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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

De Lima orders reopening of rice-smuggling probe OFFICIAL CORRECTION-Iraq issues tender to buy at least 30,000 tonnes of rice DOJ eyes renewed hunt for rice cartel financier Rice prices drop as buyers take to sidelines ahead of year-e EC has yet to approve Commerce Ministry's rice selling plan Rice millers hurt by political standoff Govt targets rice exports of 8m tonnes next year Agri Buzz : India's Rice Exports To Iran Rises Over 12% in 2013 Farmers body seeks more procurement of paddy by Assam govt. Odisha announces special assistance for paddy Bangladesh wants rice seed trade with India TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- December 27 Review rice importation policy, maritime expert urges Nigerian government Rice Bran Oil consumption found significantly reducing cholesterol Trade boss: Rice exports wilt in 2013

NEWS DETAILS:
De Lima orders reopening of rice-smuggling probe
Category: Nation 27 Dec 2013 :Written by Joel R. San Juan THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to reopen its probe on the smuggling activities in the country involving a certain David Tan and several others.In an interview with reporters, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima also denied the allegation made by Sen. Ralph Recto that it sat on the Senates recommendation to prosecute David Tan and several others for their alleged involvement in big-time rice smuggling activities in the country.Based on reports, the Senate joint committee recommended to prosecute Tan, as well as a certain Danny Ngo, Danilo Garcia (head of a rice dealers

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association in southern Metro Manila) and Willy Sy (owner of Montevallo Enterprises, allegedly a bogus cooperative) for corruption; violation of Sections 101 and 3601 of the Tariffs and Customs Code of the Philippines, and of Republic Act 1956, which amended Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code on monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade, against the suspected financiers and operators of the rice cartel.De Lima explained that the NBI initially looked into Tans case but it was forced to suspend its investigation due to lack of leads. This time, de Lima said, she has directed the NBI Antigraft Division Chief Romulo Asis to lead the reinvestigation.Apparently there is a syndicate here, she said.De Lima said at least six teams, led by the NBI Antigraft Division, took on the case when it was referred to her by the Senate on March 16.They were given 30 days to investigate and file their report on Tans case but there was no development. The investigation was then extended to 90 days but they still werent able to gather solid evidence against Tan, and thus the probe was temporarily suspended, he explained. In its 43-page report, the Senate joint committee investigating the existence of the rice smuggling cartel in the country found that Tan were among the financiers of 26 cooperatives that cornered a big chunk of the rice importation of the National Food Authority (NFA).The said cooperatives, according to the Senate report, were allegedly considered as fronts for Tan and his group.Aside from the prosecution of Tan and his gang, the Senate also recommended to slap ex-NFA administrator Lito Banayo, his former chief of staff Gilberto Lauengco, and six other NFA officials with graft charges sin ce the NFA very well knew that the participants [in the Private Sector Financed Importation Program] do not have the financial nor the technical capability to import rice.But, de Lima said most of the resource persons they invited during the first investigation denied knowing Tan or his operations.

OFFICIAL CORRECTION-Iraq issues tender to buy at least 30,000 tonnes of rice

Reuters Middle East 20 hours ago

(Changes Thailand to Brazil in first paragraph after trade ministry corrected statement) BAGHDAD, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Iraq issued a tender to buy at least 30,000 tonnes of rice, with long-grain supplies which can be sourced from the United States, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina, a trade ministry statement said on Thursday.The closing date for the tender is Jan. 13, and offers must be valid until Jan. 17.In its previous rice tender which closed on Dec. 8, Iraq rejected all offers and made no purchase due to high prices asked by traders, a trade ministry source said. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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DOJ eyes renewed hunt for rice cartel financier

By Jorge Cario, ABS-CBN News Posted at 12/27/2013 4:15 PM | Updated as of 12/27/2013 4:15 PM

MANILA - The Department of Justice is looking at reorganizing a team handling the issue of rice smuggling after National Bureau of Investigation operatives came up empty-handed on the hunt for a certain David Tan.News reports said Tan was identified in a Senate joint committee inquiry on rice smuggling at the Subic Bay freeport and the Port of Legazpi.Tan was identified as one of the financiers who bankrolled the syndicate of bogus cooperatives and enterprises that cornered a hefty chunk of the National Food Authority's rice imports under the Aquino administration.Tan reportedly gave as much as P6 billion in kickbacks to Customs officials and employees who facilitated the entry of his shipments of smuggled rice over the last two years. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said she was able to talk with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima Friday morning who told her that the case was temporarily closed because the NBI has been unable to locate Tan and a certain Danny Ngo."I think you will all agree with me that the names are quite common. And despite their checks and The NBI also said that no one among the members of the alleged cooperatives were willing to give testimony, or at least, to cooperate to unveil the identities," said Valte.Valte said de Lima will meet with the NBI team today and will also direct NBI officials to reopen the probe.She said the NBI will discuss ways on how to reopen the investigation and how to move the investigation forward in order to achieve significant results."The Secretary of Justice also mentioned to us that she is willing to either reorganize the team that is handling the investigation or to enhance the team composition," said Valte.

Rice prices drop as buyers take to sidelines ahead of year-e

BUSINESS Rice prices drop as buyers take to sidelines ahead of year-end DECEMBER 27, 2013

Asian rice prices eased in subdued trade this week as buyers stayed on the sidelines ahead of the year-end holiday, traders said.Common grade Thai 5 percent broken rice was offered at $420 (RM1,383) per tonne, down from last week's $435, they said."The weaker baht allowed exporters to lower their offers, but that still failed to attract buyers as demand remained thin," said a Bangkok-based trader.The Thai baht has dropped against the dollar due to political turmoil in the country.Thai rice prices were also under pressure from rising supply during the harvesting period, traders said.Harvesting of Thailand's main 2013/14 crop is expected to flood the market with around 28.4 million tonnes of paddy.

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Supply normally peaks in late November.Vietnam's rice market was also quiet with low demand. The market is expected to be more active next week after the new year, said a trader in Ho Chi Minh City.Five percent broken rice eased to $415-$420 a tonne, on a free-on-board basis.The 25% broken variety was at $385-$390 a tonne.Vietnam's rice exports in 2013 dropped 16.1% from the previous year to an estimated 6.72 million tonnes, the government said.Revenue from rice exports fell 18.7% from 2012 to $2.99 billion (RM9.8 billion) due to easing global rice prices. - Reuters, December 27, 2013

EC has yet to approve Commerce Ministry's rice selling plan

Date : 27 2556 BANGKOK, 27 Dec 213, (NNT) - The Commerce Ministry has put a break on its plan to make Government-toGovernment (G-to-G) rice deals as the Election Commission (EC) has yet to give it a nod on the matter. According to Mr. Surasak Riangkrue, the Director General of the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), the Commerce Ministry will have to put on the back burner its plan to sell rice in its stockpile through G-to-G deals given it has to wait for the EC's official decision whether to allow it to proceed with the plan. He has, however, reassured rice farmers that the DFT will keep negotiating with foreign countries, asking them to buy more rice. His department has in the past sold over 140 billion baht worth of rice and the amount has already been returned to the Finance Ministry. He also expects the department to return another 140 billion baht to the Commerce Ministry next year.

Rice millers hurt by political standoff

Paddy supply comes to a halt
Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu, Pabna

Rice producers in Pabna are apprehensive over the political stalemate that has affected distribution and left about 15,000 workers sitting idle. Most rice mills in the district remain closed as there is virtually no paddy collection or sales for a lack of transportation. The government's aman procurement drives began on December 1, with targets to procure 10,866 tonnes by February 28, said Md Moyen Uddin, district controller of food. The drive may miss targets due to the lingering political turmoil, he added. Since December 1, we have procured just 1,234 tonnes of rice. At this rate, we are not sure if we can meet the target. A mere 491 rice mills made agreements with the government to supply 7,458 tonnes of rice; other millers in the

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district are reluctant to make a promise as production costs have increased due to the continuous blockades, Main Uddin said.According to officials at the district food office, 849 rice mills used to produce 52,000 tonnes of rice in every 15-day cycle, but production stopped last month for the political impasse. Rice traders could not receive paddy from the northern and southern districts due to the blockades for a month. Due to a lack of paddy, most rice mills remained shut that hampered production, said Md Idris Ali Bishwas, president of the district rice mill owners association.A few rice mills in Ishwardi upazila continued production with low amounts of paddy that increased production costs. Previously, I used to bring 200 to 250 bags of paddy a day to produce approximate 100 bags of rice. But in the last two weeks, I had to keep my mill shut for a lack of paddy, said Md Sadek Ali Bishwas, a rice mill owner.Transporters are now charging about Tk 25,000 for a truck carrying rice to Dhaka, up from Tk 12,00014,000, which is also increasing prices, he added. Published: 12:00 am Friday, December 27, 2013 Last modified: 9:32 pm Friday, December 27, 2013

Govt targets rice exports of 8m tonnes next year

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI:THE NATION December 27, 2013 1:00 am THE COMMERCE Ministry targets rice exports of at least 8 million tonnes next year, making Thailand once again the world's top rice exporter.The Foreign Trade Department predicts that with the ministry's huge stockpiles and the currently competitive price of Thai rice, shipments should increase in 2014.For this year, the department projects that rice exports will reach 6.68 million tonnes, worth US$4.38 billion. This would represent a drop by 3.9 per cent in volume from 2012, and a decrease by 7.9 per cent in terms of value.As of December 16, rice exports were down by 3.7 per cent year on year to 6.4 million tonnes, for a 7.4-per-cent drop in value to $4.2 billion (Bt138 billion).The department says that if the country sells 8 million tonnes of rice in 2014, it will earn up to $4.8 billion, up 19.8 per cent in volume and 9.4 per cent in value."Rice exports should increase continuously next year as many countries have looked at purchasing more from Thailand, which is known for the high quality of its rice. The falling of its price to around that of Vietnamese rice should also encourage more traders to purchase Thai rice," department director-general Surasak Riangkrul said.

Africa, Middle East He said the department would try hard next year to sell more rice in many markets, focusing on Africa and the Middle East.Despite the current administrative vacuum caused by the dissolution of Parliament pending a snap

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election, the department will try to release rice from the government stockpiles through various methods. It plans to continue to sell rice under government-to-government contracts, hold general auctions for both domestic traders and exporters, and use the futures market.The department is also waiting for the Election Commission to decide whether to allow it to sign new rice-sale contracts during the caretaker government.Surasak expects about 60 per cent of the rice exported next year would be shipped under G2G contracts. The department also reported that export of tapioca products reached 7.6 million tonnes in the first 10 months of this year, an increase by 11.17 per cent in volume. Shipment value was $2.55 billion, up by 10.94 per cent year on year.Surasak said that as implementation of the Asean Economic Community nears, cross-border trade was projected to reach Bt1.05 trillion next year, up by 16 per cent. In the first 10 months of this year, cross-border trading was up slightly, 0.48 per cent year on year, to Bt762.77 billion. Exports dropped 1.13 per cent to Bt462 billion, while imports increased 3.05 per cent to Bt161.24 billion.Malaysia is Thailand's largest cross-border trading partner, accounting for 54.6 per cent, followed by Myanmar at 21.1 per cent, Laos at 14.24 per cent, and Cambodia at 10.07 per cent

Agri Buzz : India's Rice Exports To Iran Rises Over 12% in 2013
Capital Market/ 12:56 , Dec 27, 2013

After the 'rupee payment mechanism' for trading with Iran kicked in last year, India's exports to the Persian Gulf country rose steeply, as Iran needs to buy goods from India to make use of the rupees that it gets for its oil exports.According to UCO Bank, which handles trade with Iran, India's exports to Iran currently stand at about $500 million. This is compared with $40 million a year back - a sharp rise of over 12 times.Interestingly, most of these exports are food items. UCO Bank has so far processed 3,112 letters of credit (LCs), involving goods worth Rs 17,463 crore, of which 960 LCs worth Rs 12,191 crore, or 70 percent, were for food and agricultural products. And the commodity that witnessed the most dramatic rise in exports was basmati rice. While India exported Rs 2,034 crore worth of the aromatic rice in 2010-11, the figure jumped to Rs 6,166 crore in the first six months of the current year.Now, the U.S. government has eased restrictions on India (as well as China and South Korea) for buying more oil from Iran. Also, though not formally agreed upon, Iran wants India to pay 55 percent of its oil dues in euros. Therefore, experts see Iran accumulating more rupees and the only way it can use the money is by buying goods and services from India.Against this backdrop, India has begun encouraging domestic companies to bid for projects in Iran, such as for laying roads, building railway lines or factories. Last week, the Commerce Ministry met officials of public sector companies, notably BHEL, SAIL and IRCON, in this regard.Such 'project exports' are typically high-value in nature and take time to secure. However, the Government ushered in another measure a few months back which could help boost exports in quick time a manufacturer can import raw materials and export to Iran with only 15 percent value-addition;

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other conditions, such as the goods should leave an Indian port and should reach an Iranian port, remain unchanged.However, export under this 'value addition' facility is yet to happen. T.S. Mallikarjuna, Deputy General Manager with UCO Bank, in-charge of trade with Iran in the bank, presumes that exporters may not be aware of this facility.UCO Bank has been holding meetings with exporters one was held in Chennai on December 21 to sensitize them about the opportunities that Iran now offers.At the Chennai meeting, the officials said the bank had tie-ups with six Iranian banks for processing payments and would soon enter into pacts with four more.
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Farmers body seeks more procurement of paddy by Assam govt.

Assam State Kishan Sabha has called for a statewide protest on December 30 As Assam is looking at surplus production of about 10 lakh MT of paddy, the Assam State Kishan Sabha (ASKS) has called for a statewide protest on December 30 to mount pressure on the State Government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to procure more paddy from the farmers in the State to prevent distress selling.Assam Agriculture Minister Nilamani Sen Deka told The Hindu that paddy production for the current year was poised to touch a record 55 lakh MT mark, due to surplus production. He said about 70 procurement centres had been set up by the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board and the FCI to procure more paddy as compared to the previous years. The State government has fixed Minimum Support Price of Rs. 1,250 a quintal for coarse varieties and Rs. 1,280 a quintal for fine varieties. ASKS Secretary Khemraj Chetri, however, alleged that the total targeted procurement by Agricultural Marketing Board and the FCI would be only around 80,000 MT. This is too little and will lead to distress selling of paddy by the farmers at much lower prices than the minimum support price fixed by the State government, he cautioned.Mr. Chetri said even those farmers who do not produce marketable surplus go for selling paddy to meet their cash requirement for other purposes. Normally such farmers knowing well that the paddy harvested by them will barely last or may not last the whole year to feed the entire family, want to sell off paddy as they need cash to meet their other household requirements.

However, if they do not get the minimum support price, they will land in trouble. In absence of adequate official procurement at the minimum support price, the farmers are compelled to sell their paddy at much lower prices. Therefore, we are demanding that the State government should ensure that at least 10 lakh MT of paddy is procured from the farmers to prevent distress selling and ensuring that they get remunerative prices for hard work, he added.The peasants leader said ASKS would stage dharna at block level on December 30. He alleged that in some places the farmers had been selling paddy for less than Rs. 1,000 a quintal.Mr. Deka said while private procurers go to villages, the farmers are required to bring paddy to procurement centres for

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procurement by the FCI or the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board and in such a situation many farmers find it easier to sell it to the private procurers. He, however, claimed that in some area private paddy procurers had been procuring paddy at little higher price than the minimum support price fixed by the government for milling it and selling milled rice back to farmers to earn profits.
Keywords: Assam govt., paddy procurement, Assam State Kishan Sabha, Food Corporation of India

Odisha announces special assistance for paddy

PTI
BHUBANESWAR, DEC 27:

The Odisha government on Friday announced a special assistance of Rs 100 per quintal of paddy for the farmers hit by cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods.The farmers will get special assistance of Rs 100 per quintal, over and above the minimum support price of paddy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said at a public meeting in Baragarh.Claiming that he was running a farmers government, he said: The government considered the plight of the farmers sympathetically and made this decision to help the peasants affected by the twin calamities.Patnaik said the farmers would get the benefit of special assistance till the end of Kharif season which was mostly till April next year.The state is likely to bear an estimated additional expenditure of Rs 150 crore, a senior official said, adding, the assistance would be given to a farmer up to 100 quintals of paddy.The farmers disposing more paddy would get the benefit up to 100 quintal. This apart, the government has also decided to exempt CST on paddy, which is generally two per cent, in case farmers sell their product in other states, he said.The state government has targeted to procure about 30 lakh quintals of paddy during the ongoing Kharif season, sources said.

The decision was reportedly taken at the state cabinet meeting last night, but was not made public in view of model code of conduct being in force for the ensuing Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation elections.Patnaik had also held a separate meeting with BJD leaders on the subject. Earlier, a group of MLAs from western districts had sought payment of bonus on paddy.The decision comes three days after Patnaiks convoy was obstructed by angry farmers near the State Secretariat on December 24. At least 26 members of the Navanirman Krushak Sanagathan (NKS), were arrested on charge of obstructing the Chief Ministers convoy.While demanding bonus for affected farmers, the NKS activists had also demonstrated inside the Assembly during the winter session of the House.Both Congress and BJP, however, slammed the state government for making the announcement of special assistance on paddy keeping any eye on next general elections.Patnaiks announcement exposes the governments narrow political motive. It would be better if the government announces Rs 300 bonus per quintal of paddy, Congress chief spokesman N Mishra said.Senior BJP leader B B Harichandan also alleged that the announcement was made keeping in view the next elections
(This article was published on December 27, 2013)

Keywords: Odisha, government, special assistance, paddy, cylone Phailin, floods, farmers

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Bangladesh wants rice seed trade with India

Edited from www.thedailystar.net | December 27, 2013

Bilateral cooperation on cross-border exchange of rice seeds will benefit both Bangladesh and India significantly because of their similarities in agro-climate conditions, said a recent study.Increased cooperation will help millions of farmers to have more access to better quality seeds at a cheaper price, said Mahfuz Kabir, co-author of the studyBangladesh-India rice seeds trade: trends, issues and policy perspective.There is a persistent demand and supply gap in rice seeds in Bangladesh hovering around 180,890 tonnes to 189,415 tonnes in the last several years, he said. In India, the situation is reverse. In 2013, there is a surplus of 42,572 tonnes of rice seeds in four eastern Indian statesBihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.This gap can potentially be filled by export of Indian rice seeds of both hybrid and high yielding varieties, said Kabir, also senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies. At present, the demand and supply gap of rice seeds in Bangladesh is being partly filled by import of hybrid seeds from China. China meets more than 90 percent of Bangladesh's import demand for rice seeds. India's exports to Bangladesh remain negligible, accounting for less than 3 percent of its total exports. Anecdotal evidences suggest that there is some informal rice seeds trade occurring at the border points between India and Bangladesh.Trading barriers have been reported to be more rigid and greater in number from the Indian side. Bangladesh imports a wide array of products from India through formal and informal processes. From the Bangladesh side, there are minimal trade barriers. But in case of India, due to their federal government system, facilitating trade requires much longer time and many forms of documents and authorization and certification from a number of bodies, according to the study.The issue of harmonization of seed standards and certification is critical for both Bangladesh and India, especially for addressing the issue of food security and climate change, the study said.The potential of seed trading between Bangladesh and India is immense, sa id Swapan Kumar Datta, deputy director general (crop sciences) of India Council of Agricultural Research.Informal bilateral trade in rice seeds is on the rise even as there might have been some technical barriers to seed trading between the two countries, he said.In Bangladesh, more than 100 private companies are involved in seed production and around 5,000 dealers are operational across the country. Also, there are thousands of contract farmers engaged in seed production. Bangladesh's seed market is worth around $261 million.Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, a former chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, and Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue, reported.

TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- December 27

Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:20pm IST TABLE-India Grain Prices - Delhi - Dec 27

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Rates by Asian News International, New Delhi Tel: 011 2619 1464 Indicative Grains opening Previous close

(in rupees per 100 kg unless stated) ---------------------------------------------------------Wheat Desi Wheat Dara 1,725-2,525 1,800-2,000 215-240 1,920-2,025 1,900-2,000 1,850-1,950 1,725-2,525. 1,800-2,000. 215-240. 1,920-2,025. 1,900-2,000. 1,850-1,950. 12,000. 11,500. 7,500-7,900.

Atta Chakki (per 10 Kg) Roller Mill (per bag) Maida (per bag) Sooji (per bag)

Rice Basmati(Sri Lal Mahal) Rice Basmati(Lal Quila) Rice Basmati(Common) Rice Permal Rice Sela I.R.-8 Gram Peas Green Peas White Bajra Jowar white Maize

12,000 11,500 7,450-7,800

2,450-2,600 3,300-3,550 2,350-2,500 3,300-3,600 3,400-3,700 2,600-2,700 1,300-1,550 1,800-2,050 1,550-1,850

2,450-2,600. 3,325-3,600. 2,350-2,500. 3,300-3,600. 3,450-3,750. 2,600-2,700. 1,350-1,600. 1,800-2,050. 1,500-1,800.

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Barley Guwar

1,500-1,550 3,300-3,900

1,500-1,550. 3,300-3,900.

Source: Delhi grain market traders.

Review rice importation policy, maritime expert urges Nigerian government

Premium Times:Published: December 27,2013

The Federal Government wants to discourage rice importation.The spokesperson of the Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) on Friday urged the Federal Government to review the policy on rice importation in the interest of the nations economy.Mr. Akinola made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.He said that Nigeria was losing an average of N1billion daily to the subsisting policy on rice importation and the attendant high level smuggling of the commodity into the country.Before January 2013, rice importers paid a 60 per cent duty, but when it was increased to 110 per cent, importers shun Nigerian ports for neighbouring countries.No rice vessel has berthed at any port in Nigeria in close to a year now. What that means is that government is losing revenue that the Customs should have collected.The vessels just go to neigbouring ports where they will pay far less duty and the smugglers end up bringing the same rice into the country illegally, he said.He said that the policy has affected the revenue of the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service from rice import.Mr. Akinola said the Command had so far collected only N11 million as duty on rice as against what it used to be. The Area Controller of Apapa Customs said that rice was the highest revenue-earner for them, but this year, the Command collected only N11 million as import duty on rice.In 2012 and 2011 about N138 billion and N135 billion respectively was collected as revenue on rice importation. You can see the monumental loss to the Nigerian government, Mr. Akinola said.Mr. Akinola said it was evident that the plan to develop t he local production of rice still needed time because during this yuletide Nigerians ate imported rice and not locallyproduced ones.During this celebration period people ate the same imported rice, not the one grown in Abakaliki or Ofada, he said.The Federal Government wants to make Nigeria self sufficient in rice production

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and has thus put in place policies to discourage importation. Statistics from the Agriculture Ministry indicate that Nigeria currently produces about half of the amount of rice consumed annually in the country.

Rice Bran Oil consumption found significantly reducing cholesterol

India Infoline News Service/ Mumbai 15:25 , Dec 27, 2013 The Study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cooking oil substitution with either Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil.Consumption of Refined Rice Bran Oil causes significant decrease in bad cholesterols as

compared to consumption of Groundnut Oil and Olive Oil. This has been established in a randomized, open labeled clinical study conducted by Dr. Debasish Hota, Head of Departments of Pharmacology and Endocrinology at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh and his team. Dr. Hota is currently the Prof. & Head of Department of Pharmacology, AIIMS, Bhubneshwar.The Study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cooking oil substitution with either Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Groundnut Oil on the lipid profile in patients with raised cholesterol levels.The study population consisted of 120 subjects from both sexes. Most of the study population was between 41-60 years. No diet restrictions and physical activity instructions were issued.

Olive Oil was taken into study as it is known to reduce bad cholesterols attributable to the presence of a unique nutrient known as polyphenols. Since polyphenols are present in maximum quantities in the Extra Virgin variety of Olive Oil, a renowned international brand of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil was used in the study. Rice Bran Oil was taken into the study as this oil contains a unique nutrient known as Oryzanol which is well known in the literature for its cholesterol lowering properties besides many other health benefits. There are several studies on humans and animals showing that Oryzanol found in Rice Bran Oil has the property of lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and total serum cholesterol and increasing the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) to some extent by influencing absorption of dietary cholesterol, the study points out.

The efficacy conclusion of the study was that the percentage decrease in LDL cholesterol, total Cholesterol and Triglyceride level was maximum and significant in Rice Bran Oil group as compared to Groundnut Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil groups. Keeping this result in view the study has concluded that Rice Bran Oil is more effective for lipid profile management as compared to Olive oil and Groundnut Oil, says Dr. Hota.

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Rice Bran Oil is unique edible oil produced from the oily layer of brown rice, which is separated as rice bran, while producing white rice. It has the most ideally balanced fat composition, hence, can be used regularly without there being any need to switch between oils as is normally advised in respect of other conventional oils, says Dr. A.R. Sharma, Chairman of the SEA RBO Promotion Council. Various research studies have proved that Oryzanol, which is uniquely found in Rice Bran Oil, offers numerous health benefits besides lowering bad cholesterols. It is known to improve insulin sensitivity in Type-2 diabetics, protect liver, reduce hypertension, provide relief from gastric troubles, treat osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms, keeps skin young and helpful in body building, emphasizes Dr. Sharma. The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad has also endorsed some of the reported health benefits of Oryzanol. National Institute of Nutrition (The Apex body of Nutrition in India) in its recently released Dietary guidelines has mentioned that Oryzanol found in Rice Bran Oil is helpful in reducing cholesterol and oxidative damage due to ageing, inflammation which occur in chronic diseases, he added. For the last few decades, Rice Bran Oil is being used as premium edible oil in countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan & Thailand. In Japan, it is popularly known as Heart Oil because of its scientifically proven cholesterol lowering properties. It has acquired the status of Health Food in US Markets. Recently Indian Markets too have witnessed some of the good brands of Refined Rice Bran Oil. The demand for Rice Bran Oil has grown considerably in the country because of its multiple health benefits. India is the largest producer of Rice Bran Oil although it is second largest producer of rice after China. It has the potential to produce over 14 lakh tonnes of Rice Bran Oil, however currently it produces about 9 lakh tonnes, of which only 3 lakh tonnes are used as edible oil while the rest is used by vanaspati industry or blended with other oils and sold as branded products, said Dr. B.V. Mehta, Executive Director of the Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA). It is our constant endeavor to support the small players to create visibil ity in retail chains and educate the consumers about the benefit of this unique oil, he added.The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) is busy promoting the health benefits of one of the 'Worlds Healthiest Oil' - RICE BRAN OIL known as the 'Wonder oil' to many leading cardiologists, diabetes experts, nutritionists and health advisors world over. Rice Bran oil with its ideal SFA/ MUFA/ PUFA ratio and EFA ratios most ideally matches the prescribed levels suggested by World Health Organization (WHO).

Trade boss: Rice exports wilt in 2013

Exporters' chief calls figures 'impossible' Published: 27 Dec 2013 :Newspaper section: Business

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The government acknowledged for the first time rice exports in 2013 will reach a mere 6.68 million tonnes worth US$4.38 billion, down by 3.9% and 7.9%, respectively.The amount is far below the forecast range of 8 million to 8.5 million tonnes for the year.Surasak Riangkrul, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, blamed the drop on higher prices for Thai rice than for Indian and Vietnamese grains and a delay in purchases by several rice-importing countries such as Indonesia.Mr Surasak said 60% of the rice shipments stemmed from government sales of rice stocks, but Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said Mr Surasak's claim is impossible."If the government's rice stock sales made up 60% of the country's overall rice shipments, this is tantamount to the government selling as much as 3-4 million tonnes and the private exporters selling only 2 million tonnes," said Mr Chookiat."This is impossible. Parboiled rice, which is sold only by exporters, is equal to 2 million tonnes this year. That would mean the exporters sold hardly any white rice."He said the figures claimed by the department are most likely inaccurate.

"The National Anti-Corruption Commission is expected to rule soon over the scope of government-togovernment (G2G) rice sales," said Mr Surasak."G2G deals should be made with a letter of credit concerning the deal issued to the Foreign Trade Department, not how it's done now with the government assigning certain rice exporters to sell state rice stocks on its behalf."In November, Mr Surasak said the government had sold 7-8 million tonnes of its rice stockpile over the last two years through G2G contracts.The government remains adamant its remaining stockpile is 10 million tonnes, though industry sources put the amount closer to 16-17 million.He predicted rice exports in 2014 of 8 million tonnes worth $4.8 billion. Once again, rice sold through G2G deals will account for 60% of the country's total rice shipments, he said.The department expects to fetch 130-140 billion baht from selling rice stocks via G2G contracts in 2014, and to pay back the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). The Commerce Ministry repaid 140 billion baht to the BAAC in 2013, he said.

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