (Fig. 7). Overall, the results of bandicoot rats in
rice fields indicated a progressively higher infestation in CA-based production systems
particularly in rice-mustard-based sequences, and the same was also confirmed by the number of
damaged tillers.
Table 3 Burrows of bandicoot rats, B. bengalensis as influenced by different crop
establishment-cum-residue management (CERM) and winter crops in rice-fallow system of
eastern India (after 4th years of experimentation: 2019–2020).
Full size table
Table 4 Burrows of bandicoot rats, B. bengalensis as influenced by different crop
establishment-cum-residue management (CERM) and winter crops in rice-fallow system of
eastern India (after 5th years of experimentation: 2020–2021).
Full size table
Figure 7

Percent tiller damage caused by Bandicoot rats, Bandicota bengalensis under diverse tillage and

production system. Arrow distance indicates significant differences among production systems
(LSD; P < 0.05).
Full size image
Discussion
Different pests and their possible reasons for outbursts in long-term CA based production
systems in the MIGP of South Asia have been investigated and documented in the present study.
CA based techniques are being developed and popularized to address the problems of increasing
water scarcity, deteriorating the soil health, declining productivity and profitability, and climate
change and for sustainable intensification of rice–wheat cropping system in MIGP and
India11,21,23,24,27. Our results revealed significant differences in pest populations in different
crops after 4–5 years of CA adoption.
A significantly higher number of larvae and pupae of armyworm M. separata in wheat was
observed in complete CA followed by pCA production system. M. separata is a serious cereal
polyphagous pest in Asia and Australia35. The gregarious feeding of larvae on tender parts
causes yield loss or complete crop loss if the pest population increases substantially. Larvae feed
on tender foliage and thereby restrict the development of almost all agricultural plants36.
Damage is caused by early larval instars on young leaves, while mature larvae usually climb up
ear head stalks at night. During daytime, larvae rest inside cracks of soil or crop canopy or
residue leftover on the soil surface37. Tillage had significant negative effects, while residue had
significant positive effects on larval population build-up. Larvae and pupae count (2019–2020)
indicated a non-significant difference between tillage condition, although it was numerically
higher in no-tilled fields than in tilled fields. Pupal number was the highest in the CA-based
system and decreased while residue was removed from the soil surface after wheat harvest.
Residue retention had a significant positive impact on pupal counts after harvesting wheat.
Heavy rainfall followed by drought, flooding and trash mulching has been reported to be
population outbreaking factors for M. separata38. In earlier literature, armyworm (Pseudaletia
unipuncta) was also reported to be the most damaging insect pest of corn seedlings under
reduced tillage (RT) compared to conventionally tilled plots39. In no-till conditions, 15% of corn
seedlings were infested, whereas, in conventional fields, it was only 1%. They also considered
residue retention in RT as a responsible factor and created a favourable environment for the
oviposition and survival of larval populations.
In this study, a significantly greater number of larvae and pupae of M. separata were observed in
residue-retained CA and pCA plots, followed by farmer practices. This can be attributed to the
omission of tillage, which otherwise alters the pest population either by physically damaging or
exposing them to other predators, such as birds. The retained residue further flourished the pest
population by acting as a hiding place for larvae and pupae of M. separata. Therefore,
continuous no-tillage and residue retention proliferated M. separata population in CA-based
system and are in good agreement with previous studies38,39.
Similar increasing trends for mealybug were also observed in rice, where the maximum damage
due to mealybug was reported in CA followed by pCA and very less in FP. Mealybug are
considered an occasional serious pest of rice in many Asian countries, America and Australia40.
In India, it has been considered as a sporadic pest of rice with its restricted distribution in upland
and rainfed environments41. Mealybug suck plant sap causes leaf curling and ultimately wilting
of crop plants42. Nymph and adults suck plant sap from the base of plants. Presence of the
grassy weeds, i.e., E. colona, Echinochloa crusgalli, C. dactylon, L. chinensis, P.
repense, Paspalum scorbiculatum, Eleusine spp. in rice fields favour population build-up of
mealybug by acting as an alternate host and shelter mealybug to survive and multiply in off-
seasons43,44. Tillage condition and residue retention in different experimental treatments had no
direct significant influence on the mealybug in the present study. Indirectly, grassy weeds were
higher in number in the CA-based production systems than in the FP and pCA systems. Many
authors have reported similar findings and concluded that a higher infestation of grassy weeds is
favoured by no or minimum disturbance of soil in CA26,45,46. Two times higher infestation of
mealybug in maize inclusive cropping sequence was observed compared to mungbean in spring.
This might be due to the presence of spring maize stubbles, as maize has also been reported as a
preferred host of mealybug47.
A significant influence of different CERM and winter crops under rice-fallow production
systems was observed on bandicoota rat infestation in rice fields. Live burrows and damaged
tillers indicated the presence of bandicoota rats in rice fields, which are a major small
mammalian pest of rice and inflict substantial losses48,49. Undisturbed (no-tilled) and
waterlogged areas with grassy habitats showed a high natural preference for rodent infestation in
the field50. Increased intensity of rodents in rice-based cropping systems is associated with
masting events, changes in abiotic conditions and changes in cropping patterns51. Many
anthropogenic responses, such as increased intensity of cropping systems with the inclusion of
preferred hosts (mustard in the present study), also favour rodent population build-up49. The
increased intensity of rodents in CA-based production systems may be corroborated by the
presence of crop residues in the field and weeds, especially Digitaria sp., Ipomoea
aquatica and Echinochloa colona, which have been identified as dominant food items for rodents
during off-season months when rice crops are absent52.
Our study indicated that CA-based management i.e., retention of crop residue on the soil surface,
reduced tillage and in-appropriate cropping sequences could be favourable for the pest
population build-up, and the pest status could be a potential threat in future under CA-based
systems in MIGP. Study results also revealed tillage-, residue- and weed shift-based pest
population outbreaks after 4–5 years of the experimentation. The shift of pest population and
associated crop loss due to increase of pest population in the full or partial CA production
systems reported in several studies of Indo-Gangetic Plain13,28. Thus, the management
strategies, i.e., crop rotation, crop residue management through tillage after certain years, weed
management in crops and vicinity may be included for complete success of CA production
system26. The leguminous crops in rice–wheat cropping system could be the potential crops to
break the continuous chain of the preferred host plants. Reports suggest that crop diversification
with leguminous crops have shown potential for lowering the population load of pests along with
improving the soil health and water economy53. Overall, CA system has a large number of
benefits, including addressing the issues related to land degradation18, resource conservation27,
increasing energy use efficiency and reducing C-footprints and cost of cultivation27 in the
current context of climate change, but future research is needed for refining this technology in
the context of pest status in MIGP.
The yield losses due to the pest outbreak are the most important indicator for determining
vulnerability of the system for a particular pest. In our experiments, yield loss due to pest
emergence was not consistent (data not presented). The first set of CA experiment which is
ongoing for over ten years observed a significant yield loss due to rice mealybug under both CA
and pCA but the magnitude of yield reduction maximum for pCA as reported by Mishra et al.26.
In contrast, in the second set of experiments, incidence of armyworm didn’t have any significant
effect on wheat crop yield21. Timely management might have prevented any significant crop
loss. However, these pests have the potential to create havoc in CA system and could inflict
significant yield loss in the near future if proper management strategies are not devised.
Therefore, future research should also focus on these emerging issues for the successful adoption
of CA by small and marginal farmers of the region.
Conclusion
Under the changing climatic scenarios, CA-based management interventions are required for
rice-based cropping systems and should be promoted to overcome the adversities of climate
change on crop productivity. Long-term crop management activities such as tillage, crop residue
and cropping sequences have great influences on pest incidence and activity. Potential threats of
pests and their possible reasons for long-term CA in MIGP were investigated in the present
study. Armyworm, M. separata in wheat and mealybug, B. rehi and Bandicoota rats, B.
bengalensis in rice were reported at an epidemic level under different long-term CA systems.
These reported pests could pose the major challenges to crop production under environmentally
benign CA in near future. No-tillage with residue cover on soil surface has a harbouring and
positive impact on populations of these pests. Tillage and residue were also found to bring
changes in surrounding habitats, which were favourable for pest population outbreaks. The
occurrences of these pests indicate that to bring full benefits of CA, pest management strategies
need to be revised with respect to tillage, residue retained on soil surface, grassy weeds in the
fields and cropping sequences. In addition, future studies in long-term experiments of CA should
focus on changes in major pests and their natural enemies across the years to obtain more in-
depth clarity on pest population behaviour and dynamics.
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Acknowledgements
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) (Grant No. INV-009787) are acknowledged for funding the long-term
trial under Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) project. We thank the ICAR-
Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, India for providing field and laboratory facilities
during the investigation.
Author information
Affiliations
1. ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India
Rakesh Kumar, Surajit Mondal, Mohammad Monobrullah, Hansraj Hans, Mausam
Verma & Ujjwal Kumar
2. ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, FSRCHPR, Ranchi, Jharkhand,
India
Jaipal Singh Choudhary
3. ICAR-Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Janki Sharan Mishra
4. Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA)-CIMMYT, Patna, India
Shishpal Poonia & Ram Kanwar Malik
5. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India
Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt
6. International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines
Virender Kumar
7. Soil and Crop Sciences Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Andrew McDonald
Contributions
R.K., J.S.C., J.S.M., S.P., M.M., U.K., B.P., R.K.M., V.K. and A.M. were actively involved in
conducting and designing the research and writing the manuscript; J.S.C. analysed the data;
R.K., S.M. and J.S.C. interpreted the data and edited the manuscript; H.H. and M.V. participated
in the data collection and experimentation, and all the authors reviewed and revised the
manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Correspondence to Rakesh Kumar, Jaipal Singh Choudhary or Janki Sharan Mishra.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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Kumar, R., Choudhary, J.S., Mishra, J.S. et al. Outburst of pest populations in rice-based
cropping systems under conservation agricultural practices in the middle Indo-Gangetic Plains of
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The Thailand Center of Excellence on Rice Precision

Breeding for Food Security, Quality, and Nutrition
A collaboration between the National Center for Genetic Engineering (BIOTEC) and Rice
Science Center, Kasetsart University, Thailand Rice could be crucial in helping to provide
nutrition when feeding our species in the future. As the world’s population is projected to
increase exponentially to nearly 10 billion people in the year 2050, the average age of […]
Contributor Profile
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Director
Rice Science Center and Rice Gene Discovery, National Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology and Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University,
Kamphangsaen campus, Thailand
Phone: +66 (81) 527 4070
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https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/climate-glutinous-rice-food-security-thailand-laos/
131126/

Viet Nam’s Trade Ministry clarifies tariff quotas for rice,

dried tobacco leaves from Cambodia

March 9, 2022

Khmer Times 

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

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Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has signed Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BCT
stipulating regulations on the import of rice and dried tobacco leaves originating from Cambodia
under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has signed Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BCT
stipulating regulations on the import of rice and dried tobacco leaves originating from Cambodia
under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022.

The circular specifies import quotas for rice and dried tobacco products originating from
Cambodia that are entitled to special preferential import tax rates in Vietnam in 2021 and 2022.

The document says in order to enjoy the special preferential import tax rate, the products must
have a Certificate of Origin form S (C/O form S) issued by the Ministry of Trade of Cambodia or
an authorised agency, and their customs clearance procedures must be conducted at the border
gate pairs specified in Appendix No. 2 issued with this circular.

For dried tobacco leaves, importers must show a licence to import raw tobacco under tariff
quotas issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in accordance with Decree No. 69/2018/ND-
CP dated May 15, 2018 and Circular No. 12/2018/TT-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade.
Circular No. 06/2022/TT-BCT will take effect from April 15. VNA
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501038420/viet-nams-trade-ministry-clarifies-tariff-quotas-for-
rice-dried-tobacco-leaves-from-cambodia/

Myanmar to produce value-added products from rice husk,

rice bran
  
YANGON (Xinhua): The Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) has been working on the
manufacturing of value-added products from rice husk and rice bran, according to state-run
newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday (March 8). The project on manufacturing
value-added products from by-products of rice will be implemented in collaboration with rice
mill owners, the newspaper quoted the federation as saying. The federation will utilise rice husks
for electricity generation and rice brans for rice bran oil production. The value-added production
projects will benefit sectors including edible oil, renewable electricity generation and feed
manufacturing, it said. Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation, founded by the federation,
has been carrying out power generation pilot projects by operating rice husk power plants in
Kyaiklat and Myaungmya townships, and rice bran oil production pilot projects using solvent
extraction and physical refining technology. "The rice industry's annual production value reached
nearly 7,000 billion kyats (US$3.94 billion). The federation is working on boosting the value of

domestic products and increasing investment and trade," MRF President U Ye Min Aung said.
Such domestic manufacturing and job creation will help the implementation of the country's
economic objectives, he added.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/03/09/myanmar-to-produce-value-
added-products-from-rice-husk-rice-bran
Rice shortage hits Migori millers as irrigation agency scales
down
 A move by the National Irrigation Authority
(NIA) to reduce operations at the lower Kuja
rice irrigation scheme has grounded operations
of millers. Already, rice millers are bearing the
brunt of the unending stalemate between farmers
and the scheme management with several acres
of land lying fallow over compensation delays.
The two parties have been embroiled in legal
battles for years since the implementation of the
first phase of the irrigation project in Nyatike.
Locals accuse politicians from the region of orchestrating the current stalemate at the expense of
the residents who have immensely benefited from the project.
“It is hurting that some of our politicians are orchestrating the withdrawal of funds for the
project to make political comebacks in 2022,” Edwin Ochieng, a resident of Sagama village said.
NIA regional coordinator Joel Tanui, during a recent crisis meeting, said unwillingness by the
farmers to cooperate has negatively impacted the scheme’s improvement. “NIA was only tasked
with providing an infrastructural framework as part of the production, leaving farmers to take
care of the remaining expenses. Locals are at liberty to choose between development and legal
wrangles," he said. Millers who had invested in the region as rice production in Nyatike boomed,
are now at the centre of the conflict, with some fearing they might be forced to shut down their
operations if the crisis is not solved any time soon. Tom Omondi, a manager at Nyakweri rice
mill, said they have stock to last them two weeks, after which they are likely to fold up. “Farmers
who used to supply our mill with paddy rice have since gone down after operations at the rice
farms were scaled down by the irrigation authorities citing high operation costs,” he said. The
miller added that at times he’s forced to source paddy rice from as far as Ahero in Kisumu
county since the diminishing supplies cannot meet their milling demands of five tonnes per day.
The entire irrigation project was to cover 19,000 hectares of land and not even a quarter of the
project has been implemented due to unsettled court cases regarding compensation. Currently,
there are over 20 court cases seeking to have the residents compensated, with sources noting that
NIA had considered pulling out from supporting the project which has cushioned the semi-arid
area from pangs of drought. A November 13, 2020 investigation report by the Kenya National
Commission on Human Rights revealed that the project had adverse and far-reaching
environmental and social effects on locals.
https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/rice-shortage-hits-migori-millers-as-nia-
scales-down-operations-3742346

WFP Sri Lanka - Market Monitor - January 2022

Format
Situation Report
 
Source
  WFP
 
 
Posted
9 Mar 2022
 
Originally published
9 Mar 2022
 
Origin
View original
Attachments

 Download document(PDF | 902.81 KB)

Key Highlights
 Overall inflation in January increased to 16.8%, up from 14% in December.
 Food inflation increased to 24.4% in January, up from 21.1% in December; non-food inflation
increased to 10.2% from 7.6% in December. The highest month-on-month food inflation was
recorded in January 2022, due to considerable price changes in rice and milk powder.
 During January, the government imported 7,410 MT of Indian Nadu and 13,416 MT of Samba
rice varieties to stabilise rice prices and meet supply shortages.
 From the 2 nd week of January there has been a slight decline in the price of local rice
varieties in the market, which may continue into February.
 The retail price of most low country vegetable varieties decreased towards the end of January,
as compared to the price hike recorded the month before.
https://reliefweb.int/report/sri-lanka/wfp-sri-lanka-market-monitor-january-2022
Geese may have been first birds domesticated 7,000 years
ago
Didi Tang, Beijing

Wednesday March 09 2022, 11.45am GMT, The Times

China is the world’s largest producer of goose meat today; researchers believe that Neolithic
villagers in the Yangtze valley started domesticating geese 7,000 years ago

WANG HUABIN/GETTY IMAGES

Didi Tang, Beijing

Wednesday March 09 2022, 11.45am GMT, The Times

The suggestion might ruffle a few feathers but scientists in Japan and China believe that geese
were tamed by humans 7,000 years ago, long before most other domesticated animals.

A study of goose bones from Tianluoshan, a Neolithic rice cultivation village in the lower
Yangtze River valley in China, found that the birds were in the “early stages” of domestication.
The researchers say that the herd predates the most reliable evidence of humans keeping
chickens.

https://www.science.org/content/article/geese-may-have-been-first-domesticated-birds