24th november,2020 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter
1 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m
November 24 ,2020 Vol 11 Issue 11
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874

Editorial Board
Chief Editor
 Hamlik
Managing Editor
 Abdul Sattar Shah
 Rahmat Ullah
 Rozeen Shaukat
English Editor
 Maryam Editor
 Legal Advisor
 Advocate Zaheer Minhas
Editorial Associates
 Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid
 Javed Islam Agha
 Zahid Baig(Business Recorder)
 Dr.Akhtar Hussain
 Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui
 Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)
 Islam Akhtar Khan
Editorial Advisory Board
 Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim
Assistant Professor, Gomal
University DIK
 Dr.Hasina Gul
Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK
 Dr.Hidayat Ullah
Assistant Professor, University
of Swabi
 Dr.Abdul Basir
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
 Zahid Mehmood
PSO,NIFA Peshawar
 Falak Naz Shah
Head Food Science & Technology
ART, Peshawar
Rice News Headlines…
An Expert Opinion of Hamid Malik on
Serious Issue regarding Pakistan’s Rice Export Decline
 Rice exports continuously facing decline
 Recipe for Pakistan’s famous Sindhi biryani
 No more rice import permits to be approved until year-end
 Bangladesh issues another tender to buy 50,000 tonnes rice – trade
 The positive power of social media influencers
 Researchers use cutting edge technology to bioprint mini-kidneys
 UK gives £81 MILLION of taxpayers' cash a year to CHINA
 Amid pandemic: Rice exports see a surge; shipments up 36% in H1
 Rice farmers urged to use high-quality seeds
 RCEF-Seed Program continues to help typhoon-affected farmers
 Rice prices fall in Battambang
 Commercial launch of ‘Golden Rice’ expected by 2023
 Grantsmanship Workshop’ held at TRRI
 Field trials of Rajamudi rice to resume soon
 Food grain stock goes into high risks
 RCEF produces more trainers to help farmers be competitive
 U.S. Ag Export Development Council Brings in High Level Virtual
Conference Line-Up
 Grantsmanship Workshop’ held at TRRI
 Costly staple hurting low-income people
 Rice miller creates 'black gold' from ash in Odisha
 Ghana to become a net exporter of rice by 2024 – Bawumia
 Nige learned to cook in immigration detention – now he's teaching
Australians his recipes

News Detail…
An Expert Opinion of Hamid Malik on
Serious Issue regarding Pakistan’s Rice Export Decline
Rice exports continuously facing decline
Recorder Report 24 Nov 2020
LAHORE: Pakistan's rice exports are continuously facing decline since the start of current
financial year 2020-21 as these were registered at 838,770 tons during July-October 2020 as
compared to 1,176,285 tons in the same period of the year 2019. The figures show a decrease of
374, 495 tons or 28.69 percent during these four months, claimed Hamid Malik, a rice sector
consultant while talking to Business Recorder here on Monday.
Basmati exports were registered at 45, 290 tons in October 2020 as compared to 64, 378 tons in
October 2019, showing a decrease of 29.65 percent while non-basmati exports also decreased to
174,520 tons in October 2020 as compared to 252,844 tons in the same month of the year 2019.
"We were expecting a rebound in Pakistan non-Basmati export due to arrival of the new hybrid
non-Basmati crop. The decrease may be attributed due to high domestic price of non-Basmati in
Pakistan as compared to India, said Hamid Malik.
He said China imported 60,000 tons of non-Basmati in October 20 despite border standoff. Apart
from China, Indonesia, Malaysia & Benin remained top three buyers of Indian non-Basmati.Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Senior Vice Chairman Malik Faisal Jahangir
confirmed that decline in exports and termed it because of three basic reasons. He said that the
movement of shipments is restricted because of COVID-19. He said that exports of not only
Pakistan but of India had also declined because of this pandemic.
Secondly, he said during the last year Pakistan led in rice exports and India had to face a shortfall
of 300,000 metric tons in exports. However, they had a bumper crop last year and this year too.
"So, they have huge supplies and their prices are 20-22 percent less than Pakistan's rice leading
to getting more demand from buyers than Pakistan," he claimed.
Malik Faisal also termed the absence of payment mechanism between Pakistan and some
countries as another factor behind low exports. He said that India manages its payments through
Chinese currency with some countries including Iran, the so REAP has no benefit of it. He said

lack of patronage by the government to REAP is another factor that we could not tackle the issue
immediately.
He, however, said that they had approached the Pakistani trade counsellors posted abroad to push
buyers in their respective countries for Pakistani rice. He disclosed that due to efforts of
Pakistani trade counsellor in Spain, they are expecting a huge order from that country where
exports earlier were negligible. "If the government starts supporting REAP through Export
Development Fund (EDF), we can give marvellous results," Faisal concluded.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40034786
Recipe for Pakistan’s famous Sindhi biryani
Photo used for illustrative purpose only.
Jabeen Adil, Staff Reporter
Biryani is a popular and wonderful rice dish of South and East Asia. This dish is prepared by
mixing some special spices, meat and rice. It is often served with yoghurt and salads.
Sindhi Biryani is one of the most flavourful and extremely popular dishes in Pakistan.

It originates from the Sindh province of Pakistan. The correct amount of spices makes it more
delicious. If you never tried before here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
Water as required
Salt 1 tbsp or to taste
Basmati rice 500g, half-boiled
Tomatoes, sliced, 3 medium
Onions, 4-5 pieces, fried
Mint leaves, chopped, 1 cup
Fresh coriander, chopped, 1 cup
Green chillies, 3-4
Cumin seeds, roasted and crushed, ½ tbp
Lemon juice, 1 tbp
Chicken, 500g
Red chilli powder, ½ tbsp or to taste
Coriander powder, 1 tbp
Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
Garam masala powder, 1 tsp
Bay leaf. 2 or 3
Ginger garlic paste, 2 tbsp
Oil, half cup

Yellow food colour, 1/2 tbsp
Directions
In a pot, add oil, onion and fry until golden brown, take out half the quantity of fried onion & set
aside.
To remaining fried onions, add ginger garlic paste and mix well.
Add chicken and fry until meat changes colour.
Add garam masala powder, green cardamom, cumin seeds, red chilli, turmeric, cumin, and
coriander powder, salt, bay leaf and yoghurt. Mix well & cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and mix well.
Add green chilies, green coriander, mint leaves and mix well.
Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes.
Take out half the quantity of cooked chicken and gravy and set aside. Add lemon juice, half
boiled rice, boiled potatoes. Add the remaining cooked chicken, fried onion, lemon juice, yellow
food colour, fried onion. Then add the remaining rice, cover and steam cook for 10 minutes.
https://www.gulftoday.ae/lifestyle/2020/11/24/recipe-for-pakistans-famous-sindhi-biryani
No more rice import permits to be approved until year-
end
By: Karl R. Ocampo - Reporter / @kocampoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:25 AM November 21, 2020
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the Department of Agriculture (DA) would no longer
approve any rice import permit for this year, stressing that local production in stock as well as the
volume of imports were already more than enough to meet the country‘s demand.
In a phone interview on Friday, the agriculture chief said they were expecting rice imports to hit
2.3 million metric tons (MT) by year‘s end, or 23-percent lower than last year‘s record of 3 million
MT.

It was also in 2019 when the Philippines was distinguished as the world‘s biggest rice importer,
edging out China with a population of 1.4 billion as it only imported 2.5 million MT of rice.
―We already stopped approving [permits] and we‘re not expecting anymore this year,‖ Dar said.
―We have more than enough.‖
The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), under the DA, oversees the approval of sanitary and
phytosanitary import clearances (SPSICs) issued to traders and importers.
Data as of September showed that the BPI already issued 2,439 SPSICs this year against 2,324
SPSICs last year. It has usually been the case that not all these permits are used, although the
number of applications may provide a good insight as to how traders are perceiving the current
market.
All told, DA‘s computation of the national inventory of rice showed that available stocks could last
for about 88 days by January of next year, even when typhoons managed to wipe out eight days of
the country‘s equivalent consumption.
It follows that any shortfall in the staple may be imported following the passage of the rice
tariffication law as the agency also tries to boost local production through the rice competitiveness
enhancement program.
https://business.inquirer.net/312165/no-more-rice-import-permits-to-be-approved-
until-year-end#ixzz6ehoLsydW
Bangladesh issues another tender to buy 50,000 tonnes
rice – trade
TRADE|23 NOVEMBER, 2020
The new tender deadline is Dec. 2

Workers sun dry paddy at a rice processing mill after reopening amid concerns over the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) outbreak in Munshiganj, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 8, 2020.
Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
By Michael Hogan, Ruma Paul, Reuters News
HAMBURG - Bangladesh's state grains buyer has issued an international tender to purchase
50,000 tonnes of rice, traders said on Monday, the second such tender since mid-November.
The new tender deadline is Dec. 2.
Bangladesh's state grains agency had on Nov. 16 also issued an international tender to purchase
50,000 tonnes of rice closing on Nov. 26, its first in three years amid dwindling supplies and a
surge in prices of the staple grain.
The latest tender also sought non basmati parboiled rice with offers to be made in CIF liner out
terms, including cost, insurance, freight and ship unloading costs.
The rice can come from worldwide origins and shipment is 40 days after contract signing.
Bangladesh plans to import 300,000 tonnes of rice, amid a potential shortfall in output after
floods destroyed its crop.
Bangladesh, the world's third-biggest rice producer with nearly 35 million tonne output a year,
relies on imports to cope with shortages caused by natural disasters such as floods or drought.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan in Hamburg and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Edmund Blair)
((michael.j.hogan@thomsonreuters.com; +49 172 671 36 54; Reuters Messaging:
michael.hogan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/story/Bangladesh_issues_another_tender_to_buy_50000_tonnes_rice__
trade-TR2020112

The positive power of social media influencers
Social media could potentially be used to help fight a range of social ills such as poverty, disease,
and pollution
Credit: Chris Gash
REBECCA STROPOLI | NOV 23, 2020
SECTIONS MARKETING
Social media outlets have become platforms for misinformation campaigns and violent rhetoric,
which has put them in the crosshairs of elected officials and regulators worldwide. However, an
experiment by Chicago Booth‘s Pradeep K. Chintagunta, Cass Business School‘s Wanqing
Zhang, and Purdue‘s Manohar Kalwani involving rice farmers in China offers a reminder that
social media influencers can play a significant role in addressing global challenges, such as
dangerous pesticide use.
Many farmers and manufacturers have long maintained that they need to use pesticides to protect
crops and increase yields. However, pesticides can be deadly, particularly when used improperly.
The US Environmental Protection Agency classifies 68 pesticides as potential carcinogens, and
in a 2017 report, the United Nations estimated that 200,000 people die each year from pesticide
poisoning.
Less toxic, more eco-friendly pesticides exist, but some farmers have been slow to adopt them.
In emerging markets especially, many have uncertainties about new products—doubting a
product‘s legitimacy or the credibility of the supplier, questioning its value, or feeling unsure
about how to best use it.
In this sense, these farmers are like many other types of consumers who go through several
stages before adopting a product, Chintagunta says. ―First, they need to become aware of it.
Next, they must consider it. Then they need to make a decision to purchase it, then actually
purchase it, and finally repurchase it.‖

In preliminary interviews with 533 rice farmers in China, Chintagunta, Zhang, and Kalwani
learned that 74 percent of them didn‘t know the name of the pesticides they were using, the
ingredients, the side effects, or the proper application levels.
To see whether online campaigns could improve the situation, the researchers recruited 643
farmers in 34 villages in Zaoyang County, in China‘s central Hubei Province, to participate in a
field experiment from June to August 2018. They gave all the farmers free samples of a new
product, a nanotechnology form of avermectin, an agent that attacks bugs‘ central nervous
systems. The nanotechnology delivery made the product more efficient, requiring smaller
quantities.
The researchers then divided the farmers into four groups. Some, in a social media–informed
group, engaged in discussion groups on WeChat, where they were encouraged to chat and post
photos and videos. If participants had questions, other farmers or the researchers could answer
them.
In about half of the social media groups, farmers collectively chose an influencer, typically a
village leader whose opinions were respected. The researchers instructed the influencers, who
weren‘t deeply familiar with the product, to post discussion-group messages encouraging use of
the pesticide.
Some other participants were supported via the telephone rather than social media. Farmers in
this group participated in Q&A sessions with researchers and in surveys related to the new
product. Because it involved one-on-one discussions rather than a free, multiuser platform, this
strategy was more expensive. In a final group, farmers received the free samples but neither
social media nor telephone support.
The researchers find that the social media marketing led farmers to adopt the new pesticide at far
higher rates than just receiving the free samples, and those in groups with an influencer posted
even higher rates.

The social media campaigns generated a 30 percent increase in product adoption compared with
a control group, which translates to a potential 6 percent productivity increase and a 20 percent
efficiency-driven drop in overall pesticide use, the researchers estimate.
Results from the study indicate that social media could potentially be used to help fight a range
of social ills such as poverty, disease, and pollution. For example, Chintagunta says it could be
crucial to ensuring that everyone who needs information on communicable-disease prevention
and management receives it, and he thinks that the information could even lead to improved
detection and treatment.
―Social media tools can be leveraged to amplify the first and potentially facilitate the second,‖
Chintagunta says.
https://review.chicagobooth.edu/marketing/2020/article/positive-power-social-media-influencers
Researchers use cutting edge technology to bioprint mini-
kidneys
MURDOCH CHILDRENS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
IMAGE: RESEARCHERS HAVE USED CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO BIOPRINT
MINIATURE HUMAN KIDNEYS IN THE LAB, PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW
TREATMENTS FOR KIDNEY FAILURE AND POSSIBLY LAB-GROWN
TRANSPLANTS.
Researchers have used cutting edge technology to bioprint miniature human kidneys in the lab,
paving the way for new treatments for kidney failure and possibly lab-grown transplants.
The study, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and biotech company
Organovo and published in Nature Materials, saw the research team also validate the use of 3D
bioprinted human mini kidneys for screening of drug toxicity from a class of drugs known to
cause kidney damage in people.
The research showed how 3D bioprinting of stem cells can produce large enough sheets of
kidney tissue needed for transplants.

Like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube, extrusion-based 3D bioprinting uses a 'bioink' made
from a stem cell paste, squeezed out through a computer-guided pipette to create artificial living
tissue in a dish.
MCRI researchers teamed up with San Diego based Organovo Inc to create the mini organs.
MCRI Professor Melissa Little, a world leader in modelling the human kidney, first began
growing kidney organoids in 2015. But this new bio-printing method is faster, more reliable and
allows the whole process to be scaled up. 3D bioprinting could now create about 200 mini
kidneys in 10 minutes without compromising quality, the study found.
From larger than a grain of rice to the size of a fingernail, bioprinted mini-kidneys fully resemble
a regular-sized kidney, including the tiny tubes and blood vessels that form the organ's filtering
structures called nephrons.
Professor Little said by using mini-organs her team hope to screen drugs to find new treatments
for kidney disease or to test if a new drug was likely to injure the kidney.
"Drug-induced injury to the kidney is a major side effect and difficult to predict using animal
studies. Bioprinting human kidneys are a practical approach to testing for toxicity before use,"
she said.
In this study, the toxicity of aminoglycosides, a class of antibiotics that commonly damage the
kidney, were tested.
"We found increased death of particular types of cells in the kidneys treated with
aminoglycosides," Professor Little said.
"By generating stem cells from a patient with a genetic kidney disease, and then growing mini
kidneys from them, also paves the way for tailoring treatment plans specific to each patient,
which could be extended to a range of kidney diseases."
Professor Little said the study showed growing human tissue from stem cells also brought the
promise of bioengineered kidney tissue.
"3D bioprinting can generate larger amounts of kidney tissue but with precise manipulation of
biophysical properties, including cell number and conformation, improving the outcome," she
said.

Currently, 1.5 million Australians are unaware they are living with early signs of kidney disease
such as decreased urine output, fluid retention and shortness of breath.
Professor Little said prior to this study the possibility of using mini kidneys to generate
transplantable tissue was too far away to contemplate.
"The pathway to renal replacement therapy using stem cell-derived kidney tissue will need a
massive increase in the number of nephron structures present in the tissue to be transplanted,"
she said.
"By using extrusion bioprinting, we improved the final nephron count, which will ultimately
determine whether we can transplant these tissues into people."
###
Publication: Kynan T. Lawlor, Jessica M. Vanslambrouck, J. William Higgins, Alison
Chambon, Kristina Bishard, Derek Arndt, Pei Xuan Er, Sean B. Wilson, Sara E. Howden, Ker
Sin Tan, Fanyi Li, Lorna J. Hale, Benjamin Shepherd, Stephen Pentoney, Sharon C. Presnell,
Alice E. Chen and Melissa H. Little. 'Cellular extrusion bioprinting improves kidney organoid
reproducibility and conformation,' Nature Materials. DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-00853-9.
*The content of this communication is the sole responsibility of MCRI and does not reflect the
views of the NHMRC.
Available for interview: Professor Melissa Little, MCRI Theme Director of Cell Biology
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/mcri-ruc112220.php
UK gives £81 MILLION of taxpayers' cash a year to
CHINA
Tens of millions of pounds of our cash is being ploughed into China's vast economy every year –
on schemes including opera and rice production.
In an unprecedented audit, the Mail has uncovered £81million in aid sent to the world's second
largest economy.

It exposes how the UK taxpayer is boosting China's prosperity despite the British
Government being at loggerheads with Xi Jinping's regime over Beijing's approach to Hong
Kong, human rights violations against Uighur Muslims and the controversy surrounding
telecoms giant Huawei.
In the first day of its investigation into public sector expenditure yesterday, the Mail revealed
how £5.6billion is wasted.
The investigation found that £81million in aid has been sent to China to help fund schemes such
as rice production
Today, we reveal how British cash is helping the Chinese overtake us as the world's largest
producer of wind energy, protecting their cities from floods – after the UK suffered one of the
worst years of flooding on record – and funding a programme, begun three years ago, to tackle a
possible pandemic breaking out there.
The findings are part of our joint investigation with the TaxPayers' Alliance. The £81million
relates mostly to 2019-20.
China's GDP is almost five times greater than the UK's and, despite the coronavirus pandemic
originating there, it is the only large economy expected to prosper this year.
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence select committee, said: 'Given how Beijing
has leveraged its economic might to abuse international standards and norms, we should no
longer be funding any aid programmes in China.'
He added that 'China's errant behaviour should warrant consideration of sanctions' instead.
Grants of more than £200,000 have been made to the country to fund opera that will strengthen
ties between China's countryside and its cities
The Arts and Humanities Research Council awarded a grant of £21,732 for the creation of a
Chinese mascot in the city of Shanghai
Aardman Animations, the Bafta and Oscar-winning studios, is working with Chinese companies
to create Shaun The Sheep In Shanghai
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'A country that is set to become the largest
economy in the world, with plans to become the most powerful and threatening military power,
guilty of widespread persecution of minority groups and aggressive behaviour to its neighbours –
and UK Government officials, in the middle of an economic crisis, are sending them money.
'In what world is this not inept, incompetent and dangerous?'

In his spending review tomorrow, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to signal that the UK will
temporarily suspend its target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on international aid.
But it is thought that China will continue to receive vast sums until at least 2023.
Much of the audited funding was administered by the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy (BEIS) via the Newton Fund – which was branded 'poorly designed' and '[not]
a good use of UK aid' by aid watchdog ICAI.
A Government spokesman, for BEIS, said: 'Funding through the Newton Fund supports British
scientists and researchers working across the world to tackle global issues such as climate change
and driving economic growth and prosperity.'
Yesterday, the Mail revealed how Whitehall spends taxpayers' money on bonuses, exit payments,
lavish foreign trips and fine dining.
Tory MP David Davis said: 'The Daily Mail has done a public service in exposing this waste and
the Treasury should move quickly to get a grip on it. Britain today is living beyond its means to
the tune of over £100billion.
'There's no excuse for gross wastage of taxpayers' money at a time when we are struggling to
cover the necessary and important costs of government.'
Shaun the sheep and paddy fields: Where the money's spent
From Shaun the Sheep in Shanghai to Shakespeare in Beijing – while China dwarfs Britain's
economy, we've been funding its prosperity, whether that's boosting its arts industry or helping it
produce rice.
China – a military superpower with a space programme – is on course to have the world's largest
economy within a few years. In spite of this, British taxpayers' money is used to bolster the
superpower.
Here, some of the most jaw-dropping examples of how YOUR money is being spent, are laid
bare.
PANDEMIC PREVENTION
The British taxpayer was – incredibly – funding schemes in China three years ago to avert a
global pandemic like coronavirus.
Almost £900,000 was funnelled there with the aim of preventing an outbreak.
In 2017, £506,107 was allocated for a five-year study led by scientists at the Pirbright Institute,
one of Britain's leading infectious diseases laboratories, to investigate bird flu and virus
transmission in China.

Shanghai mascot that cost you £22k
The friendly-looking little blue figure was used by Shanghai to promote its World Expo back in
2010
The design of a mascot for the city of Shanghai has been bank-rolled by British taxpayers to the
tune of £22,000.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council awarded a grant of £21,732 for the creation of a
Chinese mascot, whose inspiration is 'Haibao', the friendly-looking little blue figure which
Shanghai used to promote its World Expo back in 2010.
The six-month funding period which began in February last year will aid the cultural sector of
Shanghai – which is China's financial hub as well as the country's largest city.
The UK Research and Innovation grant report, entitled 'Co-Designing a Hybrid 'Creature' as an
Asset for Shanghai's Performing Arts and Screen Industries' notes that the mascot 'could be used
to aid the commercial growth of Shanghai's creative industries'.
The report on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website by the
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which funded the study, says:
'Avian influenza viruses... continue to cause severe economic losses to poultry production in
China, and are increasingly isolated from humans and are therefore considered zoonotic viruses
with pandemic potential.'
Zoonotic viruses 'jump' from animals to humans, as has happened with bats and Covid-19.
A separate grant of nearly £378,892 was awarded in 2018 for a three-year research project in
China to 'gene edit pigs to prevent a novel virus infecting humans'.
Pirbright scientists aimed to edit the genes of a pig that was immune to influenza viruses because
'infections of pigs by avian influenza viruses can pre-empt the emergence of a novel influenza
virus that infects humans.'
The report for the grant pointed out: 'Indeed the last influenza pandemic in 2009 had its most
recent origin in pigs.'
It added: 'China is a major pig producer, where pigs are reared in large holdings under sometimes
crowded conditions; a perfect breeding ground for the evolution and emergence of new strains of
virus.
'The high population in China, its geography and its climate make it a hotspot for emergence of
influenza viruses.'
China also received at least £5.5millon over four grants, for the years 2018-22, for research to
tackle antibiotic resistance.

FUNDING FLOOD DEFENCES
As Britain struggled with serious flooding this year, more than £1million of UK taxes were
diverted to help flood prevention and coastal defences in China.
The Newton Fund awarded two grants of £291,089 and £111,626 for coastal defence of the Pearl
River Delta, one of China's most important trade ports.
The project's report says the region 'is exposed to typhoons from the South China Sea, as well as
being one of the areas with a high density population most exposed to sea level rise'.
Two other grants of £290,963 and £351,649 were allocated to protect Shanghai – China's
financial hub and the country's largest city – and the sprawling metropolitan area surrounding the
Yangtze River Delta against flood risk.
MAKING THE WEATHER PAY
The taxpayer-funded Meteorological Office has awarded £4million over four years for UK
scientists to model China's climate and assist its economy.
Britain's national weather forecaster is part of the Climate Science for Service Partnership China
(CSSP China), which has spent millions since 2014 on British scientists mapping China's climate
and weather.
£200k opera grant hits the wrong note
The grants were sent to strengthen ties between China's countryside and its cities
Grants of more than £200,000 have been made to fund opera to strengthen ties between China's
countryside and its cities in a bid to boost its economy still further.
China has more than 300 types of musical theatre, traditionally performed in rural areas. The UK
taxpayer-subsidised scheme will encourage urban opera.
President Xi Jinping believes co-ordinating urban and rural development, particularly in the arts,
is crucial to bolstering China's overall economic health.
More than £166,000 was given to revive Shanghai All-Female Yue Opera even though the city,
China's financial hub, already had its own yue opera group which has performed around the
world.
In yue opera, pictured, one of the most popular forms of musical theatre in China, all roles –
including those of men – are typically performed by women.The CSSP China describes itself on
the Met Office website as 'a scientific research project that... [supports] climate and weather
resilient economic development and social welfare through strong strategic partnerships
harnessing UK scientific expertise'.

CASH TO BOOST WIND POWER
Millions have been earmarked for the research and development of offshore wind farms in
China. The UK is currently the world's largest producer of wind energy but China is set to
overtake it by next year.
The £3.5million funding is being awarded over four years, ending in 2021, via the Newton Fund
in five separate grants.
China is constructing more offshore wind capacity than the rest of the world combined, and is
predicted to reach 52-gigawatt (GW) capacity by the end of the decade while Britain climbs to
40.3GW.
BOOSTING APPLE HARVESTS
A total of £338,391 will be spent over four years (2018-22) on technology to help China plant
apples.
The project, called 'Red Apple', is intended to 'improve yield and quality and reduce wastage in
the apple supply chain, thereby reducing economic and social risks associated with apple
production in North East China'. The technology will be scaled up to other Chinese fruit crops
including pears.
A £1million campaign has been launched by the Global Challenges Research Fund to encourage
Chinese families to eat sweet potatoes and prevent obesity.
THE BARD IN BEIJING
All the world's a stage, and nowhere more so than China, where Shakespeare plays have been
funded by British taxpayers.
More than £290,000 was allocated to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in China last year,
according to Arts Council England's latest annual account (2019-20).
The RSC has a long-standing relationship with China and last year embarked on a six-month tour
of 13 Chinese cities, staging a musical of Roald Dahl's Matilda. In 2016 the RSC began its First
Folio project, which aimed to complete 36 Chinese translations of Shakespeare's works by 2023.
It debuted with a Mandarin production of King Lear at China's National Centre for the
Performing Arts in Beijing in 2017.
In 2018 it began two years of its Chinese Cultural Exchange programme, staging The Tempest,
Twelfth Night and Hamlet in cities across China.
We even pay to help them produce rice!

If there is one thing you'd imagine the Chinese need no help with, it is growing rice.
Yet UK taxpayers are paying nearly £500,000 to show the world's biggest consumer of the crop
how it can produce even more.
British scientists are helping Beijing create 'the world's first digital fully connected rice mill' to
increase yields.
The aim is to use artificial intelligence in rice milling across China 'with substantial production
increases and cost benefits to the Chinese rice processing supply chain'.
The Newton Fund, managed by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy,
has awarded £478,906 over two years to help the world's second largest economy produce its
staple food.
The project, which began last year, involves Sheffield Hallam University and Jiangnan
University working with China Grain Wuhan Scientific to transform a rice processing plant in
Zhejiang province near Shanghai in eastern China.
On the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website, the project authors say: 'Data
analytics, AI, machine learning, auto-tuning... [will] optimise mill management and production'.
Technology will aid temperature control, milling and husk separation. Aston University in
Birmingham will assist in upscaling and manufacturing the technology.
Aardman character's £500k trip to the east
Aardman Animations is working with Chinese companies to adapt Shaun the Sheep
Some £41million was spent through the British Council to 'research and promote the
development of arts and culture' in China between 2016 to 2020.
The Newton Fund has awarded £1,041,856 to China's arts and cultural venues since 2018, with
£321,562 earmarked for the financial year 2020-21, and £48,172 beyond that.
The projects include 'remaking ethnic heritage in China's creative economy', and informing
people of their urban heritage through graphic images.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council offered a £5million UK-China Creative Industries
Partnership Development grant over a four-year period.
Shaun the Sheep, the British animation, is being adapted in China for £500,000.
Aardman Animations, the Bafta and Oscar-winning studios, is working with Chinese companies
to create Shaun The Sheep In Shanghai.

Through artificial intelligence, it will transform Shaun the Sheep from a screen-based animation
into an 'immersive experience... that can be enjoyed by a wide [family] audience in China...
while recognising China's cultural context and value'.
Shaun the Sheep, pictured, first appeared in A Close Shave in 1995 alongside Wallace and
Gromit, and is watched in 180 countries, including China.
Last year, a grant of £25,203 was awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to
create the 'location-based, mixed-reality cinema experience'. In February a second grant of
£434,219 was awarded by the AHRC for funding until next July.
https://www.nation.lk/online/uk-gives-81-million-of-taxpayers-cash-a-year-to-china-25751.html
Amid pandemic: Rice exports see a surge; shipments
up 36% in H1
November 24, 2020 7:15 AM
Even though export volume has increased, there is a decline in realisation as the per tonne unit
price has declined this year.
China has also increased its rice purchase from India last month, placing order for 100% broken non-basmati rice as
it is the cheapest in the world market, traders said.
By Prabhudatta Mishra
Even amid the pandemic, India‘s rice exports registered an exponential growth of 70% to 7.5
million tonne during the first six months of this fiscal, thanks to a doubling of non-basmati
shipments backed by strong demand from countries in West Africa and south-east Asia.
In dollar term, the exports of the grain grew 36% to $4.08 billion during the period, while a 43%
growth to `30,609 crore was seen in rupee term.
Rice exports would have been even higher, had freight movements been eased, exporters said.
Rice shipments are poised for a growth of over 60% to 15.5 million tonne this fiscal, they added.
―Considering the growth in exports during H1, the non-basmati shipments are going to exceed 10
million tonne in FY21, which will be a record,‖ said BV Krishna Rao, president of the Rice
Exporters Association. The previous annual record for non-basmati rice exports was 8.6 million
tonne reported in 2017-18. In the six months to September this fiscal, the non-basmati shipments

were at 5.08 million tonne, which was higher than the exports of 5.04 million tonne during the
whole of FY20, official data show.
Countries like Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone in West
Africa, who are traditional buyers of non-basmati rice from India, increased their purchases after
the euro gained against the US dollar in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rao said,
adding many of these countries pay in West African CFA franc. The West African currency was
ruling at 626 versus the US dollar on May 23 and currently trading at around 553.
Rao also said the space vacated by Thailand due to their lower output and also because of a
policy to make their own country food secure amid the Covid-19 pandemic, too, helped India to
increase the export volume. ―In parboiled rice, Thailand was the only competitor of India, so we
have an advantage,‖ he said, adding, parboiled rice has 30-40% share in annual non-basmati
shipments. Besides, there is also demand from Indonesia and Malaysia, who prefer sticky rice
and were earlier buying from Thailand.

China has also increased its rice purchase from India last month, placing order for 100% broken
non-basmati rice as it is the cheapest in the world market, traders said. Only 84 tonne of rice was
exported to China in April-September this fiscal. China, the world‘s largest producer and
importer of rice, restricts imports from India via various means.
Exporters of basmati rice also expect around 15-20% increase in shipments this fiscal from last
year‘s 4.5 million tonne, even as exports were up 28% up at 2.4 million tonne during H1 from
year-ago period.
―Even if we export the same quantity of basmati rice in October-March as in the year-ago period,
the shipments will be 12% higher for the whole year. Considering the robust demand in the
Middle-East, the exports are likely to be more in next four-five months from the year-ago,‖ an
exporter said requesting anonymity.
Rao said the railways have recently accorded a higher priority in allotment of rakes for rice
exports with some conditions. Rice exporters had faced difficulties during the lockdown period
as FCI was given priority in rail traffic movement for transportation of foodgrain.

Even though export volume has increased, there is a decline in realisation as the per tonne unit
price has declined this year. Many exporters are lowering the prices in their eagerness to get
orders. The export price/tonne of basmati rice fell to $890 in H1FY21 from $1,064 in H1FY20,
while that of non-basmati variety dropped to $385 from $403.
https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/amid-pandemic-rice-exports-see-a-surge-shipments-up-36-
in-h1/2134947/
Rice farmers urged to use high-quality seeds
As farmers recover from the onslaught of recent typhoons, researchers from the Department of
Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) urge rice farmers to plant high-quality
inbred seeds of a recommended variety as this helps increase yield by 10-15%. Fredierick Saludez, DA-
PhilRice agriculturist said that the use of high-quality inbred seeds results in high germination rate, lower
seeding rate, more vigorous seedlings, and more efficient crop establishment.
―Crops from high-quality seeds are resistant against pests and diseases. They also grow, mature, and ripe
uniformly, which leads to more efficient harvesting activities,‖ Saludez said in a recent Palay Aralan
session aired through the agency‘s social media page.Saludez said that observing the characteristics of
seeds can help farmers differentiate the high-quality seeds from the low-quality ones.

―High-quality seeds are relatively pure, have fewer weed seeds, free from visible seed-borne diseases, full
and uniform in size, and have at least 85% germination rate. Low-quality seeds, on the other hand, have
plenty of impurities such as weed seeds, seeds of other crop species, and inert materials like soil. They are
damaged, deformed, have visible seed-borne pests and diseases, and low germination,‖ he explained.
Currently, farmers in typhoon-stricken areas are prioritized under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund - Seed Program, and are receiving free high-quality inbred rice seeds.Farmers are further advised to
make sure that seeds they use are certified by the Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Quality Control
Services (BPI-NSCQS).
―If there are no accredited seed growers in the locality, high-quality seeds may be sourced from farmers
who can produce their own high-quality seeds. Farmer-produced seeds should pass germination re-test to
determine their quality. The re-test may be done by the farmer or NSCQS,‖ Saludez stressed.In addition,
researchers recommend that seeds to be used are of recommended varieties. ―Recommended varieties are
adapted to local conditions. They are resistant to pests and biotic stresses like drought and flood, have
produced relatively stable and high yield in adaptability trials, and are acceptable to farmers,‖ Saludez
said.
He explained that recommended varieties also have high demand in the local market. ―Farmers often
prefer new varieties, believing that they yield better. However, a variety may be released based on reasons
other than yield such as good eating quality and resistance to pests,‖ he said.He added that recommended
varieties suit the environment, address a prevailing local field problem, or have performed well in at least
two seasons of adaptability trials.
―If these factors are considered in choosing the seeds you plant, coupled with other good farming
practices, there is a good chance that you‘ll reap an abundant harvest,‖ he concluded.
PhilRice News
RCEF-Seed Program continues to help typhoon-affected
farmers
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Seed Program is benefitting more than
100,000 rice farmers in Region 2 and CAR who were affected by agricultural damages brought
about by recent typhoons.Andres L. Dela Cruz Jr., RCEF coordinator in Isabela, said that seed
delivery and distribution in Region 2 and CAR resumed on Nov. 16 to immediately supply the
RCEF areas with more than 120,000 bags of seeds.

Municipalities and cities, especially in Cagayan and Isabela, which were heavily damaged due to
flooding, are prioritized. The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-
PhilRice) is currently distributing high-quality inbred seeds in six municipalities in Cagayan; 21
in Isabela; and seven in Ifugao.
DA recently reported that Ulysses, the deadliest typhoon that hit the country so far, reached
almost P4 billion worth of damage. Farmers in the Cagayan Valley and Cordilleras were among
the more than 100,000 affected farmers.Before the typhoon Ulysses hits the regions, RCEF seed
deliveries in Isabela were fast tracked and seeds were secured in warehouses to prevent damages.
The RCEF-Seed Program, which is a component of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication
Law signed by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, allots P10 billion fund every year for the rice farmers.
Sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Villar, the program is a six-year government initiative to help the
farmers compete in the international rice market. The local government units and lawmakers
assist in its implementation.
PhilRice leads the RCEF-Seed Program, and is the government‘s lead agency on rice research
and development mandated to help ensure a rice-secure Philippines. With eight stations across
the country, its programs and projects are in line with the DA‘s ―Masaganang Ani, Mataas na
Kita‖ battlecry.
PhilRice News

Rice prices fall in Battambang
Nov Sivutha | Publication date 23 November 2020 | 21:55 ICT
Flooding and bad weather have led to a 25 per cent collapse of rice prices in the province. Photo supplied
The price of rice in Battambang province has dropped by as much as 25 per cent in recent days,
pushed down by, among other things, recent flooding and wind that have lowered the grain‘s
quality, as well as a lack of investment by the private sector.
Battambang provincial governor Nguon Ratanak told The Post on November 23 the fact that
farmers had flocked to harvest at a time when rice millers were unable to buy it up in a timely
manner also led to the plummeting price.
He said however the price decrease remained at acceptable levels because the Phka Romduol rice
variety still cost one million riel ($250) per tonne.
―This price of rice is falling because its quality is not yet up to an acceptable level. After the past
floods, some rice leaned into the water and became black. So, we speak about the price falling,
and we forget about its quality. Its quality also affects the price.
―After the floods, the wind blows stalks of rice down to the ground. We harvest it late or we
harvest it early, its grains are black. We cannot assess it overall,‖ he said.

Ratanak called on local farmers not to harvest rice at the incorrect time, explaining that when its
quality is spoiled the rice must be sold at a lower price. He also called on the private sector to
continue to invest in rice in Battambang.
―They have rice mills and rice-drying ovens and they can buy rice from farmers. Currently, they
have many rice mills but less rice-drying ovens, so they can‘t buy much rice from farmers,‖
Ratanak said.
Chhim Vichara, the director of the provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,
acknowledged the price of rice in the province was falling – from 1,200,000 riel per tonne to
between 950,000 riel and 970,000 riel per tonne, depending on the quality.
Battambang has been hit hard by flooding, he said, estimating that the floods and winds had
destroyed 30 per cent of the area‘s rice stalks.
He said the lack of combine harvesters was also a problem. During the floods, the owners of
combine harvesters moved their machines to other provinces, making the harvesting price
competitive. Previously, 1ha of rice stalks would cost 280,000 riel to harvest. Now, according to
Vichara, the price has reached 350,000 riel to 400,000 riel per hectare, although the authorities
have advised combine harvester owners not to increase their prices.
Seun Thouna, a farmer in Thma Koul village, said the price of rice had dropped to more than
800,000 riel per tonne. In previous years, farmers had sold it for more than 1 million riel per
tonne.
―No one come to intervene in this problem because farmers have produced many quality yields.
If the problem continues, farmers will be forced to spend more on their day-to-day livelihoods.
They also have to pay the interest to banks because many farmers had borrowed money from
banks to grow crops,‖ Thouna said.
―What farmers wish now is for relevant authorities to help intervene to make the rice price
acceptable. The price should be more than a million riel per tonne,‖ he said.
Theng Savoeun, the director of the NGO Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community, said if the
government does not resolve the problem of falling rice prices, it will have a serious impact on
livelihoods of thousands of farming families.
He said some farmers would face the threat of selling their rice paddies to pay the interest they
owe to banks. Some others would leave their homes for work in cities or migrate abroad to earn
money, he added.

―To solve this problem, the government should release the national budget to buy rice from
farmers and stock it so it can be milled and exported to sell abroad,‖ Savoeun said.
―The government should help stop brokers from lowering the price of rice arbitrarily.‖
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rice-prices-fall-battambang
Commercial launch of ‗Golden Rice‘ expected by 2023
November 23, 2020 | 7:28 pm
IRRI
THE COMMERCIAL propagation of Golden Rice is projected to begin by 2023, according to
the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
PhilRice Senior Rice Research Specialist Reynante L. Ordonio said the institute‘s timetable for
Golden Rice still hinges on the length of the application process for the genetically modified
variety, which still has to hurdle other clearances.
―There are still other processes that need to take place such as varietal registration. Our (is) that
commercial propagation will happen by 2023,‖ Mr. Ordonio said during the virtual opening
ceremony for the 16th National Biotechnology Week Monday.

Golden Rice has been modified to contain beta-carotene, a source of Vitamin A, and can be
grown like inbred rice. It is designed to address Vitamin A deficiency in children by providing
30% to 50% of the nutrient requirement.
PhilRice recently announced the opening of the 60-day period for public comment, a prerequisite
in the process of determining the variety‘s biosafety.
Mr. Ordonio said the list of provinces that will be tapped for the pilot deployment of Golden
Rice has yet to be finalized.
He said Quirino, Catanduanes, and Samar are viewed as candidates for hosting pilot programs.
―The list is not yet final. A lot can still happen before its commercial propagation is reached,‖
Mr. Ordonio said.
According to PhilRice, Vitamin A deficiency is a public health issue that affects around 17% of
Filipino children aged five and below.
In December, Golden Rice received approval from the Bureau of Plant Industry for direct use as
food and feed or for processing. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
https://www.bworldonline.com/commercial-launch-of-golden-rice-expected-by-2023/
Grantsmanship Workshop‘held at TRRI
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
THANJAVUR, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 19:10 IST
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A workshop for scientists on ways to tap funds for research projects from various
sponsoring agencies was conducted at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai,
by Tamil Nadu Agricultue University recently.
Inaugurating the three-day ‗Grantsmanship Workshop‘ through video-conference, N.
Kumar, vice-chancellor, TNAU, told participating scientists that tapping funds from

funding agencies would help in developing research infrastructure and overall
development of research stations, alongside giving a fillip to their career.
V. Ambethgar, Director, TRRI, said the objective of the workshop was to provide
insight into formulating successful research project proposals.
A total of 41 scientists from Region II jurisdictions of TNAU consisting of TRRI,
Aduthurai; Rice Research Station, Tirur; Centre of Excellence in Millets, Athiyandal;
National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban; Regional Research Station, Vridhachalam;
Oilseeds Research Station, Tindivanam; Sugarcane Research Station, Cuddalore;
Sugarcane Research Station, Sirugamani; Sugarcane Research Station, Melalathur;
Agricultural Research Station, Virinjipuram; and Cotton Research Station,
Veppanthattai took part.
Senior scientists from the institutes discussed ways of preparing winning research
project proposals and the importance of tapping external funds for development of the
institutes.
During the workshop, the scientists formulated research project proposals addressing
emerging research needs in mandate crops of Region II in theme areas viz., integrated
farming system, water harvesting and recycling, drought mitigation, crop variety
development, resistance breeding, physiology of pest and disease resistance, pathogen-
host-environment interactions, use of plant-based products in pest management, disease
forecasting, artificial intelligence, biosensors, biofortification, value addition, farm
mechanization, modelling, ecological engineering and nanotechnological applications.
The proposals would be submitted to funding agencies such as Life Sciences Research
Board, SEED, BRNS, DBT, NABARD, IMPRINT and DST, a TRRI press release said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/grantsmanship-workshop-held-at-
trri/article33161969.ece
Field trials of Rajamudi rice to resume soon
MYSURU, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 11:44 IST

of rice is currently restricted to parts of south Karnataka region.
This is a precursor to seeking GI status
The second set of field trials to prove the unique characteristic features of Rajamudi,
Karnataka‘s premium variety of rice, will be resumed in due course as a precursor to
seeking Geographical Indication (GI) status for it.
The results of the first set of trials — which was said to be encouraging — was
published some time ago in the international rice journal Oryza and scientists involved
in the exercise are confident of securing the coveted GI tag for Rajamudi within the
next two years.
The process is lengthy and entails scientifically proving that the characteristic features
of Rajamudi cannot be replicated when cultivated in other areas.
―It is in this connection that we intend to take up its cultivation in different parts of
Karnataka, including Shivamogga, Davangere, Bidar etc. this year,‖ said M.P. Rajanna,
a research scientist at VC Farm in Mandya, who is involved in the project.
Once successful, it will be the first paddy variety of Karnataka to share the honours
with Gobindobhog of Bengal, Kalanamak of Uttar Pradesh, and Ajara Ghansal of
Maharashtra, which have received the GI tag.
The State government is keen to secure the GI tag for Rajamudi, which was the
preferred rice variety of the Wadiyars of Mysuru who chose to receive it from the
farmers of the region in lieu of tax. This was due to its unique taste and the perceived
higher nutritional value which was proved scientifically in recent years, said
Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha, an NGO spearheading the movement to save and
popularize the indigenous variety of rice in the State.
He said cultivation of Rajamudi variety of rice is currently restricted to parts of
Holenarsipur, Arkalgud, Channarayapatna, Hassan, and Mysuru taluks in south
Karnataka region. However, the acreage or area under cultivation is only around 25,000
acres to 30,000 acres and was on a decline raising concern that it could be on the brink
of extinction as it is being supplanted by hybrid variety.

Explaining the rationale for securing the GI status, Mr. Krishnaprasad said it will not
only help conserve the paddy variety but will prevent other variety of rice cultivated
elsewhere in the State from being foisted on consumers as the genuine Rajamudi
product.
The initiative to secure GI tag for Rajamudi was announced almost two years ago by
the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission and the Department of Agriculture.
Besides Rajamudi, there are plans to seek GI status for other varieties of rice, including
Gandhasale and Ratnachudi.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/field-trials-of-rajamudi-rice-to-resume-
soon/article33158639.ece
Food grain stock goes into high risks
Posted By: daily industryon: November 23, 2020In: Bangladesh
Price disparity and wrong policy facilitates syndicate members to grab business
Posing threat to ensuring food security of
the country
Abu Sazzad: The food grains stock
is going into high risks mainly due to
price disparity, posing severe threat
for ensuring food security in the
country.
Country achieved bumper food
grains production since the last
couple of years, but the farmers are
not getting fair price from the government which is forcing them to sell the agriculture products
in open market.
Many district correspondent of the Daily Industry informed that farmers are discouraging to sell
their products to the government which has created an opportunity for the rice millers to
purchase the same products at a higher rate. As a result, the government is failing to purchase its
annual procurement target which is liable for declining the food grains stock during the virus
pandemic situation.
According to the available data of Bangladesh Bank, the actual gross production of food grains
in the last fiscal was 383.85 lac metric tons against the target of 399.69 lac metric tons. However,
the total production target of food grains in the ongoing fiscal has been set at 408.92 lac metric
tons.
During July-September this fiscal, the import of rice and wheat was higher at 15.04 lac metric

tons as compared to 11.39 lac metric tons of the same period of the last fiscal.
However, the procurement of rice and wheat was lower at 5.77 lac metric tons during July-
September, FY21 as compared to 6.77 lac metric tons of the same period of the preceding year.
The above data disclosed that the production target achieved, but the wrong policy of the
government is the major reasons for declining the food grains stock. Distribution of rice and
wheat was higher at 5.74 lac metric tons during July-Sept, FY21 as compared to 5.98 lac metric
tons during July-Sept, FY20. However, the outstanding Stock of food grains stood lower at 13.92
lac metric tons at the end of September of FY21 which was 19.38 lac metric tons at the end of
the same period of the preceding fiscal.
Global Economist Forum (GEF) President Dr Enayet Karim expressed his deep concern for
declining food grains stock, posing severe threat for the poor, marginal and underprivileged
people.
The government offered price is lower from the local market, encouraging farmers to sell their
products to the rice millers, he explained. Rice millers along with syndicate members are gaining
profit through creating human-made crisis of the agriculture products and food items which is
visible to witness the recent price hike of the essential commodities including rice, potato, onion
and green chili and vegetables.
Price disparity is the major reasons for declining the food stock; he said adding that the
government must have to ensure the fair price to save the marginal people from the ongoing and
the probable future vulnerability in terms of managing food items.
The government failed to meet its annual rice procurement target because of price difference that
has created gigantic scope for the rice millers to grab the business in local market. He predicted
that the government may not achieve its annual procurement target this year for wrong policy,
posing serious threat for the poor people in managing minimum requirements of food for
surviving.
―Of course, stock shortage is a severe threat for food security, and for this, the government plans
to import rice for increasing such stock, but a proactive procurement drive on the part of the food
department and ministry concerned would help saving the country‘s precious foreign currency
reserves, he added.
The government allocated money for almost two million tons of rice procurement which is not
enough to boost rice reserves in public granaries. Injection of more money into the rural
economy is needed to boost the food grains production, simultaneously, the fair price would
encourage farmers to sell their agriculture products to the government through which the stock
may reach in a safe position, he explained. If country face food grains stock, it will be tough for
the government to sell the essentials though TCB at a lower rate to the poor people.
Apart from this, the government will fail to implement many development projects which is
comparable with the former ‗Kabi Kha Program‘ across the country.
Jubo Economist Forum President Mirza Walid Sipon said that Bangladesh is primarily an
agrarian economy with high population density, where food security remains a major concern.
Country‘s agriculture sector has averaged an annual growth of around 3 percent, but the farmers
are depriving in getting the fair prices which is not acceptable to the common man, he
mentioned.
Commenting on the lower food grains stock, he said that the food department‘s failure in
purchasing paddy directly from farmers and its heavy dependence on the whims of rice millers
has forcing government to import rice.

Farmers are showing reluctant to sell their produce to the government‘s food procurement
centres as millers are offering higher prices. Such situation is posing serious threat for future
food security and the poor people is going to face more vulnerable situation to meet their demand
for food items.
He urged the government for ensuring fair price of the agriculture products for encouraging
farmers to sell it to the government and to increase the stocks.
http://www.dailyindustry.news/food-grain-stock-goes-high-risks/
RCEF produces more trainers to help farmers be
competitive
More trainers are now expected to help Filipino farmers following the participants‘ completion
of rice production training funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice
Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP).
In their recent graduation at the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute
(DA-PhilRice) in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, trainees said they have learned the
concepts and principles of the PalayCheck System specifically on the production of high-quality
inbred rice and seeds.
The 15 participants including agriculture extensionist workers, local farm technicians, staff from
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and farm school staff or
operators from Nueva Ecija were also trained on farm mechanization. Other lectures and hands-
on experience also covered credit or loans, training, and extension.
Topics are essential for the trained rice specialists from PhilRice, Philippine Center for
Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI),
and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on the roll-out of Farmer
Field School (FFS) training in provinces under RCEF programs.
Romer P. Nuno, a farm coordinator of Myriad Farms Agri-business Skill Training and
Assessment Center, Inc., shared how the training helped him appreciate farming even more.
―I am confident to say that I now have more knowledge not only on the technicalities of farming.
I now see farming as more than a means to produce food. Before, I‘ve told myself I have to
finish a degree so I won‘t end up farming but I realized I was wrong. Because of this training, I
have opened my heart to farming and appreciated the farmers even more, especially that my
father is one of them,‖ Nuno said.

The RCEF-RESP, which is a component of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law
signed by Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, allots P10 billion fund every year for the rice farmers.
Sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Villar, the program is a six-year government initiative to help the
farmers compete in the international rice market.
https://www.philrice.gov.ph/rcef-produces-more-trainers-to-help-farmers-be-competitive/
U.S. Ag Export Development Council Brings in High
Level Virtual Conference Line-Up
By Peter Bachmann
WASHINGTON, DC -- Last week,
USA Rice participated in the U.S.
Agricultural Export Development
Council's (USAEDC) annual
conference, another event forced to go
virtual during the COVID-19
pandemic. The week-long event
included the usual features like training
workshops, general session speakers,
topic-specific breakout sessions, and
board meetings.General session
speakers included USDA Under
Secretary for Trade and Foreign
Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney,
The Cook Political Report's Charlie
Cook, and former USDA Deputy
Secretary Steve Censky. Speakers focused heavily on the new political landscape, both assessing the
2020 election and making predictions for political priorities in 2021. They also touched on the impact
COVID-19 has had on agricultural exports for the U.S. and worldwide.
Likewise, the breakout sessions also dealt with the pandemic impact, with one session titled "Doing
Business in a Virtual World." A session that was particularly relevant for rice, titled "Global Trade
Barriers," discussed maximum residue level (MRL) issues around the world. New Assistant U.S. Trade
Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy Dr. Julie Callahan was a key panelist in
that session, encouraging U.S. exporters to stay ahead of the curve on MRL compliance. Callahan also
spoke of her work as a trade negotiator to ensure MRLs are not used as a weapon against U.S. exporters
and the importance of using science rather than social pressure to set levels.
"This conference is always an important meeting for USA Rice," said Sarah Moran, USA Rice

vice president for international. "We're able to catch-up with our USDA colleagues, participate
in annual training and compliance sessions, and hear about what other U.S. commodity
organizations are doing to grow their markets and solve exporting issues around the globe that
may in turn help USA Rice."USAEDC is a non-profit private sector trade association with over
80 members who are U.S. commodity trade associations, farmer cooperatives, and state regional
trade groups from around the country, representing the interests of growers and processors of a
variety of U.S. agricultural products. These groups come together under the USAEDC umbrella
to assist with export promotion efforts.
USA Rice Daily
Grantsmanship Workshop‘ held at TRRI
THANJAVUR, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 19:10 IST
A workshop for scientists on ways to tap funds for research projects from various
sponsoring agencies was conducted at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai,
by Tamil Nadu Agricultue University recently.
Inaugurating the three-day ‗Grantsmanship Workshop‘ through video-conference, N.
Kumar, vice-chancellor, TNAU, told participating scientists that tapping funds from
funding agencies would help in developing research infrastructure and overall
development of research stations, alongside giving a fillip to their career.
V. Ambethgar, Director, TRRI, said the objective of the workshop was to provide
insight into formulating successful research project proposals.
A total of 41 scientists from Region II jurisdictions of TNAU consisting of TRRI,
Aduthurai; Rice Research Station, Tirur; Centre of Excellence in Millets, Athiyandal;
National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban; Regional Research Station, Vridhachalam;
Oilseeds Research Station, Tindivanam; Sugarcane Research Station, Cuddalore;
Sugarcane Research Station, Sirugamani; Sugarcane Research Station, Melalathur;
Agricultural Research Station, Virinjipuram; and Cotton Research Station,
Veppanthattai took part.

Senior scientists from the institutes discussed ways of preparing winning research
project proposals and the importance of tapping external funds for development of the
institutes.
During the workshop, the scientists formulated research project proposals addressing
emerging research needs in mandate crops of Region II in theme areas viz., integrated
farming system, water harvesting and recycling, drought mitigation, crop variety
development, resistance breeding, physiology of pest and disease resistance, pathogen-
host-environment interactions, use of plant-based products in pest management, disease
forecasting, artificial intelligence, biosensors, biofortification, value addition, farm
mechanization, modelling, ecological engineering and nanotechnological applications.
The proposals would be submitted to funding agencies such as Life Sciences Research
Board, SEED, BRNS, DBT, NABARD, IMPRINT and DST, a TRRI press release said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/grantsmanship-workshop-held-at-
trri/article33161969.ece
Costly staple hurting low-income people
12:00 AM, November 22, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 01:33 AM
, November 22, 2020
Paddy prices have doubled this year, bringing smiles to those toiling to sprout the crop.
However, ongoing harvests have failed to rein in rice prices in Lalmonirhat‘s markets for
inclement weather and pandemic concerns. The staple is costing the common man a pretty
penny. The photo was taken at Sarpukur village of Aditmari upazila last Wednesday. Photo: S
Dilip Roy
S Dilip Roy The average day-labourers in Lalmonirhat are struggling to make ends meet as
rice prices in the district's local markets are refusing to come down although Aman harvests are
ongoing in full swing.

Prices have been hovering in the range of Tk 45 to Tk 55 per kilogramme for the past four
months.
Around this time last year, Tk 32 to Tk 35 would have sufficed, pointed out Mansur Ali, a day
labourer in his 50s of the sadar upazila's Kulaghat village.
Prices have continued to soar as well-stocked farmers are apparently taking it slow in releasing
their harvests amidst apprehensions of reduced yield for inclement weather, recurrent floods and
pandemic-induced fears of food shortages.
The difficulties are not of Lalmonirhat's alone.The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
early this month raised rice price warnings for Bangladesh to moderate level.
It said in Dhaka market, the prices of medium quality rice continued to increase in October,
while those of coarse quality rice showed some signs of softening but, in general, prices were
well above their year-earlier levels.
"The high level of prices reflects the seasonal upward pressure exacerbated by concerns over the
impact of unfavourable weather on the 2020 Aman harvest, starting from November," it said.

The 2020 Aman crop was affected by several weather setbacks, including excessive precipitation
in March and April, followed by Tropical Cyclone Amphan in May and recurrent widespread
and severe floods in July and August.
Strong demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic added to the upward pressure.
Overall, prices of rice in October 2020 in Dhaka market were 35 per cent higher than that a year
earlier, the FAO said.
Aman is the second biggest crop in Bangladesh in terms of yield after Boro, and accounts for
about 35 per cent of the annual output.
The Department of Agricultural Extension has targeted to produce 1.56 crore tonnes of rice from
the ongoing harvest season running from November to December.
For Lalmonirhat, the target for Aman rice is 3 lakh metric tonnes.
The government has already initiated the process for making purchases from the international
market in its effort to replenish public stocks and bolster its ability to intervene in the market to
curb a price spike.
But in the meantime, people like rickshaw puller Jobed Ali of Lalmonirhat town's Shaheed
Shahjahan Colony are having to fork out a substantial portion of their income for the staple food.
The slowdown of the economy for Covid-19 lockdowns has already led to many falling in debt,
with incomes flailing just to keep up with expenditures behind necessities of life.
"It costs Tk 50 to buy a kilogramme of good quality rice. Most of what I am earning now is spent
buying rice," said Ali who is now well past his prime.
Hopes were flying high on Aman harvests replenishing farmers' stocks and bringing prices
within reach. Now frustration reigns. Some are even in serious doubt whether prices would ever
come down at all.
There has been less paddy this year due to heavy rains and floods, said farmer Sarbesh Ali of
Sarpukur village in Aditmari upazila.

But he is happy for his paddy, each maund or roughly each 37 plus kgs of which is bringing him
Tk 950 to Tk 1,000, double the rate he got last year.
"I got 109 maunds of paddy from 10 bighas of land. I have sold only 15 maunds…at Tk 980. I
have stored the paddy at home...if the price of paddy goes up further…," said a hopeful Sarbesh.
His fellow Naresh Chandra Barman of Doljor village said last year paddy prices had gone up just
as they had made their sales. This time around they want to have a go at Lady Luck and wait it
out a bit.
"There is no shortage of rice in farmers' homes now," he said, pointing out that he too was able
to sprout no less than 148 maunds of paddy from 15 bighas of land.
That farmers are unhurried in selling off their harvests was confirmed by Nazrul Islam, a paddy
trader of the upazila's Durakuti Haat.
Last year some 1,600 to 2,000 maunds of paddy were arriving every day for sale at the market
around this time but now it had reduced to a trickle, so much so that merely 150 to 200 maunds
can be found available, he said.
"We are buying paddy from farmers at higher prices and selling it to wholesalers at a high rate,"
he said, adding that paddy price are unlikely to come down and thereby that of rice too.Rice
seller Belal Hossain of Goshala Bazar in Lalmonirhat town said millers have been charging high
rates and consumers were ultimately having to bear the burden.
He apprehends that if the harvest season failed to cool the market, things may even turn for the
worse.Rice mill owner Ahmed Ali of Lalmonirhat town sees no sign of prices reducing this year.
He said farmers seemed unwilling to sell their paddy and whatever they were letting go of were
fetching high rates.
Mills, which turn the paddy into rice, were having to accept the rates, for which market prices
were eventually not decreasing, he said.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/costly-staple-hurting-low-income-people-

Rice miller creates 'black gold' from ash in Odisha
A Kalahandi rice miller found an innovative way to turn rice husk ash into non-polluting pellets
that aid steel production, writes Uma Shankar Kar
Published: 22nd November 2020 08:53 AM | Last Updated: 22nd November 2020 08:53 AM
Workers at Sahu‘s RHA manufacturing mill.
By Uma Shankar Kar
Express News Service
BHAWANIPATNA: Throw Bibhu Sahu a problem and he will mostly likely create an
innovative business model. Twenty years ago, when most of his fellow villagers were cultivating
paddy, the 20-something went into rice milling. Decade and half later, when rice husk waste
from his mill drew resistance from locals, he turned the ash into gold.
Today, the 40-year-old from Kalahandi‘s M Rampur supplies rice husk ash (RHA) pellets to
steel industries in Egypt, Ukraine and Taiwan and is exploring opportunities in Japan, Germany
and Australia. That‘s not all. His waste to pellet model has drawn recognition not only from steel
makers across the world but also from R&D bodies.
Bibhu Sahu
The journey started on a modest note as a para teacher for Sahu. After completing BSc from M
Rampur College, he pursued CT training and joined as a para teacher in 2000. However, the
dream of owning a venture was compelling and he quit the job two years later.
With farmers of the area mostly cultivating paddy, Sahu saw an opportunity. He took loan and
opened a rice mill at Pandkamal village located in the aycut area of Utei medium irrigation
project.
Problems started in 2017 when some locals objected to his dumping of RHA, the waste
generated after processing paddy, at a nearby land.
They alleged that the waste was causing air pollution. ―It was a bitter experience but also a
blessing in disguise as it forced me to think of alternative ways to use the husk ash,‖ he says.
Sahu used to transfer the ash into gunny bags and place them in his unused 1,000 sq ft godown
near the mill. Soon, the godown ran out of space considering the large quantity of RHA produced
daily.
Sahu had to look for options and searched the internet where he came across a research paper
which said that RHA contains 85 per cent silicon and the granules generated from it can be used

in steel industries besides, tyres and pesticide manufacturing units. With its fine insulating
properties having high melting point and low thermal conductivity, RHA is widely used in steel
industry to produce high quality steel. It is also used during casting metals to support slow
cooling process and coating molten metals in steel industry, the research paper mentioned.
To explore the opportunity, Sahu sent small samples of RHA generated from his rice mill to
different steel industries and in the early 2018, he was invited by EZDK - the first steel plant in
Egypt - to demonstrate its use in production of steel. Impressed, the company handed him an
order of supplying granular pellets of the RHA which would not result in pollution. However, he
didn‘t have machines to generate pellets on a commercial scale. ―There were no machines
available across the country to generate RHA pellets.
Some companies assured me to make the machinery but failed ―, recalls Sahu who hired local
potters and a blacksmith to prepare a machine that can serve the purpose. After unsuccessful
trials, they designed a machine which could successfully make tiny balls of RHA. They made
two more similar machines and Sahu hired all of them for generating RHA pellets.
He did not just meet the EZDK demand with the indigenous designs, he also applied for patent,
trademark and design certification for the machinery and know-how of generating RHA pellets
at the National Research Development Corporation, Visakhapatnam which were granted. The
same year, his innovation was also recognised by Startup Odisha which sanctioned Rs 15 lakh to
him for developing the model. Besides, CRRI at Cuttack provided him another Rs 24 lakh for the
purpose.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2020/nov/22/rice-miller-creates-black-goldfrom-ash-in-
odisha
Ghana to become a net exporter of rice by 2024 – Bawumia
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
Sat, 21 Nov 2020Source: My News GH
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that the government is working towards
making Ghana a net exporter of rice by 2024.He stated that there are plans in the offing to reduce
and eliminate the country‘s dependence on rice importation which it has over time done
significantly with various interventions
―We want before 2024 that this country would be a net exporter of rice. We want to reduce and
eliminate our dependence on rice importation which we have done quite significantly‖, he
revealed in an interview with Bolgatanga-based A1 radio monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

According to him, the government‘s planting for
food and jobs policy has resulted in abundant
food including rice citing a bumper harvest of
rice in the Builsa South District. Planting for
food and jobs has brought in a lot of food. The
new maize has come to meet the old maize. Food
has been in abundance whether it is maize or rice
and in this country rather importing, is exporting
a lot of foodstuffs‖He added ―look at Builsa
South and you will see the increase in rice
production under the Planting for Food and Jobs. Massive increase, we have had almost 2,000
hectors under cultivation of rice and you have has two rice processing mills, you have major
projects‖
Meanwhile, farmers believe that with the increased interest in rice farming in the region, the rice
mills will increase production, especially those in the Fumbisi Valley.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Ghana-to-become-a-net-exporter-of-rice-by-
2024-Bawumia-1114705
Nige learned to cook in immigration detention – now
he's teaching Australians his recipes
Launched in response to the pandemic, a national meal kit service shares the stories and cuisines
from chefs of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds
Oliver Pelling
Mon 23 Nov 2020 16.30 GMT Last modified on Tue 24 Nov 2020 03.31 GMT
Nige preparing his dishes for his All Together Now meal kit. Photograph: Catherine Elise

―My belly is laughing when I try some curry,‖
says Nigethan ‗Nige‘ Sithirasegaram into one of
the three cameras pointed at him. ―Even the
smell makes me happy.‖ It‘s a gloomy
Melbourne morning but Sithirasegaram is
positively beaming. Perched in front of a bright
yellow backdrop at Free to Feed – a social
enterprise and cooking school in Northcote –
he‘s telling stories for the suite of short films
that will accompany a meal kit he‘s releasing
nationally on 17 November.
Four Sri Lankan seafood recipes for a spicy staycation treat
Read more
Before the pandemic, Free to Feed ran sell-out cooking classes that enabled customers to learn
how to make dishes like Assyrian Mutabal Kousa (fried zucchini with a yoghurt tahini dressing)
and Persian Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh (jewelled rice with saffron-braised chicken) under the
supervision of chefs from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Chefs like Sithirasegaram, a
third-generation fisherman from Sri Lanka who taught himself how to cook in the six years he
spent in Australian detention or, as he refers to it, ―my bad time‖.
In 2009, Sithirasegaram fled his home of Trincomalee and Sri Lanka‘s civil war for his own
safety, and to find a more peaceful life for his wife and son. At the time, Tamil men were at
particular risk of being forcibly disappeared – according to Amnesty International, Sri Lanka has
one of the highest rates of disappearances in the world.
After a harrowing stretch on Christmas Island, Sithirasegaram was transferred to Villawood
Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney, then to Melbourne Immigration Transit

Accommodation (Mita). ―I had a very stressful time in detention,‖ he says. ―I never thought I‘d
survive.‖
Nige preparing a meal whilst in immigration detention. Photograph: Nigethan ‘Nige’
Sithirasegaram cooking in immigration detention
Permitted to one (supervised) grocery shop a
week at Villawood and Mita, Sithirasegaram
would call his wife and ask her to teach him the
recipes she used to cook back home. ―I would
think about my wife‘s food, my mum‘s food,‖
he says. ―Every day, I would cook and cook and
cook, and keep learning. That would make me
happy.‖Sithirasegaram was granted a bridging
visa and released from detention in 2015. He
honed his cooking skills at Tamil Feasts, a tri-
weekly Sri Lankan pop-up food event that saw
him making curries, sambal, chutney and dahl
alongside three friends he met in detention.At a
typical Free to Feed event – which will return as
soon as local Covid-19 restrictions permit –
Sithirasegaram (or one of his fellow cooks)
would be front and centre, sharing their story
while teaching a small audience of would-be
chefs how to cook their recipes, before settling
in to share the meal with them. The experience
is one part cooking class, one part cultural
exchange, one part communal feast.
Free to Feed co-founders Loretta and Daniel Bolotin began the enterprise in 2016 to help create
meaningful employment opportunities for refugees, people seeking asylum and new migrants.
But when Covid-19 made their in-person events impossible, they had to find other ways to
support their 14 cooks, leaders and hosts.
As well as a meal delivery service and Zoom cooking classes, one of those other ways became
‗All Together Now‘, a DIY meal kit and cultural exchange in a box. And the result, according to
both the Bolotins, is a surprisingly vivid distillation of their mission statement.
The Free to Feed team, including Nige, centre top, Loretta (top right), and Dan (middle right).
Photograph: Catherine Elise

The first edition of All Together Now (the name
itself a suggestion for how the meals ought to be
prepared and enjoyed), was released in August
and featured personal recipes and stories from
Iranian chef and refugee Mahshid Babzartabi.
―It gives me a feeling I‘m invited all over
Australia,‖ says Babzartabi of the success of her
edition of All Together Now, ―that despite years
of living in limbo, we are welcomed by
Australians‖.
As well as hard-to-find ingredients and recipe books, the kits contain conversation cards, access
to online cooking films and stories from the chefs themselves. ―This isn‘t another high-flying
chef teaching you how to cook,‖ says Loretta Bolotin. ―You‘re really reaching into this family
with all of its heritage. These recipes are family secrets.‖
Sithirasegaram learned how to make curry powder by watching his mother and auntie when he
was a child. In his kit, he demonstrates different variations of the blend, and talks about how the
recipe varies slightly depending on how he‘s feeling. ―It‘s like a hug,‖ he says.
Isol-Asian cooking: lockdown recipes from golden coin eggs to Beijing fried
chicken
Each of the 11 recipes on Sithirasegaram‘s All Together Now menu has its own story, from his
auntie‘s chai butter cake to his wife‘s coconut fried squid – one of the dishes he learned to cook
in detention with her over-the-phone tutelage. ―My wife had a big smile and I had a big smile,‖
he says of the first time he nailed the recipe (after a couple of botched attempts).

Sithirasegaram – who aspires to one day start his own food truck – now lives in Melbourne‘s
north, and has been separated from his family for over a decade. Just three-years-old when he
left, his son has turned 14 – ―a man now‖ says Sithirasegaram. It still remains unsafe for him to
return to Sri Lanka, and Sithirasegaram must wait to be granted the appropriate visa class before
he can bring his family to Australia.
Sithirasegaram‘s wife, who he remains in touch with daily, can hardly believe what‘s become of
her husband. ―She gets a little bit jealous because I‘m cooking more than her,‖ he says with a
chuckle. ―She says, ‗How do you know so much about cooking now?‘ I just smile: ‗This is my
job‘, I say. ‗I‘m a professional now. And when you come to Australia, I‘ll cook for you!‘‖
Nige’s beetroot sambal
Serves 4- 6
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Nige’s beetroot sambal. Photograph: Rebekah Chugg/Free to Feed
2 medium-sized beetroots, 1.5cm dice
1 tomato, roughly diced
1 red onion 1.5cm dice
1 clove garlic, peeled
1-2 dried red chilis (adjust amount to suit how hot you like your sambal)
1⁄4 cup cashew nuts
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
Salt
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 stalk fresh curry leaves, removed from stalk
40ml coconut oil (can substitute with vegetable oil)

Special equipment
Food processor or stick blender
Heat oil in a pan, add chilis and cook for a minute then, add beetroot, onion, garlic, tomato and
stir occasionally until onion has browned (about five minutes).
In the meantime soak the cashews in boiling water and set aside for five minutes, then drain.
Place the cashews and beetroot mixture into the bowl of the food processor and blend until very
smooth. Add lemon juice and season with salt, place in serving dish.
Place a small frypan on the stove to heat, add mustard and fennel seeds and cook until the
mustard seeds pop. Add the curry leaves, stir, then remove from heat. Garnish the beetroot
sambal with the mustard and fennel seeds and curry leaves.
Nige’s yoghurt rice
Serves 4 -6
Nige’s yoghurt rice Photograph: Rebekah Chugg/Free to Feed
2 cups basmati rice
1 tbsp black mustard seed
1 tbsp fennel seed
4 cardamon pods

2 stalks curry leaf, stripped
4 dried chilli
2 tbsp coconut oil
1⁄2 brown onion, finely chopped
1 cup yoghurt (use coconut yoghurt for a dairy alternative)
Wash the rice two to three times and drain.
Cook the rice in a rice cooker or a saucepan using the absorption method.*
Heat coconut oil until hot and fry mustard seed, fennel seed, cardamom pods, curry leaves, chilis
and onion until the mustard seeds pop and the onion has browned.
Add 1⁄4 cup water, stir and reduce heat to the lowest point – the water stops the cooking process,
so the spices don‘t burn and the yoghurt doesn‘t curdle.
Add the yoghurt and stir thoroughly, then add the cooked rice and mix to combine, place in a
serving dish.
*Place rice in a saucepan, place your index finger into the saucepan so it touches the surface of the rice,
then add enough cold water that it reaches the first line of your index finger. Place on stove and bring to
the boil uncovered, when the water has evaporated (10 minutes), reduce the heat to the lowest point,
cover and cook for further 10 minutes.

24th november,2020 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

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