1st December, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

1 December 2014
Volume 4 Issue: XI
st
Vol 4, Issue XI
Todays News Headlines
The deepening rice crisis

Great Wall of China Held Together with Sticky Rice
Love in every grain of rice
Pakistan to use satellite data to improve forecasts of
crop yields
Vietnam Setting Up International Rice Research
Institute Office
Vast opportunities exist in exports of rice, fruits to
Iran
Govt to facilitate Iranian rice importers: minister
Kalabagh Dam a ray of hope for people of
PakistanI
Cultivation of flood tolerant rice becomes popular
in BD
Top of the table: eight great cookbooks from 2014
Smuggling raps filed vs top rice importer
Govt to facilitate Iranian rice importers
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News Detail.
The deepening rice crisis
Ahmad Fraz Khan
AS paddy prices drop by almost 50pc

over last year, the federal government is
considering a relief package for basmati
farmers. As per different projections
being prepared so far, the farmers may
get a monetary relief of Rs5,000-7,000 per
acre. A noble cause indeed!
But
beyond
this
temporary
handout, if
and when it
comes, lies
the
bigger
question
mark; would
this money
solve the farmers problem? Probably not!
Especially, if considered in the backdrop of
the genesis of the problem. This years price
drop has not hit the farmers out of the blue;
the situation was built up in the last few
years due to a number of factors including:
the governments policies, gross neglect of
basmati rice, dropping exports, cartelisation
of domestic market by a few big players and
ejection of farmers from the rice trade.
Unless the government sees all this in the
bigger picture, this one-off compensation
would not help much.The basic basmati
statistics make the problem and its causes
clear. Pakistan has been producing around
2m tonnes of basmati rice; out of which, 1m
tonnes are consumed domestically and the
rest are supposed to be exported. Till 2011,
the exports were above that figure and
domestic stocks were exhausted each year.
From that year onwards, the exports started
dropping for a number of reasons.
In 2012, exports dropped to 968,941 tonnes.

Next year, they went down to 630,035
tonnes leaving a domestic glut of around
350,000 tonnes. Last year, they touched
733,860 tonnes adding over 250,000
tonnes to the glut.Right now, the country is
holding a carry-over of 600,000 tonnes, and
fresh crop of 2m has arrived. The prices
have dropped because there is no disposal.
The traders and exporters are overwhelmed
both financially and humanly by
carry-over stocks.
The country is holding a carry-over of

600,000 tonnes, and fresh crop of 2m
tonnes has arrived. The prices have
dropped because of tardy disposal. The
traders and exporters are financially
overwhelmed by carry-over stocks
Second and the immediate factor this season

was added when one of the biggest rice
processing units defaulted on bank payments
and was driven out of business. The other
units either got scared or saw an opportunity
for making money, and went slower than
normal on procurement. The farmers, on
their part, dont have holding capacity and
are only increasing glut in the market and
driving prices further down.While these
conditions now define the market, the
government is trying to intervene in the
market with a paltry package. The economic
irrelevance of the official package, if and
when it materialises, can also be gauged
from another angle.With average yield
around 30 maunds per acre and the price
falling by almost Rs1,000 per maund
from Rs2,500 per maund to Rs1,500 per
maund in some areas; the drop is more in

other areas each farmer, on average, has
suffered a potential loss of Rs30,000 per
acre.
Channel 4 documentary reveals dramatic

new details on the Wonder of the World
What sense this Rs5,000-7,000 amount per

acre would make to the farmers?
November 30, 2014 16:17 BST
Even if the government thinks that

compensation to farmers is necessary, it
should initiate a process of concessional
loans to traders and freight subsidy to
exporters. The Trading Development
Authority of Pakistan and the federal
ministry of commerce should step in to help
exports.Luckily, the Iranian government has
very recently allowed its private sector to
import rice and the Iranian importers are
currently in Pakistan for inspecting rice
processing units What makes rice, especially
basmati, unique, is the fact it is essentially
an export crop.If India can jump from 1.2m
tonnes of export to 3.2m tonnes in the last
few years, there is no reason why cannot
Pakistani exporters catch up with their
Indians colleagues with a right set of
policies.
Published in Dawn, Economic & Business,
December 1st , 2014
Great Wall of China Held

Together with Sticky Rice
Drones were used to examine the Great

Wall of China(Channel 4)
The Great Wall of China is not actually one
wall, but a series of overlapping
fortifications held together with sticky rice.
A Channel 4 documentary, The Great Wall
of China: The Hidden Story, has shed new
light on the millennium-old structure
through state-of-the-art drones and cuttingedge chemistry.Over a five-year survey of
the wall, scientists have discovered that it is

made up of overlapping buttresses that
extend over 13,000 miles almost twice as
long as previously thought.
The wall is held together with sticky rice,
scientists discovered(Channel 4)
The team has also decoded its complex
signal system and explain how the wall is
held together with a sticky rice soup that
made it more resistant to water.Scientists
first discovered that builders mixed the
sticky rice with standard mortar ingredients
in 2010.Published in the American Chemical
Society Journal Accounts of Chemical

Research,
researchers
found
that
construction workers in ancient China first
developed the sticky rice mortar about 1,500
years ago.
performance of this kind of organic-organic

mortar."
The documentary decodes the wall's

complex signalling system(Channel 4)
Led by
Bingjia
n
Zhang
from
the
Zhejian
g
Univer
sity in
Hangzhou, they found the mortar was
stronger and more water resistant than pure
lime mortar. This mix was used to construct
important buildings including tombs,
pagodas and city walls some of the
structures were so strong they could
withstand
powerful
earthquakes.The
scientists wrote at the time: "Analytical
study shows that the ancient masonry mortar
is a kind of special organic-inorganic
composite material.
The inorganic component is calcium
carbonate, and the organic component is
amylopectin, which comes from the sticky
rice soup added to the mortar."Moreover, we
found that amylopectin in the mortar acted
as an inhibitor: The growth of the calcium
carbonate crystal was controlled, and a
compact microstructure was produced,
which should be the cause of the good
The wall is a series of overlapping

fortifications, rather than one structure,
findings show(Channel 4)
Findings also suggest the ancient mortar mix
is still the best available material for
restoring ancient buildings: "The test results
of the modelling mortars shows that sticky
rice-lime mortar has more stable physical
properties, has greater mechanical strength,
and is more compatible, which make it a
suitable restoration mortar for ancient
masonry."
The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story
- Secret History is on Channel 4 on 30
November at 8pm.
Love in every grain of rice

BY MELIZARANI T.SELVA
GOING in search of good briyani and

trying to find the best in town can be quite
challenging.Fortunately, briyani connoisseur
and restaurateur Iqbal Gani has brought

Iqbal.Under the culinary expertise of briyani
specialist
Rehman
Sharieff,
tandoor
specialist Pavan Singh from Delhi and South

Indian curry specialist Muthukrishnan, Taj
Biryani House serves 50 dishes, including
the signature Hyderabadi Dum Biryani in
four styles chicken, mutton, fish and
together the best elements of this diverse
dish at Taj Biryani House to offer his
interpretation of the what makes a good
briyani meal.Iqbal, who is from Slim River,
Perak, said his deep affection for the dish is
rooted back to his childhood.
prawn.
When I was about seven years old, my late
cubes.Garnished with raisins, the curried
father used to take me to Bilal or Kassim
briyani rice is an explosion of flavours,
restaurant in Jalan Masjid India in Kuala
making the chicken in the dish an equal star
Lumpur for briyani. He would drive all the
of the spread.Although, it can be quite
way from Perak just to eat briyani.Now I
costly, I do not compromise on quality. I
am able to travel to Qatar, Dubai and
have made sure that all the cooking utensils
various parts of India to try their briyani
and ingredients are imported from India,
whether it is in the Middle Eastern, North
Iqbal said, adding that the tandoor clay oven
Indian or South Indian style, I will mark
and dum briyani pot were also specially
these travel destinations just to sample the
chosen by the cooks to ensure the dishes
briyani.Iqbal, a former food and beverage
were cooked to perfection.
Iqbals love for the rice dish is clearly

evident in every spoon of the mutton
briyani, made from the finest quality long
grain basmati rice and succulent mutton
manager at a hotel, decided to channel his

experience and expertise into his long-time
dream of starting a briyani restaurant.I
finally found a cook who makes it just right
during my trip to Hyderabad, last year.
Some of the North Indian courses that are

sure to excite the taste buds are the clay
oven baked chicken skewers or Murgh
Tandoor while Reshmi Kebab is boneless
cubes of chicken cooked in cashewnut
Unlike the Middle Eastern version or the
gravy.The most interesting tandoor dish has
Calcutta version of briyani, the Hyderabadi
to be the baked salmon cubes in a dish
dum style has gravy and is not dry which is
called Machili Cashew Tikka, with tender
how most Malaysians enjoy their rice, said
meat
skewers
atop
salad

accompaniment.Vegetarians will not feel
left out from the generous tandoor menu
with vegetarian kebabs or skewers of spiced
broccoli
and
cauliflower,
which
complements the roti and Dal Tadka (yellow

lentils curry).
The restaurants Gajar ka Halwa, a pudding
made from finely grated carrots cooked in
condensed
milk
and
seasoned
with
cardamom, is a great way to end your
Pakistan has launched a new system to more

accurately forecast crop yields using satellite
meal.The Petaling Jaya restaurant is the first
data,
the
government
announced.The
branch in Malaysia with two other eateries
government will use satellite remote sensing and
in Kuala Belait, Brunei and Usman Road,
geographic information systems to collect crop
Chennai.
data. It will be able to calculate crop yields and

also forecast losses from natural disasters.
TAJ BIRYANI HOUSE, B-09-01, Jalan

19/1, Section 19, 3 Two Square, Petaling
Jaya.(Tel: 03-7932 2525). Business hours:
7am to 10pm, daily.
This is the writers personal observation
and is not an endorsement by StarMetro
Image:From left (clockwise) Strawberry
milkshake, mojito mint mocktail and dessert
gajar ka halwa (carrot cooked in
condensed milk
Pakistan to use satellite data to

improve forecasts of crop
yields
New system to allow more accurate calculations
of forecasts and reduce cost of data collection.
01/12/2014
The new system will replace the previous

manual calculation of crop yield forecasts
and will decrease the costs of data
collection, the government said.The system
was installed by the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and
funded by the United States Department of
Agriculture.
The project will start with two provinces Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan will take
satellite imagery twice a year and will
conduct field surveys during the two
cropping seasons, local media reported.Crop
yield forecasting is important for the
government to plan the countrys export
targets and ensure food security, especially
for the two major crops, wheat and rice, said
Patrick Evans, FAO representative for
Pakistan. If the government knows that the
yield of wheat or rice is going to be low, it
can take measures to prevent any shortages.
By Medha Basu

http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/5822-pakistan-touse-satellite-data-to-improve-forecasts-of-crop-yields
Vietnam Setting Up
International Rice Research
Institute Office
HANOI, Nov 28 (Bernama) - Vietnam and
the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) have signed a document on
establishing an IRRI office in the country,
Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.The
document was signed by Agriculture and
Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat
and IRRI director general Robert Zeigler
here Thursday during a conference on
restructuring the rice sector to boost rural
development."The setting up of the office
shows the determination and commitment of
Vietnam and IRRI to work together to
improve the rice and agriculture sectors,"
Phat said.
IRRI has been recognised by the Vietnamese
government as its first international
agriculture study facility.IRRI will assist
exchanges between Vietnamese scientists
and IRRI experts in contributing to realising
the national rice strategy.At the conference,
the ministry and IRRI agreed on overall
cooperation strategies and programmes and
technical support to turn the rice sector as an
important driver of Vietnam's economic
growth.Phat said over 80 percent of rice
varieties cultivated in the Mekong Delta
region originated from research carried out
by IRRI.
"Restructuring the rice sector is significant
to raising farmers' incomes and agricultural
value as rice accounts for nearly half of the
value generated by farm products," he

said.Vietnam has around 10 million farming
households in rural areas and 70 percent of
the population is involved in agriculture.
-- BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/w
n/newsworld.php?id=1089238
Vast opportunities exist in

exports of rice, fruits to Iran
November 28, 2014 RECORDER REPORT
Pakistani
agricultural
commodities
especially rice, kinnow, potato and mango
are in high demand in Iranian markets thus
offering huge potential to increase exports of
these commodities manifold between the
two neighbouring countries. The Punjab
government is taking many steps for
enhancing the bilateral trade especially
export of agricultural commodities to Iran
which include steps to save these
commodities from pests and different
diseases in line with the international
standards.
This was disclosed by the Punjab Minister
for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed while
addressing 'Rice Exporters Conference' held
here on Thursday. The conference was also
participated by a 14-member Iranian trade
delegation and Iranian Consul General to
Lahore Agha Bani Asadi. The Iranian
delegation includes Iranian members of the
parliament Dr Fatahi, Dr Abidi and Dr
Tameeni, rice importers and agricultural
experts while conference was also attended

by the Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP) members including Pir
Nazam Hussain Shah. Rice Research
Institute (RRI) Kala Shah Kaku Director Dr
Akhtar, Dr Ashfaq and Deputy Food
Commissioner Dr Waseem also participated
in the conference.
The Punjab Minister said both Iran and
Pakistan were enjoying brotherly relations
and also gave importance to increasing
bilateral trade. He said that Iranian
agricultural experts were welcomed in the
fields and orchards of Punjab province to
explore the potential of enhancing trade of
agricultural commodities. Dr Farrukh Javed
stressed the need for installing quarantine
set-up at Pak-Iran border to allow
agricultural commodities import and export
after proper inspection according to hygiene
principles.
He said only healthy citizen could play their
role in the development and progress of the
country and bringing agricultural production
in line with principles of health we could not
only meet food requirements but also
promote a healthy society. Iranian Consul
General Agha Bani Asadi speaking on this
occasion said that he is advocate of strong
and durable relations with Pakistan and trade
of agricultural commodities could play an
important role in strengthening brotherhood
bond between the two nations. Members of
the Iranian Parliament speaking on this
occasion expressed their pleasure on visiting
Lahore and said they enjoyed Pakistani
hospitality a lot. Iranian delegation is on a
three-day visit to Pakistan during which they
met government representatives, exporters
and also visited different rice mills and

allied industrial wings.
Govt to facilitate Iranian

rice importers: minister
Staff Report
November 29, 2014
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Commerce

Khurram Dastagir has said that the
government would provide all necessary
assistance to the Iranian rice importers to
enhance export of rice and other food
commodities.The delegates apprised the
minister about the prospects of Pakistani rice
in the Iranian market. Pakistan produces fine
quality of rice and could cater to huge
demand of rice in the Iranian market, said
Iranian Rice Importers Association (IRIA)
delegation during their meeting with the
minister,
following
their
interactive
meetings and field visits to the various rice
units in Punjab.
A spokesman of Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) said that
during their interactive sessions with the
representatives
of
Rice
Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP), the
stakeholders discussed potential of exploring
new opportunities of rice import from
Pakistan. They also visited PCSIR
Laboratories in Lahore where they were
apprised about the facilities available with
with regard to rice standardisation and other
health related issues of rice. The delegates

discussed with the rice experts about various
precautionary measures and food safety
mechanisms on rice. They also attended rice
exporters conference which was addressed
by Punjab Minister for Agriculture Dr
Farrukh Javed.
Dr Javed said during their meeting with the

banking authorities the delegates raised the
intra-banking transaction issues between the
two countries and emphasised to sort out an
amicable payment mechanism. Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan hosted a
dinner in honour of the Iranian delegation

which was attended by a large number of
leading rice exporters and prominent
businessmen. Pakistan being the fourth
largest exporter of rice in the world has the
potential to increase the graph of rice export
to Iran.The Iranian delegations visit was
facilitated by the Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business/29Nov-2014/govt-to-facilitate-iranian-riceimporters-minister
Kalabagh Dam a ray of hope for people of PakistanI

November 30, 2014
Lt Col (R) Abdul Razaque Bugti
After Indus water treaty of 1960, Pakistan

is left with River Kabul, River Indus,
River Jhelum and River, Chenab having
total
water
resources:
Kabul River at Attock 27.06 MAF, Indus
River at attock 65.66 MAF. Sub total
92.61 MAF, Jhelum River at Mangla
22.93 MAF, Chenab at Marala 25.64
MAF, Others 5.00 MAF. Total 146.18 MAF (average flow from 1922 to 1963.Source: report of
Chas.
T.
Main
IntI
Inc.
USA
1967)
Kalabagh Dam is to be constructed on main stem of River indus. River Indus originates from
Monsrover Lake located at 15060 feet above sea level in Tibet China. Monsrover lake is
bounded by Kailash mountains on one side and Himaliya Mountains on the other. River Indus
starts with the confluence of River Sengge Chu and Garr. It passes through Laddakh in IHK
where it is joined by River Zanskar from south at Nimmu near Leh (IHK) and river Shoyok from
north in Pakistan at Keres near Khaplu. Indus flows through Glaciers and a region highly seismic

sensitive till it reaches the foot hills of Himalays at Tarbela where after River Indus flows
through plains till it reaches Attock. From Attock to Kalabagh Indus river flows through a gorge
and After Kalabagh it flows through plains till Keti bunder which is its last destination. The total
length of river Indus is 3200 KM.
The flow of Indus river is fluctuating from 76 MAF as lowest and 110 MAF at peak flows. *The
lowest combined flow of water in Rivers Indus, Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab was experienced
within last 40 years was 11.6 MAF in 1961-62 (*Report: Chas T Main USA, 1967). Upto
Tarbela; Indus waters are Glacier melt and Snow melt; while down stream Tarbela; Indus river
contains rain water harvest from 110,500 Square miles of Hindu Kush and plains.
The main concern is rain water which floods plains of Pakistan. This flood water is to be
contained and kept in reservoirs of sufficient capacity so as to alleviate floods in the irrigated
plains. The reservoir waters then be used for irrigation of cultivable desert land of Pakistan.
Incidents of some major floods in current past are:
Year
1973/74
-1978/79
-1990/91
Flow
166.88
150.10
153.64
(Source
WRMD.
-1991/92
161.70
-1992/3
159.34
WAPDA
-1994/95
152.86
-2010/2011
(MAF)
152.39
Pakistan)
Average Monthly flow of water in Rivers at rim stations iri MAF (1922-1963)
KharifCrop
season:
.
Month
Indus+Kabul
Jhelum
Chenab
Total
April
4.30
2.58
1.36
8.24
May 8.38 3.61 2.23 14.22 June 15.49 3.69 3.55 22.73 July 22.57 3.79 5.68 32.04 August 19.81
2.97
5.61
28.39
September
8.65
1.60
2.94
13.19
Total
118.81
Canal
Draw
down
2012-2013
57.7
In
reservoirs
on
River
Indus
&
Jhelum
(2012-13)
11.23
Surplus 49.88 Rabi crop season Month Indus+Kabul Jhelum Chenab Total October 3.62 0.85
1.04 5.51 November 2.14 0.54 0.52 3.20 December 1.87 0.48 0.46 2.81 January 1.71 0.53 0.53
2.77
February
1.61
0.73
0.66
3.01
March
2.45
1.56
1.06
5.07
Total
22.37
Canal
draw
down
2012-2013
31.9
Short
fall
9.53
Average flow/Canal draw down (1961-62 to 2010-11 source: WRMD. WAPDAPakistan)
Average flow at
rim
stations:
Max
166.86 MAF Min 130.47 MAF
Average
Canal
Withdrawals:
Max
114.10
MAF;
Min
82.63
MAF

*
Canal
draw
down
is
subject
to
availability
of
water
in
rivers/dams.
Our water resources are to the tune of an average of 130.47 MAF to a maximum of 166.86 MAF
and the canal draw down figures confirm that we do have surpluses of water any way. Therefore
we must construct Dams to store water to; alleviate floods and to bring more cultivable arid land
into cultivation.
Agriculture and Irrigation System of Pakistan: Our crops sowing season viz a viz best crop yield
also dictate the need to store waters in reservoirs and regulate it in a manner that sufficient water
is made available for planting/sowing Kharif/ Rabi crops in due time and further demands of
water for growing Kharif/ Rabi crops are meet with provision of sufficient water. Our major
kharif crops are rice and cotton.
Rice sowing periods are fluctuating from Province to Province. In Sindh; Rice is sown in mid
May to mid June and in Punjab rice is sown in July. Due to shortage of water Sindh province was
provided water for sowing/ planting of rice on 3rd July 2014. As a result the farmers of Sindh
abandoned growing Irri kind of Rice and instead they have grown Hybrid Rice of China origin.
The seed of Hybrid kind of rice is very expensive yet it yields between 3200 kg to 4000kg per
acre (with timely use of fertilizers and anti larva spray) as compared to Irri kind of rice which
yields between 2400 kg to 3000 kg per acre (given same treatment). Thus farmers of Sindh got a
better option and also countered the disadvantage of late delivery of canal water. Punjab Farmers
however did not face any problems of shortage or late delivery of water for pre-planting/sowing
of Rice crop. "
To secure best flowering and ball formation, cotton needs to ripen when temperatures ar~ still
moderately high, when days are long but nights are still cool. Cotton does best in Sindh,
therefore when planted relatively early, between late April and late May. Earlier planting results
in best harvest.
In Rabi crops wheat is sown in October. Final watering are being given to wheat crop in March.
Wheat is staple food for people of Pakistan and with growing population we need more wheat;
hence we must plan to bring more acreage under cultivation of wheat for which we need more
water for Rabi season i.e. October to March.The critical periods for water supply remain a few
months in the year particularly those around the beginning of each season when water is required
for pre-planting 'and sowing and at the end of each season when water is required for final

maturing of crops. March is critical month because final watering are being done to wheat crop.
While October is critical when Kharif crop are maturing and many Rabi crops particularly wheat
are beginning to be sown.
* Substantial changes in irrigation system have resulted from the implementation of the Indus
water Treaty 1960; when three eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej with total annual flow of 25
MAF water were given to India and Pakistan was left with four rivers with annual flow of 142
MAF of water (*Report of Chas T Main 1967). To resolve this problem we have'to store an
appropriate quantity of water by constructing dams on main stem of rivers and off the channer of
rivers. The dams can only be built at selected sites. We have constructed Mangla dam on main
stem of river Jhelum with live storage capacity of 5.34 MAF and Tarbela dam on main stem of
River Indus with live storage capacity of 9.7 MAF.
Both these dams have considerably been sedimented and our total live storage capacity of both
dams has been reduced from 15.04 MAF to 10.97 MAF. Height of Mangla dam was raised by 40
feet (30 feet to be used for storage of water) which adds 2.88 MAF water but the larger Mangla
dam needs assistance of Kalabag Dam to get filled. Without Kalabagh dam Mangla dam remains
at depleted level i.e. 4.52 MAF except when high floods occur in river Jhelum .The most suitable
site selected for a mega dam on main stem of River Indus is about 10 KM down stream of IndusSoan confluence near Kalabagh from where River Indus passes through a narrow gorge between
two mountains.
Source :http://nation.com.pk/business/30-Nov-2014/kalabagh-dam-a-ray-of-hope-for-people-of-pakistan
Cultivation of flood tolerant

rice becomes popular in BD
Cultivation of flood-tolerant variety rice has
already become popular among the farmers
to change their fortune as its harvest is
nearing completion with bumper yield in the
country during the Aman season. The
growing plants of flood tolerant BRRI dhan
51, BRRI dhan 52, BINA dhan 11 and
BINA dhan 12 rice survived submergence
for over two weeks during recent floods and
resumed normal growth again to give better
yield. Agriculture and Environment

Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur
Rashid said farmers have already completed
harvest of BINA dhan 11 and BINA dhan 12
rice and they are now harvesting BRRI dhan
51 and BRRI dhan 52 variety rice with
excellent yield rate.
The Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and
South Asia (STRASA) Project, being funded
by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
(BMGF), extends assistance for cultivation
of stress tolerant rice with GO-NGO
collaboration through the International Rice

Research Institute (IRRI), according to a
news agency.
www.thefinancialexpressbd.com/2014/11/28/68324
Top of the table: eight great

cookbooks from 2014
Rose Prince gives us a feast for the eye
and the palate in her round-up of the
years cookery books
Rose Prince 29 November 2014
The people behind the people are the ones to

watch for, and we have all been waiting for
a book by Anna Jones. Who? Well, if you
are a fan of Jamie Oliver, you will have read
a lot of Jones. For seven years she worked as
his stylist, writer and food creative, which
means, we guess, that she was behind the
curtain busily pulling levers for the great
wizard. He has written the foreword to his
protges first book, and says hes is super
proud.
But so he should be, for A Modern Way to

Eat (Fourth Estate 25, Spectator Bookshop,
20) is a beautiful and inspiring one, and
thankfully devoid of Jamie-speak that is,
nothing is described as smashing..It is a
book of vegetarian recipes, but carnivores,
do not be put off. Lets say it is a book of
deliciously invigorating dishes that happen
not to contain any flesh. Among the recipes
I shall be cooking from it are the restorative
coconut broth with lemongrass, lime and
greens (Jones is very strong on soup); also
the lemon ricotta cloud pancakes and the
dosa potato cakes.Then I shall have some
meat, probably choosing a recipe from Tom
Parker Bowles s Lets Eat Meat (Pavilion
25, Spectator Bookshop, 20) which is a
manifesto for eating better meat less often,
but essentially a world tour of what you
could call flesh pots from Cajun jambalaya
to bun cha from Vietnam. Parker Bowles is
a great traveller, and at his best unearths
authentic global recipes.
The London restaurant Dabbous (in
Whitfield Street) apparently stunned critics
and diners when it opened in 2012. I cannot
say why from personal experience, because
the current waiting list for a table is four
months. Presumably one purpose of
publishing a book about a restaurant few can
go to is to enable readers to cook the chef
Ollie Dabbouss food and bloody
difficult.The central claim is that Dabbous
does it better, from recognisable mash and

gravy to a mysterious nugget of iced
sorrel.
I believe it, not just because there are
combinations I would try in simpler form
(such as scallop tartare with eucalyptus), but
because of Barnyard Ollie Dabbouss
Charlotte Street diner, where you can get in,
if you queue which serves the best
comfort food I have ever eaten. The price
of Dabbous (Bloomsbury, 50, Spectator
Bookshop, 40) is inflated by some very
expensive and unnecessary photos of the
restaurants interior fittings, lightbulbs,
electric sockets etc. But for many, it is the
closest well ever get.
Thanks with source:The Spectator at home.
Hesitate before doing so, however, because
this is very much modern gastronomy; gamechanging, esoteric, brave
http://www.spectator.co.uk/
Smuggling raps filed vs top

rice importer
Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
7:59 AM | Saturday, November 29th, 2014
MANILA, PhilippinesThe Bureau of
Customs (BOC) on Friday filed in the
Department of Justice (DOJ) separate
complaints of smuggling against a top rice
importer, its officials and customs brokers
for bringing into the country P1.8 billion
worth of rice through three key ports last
year.Acting BOC district collectors in
Manila, Davao and Cebu filed four criminal

complaints against officials of Starcraft
International Trading Corp. before the DOJ
for alleged violations of the Tariff and
Customs Code of the Philippines and
regulations enforcing import quotas on the
supply of staple food.
The bureau said Starcraft had imported
without permits a total of 45,000 metric tons
of rice from Vietnam, Thailand, China and
Singapore from June to November last year
through the ports of Manila, Cebu and
Davao.The import volume was equivalent to
3,700 percent of what Starcraft was allowed
to bring into the country, the BOC said. The
firm only had a permit to import 1,176
metric tons of rice through Manila.The
bureau said Starcraft earlier filed court cases
to argue that private importers could bring in
rice without security permits as import
restrictions had already been lifted through a
World Trade Organization agreement in
2012.But the BOC reiterated the Philippine
law, where only the NFA can import rice
and companies who wish to do the same
must secure an import permit from the
agency.
Our laws were not changed. Import
permits for rice were still required. Starcraft
cannot unilaterally interpret the laws by
itself. Regulation of rice is critical because
millions of farmers livelihoods depend on
rice farming, said Customs Commissioner
John Sevilla in a statement.Starcraft is the
fifth large-scale importer to face smuggling
charges this year, the BOC said.Together,
the
five
top
importersStarcraft,
Intercontinental
Grains
International
Trading Inc., Bold Bidder Marketing and
General Merchandise, Silent Royalty
Marketing and Medaglia De Oro Trading
accounted for 75 percent of the 200,000
metric tons of rice smuggled through various
Philippine ports last year, the BOC said.

Those charged on Friday include Starcraft
president Jeffrey Daradal, its Board of
Directors Eugene Pioquinto, Aveleo Godoy,
Anna Orqueta, Brendal Daradal, Jessie
Bantula, and company representative Hanlie
Solema.Also charged for facilitating the
unlawful importation of rice were custom
brokers Denise Kathryn Rosaroso, John
Kevin Cisneros, Emilio Chio, Eduardo Borje
III, Rosemarie Arciaga, Gerald Villarosa,
Jennifer Ann Reyes, Elbert Lusterio, Dianne
Dizon-Tapia, Laila Silvestre, Francis
Rudolph Forneste and Kenneth Quial.
More Stories
Read
more: http://business.inquirer.net/182754/sm
uggling-raps-filed-vs-top-riceimporter#ixzz3KV9SBMDe
Govt to facilitate Iranian

rice importers: minister
Staff Report
November 29, 2014
LAHOR: Federal Minister for Commerce

Khurram Dastagir has said that the
government would provide all necessary
assistance to the Iranian rice importers to
enhance export of rice and other food
commodities.The delegates apprised the
minister about the prospects of Pakistani rice
in the Iranian market.
Pakistan produces fine quality of rice and
could cater to huge demand of rice in the
Iranian market, said Iranian Rice Importers
Association (IRIA) delegation during their
meeting with the minister, following their
interactive meetings and field visits to the
various rice units in Punjab.
A spokesman of Trade Development

Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) said that
during their interactive sessions with the
representatives
of
Rice
Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP), the
stakeholders discussed potential of exploring
new opportunities of rice import from
Pakistan.
They also visited PCSIR Laboratories in
Lahore where they were apprised about the
facilities available with with regard to rice
standardisation and other health related
issues of rice. The delegates discussed with
the rice experts about various precautionary
measures and food safety mechanisms on
rice. They also attended rice exporters
conference which was addressed by Punjab
Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed.
Dr Javed said during their meeting with the
banking authorities the delegates raised the
intra-banking transaction issues between the
two countries and emphasised to sort out an
amicable payment mechanism. Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan hosted a dinner in
honour of the Iranian delegation which was
attended by a large number of leading rice
exporters and prominent businessmen.
Pakistan being the fourth largest exporter of
rice in the world has the potential to increase
the graph of rice export to Iran.
The Iranian delegations visit was facilitated
by the Trade Development Authority of
Pakistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/business
/29-Nov-2014/govt-to-facilitateiranian-rice-importers-minister

1st December, 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Todays News Headlines

The deepening rice crisis

Contact & Visit

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

AS paddy prices drop by almost 50pc

In 2012, exports dropped to 968,941 tonnes.

The country is holding a carry-over of

Second and the immediate factor this season

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Channel 4 documentary reveals dramatic

What sense this Rs5,000-7,000 amount per

November 30, 2014 16:17 BST

Even if the government thinks that

Great Wall of China Held

Drones were used to examine the Great

the wall, scientists have discovered that it is

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

performance of this kind of organic-organic

The documentary decodes the wall's

The wall is a series of overlapping

Love in every grain of rice

GOING in search of good briyani and

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

specialist Pavan Singh from Delhi and South

When I was about seven years old, my late

cubes.Garnished with raisins, the curried

father used to take me to Bilal or Kassim

briyani rice is an explosion of flavours,

restaurant in Jalan Masjid India in Kuala

making the chicken in the dish an equal star

Lumpur for briyani. He would drive all the

of the spread.Although, it can be quite

way from Perak just to eat briyani.Now I

costly, I do not compromise on quality. I

am able to travel to Qatar, Dubai and

have made sure that all the cooking utensils

various parts of India to try their briyani

and ingredients are imported from India,

whether it is in the Middle Eastern, North

Iqbal said, adding that the tandoor clay oven

Indian or South Indian style, I will mark

and dum briyani pot were also specially

these travel destinations just to sample the

chosen by the cooks to ensure the dishes

briyani.Iqbal, a former food and beverage

were cooked to perfection.

Iqbals love for the rice dish is clearly

manager at a hotel, decided to channel his

Some of the North Indian courses that are

Unlike the Middle Eastern version or the

gravy.The most interesting tandoor dish has

Calcutta version of briyani, the Hyderabadi

to be the baked salmon cubes in a dish

dum style has gravy and is not dry which is

called Machili Cashew Tikka, with tender

how most Malaysians enjoy their rice, said

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

complements the roti and Dal Tadka (yellow

cardamom, is a great way to end your

Pakistan has launched a new system to more

meal.The Petaling Jaya restaurant is the first