August 3, 2015

Vol 5 ,Issue VII

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News shared by PhilRICE

Lucy Torres-Gomez is new rice ambassadress
Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez was named as new Rice Ambassadress in a recent meeting at the
House of Representatives, Quezon City.As rice ambassadress, Gomez will promote non-wastage
of rice and the consumption of brown rice and rice mixed with corn or other staples.
A multi-awarded television host, Gomez agreed to appear in videos and photos promoting the Be
RICEponsible advocacy to be shown in television, radio, billboards, and social media.
As public servant, she is a member of the 16th Congress and Assistant Majority Leader,
representing Leytes fourth district. Her priorities as legislator include public order and safety,
women, children, health, and education.
She had sponsored an amendment to the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, which
revises the provisions on breastfeeding babies during work hours, and had pledged no
classroom shortage by 2015 in her district.
Hazel V. Antonio, director of the Be RICEponsible campaign, said Gomez was chosen because
of her ideal image as a mother and her excellent track record as a public servant.
Lucy is well-loved by many Filipinos and we believe that her influence as a policy-maker and
as a TV personality can inspire the millions of people to be part of this nationwide advocacy,
Antonio said.
The Be RICEponsible is an advocacy campaign that aims to promote the RICEponsibility of
every Filipino to their bodies and to our country.

PhilRice gives tips on how to prevent rice spoilage

In most households and restaurants, rice leftovers typically get spoiled and thrown out.
Dr. Riza G. Abilgos-Ramos of the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division (RCFSD) at
PhilRice recommends that to prevent spoilage, we should cook rice in smaller quantities at
several times of the day to reduce storage.
According to Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, a professor and food science expert at UP Diliman, a
bacterium called Bacillus cereus that causes food poisoning is present when cooking rice.

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Foodborne diseases and outbreaks start at home due to insufficient knowledge of households in
proper food handling, said Gabriel who gave a lecture titled Food Security and Protection:
Updates on Quality, Safety, and Defense organized by RCFSD, 29 July.
Gabriel explained that the bacterium can survive heat while boiling and is most capable of
germination and outgrowth after the rice is cooked.
In preventing the said bacterium, Abilgos-Ramos suggested that after cooking, it is best that rice
should either be kept hot (> 63C) or cooled quickly then transferred to a refrigerator within two
hours.
She added that boiled or fried rice must be stored outside the temperature range of 15-50C and
not under warm conditions.
The seminar was part of the Nutrition Month celebration at PhilRice. Other events conducted in
this month-long celebration include a feeding program for elementary students and an institutewide Zumba competition.
PhilRice shares tips for the rainy days
Science City of Muoz PhilRice experts advise farmers to practice synchronized community
planting, and to mechanize the harvesting and drying processes to cope with the rainy season.
PhilRice-rainy season.
Under rainfed conditions, our farmers need to practice synchronized planting in their
communities. Dry land preparation is desired, as when the rain comes, they can do directseeding. With this technique, the seeds will start to germinate within five days, said Dr. Norvie
L. Manigbas, PhilRices head of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division.
Synchronized planting reduces incidence of pests and diseases in a specific area, thus minimizing
yield loss.
He also explained that under irrigated lowland conditions, land preparation should be done at the
onset of heavy rains so that fields are well-soaked in water. Levees and dikes should be repaired
to avoid water loss.
Farmers can use the wet bed or dapog method for seed establishment depending on field
conditions.
PhilRice also suggests proper drainage to avoid flooding, use of machines during land
preparation, harvesting, threshing, and drying to save time and labor.
Time is vital during the wet season especially during harvest. As the rain usually comes in the
afternoon, we suggest the use of combine harvester to hasten harvesting operations. If it is
unavailable, farmers can use reaper and collect the straws for threshing, Manigbas explained.
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It is important to finish these field operations in the shortest possible time to prevent yield loss,
he added.
PhilRice recommends drying of palay in flatbed dryers and on nylon nets or canvas for easier
turnover when the rain comes.
The general rule is to harvest and thresh the crop within a short period of time and dry the seeds
to a desired moisture content (usually 14%), Manigbas concluded.
For more rice farming strategies, please contact the PhilRice Text Center at 09209111398.

Century-Old Rice Blight Finally Toppled? Key to Immunity Discovered

By Brian Stallard
Aug 03, 2015 03:55 AM EDT

Rice crops have been battling a deadly bacterial blight for over a century - one that decimates
crops and can leave entire farms in ruin. Now researchers think that affected regions may finally
stand a chance after discovering a rare mechanism that leave some lucky plants resistant to
infection.That's at least according to a study recently published in the journalScience Advances,
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which details how an international team of researcher finally uncovered the key to Xoo
immunity.Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae, or Xoo, is traditionally characterized by a
discoloration on the leaves of young rice plants. It quickly escalates from there, turning the
leaves brittle and grey, and rendering them useless in photosynthesis. Starved for energy,
affected plants quickly die, sometimes devastating up to 80 percent of a single season's crop. In
Japan alone, annual losses are estimated to be between 22,000 and 110,000 tons.What's worse,
this pathogen affects rice in a unique way, rendering industry standards for combating bacterial
infection, such as the application of copper compounds or antibiotics, largely ineffective.That's
why researchers have turned to closely analyzing those few plants that were lucky enough - in
the wacky roulette of genetics - to wind up with strong resistances to Xoo. (Scroll to read on...)

(Photo : Neil Palmer (CIAT))

Only six year ago, modern research practices revealed that immune responses in rice are
triggered to battle the blight when a Xoo protein dubbed Ax21 binds to the plants' cellular
receptor XA21.
"We were ecstatic with our results in 2009 because identifying the molecule that XA21
recognizes provides an important piece to the puzzle of how the rice plant is able to respond to
infection," Pamela Ronald, a plant geneticist for both JBEI and UC Davis, explained in
a statement.
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It was theorized that once understood. experts could craft a crop (via genetic editing) that could
easily shrug off Xoo. However, after a century of researching the blight (historically starting in
1901) could it be that easy? The answer was no.
As it turned out, Ax21 wasn't the savior Ronald and her colleagues thought it was. In fact, it was
more like the housemate of the protein they needed. In other words, when Batman was the hero
Gotham deserved, the researchers wound up with his butler, Alfred. (Come on guys, nerd out
with me for a moment. We're talking about rice pathogens after all).
"We hypothesized that the activator of XA21 might be encoded in the proximity of the molecular
machinery that we already knew was involved," added Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's
research group.
So the researchers kept looking. Now, six years later, they've announced that this time for sure,
they have their hero. (Scroll to read on...)

(Photo : Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab)

"Our results show that RaxX, a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein, is required for...
immunity to Xoo," Ronald happily reported. "XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its
defenses to mount a potent immune response."The researchers added that even if the ultimate
goal of their work - the development of a fully-immune rice crop - is still a ways away from
being realized, the results can still be immediately useful for rice farmers.During their numerous
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tests, the team also determined which strains of Xoo are heartier than others, even when running
up against plants with the XA21 response.
"Like prescribing the best vaccination for the flu each season by monitoring which flu strains are
going to be the most prevalent, it should be possible to screen wild Xoo populations in the ricegrowing regions of Asia and Africa for whether they encode RaxX alleles that are recognized by
XA21," Schwessinger explained. "We can then inform farmers which rice varieties will be
resistant to those bacterial populations."
For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines
and Global News (HNGN).
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/15926/20150803/century-old-rice-blight-finally-toppled-keyimmunity-discovered.htmNigeria imports rice worth over 2 billion USD since 2012: official

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigerian central bank said Tuesday the Africa's most populous country has spent
2.41 billion U.S. dollars on rice importation between January 2012 and May 2015.The Governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele made this known at an investors meeting in Abuja,
Nigeria's capital city. He said the bank's decision to ban foreign exchange for importation of rice, fish and
other items would not be reversed.According to him, the apex bank has no plans to reverse the ban,
adding that the reason for inclusion of rice in the exclusion list was not far-fetched.

"Unfortunately, this trend has resulted in huge unsold stock of paddy rice cultivated by our farmers and
low operating capacities of many integrated rice mills in Nigeria," he added.
The apex bank chief told his audience that the CBN in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development would come up with a comprehensive financing model to support rice millers and
other investors in the sector.He said the bank's decided to intervene in the sector through funding and
other packages because the country would not achieve its true potentials if it imported everything it could
produce locally.
The bank will make funds more accessible to farmers through some of its funding program such as the
Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme and the over one billion U.S. dollars Micro Small and Medium
Enterprises Development fund, he added.Emefiele said those that defaulted in the payment of customs
duty after bringing in excess quotas of rice into the country at concessionary rates would be penalized.He
said the CBN would take up the issue to the highest level in government to ensure that the money was
paid.The governor also assured rice producers that the bank would work closely with the Nigerian
Customs Service to address the issue of smuggling.
http://www.coastweek.com/3831-agriculture-05.htm

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Wanted: Proposals for sustainable rice production

July 31, 2015 11:28 pm

by BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON

The Philippines and the United Kingdom have joined forces to support research projects that will
boost resilience and sustainability of rice production in Southeast Asia.In a statement, the UK
Embassy on Friday said food security is one of the greatest global challenges we currently
face.To address this, the UK collaborated with four countries in AsiaChina, the Philippines,
Thailand and Vietnam.In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal, enhancing
rice production is a major priority.
The headlines report that El Nio may be the most intense the country has experienced in recent
years. Studies have shown that climate change will have a devastating effect on food security if it
is not addressed now, British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said.Unli [unlimited] rice may no
longer be a promo offer. This project will help farmer productivity and enhance trading in rice,
when necessary. We encourage all researchers who are working toward the adequate supply of
this staple food to submit their applications to the Newton Fund, he added.
The British Embassy in Manila has been calling for proposals on collaborative inter-disciplinary
research that will focus on long-term sustainable production of rice, as well as utilizing
combined strengths of academic research groups within China, the Philippines, Thailand,
Vietnam and the UK.This initiative is supported by the UK Governments Newton Fund, which
helps build science and innovation partnerships with key emerging economies.
The UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK BBSRC) and the UK
Natural Environment Research Council, in collaboration with Philippine Partners Department of
Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources
Research & Development (DOST-PCAARD) and the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rice
Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) are calling for submissions of research proposals that will
address the following challenges in the Philippine context: greater resilience to biotic and abiotic
stresses; improved resource use efficiency (including Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Water); improved
quality of rice (including nutritional enhancement and grain quality); utilization of rice byproducts; novel research tool and technology development supporting the above areas (including
systems biology, bioinformatics, screening and characterization of germplasm for gene and trait
discovery).
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These priority areas in sustainable rice research have been agreed though a regional workshop in
Bangkok in April, which brought together relevant funding agencies, key research organizations
and leading academics from China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.The proposed
projects should be up to a maximum duration of three years and will requirea UK Principal
Investigator as well as a Philippine Principal Investigator with the options of additional Principal
Investigators from other partner countries.
The deadline for submission of applications is on August 13, 2015.For more information on this
opportunity, the embassy invites researchers to visit the UK BBSRC website at
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.

http://www.manilatimes.net/wanted-proposals-for-sustainable-rice-production/205365/

Special rice for the diabetics identified by Indian Institute of

Rice Research
Friday, 31 July 2015 - 5:17pm IST | Team Iamin.in
Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research has
identified three rice varieties with low glycemic index values which are considered suitable for diabetic
patients, Minister of State for Agriculture, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in Rajya Sabha on
Friday."According to the IIRR Hyderabad, Lalat (GIS.17), BPT 5204 (GIQ.42) and Sampada (GIQ) are
considered suitable for diabetic patients. Any variety of rice with glycemic index less than or equal to 55
is considered diabetic-friendly," he said.
"Presently, these varieties are under cultivation in different states of India," he added.

http://www.iamin.in/en/west-delhi/news/special-rice-diabetics-identified-indian-institute-riceresearch-65990

Newton Fund seeks PH researchers for food self-sufficiency

06:30 AM August 1st, 2015
The British Embassy Manila recently sounded the call for new tie-ups for food security studies,
especially rice resilience, production and sustainability, between Filipino researchers and their
counterparts in the United Kingdom.Through its Newton Fund, the UK Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council and the UK Natural Environment Research Council, in
collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for
Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, and the Department of
Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute, are calling for research proposals dealing with
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greater resilience, improved resource use, improved quality, utilization of byproducts, and novel
research tool and technology development for rice.
Farmer productivity
In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal, enhancing rice production is a
major priority, British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said. Studies have shown that climate change
will have a devastating effect of food security if it is not addressed now. This project will help
farmer productivity and enhance trading in rice, when necessary.Proposed projects should be up
to a maximum duration of three years and will require a counterpart British principal
investigator, with the options of additional principal investigators from other partner-countries.
An initiative by the UK government, the Fund aims to strengthen research and innovation
partnerships with emerging economies such as the Philippines. Launched in 2014, the Fund is to
be shared across 15 partner-countries in the course of five years for joint research on
development topics, capacity-building projects, student and researcher fellowships and other
partnerships.
Covering three broad activities, the Fund focuses on:
People by improving science and innovation expertise (capacity-building), student and
researcher fellowships, mobility schemes and joint centers;
Research, through collaborations on development topics;
How to apply them in actual practice.
The call adds more opportunities to the Fund, which had already been looking for health research
collaborations between the country and the United Kingdom. It has also paved the way for PhD
programs and travel grants for individual researchers and institutional links for academic
institutions. Workshops to allow Filipino researchers to connect with their international
counterparts are also being offered.
The deadline for submission of applications is on Aug. 13, 2015. For more information on this
opportunity,
please
visit
the
UK
BBSRC
website:
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.

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http://business.inquirer.net/196301/newton-fund-seeks-ph-researchers-for-food-selfsufficiency#ixzz3hbb4Mrk1

InterContinental Hotel Lagos, Refutes Claims of Closure by

Customs
03 Aug 2015

InterContinental Hotel, Lagos

Demola Ojo
The InterContinental Hotel,
Lagos has clarified reports that
it could be closed down. This
was against the backdrop of
reports by some media last
week that the Nigerian Customs
Service (NCS) was moving
against the parent company of
the hotel over non-payment of
duties on rice imports.However,
in a statement by Milan Industries, which was made available to THISDAY on Sunday, the hotel
said it has no relationship with rice whatsoever. We Milan Industries Limited are the owners
of InterContinental Hotel Lagos.
We write this re-joinder to clarify and correct the misinformation being disseminated in the
media concerning our refusal to pay import duty on rice and the decision of the Nigeria Customs
Service to shut down InterContinental Hotel.We are not in the business of importing rice and
are a limited liability company; we cannot be held responsible for the alleged indebtedness of
another company, the statement said.It said that, the general public should disregard various
media reports that InterContinental Hotel is to be shut down because of our indebtedness to
Nigeria Customs Service.
In a related development, the NCS has also found it necessary to clarify its position on its ongoing battle to compel defaulting rice importers pay outstanding duties owed the federal
government.According to the Public Relations Officer of the NCS, The confusion was created
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in view of the association of its owners, Milan Nigeria Limited with one of the defaulting
importers. Our records have shown that Intercontinental Hotel is not indebted to the Nigeria
Customs Service, and will therefore not be shut down as insinuated.It is also necessary to
clarify that the defaulting importers targeted for sanctions, Conti Agro Nigeria Limited, is a
separate legal entity from Milan Nigeria Limited, owners of Intercontinental Hotel, the
statement stated.
Tags: Featuered, Nigeria, Business, Intercontinental Hotel
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/intercontinental-hotel-lagos-refutes-claims-of-closure-bycustoms/216435/

NARS, ICAR Develop Flood Tolerant Crops

By Express News Service
Published: 03rd August 2015 03:44 AM
Last Updated: 03rd August 2015 03:44 AM
BHUBANESWAR: The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in collaboration with
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State agriculture universities have
developed flood and drought tolerant crop varieties for different regions of the country including
Odisha.The rice varieties of Swarna Sub-1, Sambha Mahsuri Sub-1, Varshadhan, Gayatri, Sarla,
Pooja, Prateeksha, Durga, JalaMani, CR Dhan 505, CR Dhan 502, Jalnidhi, Neerja, Jaladhi-1,
Jaladhi-2, Hemavathi will be made available to farmers facing water logging problems for longer
period.
Swarna Sub-1 is bred from a popular Indian variety of rice Swarna by upgrading it with Sub-1,
the gene for flood tolerance. Swarna was developed by Andhra Pradesh Agriculture
University.The new variety can withstand floods for two weeks unlike existing varieties which
would wilt if it remains under water even for a few days resulting in economic loss to farmers.
However, Swarna Sub-1 can rise back to life after having submerged for two weeks.
As the demand for this variety is increasing, the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack is ready
to provide the breeder seeds to the States affected by frequent floods including Assam, West
Bengal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Odhisa and Andhra Pradesh.
Similarly, drought tolerant varieties like Sahabhagi Dhan, Vandana, Anjali, Satyabhama, DRR
Dhan 42 (IR64 Drt 1), DRR Dhan 43, Birsa Vikas Dhan 203, Birsa Vikas Dhan 111, Rajendra
Bhagwati, Jaldi Dhan 6 are made available to the farmers.
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