11th August, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.
com
News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874

11
th
August, 2014

TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU
Latest News Headlines
Rice millers demand soft loans to modernise
China prohibits cross-border rice imports from Vietnam
For first time in 30 years, PHL exports 400MT of rice
Rice bids below ministry's 'floor prices'
Nigeria: The U.S.$1 Billion Rice MoU Between Dangote and the
Federal Government
GMO Golden Rice: The Scourge of Asia. Monsanto, Sygenta, Bayer
Trigger Disruption of Peasant Economy
LA rice farmers getting less money for sale of crops, no more help
from feds
QC implements
Half-Cup Rice Ordinance
Rice producers: make plans to attend the annual Rice Field Day on
the 21st!
Aug 08, 2014 -- 11:31am
Farmers stick with old methods due to costs
Antiwaste campaign is run by PhilRice, not I RRI
PH ships 1st rice export in 30 years
Enhanced Aus cultivation to attain food security underscored

News Detail

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com

Rice millers demand soft loans to modernise
Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu, Pabna

Millers can increase rice parboiling by 8 lakh tonnes and rice bran
oil production by 15 lakh tonnes a year with implementation of the
modern parboiling technology developed by Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute in collaboration with the German aid agency GIZ
.Almost 70 percent of fuel potential from rice husk is wasted in the
traditional method of parboiling, speakers said at a discussion
yesterday.The introduction of the new fuel-efficient parboiling
system can easily halve the use of husk as fuel, and produce rice
bran oil from the savings, said Taposh Kumar, additional secretary of the power and energy ministry as the
chief guest.
Small and medium level rice producers are unable to introduce auto-milling because of fund shortage, said Md
Abdul Aziz, a leading rice producer in the north.The new method can boost production capacity nearly 10
times, according industry estimates.Currently total 17000 rice mills including 450 automatic, around 1500 semi
automatic, and the traditional rest produce 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice every year.GIZ and the
rice millers of Ishwardi jointly organised the discussion on government support for disseminating the improved
parboiling system at Ishwardi Sugarcane Research Institute yesterday.
Introducing automation is too costly for the small and medium millers, said Abdul Aziz, also the secretary of
Ishwardi rice miller owners' group. He demanded soft loans from banks to assist millers automate.Bank officials
should widen their loan disbursement services among the small and medium millers of the zone to increase
production, said Md Masum Patwary, general manager of Bangladesh bank. Bangladesh Bank is ready to assist
the commercial banks in providing SME loans. The new system will create jobs and scope for female
employment, which is why the central bank is encouraging it, Patwary said. So far, GIZ has helped set up at
least 50 such auto mills in parts of the country, said Al Mudabbir Bin Anam, component manager for energy
efficiency at GIZ.Traditional boilers are accident-prone, costly and fuel-inefficient as compared to the newer
method, which is also more environment friendly, according to GIZ


Image: Taposh Kumar, additional secretary of power and energy, attends a discussion on government support for
dissemination of modern rice parboiling technology organised by German aid agency GIZ and local rice millers
association at Ishwardi Sugarcane Research Institute in Ishwardi yesterday. Photo: GIZ
China prohibits cross-border rice imports from Vietnam
VietNamNet Bridge Vietnamese enterprises that export rice to China across the border have said that China,
as expected, has prohibited rice imports from Vietnam through unofficial channels. However, they say this will
not affect the domestic market.Nguyen Cong Khanh, a merchant in Hai Phong City, who collects rice from
farmers to sell to Chinese businessmen, said that Vietnams rice can be exported only through official channels,
while imports that go through the border gates have been banned by the Chinese administration.

According to Khanh, China has prevented the rice imports across the border in order to tighten control over tax
payments made by Chinese rice importers. Many Chinese importers of rice have been found evading tax. So,
the Chinese administration imposed the ban, and plans to have fixed tax rates for easier control, he
said.Nguyen Thi Tu, another merchant in Hai Phong City, who specializes in providing rice to Chinese
businessmen, has also confirmed that the rice import ban was issued to prevent tax evasion. However, they
(Chinese) still have high demand for Vietnams rice, she said.Observers said though China stopped buying
Vietnams rice through the border gates, this will in no way affect the domestic market and rice production.

According to Lam Anh Tuan, director of Thinh Phat Company in Ben Tre Province, Chinese businessmen
mostly order fragrant rice, but there is no longer an abundant domestic supply of this rice.I heard from some
businessmen who directly export rice to China that the Chinese demand for rice is now weaker than several
months ago, he said.Meanwhile, Huynh The Nang, general director of the Southern Food Corporation
(Vinafood 2), told the press on August 5 that he has not been told about the Chinese decision to prohibit rice
imports from Vietnam.However, Nang said, even if this is true, the domestic market will not be badly affected.
At this moment, China is not one of the major clients to whom Vietnam wants to sell rice at any cost.

The demand from countries other than China for Vietnams rice is very high now, while the domestic supply is
declining, he noted.The Philippines wants to buy more rice from Vietnam. Meanwhile, Indonesia and
Malaysia are considering importing more rice. I think the current conditions are very favorable for Vietnams
rice, he maintained.The rice price has been staying firmly high in the domestic market. In the Mekong River
Delta, the rice granary of Vietnam, IR 50404 rice is sold at VND7,700 per kilo, while long-grain rice at
VND7,800 per kilo.The export rice price offered by Vietnamese exporters have regained the previous high
levels after they decreased slightly some days ago. Five percent broken rice is offered at $465-475 per kilo,
while the 25 percent broken rice at $415-425 per ton.Dat Viet newspaper has quoted Oryza as saying that
Vietnams rice price has hit a record high since October 2012, which is now even higher than Thai, Indian,
Pakistani and Cambodian rice.
TBKTSG
Tags:cross-border rice imports, China,border,rice export,


For first time in 30 years, PHL exports 400MT of rice
Friday, August 8, 2014
THE Philippines has exported 400 metric tons of high quality rice for the first time in 30 years, the Department
of Agriculture (DA) said Friday.Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said that the country has already
exceeded earlier projections on the volume of premium rice the country can export."Ang amin pong naunang
projection ay ang maka-export ng 100 metric tons of premium rice, but we have already exported 400 metric
tons of premium ricered rice, black rice and organic riceand the year is not yet over," Alcala said. He said
that in the event the Philippines hit rice self-sufficiency and there is already adequate buffer stock, rice farmers
will be encouraged to cultivate more premium rice for export.
According to Alcala, Hong Kong and Singapore have large requirements for
premium rice but they do not have any production.He added that it is a good
sign that the country was finally able to export rice "because it has become
somewhat embarrassing that for more than 30 years, we have been importing
rice and among the world's top importers of rice."Earlier the DA said the
Philippines saved not less than P147 billion on rice importation from 2010 to
2013 because instead of buying rice from the Vietnamese and Thai neighbors,
Filipino farmers had a good harvest and were able to meet part of the
demand.The country used to rely in imports to stabilize rice supply and price
with an import dependency ratio of 13.57 percent from 2001-2010.The DA
noted that the past administration spent more in National Food Authority imports than in production support
from 2001-2010P105.6 billion for production compared to P292.5 billion for NFA imports, making
production grow at a rate of only 2.27 percent or a little over 313,000 MT annually.
From 2008 to 2010, the amount paid for rice imports worth P176.18 billion was eight times the amount of
P22.06 billion paid for the period 2011-2013. Payments for rice imports were 2.8 times the level of support for
rice programs from 2001-2010. This was reversed from 2011 to 2013 with support for local producers at 3.9
times that of payments for rice imports, which drove the farmers to deliver the performance in the last three
years with a higher annual average growth rate of 5.37 percent, equivalent to 889, 029 MT, the DA
said. (SDR/Sunnex)

Rice bids below ministry's 'floor prices'
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation August 8, 2014 1:00 am
Scores of traders queued at the Commerce Ministry yesterday to join the first rice auction of the year, but bid below the
ministry's "floor prices" despite high demand during the off season and amid transparency in the bidding process.The


working committee will need to ask the bidders who offered the highest prices to raise their prices and will propose the
results of the auction to the Rice Policy Committee to decide whether to sell this lot of rice or cancel the sale," said
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department.Of the 49 traders applying, 46 passed the
ministry's qualifications for participating in the auction. Exporters, packers, millers and others bid for 167,000 tonnes of
various kinds of rice from the past three harvest seasons.

The working committee did not expect the bids to be lower than floor prices, so it may need to ask for a mandate from the
chairman of the Rice Policy Committee to adjust some floor prices in order to release rice from the government's stocks.If
the prices are not satisfactory, the government will not be in a hurry to sell rice from its inventory, as pressure to do so has
lessened because of a low supply in the market.The ministry says it is still confident it can reduce rice stockpiles and will
continue holding auctions. It will give the result of this auction to the vice chairman of the Rice Policy Committee today.
Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said many traders joined the government's
auction because demand was high in the market. He said the bids were quite high and the government should agree to sell
rice to increase supply.
The market price for rice is rising gradually because of low supply in the world market.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary
president of the association, said it was a good time to release rice from the stockpiles, but the government might have to
accept low prices as some stocks had deteriorated in quality.For this round, many traders were willing to join because it
was transparent and open to small outfits. It is hard for traders to conspire on bid rigging because of the high demand in
the market, Chookiat said.A rice-miller source said the bids were quite high. Small traders may be unable to compete with
large players, but they had to join the auction because of the shortage of rice in the market.

Nigeria: The U.S.$1 Billion Rice MoU Between Dangote and the Federal
Government

By Dele Sobowale
"He gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to grow upon a spot where
only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential services to his country than the whole race
of politicians put together. Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745.Last week the richest black man in the world, our own Alhaji Aliko
Dangote, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Federal Government of Nigeria for the establishment
of a $1 billion integrated rice-producing company in Nigeria.Granted, it is still just an MoU, signed in an Aso Rock sitting
on so many MoUs gathering dust, it would require a 30-ton trailer to evacuate them. Nigerians with any memory should
remember the most recent examples: to establish a refinery or several refineries and to establish power plants - all of
which should have been operating by now.


The problem is, the con men who persuade government and build up our hopes would usually quietly forget the entire
idea once the phony publicity had been generated and the media had withdrawn. One hopes this MoU is not heading for
the same dusty shelves in the archives.In the belief that Alhaji Aliko Dangote means business, then the proposal deserves
the commendation and the support of all Nigerians. To really win the war on rice importation, which is synonymous with
self-sufficiency, we need BIG AND PATIENT capital. That is what has been lacking up till now. Hitherto, all our efforts
have been based on nave optimism and false hope. Now, one man has forced us to face reality and we now have a chance
to actually win this war. For the umpteenth time, let me declare that I was once into integrated rice farming with defunct
Haske Rice Mill, situated on Kalambina Road, next to Sokoto Cement, Sokoto. Haske was also an integrated rice-
producing organisation. I visited the plant on May 8 of this year for personal reasons and I was sad that the mill closed
down shortly after I left in 1990 and had remained closed since then.The mill, which was established by the President
Shehu Shagari administration, along with two others at Makurdi and Badeggi, were designed to have made Nigeria self-
sufficient in rice by 1990. The initiative failed because major importers of rice, names withheld, wanted it to fail.
It was not in their interest at the time.The failure of our Rice Policy under Shagari, was repeated when importers, again,
ensured the failure of our National Sugar Policy under the administration of military President Ibrahim Babangida. That
policy was designed to make Nigeria self-sufficient in sugar production and ethanol - which is a bye-product.That we are
still today not a nation of producers but "a nation of shopkeepers" (apologies to Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821) can be
attributed largely to the importers in hot pursuit of their self-interest, legitimately, and complaisant governments at the
federal level who allowed narrow private interests to override the national interest at all times. Certainly, given a Lee
Kuan Yew, nobody would have been permitted to subvert the national interest for purely personal gain. All our Heads of
State succumbed to temptation - both military and civil. It is still happening even now.It will be interesting to read the
contents of the MoU to find out what concessions have been demanded, and granted, in exchange for the investment to be
made. It will also be of interest to know if the concessions granted to Dangote will also be available to any organization
willing to invest $1 billion - to ensure a level playing field. The on-going war in the cement sector is a pointer to what can
happen when selective concessions are granted in exchange for "God knows what.
"Private organisations are not charitable institutions - even when they "donate generously" during fund raising events.
They are merely giving back a fraction of what they gained from the country and they hope to leverage the "donations" to
benefit more in the future. Nobody should deceive us about that.Still the MoU, if it results in the investment of $1 billion
(N167 million) is a significant step in the right direction - but it is still a drop in the bucket compared to the investments
made by the major rice exporting countries. It will amount to monumental foolishness, a great error of judgment, if we
assume that they will give up the Nigerian market so easily. For them, there is too much at stake. For us, there is a lot
more at stake.With declining crude oil revenue, rapidly increasing population, our ability to pay for our food import bill is
also taking a dive. Rice remains one of our major imports - despite the existing rice importation policy. Out there,
thousands of people depend on Nigeria to consume their rice. Here, millions of Nigerians will continue for quite a while
on cheaper imported rice - whether smuggled or not.
Dangote's integrated rice company will not immediately close the price gap between imports and locally produced rice. It
is even possible that a clause in the MoU might authorise the Dangote Mill to import paddy rice for milling locally.
Without such a concession, the $1 billion venture will find it difficult to obtain enough paddy rice for its mills.I should
know. When we started operations at Haske Rica Mill, Sokoto, we discovered that the Shagari administration had
installed a most modern rice mill, ordered from Japan's SATAKE, which was capable of processing 10 tons of rice per


hour, 24 hours a day and for 300 days straight. All the rice harvested in Nigeria then could not feed this mill alone. But,
there were three mills to be fed.

GMO Golden Rice: The Scourge of Asia. Monsanto, Sygenta, Bayer
Trigger Disruption of Peasant Economy
Initiative of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) funded by Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Asias dependency on rice cultivation for both subsidence and income is intuitively understood. The Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates the agricultural population of lowland rice
cultivation in Asia to be over 470 million - larger than the entire population of the United States. Improvements in
rice cultivation would stand to lift hundreds of millions from debt and poverty.onversely, the disruption of rice
cultivation would threaten to mire hundreds of millions in deeper debt, inescapable destitution, and all of the
negative socioeconomic implications that follow.

Asias rice farmers produce between 1-2 harvests a
year depending on the climb and climate of any
given region. They do so to sell their rice, generally
to mills who in turn sell the final product to
exporters or for domestic consumption. Out of each
harvest, rice farmers keep a portion for their own
consumption, but the vast majority of what they
grow is for income.The UK-based Rice Association
claims there are up to 40,000 species of rice, with a
wide variety of characteristics suitable for different
markets and uses. Rice farmers grow those which
local, national and regional markets are best suited
to move. In nations where subsidies are offered for
rice crops, cheap, easy to grow varieties are chosen.
More desirable or exotic species are grown by independent farmers who have developed their own cooperative with
millers, marketers and exporters. The rice Asians eat depends on both economic and market realities. The
impoverished eat what is cheapest and most easily available, but not necessarily that which is healthiest.

Enter GMO: Problem, Reaction, Solution


Poor diet leads to vitamin deficiencies, a persistent problem among the impoverished. A lack of basic healthcare and
education allows the otherwise easily rectified problem to continue unresolved. The World Health Organization
(WHO) states on their website, an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every
year, half of them dying within 12 months of losing their sight. This statistic is global, not regionally specific to
Asia, but Southeast Asia in particular suffers from such deficiencies. WHO prescribes cheap vitamin supplements
and the promotion of local gardens to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables that can easily solve not only
vitamin A deficiency, but other deficiencies as well.

WHO states, for vulnerable rural families, for instance in Africa and South-East Asia, growing fruits and vegetables
in home gardens complements dietary diversification and fortification and contributes to better lifelong
health.Surely then, one would expect both regional governments and international organizations to focus on these
recommendations. However, there is a vocal and growing cry to solve this problem with another, more radical
solution, the implementation of genetically modified (GM) rice containing beta-carotene to target specifically
vitamin A deficiency in Asia. Promoted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), directly funded by
agricultural giants Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer and others, along with the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) which is also partnered with big-business agriculture, genetically modified Golden
Rice containing beta-carotene is promoted as the solution to saving millions of children.Golden Rice: Scourge of
Asia

In reality Golden Rice will do nothing of the sort. The promotion of Golden Rice is not unlike any given commercial
endeavor. IRRIs website links to articles like, A senseless fight, which asks, how could anyone in good
conscience seek to thwart technology that has even a remote chance of tackling the problem of vitamin A
blindness?

The appeal to emotions and sickly children diverts from the real threat Golden Rice poses to the very people it
claims to be helping. People who grow rice, grow it to sell to markets. These markets are well-developed, based on
indigenous agricultural technology and tradition, and linked to export markets with stringent requirements (many of
which restrict or outright ban GMO).The introduction of GM rice for any reason, would threaten or potentially
destroy the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people.
Proponents of Golden Rice suggest rice farmers replace their profitable crops with
genetically modified rice that will treat only one of many vitamin and mineral
deficiencies they may or may not potentially suffer from, deficiencies that could be
easily solved through other methods. Clearly illogical in terms of helping the
malnourished, Golden Rice must serve another purpose.The author of IRRIs
featured article, A senseless fight, suggests that Golden Rice is being developed
by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which is a not-for-profit
institute, and the seeds will be distributed to farmers who can resow them as they
wish. In these cases, the argument [against Golden Rice] switches to Golden Rice is


a Trojan horse. In other words, by sneaking below the barriers of suspicion, it will open the floodgates to GMO
technology and from then on to a slippery slope and the takeover of the worlds seed supply.
The author, in their attempt to defend Golden Rice, reveals the true agenda behind the otherwise useless crop.
Governments, international organizations and the private sector (i.e. Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer) will flood Asia
with Golden Rice, where it will intermingle and contaminate rice species that have been in use for centuries and
form the foundation of Asias historical and modern agricultural industry.The livelihoods of some 470 million
people who depend on rice farming in Asia (not to mention those that import and consume Asian rice beyond Asias
borders) would be jeopardized by the proliferation of Golden Rice disseminated under the dubious guise of
humanitarian concerns.The marketing machine behind Golden Rice doesnt ever seem to address this critical fact.
That Golden Rice seeds will be kept and sown each year by prospective cultivators only increases the dangers of
cross-contamination with other, economically and culturally valuable species.

It is in all regards a flagrant attempt to infiltrate, corrupt and overtake rice production at its very geographical and
socioeconomic heart. It is akin to a plague openly being designed, tested and prepared to be unleashed on a
population. The spread of Golden Rice too is a plague that will compound exponentially the challenges already
facing millions of farmers across Asia. When all it takes to solve vitamin A deficiency is what WHO claims
is supplementation that costs a couple of cents a dose, and the growing of gardens that solve not only vitamin A
deficiencies Golden Rice claims to target, but a whole host of other deficiencies Golden Rice most certainly does not
address, the fact that Golden Rice is not what it is promoted to be is obvious. It is, as IRRI coined it, a Trojan
horse, that will not only fail to stop malnutrition, but will expand the very destitution, poverty, and helplessness that
causes malnutrition in the first place.

Ulson Gunnar, a New York-based geopolitical analyst and writer especially for the online magazine New Eastern
Outlook.

LA rice farmers getting less money for sale of crops, no more help
from feds
KADN Staff
Brittany Bodden-KADN
Friday, August 8, 2014 - 12:18pm
LAFAYETTE, LA (KADN) With some rice farmers already harvesting their crop, we caught up with the
Rice Research Station in Crowley to see how this year's crop is looking compared to years in the past. We hear
the first yields coming out of the field are very good, despite the colder weather we endured earlier this year.


Rice farmers are under pressure this year not because of production, but because prices have dropped and they
are working under a new farm bill that has cut direct payments rice farmers were use to receiving.

"Even with a good yield with the price we've got this year, you know, it
might be a little bit of a struggle. But because of that we need to have the
highest yield we possibly can," says Steve Linscombe, director of Rice
Research Station.Linscombe says a big reason the price dropped this year is
because of a huge increase in rice acreage in Arkansas, which has a
significant affect on prices. But Farmers are optomistic the environment the
crops grew under was effective enough to produce a good rice crop for this
season.
QC implements Half-Cup Rice Ordinance
Saturday 9th of August 2014

QUEZON CITY, 09 August (PIA)The Quezon City government now implements an ordinance that requires all eating
establishments in the City to offer customers the option of ordering a half-a-cup of rice. Under the Half-Cup Rice
Ordinance introduced by Councilor Allan Butch Francisco and approved by Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista last
month, first-time violators will receive a written warning from the citys business permits and licensing office.Second-
time offenders will be meted out a fine of P1,000 while a third offense will mean a P2,000 fine on top of a month-long
suspension of the establishments license to operate.The ordinance is in line with the campaign of the International Rice
Research Institute to reduce rice waste at the consumer level.
Based on data from the Department of Science and Technologys Food and Nutrition Research Institute, each Filipino
wastes an average of three tablespoons of rice daily, or 3.3 kilos per year. The ordinance covers all food establishments
operating in the city, including fast-food chains, food courts, caterers and canteens in schools and hospitals. (QC-
PAISO/RJB/SDL/PIA-NCR)
Rice producers: make plans to attend the annual Rice Field Day on
the 21st!
Aug 08, 2014 -- 11:31am
Advancements in agricultural technology and rice research will be highlighted at the Rice Field Day, hosted by
the Missouri Rice Council in cooperation with Southeast Missouri State University and the University of
Missouri, Thursday, the 21
st
at the Missouri Rice Research Farm off of Highway J west of Malden. Department
of Agriculture Chair Dr. Mike Aide tells KZIM KSIM they will have presenters on every topic imaginable from


marketing, weed control, production, and whats new in technology as things are changing very rapidly.
Especially when it comes to drones "You can scout a field with a drone that if you had to walk through it, it
would take you half a day. But like all technology in a few years as people start buying it and they get mass
produced the cost will come down dramtically." Aide expects over 3-hundred to attend. Dunklin County is the
third largest county for rice production in the USA. A perfect setting for this research farm. The day begins at
7:30am. Lunch is provided.
Farmers stick with old methods due to costs
By Htoo Thant | Monday, 11 August 2014
Farmers are shunning more modern methods of planting rice as too expensive even though they admit the
measures increase yields.
A farm labourer uses the transplant method of sowing rice. It increases yields, but farmers say it is also more labour-intensive. Photo: Staff
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has promoted a
more scientific take on rice farming, including initially
germinating rice seeds in a nursery before transplanting them
in the paddy fields.However, farmers say it is more cost-
effective to directly plant the rice in the ground without first
germinating them in a nursery. Such direct planting requires
less labour and the rice matures earlier, but it is more
susceptible to pests and competition from other plants,
according to an information sheet from the International Rice
Research Institute. Farmers near Nay Pyi Taw said a shortage
of rural labour is leading to rising wages for agricultural
workers, which are pushed even higher if labourers are
required to transplant rice sprouts from a nursery rather than
seed the paddies directly.If we [transplant rice] we will have to apologise profusely to the agricultural labourers
before hiring them, because it is so much more work, said U Kyi Aung, a farmer from Pyinmana township.
Farmer Ko Myo Lin Aung said it costs K30,000 to 50,000 more per acre to use the transplanting method.The
ministry said its best to use the transplanting method, but we cant afford the labour costs, he said.Other farmers
said that once the higher costs are factored in, profit margins are about the same as directly planting the rice.Direct
planting costs about K150,000 an acre of paddy, while the ministrys preferred transplanting methods cost about
K200,000, said U Kyaw Wai, a farmer in Alyin Lo village. The yield is better with the scientific [transplanting]
method, but not a lot better, he added. Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Department of Agriculture director
general U Kyaw Win said that using more scientific planting procedures cuts down on wasted plants;
It also avoids overcrowding as transplanted rice is usually grown in straight rows, instead of direct planting where
rice often ends up irregularly planted.Myanmar must also follow modern methods if it wants to become a leading
rice exporter, said U Kyaw Win. He added it is important to create labour opportunities for an estimated 70pc of the


population dependent on the agriculture sector.However, the number of farmers following these improved methods
is quite low even near the nations capital and ministry headquarters. A July 2014 survey said that out of the 7447
acres of paddy fields being cultivated in Pyinmana township only 273 acres are grown with transplanting rice.
Translation by Thiri Min Htun
Antiwaste campaign is run by PhilRice, not IRRI
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:01 am | Monday, August 11th, 2014

On behalf of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), I am writing in reaction to the story titled QC restos now
required to offer half servings of rice at half the price (Metro, 8/7/14).While the IRRI fully supports responsible rice
consumption, we would like to point out that the campaign to reduce rice wastage should be credited to the Philippine
Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). Reducing rice wastage is a component of the PhilRices 2013 National Year of Rice
campaign. The IRRI continues to support the rice consumption advocacy of the Department of Agriculture and PhilRice,
our long-time partners in the Philippines.
JULIAN LAPITAN,
head of partnerships (on behalf of Dr. V. Bruce J

PH ships 1st rice export in 30 years
By MST News | Aug. 10, 2014 at 12:01am
ALTHOUGH the country is expected to import 1.4 million tons of rice this year, the Philippines has also
exported around 400 tons of red, black and organic varieties of the grain to Hong Kong and Singapore,
according to the Department of Agriculture.Our initial projection was that we would be able to export 100
metric tons of premium rice, but we have already exported 400 metric tons [of] red, black and organic rice and
the year is not yet over, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said in a statement.Alcala said this was
encouraging that the Philippines was able to export rice because it has become somewhat embarrassing that for
more than 30 years, we have been importing rice and among the worlds top importers of rice.
The International Rice Research Institute had earlier said the Philippines posted the highest rice yield in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the past three years, but the country rice imports are likely to cross
2 million tons in 2014, including the balance imports from 2013. The country has already imported 800,000
tons in March and has invited tenders to import another 500,000 tons for buffer stocks and curtail prices which
have surged 18% during the first half of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.Former agriculture
undersecretary Dante Delima has criticized the recent decision to import more rice as politically-motivated.


How can there be a rice shortage when the harvest season will start in September, Delima said, referring to
the projected arrival of 300,000 metric tons.This is clearly political pressure on our leaders because of
ambition. They are afraid to act against the rice giants because the elections are just around the corner, Delima
said.Delima resigned from his position as the director of the DAs rice sufficiency program last June 1 after the
appointment of former senator Francis Pangilinan as presidential assistant for food security and agricultural
modernization.
Enhanced Aus cultivation to attain food security underscored
RANGPUR, Aug 6 (BSS): Experts at a farmers' field day have stressed for enhancing cultivation of Aus crop
during the off-season to gradually replace cultivation of more irrigation water consuming and costly Boro
farming to ensure food security.RDRS Bangladesh organised the occasion for harvesting short duration BRRI
dhan 43, BRRI dhan 48, BRRI dhan 55, BRRI dhan 28 and parija variety Aus rice on the trial plots set up in
village Haridebpur Dakshinpara under Sadar upazila on Tuesday afternoon.The NGO organised the field day to
determine actual difference in crop cultivation periods and grain yield rates of these five varieties of Aus rice
suitable for farming on the fallow lands during the Aus season before Aman cultivation. Deputy Director of the
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Zulfiqar Haider attended the occasion arranged on the trial plots
set up on the field of farmer Nawab Ali as the chief guest.With Programme Manager (Filed Coordination) of
RDRS Bangladesh Marina Ahmed in the chair, over 200 male and female farmers, officials of the DAE and
RDRS Bangladesh, public representatives, community leaders, journalists and elite attended.Principal Scientific
Officer of Rangpur Regional Station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) Dr Shahidul Islam, Sadar
Upazila Agriculture Officer Afzal Hossain, Scientific Officer of the On-Farm Research Division of Bangladesh
Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) in Rangpur Ekramul Haque, addressed as the special guests.Assistant
Coordinator (Agriculture) of RDRS Bangladesh Syeda Nuhera Begum, its Senior Agriculture Officer Anup
Kumar Ghosh, Agriculture Officers Shamim Ahmed and Sharifa Pasha, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officers of
the DAE Anupam Chandra Roy and Ansar Ali were present.Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of
RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid delivered welcome speech narrating objectives of arranging the field day
for further expanding the most suitable short duration and high yielding variety Aus rice in future.Forty farmers
have cultivated these five varieties of Aus rice on fallow lands in 40 trial plots all over Rangpur division with
RDRS Bangladesh assistance after harvesting Boro, mustard, potato and wheat this season to determine
difference in grain yield rate and duration of cultivation period, he said.Farmer Nawab Ali said he has cultivated
these five varieties of Aus rice on his fallow lands set up on the trial plots with assistance of the NGO before
cultivation of Aman on the same land this time."I have already completed harvest of parija variety Aus rice after
87 days of seedling transplantation and got 3.4 tonnes paddy yield rate per hectare," he said and hoped better
production of the other varieties.The chief guest said farming of Aus crop at lower costs using unused seasonal
rain waters must be increased during the off season as an additional and substitute cereal crop to costly Boro
farming to increase rice production without hampering Aman cultivation.

11th August, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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11th August, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.

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