12th january,2021 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
January12 ,2021 Vol 1 Issue 13
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…
 Bacterium protects rice plants from diseases
 Researchers identify bacterium that protects rice plants against diseases
 TU Graz identifies bacterium that protects rice plants against diseases
 Coronavirus latest: Healthy gut bacteria could help prevent severe cases of
Covid-19
 Why I Stopped Defending GMOs
 Development bank delivers $245mn to agri-sector producers, exporters,
SMEs
 Millers Summon Mthuli Ncube Over VAT Standoff On Rice Imports
 Italy to deploy new economic missions in Pakistan
 Rice import from India thru Hili land port resumes
 10,000 Women to Benefit from Value Seeds COVID-19 Recovery and
Resilience Intervention in Partnership with the Mastercard Foundation
 Three nabbed for attack on rice miller’s house
 Andhra Pradesh Srikakulam: Millers procure paddy illegally from Odisha
 Millers, wholesalers use low govt stock to raise rice prices: experts
 Cost Factors: Trim the ancillary procurement costs
 Customs collects P14.6B in rice tariffs in January-November ’20
 Undervalued shipments
 Import bans to shore up aquaculture
 Rice market heats up; farmers, consumers bear brunt
 Temporary Turkish import tariff cut opens opportunities for European rice
exporters
 Private firms get nod to import another 3.45 lakh tonnes of rice
 What do we lose when we lose a grain of rice? | Story of Goa's Korgut rice,
grown in its Khazans, is story of the state
 Cooking For a Cause in Haiti
 Private firms get nod to import another 3.45 lakh tonnes of rice
 The Rice Renaissance
 CRF: Bumper 2021 for organic rice
 Laos-China trade: Govt to export 2,000 tonnes of rice to China this month;
new railway to boost business
 Bangladesh allows private traders to import 487,000 tonnes of rice
 Agricultural sector improves value of Vietnamese rice
 Maintaining domestic rice market stability
 BSS-01 Farmers busy in Boro rice farming in Rangpur region
 PSA: Farm-gate price of rice hits 3-month high
 Stabilising Rice Market: Experts call for effective policy
 Fortified rice to fight malnutrition in UP
 India rises to the occasion as global rice stock runs shortx
 Pakistan finally notifies GI rules to protect domestic products in int’l market
 Farm laws: It may still be a broken ladder

Bacterium protects rice plants from diseases
Date:January 11, 2021
Source:Graz University of Technology
Summary:Researchers were able to demonstrate how a specific bacterium inside the seeds of rice
plants effectively and in an eco-friendly way inhibits destructive plant pathogens.
FULL STORY
Rice is the staple food of about half the world's population. The cultivation of the rice plant is
very water-intensive and, according to the German aid organization Welthungerhilfe, around 15
per cent of rice is grown in areas with a high risk of drought. Global warming is therefore
becoming increasingly problematic for rice cultivation, leading more and more often to small
harvests and hunger crises. Crop failures caused by plant pathogens further aggravate the
situation. Here, conventional agriculture is trying to counteract this with pesticides, which are
mostly used as a precautionary measure in rice cultivation. The breeding of resistant plants is the
only alternative to these environmentally harmful agents -- and currently only moderately
successful. If the plants are resistant to one pathogen thanks to their breeding, they are usually
more susceptible to other pathogens or are less robust under adverse environmental conditions.
Bacterium confers pathogen resistance
For this reason, an international research group which includes the Institute of Environmental
Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology has been studying the microbiome of rice plant
seeds for some time now in order to establish correlations between plant health and the
occurrence of certain microorganisms. The group has now achieved a major breakthrough. They
identified a bacterium inside the seed that can lead to complete resistance to a particular
pathogen and is naturally transmitted from one plant generation to another. The findings
published in the scientific journal Nature Plants provide a completely new basis for designing
biological plant protection products and additionally reducing harmful biotoxins produced by
plant pathogens.
The microbiome of rice
In conventional rice cultivation in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, it was observed that one
genotype of rice plants (cultivar Zhongzao 39) sometimes develops resistance to the plant
pathogen Burkholderia plantarii. This pathogen leads to crop failures and also produces a
biotoxin that can cause organ damage and tumours in persistently exposed humans and animals.
"Up to now, the sporadic resistance of rice plants to this pathogen could not be explained," says
Tomislav Cernava from the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at Graz University of
Technology. Together with the luminary of microbiome research and Institute head, Gabriele
Berg, and his institute colleague Peter Kusstatscher, Cernava has been investigating the
microbiome of rice seeds from different cultivation regions in detail in the context of a
collaboration with Zhejiang University (Hangzhou) and Nanjing Agricultural University in
China as well as with the Japanese Hokkaido University in Sapporo.

Bacterial composition as a decisive factor
The scientists found that the resistant plants have a different bacterial composition inside the
seeds than the disease-susceptible plants. The bacterial genus Sphingomonas in particular was
found significantly more often in resistant seeds. The researchers therefore isolated bacteria of
this genus from the seeds and identified the bacterium Sphingomonas melonis as the responsible
agent for disease resistance. This bacterium produces an organic acid (anthranilic acid), which
inhibits the pathogen and thereby renders it harmless. "This also works when the isolated
Sphingomonas melonis is applied to non-resistant rice plants. This automatically makes them
resistant to the plant pathogen Burkholderia plantarii," explains Tomislav Cernava. In addition,
the bacterium establishes itself in certain rice genotypes and is then passed on naturally from one
plant generation to the next. "The potential of this finding is enormous. In the future, we will be
able to use this strategy to reduce pesticides in agriculture and at the same time achieve good
crop yields," emphasizes Cernava.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Graz University of Technology. Original written by Susanne
Eigner. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
1. Haruna Matsumoto, Xiaoyan Fan, Yue Wang, Peter Kusstatscher, Jie Duan, Sanling Wu, Sunlu
Chen, Kun Qiao, Yiling Wang, Bin Ma, Guonian Zhu, Yasuyuki Hashidoko, Gabriele Berg,
Tomislav Cernava, Mengcen Wang. Bacterial seed endophyte shapes disease resistance in
rice. Nature Plants, 2021; DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00826-5
Cite This Page:
 MLA
 APA
 Chicago
Graz University of Technology. "Bacterium protects rice plants from diseases." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 11 January 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111112220.htm>.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111112220.htm
Researchers identify bacterium that protects rice
plants against diseases
by Graz University of Technology

Rice panicle: Rising global warming is problematic for the water-intensive cultivation of rice, the staple
food for about half the world's population. Credit: Mengcen Wang
With their expertise in microbiome research, the researchers at the Institute of Environmental
Biotechnology were able to demonstrate how a specific bacterium inside the seeds of rice plants
effectively and in an eco-friendly way inhibits destructive plant pathogens.
percent of rice is grown in areas with a high risk of drought. Global warming is therefore
only alternative to these environmentally harmful agents—and currently only moderately

biological plant protection products and additionally reducing harmful biotoxins produced
by plant pathogens.
Rice seed: Tomislav Cernava conducts research at the Institute for Environmental Biotechnology at TU
Graz. Credit: Lunghammer - TU Graz
biotoxin that can cause organ damage and tumors in persistently exposed humans and animals.
Technology. Together with institute head Gabriele Berg and his institute colleague Peter
Kusstatscher, Cernava has been investigating the microbiome of rice seeds from different
cultivation regions in detail in the context of a collaboration with Zhejiang University
(Hangzhou) and Nanjing Agricultural University in China as well as with the Japanese Hokkaido
University in Sapporo.

resistant to the plant pathogen Burkholderia plantarii," explains Tomislav Cernava.
In addition, the bacterium establishes itself in certain rice genotypes and is then passed on
naturally from one plant generation to the next. "The potential of this finding is enormous. In the
future, we will be able to use this strategy to reduce pesticides in agriculture and at the same time
achieve good crop yields," says Cernava.
https://phys.org/news/2021-01-bacterium-rice-diseases.html
TU Graz identifies bacterium that protects rice plants
against diseases
Bacterium inside the seed can lead to complete resistance to a particular pathogen and is
naturally transmitted from one plant generation to another
GRAZ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Research News
IMAGE: RISING GLOBAL WARMING IS PROBLEMATIC FOR THE WATER-
INTENSIVE CULTIVATION OF RICE, THE STAPLE FOOD FOR ABOUT HALF THE
WORLD'S POPULATION.
CREDIT: MENGCEN WANG
per cent of rice is grown in areas with a high risk of drought. Global warming is therefore
only alternative to these environmentally harmful agents - and currently only moderately

biological plant protection products and additionally reducing harmful biotoxins produced by
plant pathogens.
biotoxin that can cause organ damage and tumours in persistently exposed humans and animals.
Technology. Together with the luminary of microbiome research and Institute head, Gabriele
Berg, and his institute colleague Peter Kusstatscher, Cernava has been investigating the
microbiome of rice seeds from different cultivation regions in detail in the context of a
collaboration with Zhejiang University (Hangzhou) and Nanjing Agricultural University in
China as well as with the Japanese Hokkaido University in Sapporo.
resistant to the plant pathogen Burkholderia plantarii," explains Tomislav Cernava. In addition,
the bacterium establishes itself in certain rice genotypes and is then passed on naturally from one
plant generation to the next. "The potential of this finding is enormous. In the future, we will be
able to use this strategy to reduce pesticides in agriculture and at the same time achieve good
crop yields," emphasizes Cernava.
###
This research is anchored in the Field of Expertise "Human & Biotechnology", one of five
strategic foci of Graz University of Technology.
Details of the original publication:
Bacterial seed endophyte shapes disease resistance in rice.
Haruna Matsumoto, Xiaoyan Fan, Yue Wang, Peter Kusstatscher, Jie Duan, Sanling Wu, Sunlu
Chen, Kun Qiao, Yiling Wang, Bin Ma, Guonian Zhu, Yasuyuki Hashidoko, Gabriele Berg,
Tomislav Cernava, Mengcen Wang. Nature Plants, January 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-
00826-5
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/guot-tgi011121.php
Coronavirus latest: Healthy gut bacteria could help
prevent severe cases of Covid-19

A new study suggests that eating certain foods rich in probiotics or taking dietary
supplements could also reduce the risk of long Covid
By Tom Bawden
January 11, 2021 11:30 pm
Eating plenty of sauerkraut, bananas, yoghurt, sourdough bread and
other foods rich in ―probiotic‖ gut bacteria or food supplements could help
people avoid cases of severe and long Covid, a new study suggests.
Researchers cautioned that the study is ―observational‖ meaning a direct link
between healthy gut bacteria and milder cases of Covid has not been definitely demonstrated.
But Professor Siew Ng, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, believes people with high
levels of good bacteria have a ―substantially better‖ chance of avoiding severe Covid.
Apart from taking probiotic supplements, people can boost their bacteria by eating garlic,
leeks, wheat, onion, chicory roots, rice, and kimchi, according to the research.
Low numbers of F prausnitzii increases risk
The researchers found that lower numbers of the gut bacteria F. prausnitzii and
Bifidobacterium bifidum – found in the recommened foods – were particularly associated
with infection severity, according to the study, published in the journal Gut.
―Bolstering of beneficial gut species depleted in Covid-19 could serve as a novel avenue to
mitigate severe disease, underscoring the importance of managing patients‘ gut microbiota
during and after Covid-19,‖ said Professor Ng.
Scientists not involved in the research cautioned that the study was observational and said it
had yet to be determined if there was a clear link between gut bacteria and severity and
duration of Covid.
Encouraging results
However, some experts said the results were encouraging, even at this stage. ―This is a good
study and the results make sense to further optimise diet and reduce inflammation in those
with and at risk of Covid,‖ said Professor Angus Dalgleish of St George‘s, University of
London.
Professor Graham Rook, of University College London, added: ―My guess is that the
hypothesis [suggested by the research] will be shown to be correct, and that it will prove to be
one of the reasons for the disproportionate susceptibility of individuals of low socioeconomic
status, who for numerous reasons, particularly bad diet, have suboptimal gut bacteria.‖
https://inews.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-latest-healthy-gut-bacteria-could-help-prevent-severe-cases-
of-covid-19-825114

Why I Stopped Defending GMOs
The scientific evidence is important, but there‘s more to consider.
By KAVIN SENAPATHY
JAN 11, 20215:50 AM
Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by photka/iStock/Getty Images Plus and
WesAbrams/iStock/Getty Images Plus.
After my first child was born, I was terrified that something bad would happen to her. I
compulsively checked my stove, the locks, and my baby‘s breathing in futile attempts to assuage
my overwhelming fears. The parenting books, the internet forums, Dr. Oz, and the news outlets I
turned to suggested that every choice could make or break my kid‘s well-being. They told me
that harmful chemicals lurked around every corner—in infant formula, household products, and
the foods she would soon eat.
I decided to fight my fears with evidence. Over the next two years, I taught myself to read peer-
reviewed scientific literature. Going straight to the primary source behind the stories, and the
worries, was a desperate attempt at self-preservation. It worked to some extent. Knowledge and
meds brought me out of the worst of the terror that had started with my first child in 2011 in time
for the birth of my second in 2013. Eventually, I found a good behavioral therapist to help with
the rest.
But I was left resentful of all of the unscientific fearmongering. I channeled the resentment into
blogging, intending to arm worried parents with tools to navigate all of the scary information.
Among those who exploited parents‘ natural fears, the anti-GMO movement was a big one:
GMOs kept popping up as the purported culprit for a gamut of problems,
from obesity to infertility to the commodification of life forms in the world our children are set
to inherit.
I looked at claim after claim that GMOs were harmful and found them riddled with
misinformation. I learned about the financial, political, and ideological motives behind a slew of
prominent players who systematically mischaracterize genetic engineering. I found, as William
Saletan did in an investigation for Slate in 2015, that the case against GMOs is full of fraud and
lies.
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Not only were GMOs safe, they were wonderful: To me,
the precise transfer of genes to confer desired traits seemed downright elegant. Papaya with an
added gene is now practically vaccinated against a virus that nearly wiped it out? Potatoes and
apples—like the ones I learned about on an all-expenses-paid trip to Arctic Apples orchards—
that don‘t brown? Well, slap an “I ♥ GMO” T-shirt on me and hand me a megaphone, I thought.
That‘s exactly what I did. I didn‘t just wear the shirt—I became a leader in the pro-GMO
movement.
My enthusiasm didn‘t just come from my personal relief. It also felt morally correct. Among the
biggest darlings of genetic modification is golden rice, engineered to be rich with beta
carotene—the precursor to vitamin A—which gives the grain a yellow hue. Vitamin A
deficiency (VAD) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children globally and
increases susceptibility to infectious disease. Proponents argue that this staple food—this ―gift‖
to the developing world— could save the lives and health of millions of poor children whose
diets consisted mainly of rice. As a parent who had worried so much about her own children,
it felt natural to worry about other children too—children whom the GMO movement could help

if only the anti-science crowd, the crowd who‘d fallen for all that fearmongering, would back
down. ―Like most kindhearted and empathetic people, my heart breaks for those less fortunate,‖ I
wrote in a 2014 blog post, titled ―Good, Kindhearted Parents are Pro-GMO,‖ which used the
global potential of golden rice as a case study.
I refuted piles of misinformation on GMOs in my writing (including in Slate). Some of my
colleagues and I launched the #Moms4GMOs campaign, which soon led to Science Moms, a
crowdfunded 2017 film about vaccines, alternative medicine, and food. In 2015, I co-founded the
pro-GMO March Against Myths (MAMyths) to ―take science to the streets‖ and counterprotest
the annual March Against Monsanto, which promotes the spectrum of misinformation about not
only GMOs but vaccines, Bill Gates, autism, and more. We carried signs with slogans like
―Biotech for the People,‖ and ―GMO Saved the Hawaiian Papaya.‖ We chanted: ―What do we
want? Safe technology! When do we want it? We already have it!‖
Soon, MAMyths chapters were active across the U.S. and around the world. My co-founders and
I were featured in Food Evolution, a ―pro-science‖ documentary that shed light on the truth about
GMOs and was narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, whom the New York Times billed as ―the
most credible public scientist on the planet‖ in its review.
I held contempt for GMO opponents who, as I put it in a piece for Forbes, ―would rather throw
tantrums‖ than accept the safety and potential benefits of biotechnology. We were on two clear,
separate sides, each with our signs, and our chants, and our polarized views. Specifically, the
other side opposed solutions to the suffering and death of millions. In the summer of 2016, when
none of the countries that golden rice was made to help had taken it up, more than 100 Nobel
laureates published an open letter accusing Greenpeace and other activists of ―crimes against
humanity‖ for their opposition to golden rice and other humanitarian GMOs, and urging them to
stop ―for the sake of the developing world.‖ Richard Roberts, who spearheaded the letter, told
me for a Forbes story that parenthood had shaped his worldview too: ―Being a father makes one
truly cognizant of the value of human life.‖
The 2016 general election is what began to make me question belonging to the pro-GMO
community, which counts everyone from farmers to environmentalists to science fans among its
ranks. We had never really talked about politics, so it had been easy to assume that I‘d been
holding a picket sign next to people who‘d oppose the presidential candidate refusing to make
basic statements about believing in science and supporting social justice. Those, after all, were
my reasons for being so enthusiastic about GMOs to start with. But after the election it was clear
from social media that some not only supported Trump—a blatantly racist, misogynistic
candidate who flouts facts—but also taunted those of us who were upset about the victory in
posts on social media. It was gut-wrenching. As I stepped back from the movement a bit, I began
to see its tactics as domineering, more eager to outargue the other side than have a dialogue that
weighs all of the facts. In August of 2017, one of Monsanto‘s communications directors
suggested that high-yield GMO corn is a technology that only ―fearmongers‖ oppose. But it‘s not
anti-science to question the sheer quantity of genetically modified corn grown in the U.S., I
thought. Little by little, I and others, including my MAMyths co-founders, began to question
being ―pro-GMO.‖
The last straw for me (for many of us) came in January of 2018 when Monsanto invited alt-right
hero (at the time, anyway) Jordan Peterson to speak at the annual American Farm Bureau
Federation conference about farming and about ―allowing ideologies to grow unopposed.‖ I
wrote a story for Slate questioning the decision to invite Peterson, noting that the ―ideologies‖

that he opposes are what I‘d consider basic levels of respect for people who are not white men—
that is, people like me. Soon after the Slate story went live, GMO advocates, including farmers
and scientists—the very people I‘d been siding with in the GMO movement—rushed to
Monsanto‘s defense. I detailed the fallout in a piece for Undark. I explained that, in my view,
Monsanto‘s objective seemed to be to equate an opposition to GMOs with a belief in Bigfoot,
something to be debunked perhaps with the tone of an exasperated parent, not engaged with in
good faith. I had a new perspective: Maybe the rustling in the trees wasn‘t sasquatch, but it was
worth investigating.
As the pro-GMO movement broke ranks, I started paying close attention to the calls
to decolonize science and decenter the views and legacies of white, European men. Writing
in the Conversation in April 2018, Rohan Deb Roy, a lecturer in South Asian history, explained
that ―for imperialists and their modern apologists, science and medicine were among the gracious
gifts from the European empires to the colonial world.‖ The legacy of colonialism in science is
still alive and well, he explains: ―When an economically weaker part of the world collaborates
almost exclusively with very strong scientific partners, it can take the form of dependence, if not
subordination.‖ I realized that this sounded a lot like the model of ―gifting‖ GMOs. My own
grandparents lived under British colonial rule in India. It was unnerving for me to realize that
proponents of golden rice—including, at one point, me—suppose that less developed countries
simply need a little technological help from a society that knows more than they do. It‘s, well,
paternalistic.
I still craved more evidence, but this time not about the biology of GMOs. I wanted to
understand the social science of the people and economies they are purportedly designed for. In
the case of golden rice and other humanitarian GMOs, that evidence is pretty clear that GMO
technology has not helped and has led to some objectionable consequences. ―If history is any
indicator, genetically-modified (GM) crops may actually render African farmers and scientists
more, not less, reliant on global actors and markets,‖ Joeva Rock, an anthropologist at UC–
Berkeley, and Rachel Schurman, a sociologist at the University of Minnesota, write of their
research into the social impact of GMOs spread by Western countries. Suggesting that golden
rice is a ―gift,‖ ostensibly because it would be given free of charge to the poorest farmers, seems
benevolent. But no one is putting out a pile of GMO seeds free for the taking and then just
leaving the content alone. Farmers get the rice under a humanitarian license, which means there
are strings attached. As Rock and Schurman explain in their latest study, Western entities that
distribute GMOs abroad, like the Gates Foundation–funded African Agricultural Technology
Foundation, have become embedded within governmental agencies throughout the continent.
That gives these groups outsize influence in public policy. The crop isn‘t truly free—it comes in
exchange for reliance on and control by Western entities.
Rather than pushing GMOs like golden rice, anyone who is honestly concerned about
malnutrition ―would start by looking into what tools [already seem] to be effective,‖ Glenn Davis
Stone, a professor of anthropology and environmental studies at Washington University in St.
Louis, told me in an email. There have been improvements in nutrition that have nothing to do
with golden rice, he explained, referring to studies showing that the prevalence of VAD has
dropped from 39 percent to 29 percent globally between 1991 and 2013, and from 40 percent to
15 percent between 2003 and 2008 in the Philippines. ―GM crops played no role in this,‖ he said.
Studies suggest that these gains were achieved with vitamin supplementation, fortification of
foods, nutritional education, and increasing the diversity of diets—and increasing access to those

could help even more people. Too many proponents invested in GMOs like golden rice, either
monetarily or emotionally, are ―using the world‘s poorest sickest little kids to sell it,‖ he says.
―Talk about crimes against humanity.‖
Personally, I still love a good GMO—particularly Impossible burgers, made with
yeast engineered to produce a protein that mimics blood—and so do many of my justice-driven
allies. But we‘ve learned the hard way that people fighting for a common cause don‘t always
share their values. We still care about food and farming, but our focus has shifted to social and
environmental justice in the food system, rather than advocating for particular technologies.
When it comes to the bigger picture, I prefer to take a more nuanced view of food systems,
power dynamics, and legacies of colonialism, and look beyond the outlandish parts of opposition
to science and technology to the evidence-based concerns. Sometimes solutions might involve
genetic engineering, sometimes not. When it comes to golden rice, questioning its impact and the
motives behind it is not ―anti-science,‖ and it‘s not up to GMO proponents to decide what‘s best.
https://slate.com/technology/2021/01/gmo-movement-changed-my-mind.html+&c
Development bank delivers $245mn to agri-sector
producers, exporters, SMEs
Sok Chan / Khmer Times
January 12, 2021
Chief Executive Officer of the Agriculture Rural Development Bank, Kao Thach. KT/Pan Rachana

A senior executive of the state-owned Agriculture Rural Development Bank (ARDB) said the
financial institution has released $245 million to rice millers and exporters, the livestock sector
and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector.Chief Executive Officer of
ARDB Kao Thach said around $47 million out of $50 million earmarked from the government
special fund for the rice sector and its exporters has been disbursed and the remainder of the
funds will be released at the end of this month, in time for the upcoming harvest of the Sen Kro
Ob paddy variety.
Thach added another $50 million special fund for the SME sector has also been drawn down by
up to 600 businesses.In March 2020, the government allocated a $50 million special fund for
SMEs. It is designed to specifically focus on agricultural processing, food processing, agri-
business, crops including vegetables, livestock and aquatic businesses plus any enterprise that
uses raw materials from agriculture.
The bank has reduced interest rates from 6 to 5 percent for working capital and 6.5 percent to 5.5
percent for investment capital. Also, the repayment period was moved upwards to a seven-year
term. SMEs can borrow up to $300,000.
Thach said the loans will be directed primarily to aquatic, livestock, poultry and vegetable farms.
Eligible SMEs are those working on processing agricultural products that are able to expand their
operations, that can create five to 30 job placements and are registered as SMEs with the
taxation department and relevant ministries.
The bank will also provide training to SMEs regarding business plans, financial statements, good
governance, marketing plans, financial management and training on technical support.
―Through the ARDB fund, the development partners‘ fund and the government‘s special fund,
we see good progress in the rice sector and with agricultural sector SMEs. The price of paddy is
stable and we have seen that once parties receive funds, they are able to expand their business
activities and generate more jobs for the Cambodian people,‖ Thach added.
He said that the bank will do its evaluations in early 2021 for the loans and added the volume of
non-performing loans in these sectors is manageable. In addition to this, the bank also
encourages rice millers to purchase more paddies from farmers whether it is cheap or expensive
during the harvest season.―So far around $245 million of the loans and special funds from ARDB
have been drawn down with 60-70 percent going to the rice sector and its infrastructure. The rest
went to SMEs, livestock, vegetable plantation and the aquaculture sector,‖ Thach said. He added
some loans will be repaid in July this year.Chour Chheng, director of Ky Siv Chheng Protein
Food enterprise – a local producer of dried meat, fruit and jam – said he is not concerned about
capital. His issue is a lack of customers because his products target tourists.
―Our sales have fallen 80 to 90 percent and we have had to terminate some workers,‖ he said.
―Dried fruit and jam are mostly sold to foreigners, but because there are no more international
arrivals, our sales have been affected,‖ he added.
He noted: ―Our business is struggling but, luckily, we have our own production factory. If we
rented a processing space, we would have collapsed in February last year.‖
Chheng added that up until this point the only business support he has received was government-
directed tax relief.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50802809/development-bank-delivers-245mn-to-agri-sector-producers-
exporters-smes/

Millers Summon Mthuli Ncube Over VAT Standoff On
Rice Imports
12th January 2021
By Alois Vinga
MILLERS and retailers‘ groups have summoned Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to a
meeting to iron-out the ongoing feud sparked by government‘s demand for Value
Added Tax (VAT) on rice imports dating back to 2017.
The government directive has since been dismissed by the Confederation of
Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR), which said it showed lack of policy consistency and
violates earlier exemptions granted by then finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa three
years ago.
Under the new government measures, rice packages of 25kg and below are exempted from tax
payment.
However, the millers and retailers maintain no tax can be imposed on a party unless the same is
clearly set out in a legislation.
They highlighted under the current laws, rice is exempt from VAT and even the Zimbabwe
Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has not been not charging tax.
But Treasury is contradicting the retailers‘ position on the basis the exemptions saying these
were aimed at supporting the local packaging industry through promoting repackaging of
cheaper bulk rice into smaller units.
It argues the legislation which gave effect to the new measures was promulgated timeously
adding taxpayers had the opportunity to seek clarity or raise concerns over any omissions with
Treasury.
In a statement, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) acting general manager,
Garikai Chaunza said his association and the CZR needed an urgent meeting with Ncube.
―We have jointly requested an urgent audience with the Minister of Finance Economic
Development, Prof Mthuli Ncube, to discuss and conclude the contestations arising from the
recent ZIMRA‘s administrative decision to back date VAT on rice,‖ he said.
Chaunza expressed optimism the discussions will be successful and issues raised will be solved
amicably.
―In the meantime, we kindly encourage our membership to wait for the outcome of these
discussions and refrain from litigation.‖
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/millers-summon-mthuli-ncube-over-vat-on-rice-imports/
Italy to deploy new economic missions in Pakistan
ByAPP

ISLAMABAD: Italy‘s Ambassador to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese on Sunday announced that a
new economic mission would be deployed in Pakistan to further promote bilateral trade and
economic cooperation in different areas.
According to the details, the new economic mission would initially be established in major cities
of the country, including Karachi and Islamabad and would later be expanded to other potential
trade hubs to increase the economic and trade integration between Pakistan and Italy.
Ferrarese said that there was huge trade potential in different sectors of the economy which
needed to be explored and in this regard, both sides were engaged in dialogue through the Pak-
Italy Joint Economic Commission, a meeting of which is expected to meet in Rome soon.
He said the green economy, transfer of technology for the industrial sector including textiles and
agro-industry, construction sector, education and health are major areas of focus to extend the
bilateral cooperation.
The Italian ambassador said that currently, Italy was providing technical assistance to Pakistan in
agriculture and upgrading the textile sector through modern machinery, value addition in
agriculture, leather and marble sectors. In this regard, Italy has established the Italy-Pakistan
Textile Technology Center (IPTTC) in Faisalabad at the National Textile University (NTU) to
upgrade the local textile sector.
On the other hand, Pakistan was working to expand it to agricultural items, including dairy and
livestock, olives and olive products, plastics, processed food and construction sector in the Italian
market.
Replying to a question on trade with European Union (EU) countries, he said out of its whole
trade contribution to EU, Pakistan‘s share with Italy was 10 per cent, which would be enhanced
in the future.
It is pertinent to mention here that Italy is the largest contributor from the EU to Pakistan in
remittances.
The Italian ambassador further said that Italy wanted to cooperate with Pakistan for environment
protection, circular economy, resource-saving and management, ecosystem protection and
recovery, water conservation and natural disaster prevention.
During fiscal year 2019-20 (FY20), textile, leather, rice, ethanol, textiles articles, sets, worn
clothing, cotton, apparel, crocheted, cereals, raw hides and skins, beverages and footwear were
major areas of Pakistan‘s exports to Italy whereas Pakistan‘s imports from Italy increased in
sectors including ships, boats, and other floating structures, machinery, pharmaceutical products,
aircraft, spacecraft, electrical, electronic equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel,
miscellaneous chemical products, optical, photo, technical and medical apparatus.
He informed that dairy and livestock, olive and olive products, plastics, processed food and the
construction sector were the areas where Italy could extend its cooperation with Pakistan.
Ferrarese also underlined the importance of promoting cultural connectivity to promote bilateral
trade, adding that he would encourage the exchange of students to further strengthen bilateral
relations.
Rice import from India thru Hili land port resumes
United News of Bangladesh . Hili | Published: 22:09, Jan 10,2021

Trucks carrying 112 tonnes of rice from India entered into Bangladesh through the Hili land port
on Saturday afternoon.
Consumers said that they hoped the rice import would help to bring down prices on the local
market.
Rice import from India through Hili had remained suspended since May 30, 2019.
A number of traders said that the government had recently decided to import rice from India
following the soaring price of the commodity on the local market.
On January 3 and 5, the government approved 29 importers for importing rice from the
neighbouring country. Two importers from Hili port got approval to bring 20,000 tonnes of rice.
The first consignment of rice imported by Naogaon-based M/s Jagodish Chandra Roy entered the
country on Saturday afternoon.
Sripodo Roy, a representative of the trader, said that they had opened LCs for bringing 10,000
tonnes of rice from India and 112 tonnes of rice came in the first phase.
Harun-ur-Rashid, president of export-import group of Hili land port, said, ‗Per tonne of rice costs
$356, which means per kilogram costs Tk 29-30. But after adding the revenue, the price of each
kg of rice goes up to Tk 34.‘
Sohrab Hossain Mallik, public relations officer of Panama Hili Port Link Limited, said that three
trucks loaded with imported rice entered the warehouse of the port on Saturday afternoon.
The government is going to purchase 5,00,000-6,00,000 tonnes of rice, agriculture minister
Abdur Razzaque said on December 27.
Already the import duty has been slashed to 25 per cent from 62.5 per cent in an effort to keep
the rice market stable, food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said.
The legal private importers had been asked to apply to the food ministry with all necessary
documents by Sunday.
https://www.newagebd.net/article/126839/rice-import-from-india-thru-hili-land-port-resumes
10,000 Women to Benefit from Value Seeds COVID-19
Recovery and Resilience Intervention in Partnership
with the Mastercard Foundation
Mastercard Foundation | Value Seeds
The goal of the Value Seeds project to increase the volume of premium maize and rice grains in
the market by about 450,000 tons is in alignment with the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19
Recovery and Resilience Program, which focuses on the provision of direct support to companies
in the agricultural value chain, specifically to ensure that smallholder farmers have access to
markets and to maintain food security,‖ said Chidinma Lawanson, Country Head Nigeria,
Mastercard Foundation.
11 JANUARY 2021
Content from our Premium Partner

Mastercard Foundation (Africa)
Lagos, Nigeria — 10,000 women in Nigeria will be selected as direct beneficiaries of a two-year
agricultural intervention, as Value Seeds launches their COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience
Intervention Project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
"At Value Seeds, we understand that women and, particularly young women, face multiple
constraints when acquiring training and empowerment opportunities as well as accessing credit,
which are major constraints affecting farmers' productivity. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
aggravate these constraints further by making inputs more expensive and market logistics more
tedious for the smallholder farmer. We intend to improve farmer s' yields by providing access to
improved seeds, quality crop production inputs, and strengthening their capacity to produce
optimally ," said George Kabutha, Project Lead Value Seeds.
The program is expected to significantly increase the volume of premium maize and rice grains in the
market by about 450,000 tons. It will also create indirect jobs in the crop value chain, including input
dealers, farm labourers, transporters, logistic officers, marketers' off-takers, feed millers, and staff in
the agro processing industry.
"Value Seeds advocate that a bottoms-up agricultural transformation is the best path to inclusive
economic growth to build the resilience of the Nigerian population. The goal of the project is in
alignment with the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program, which
focuses on the provision of direct support to companies in the agricultural value chain, specifically to
ensure that smallholder farmers have access to markets and to maintain food security," said
Chidinma Lawanson, Country Head Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation.
Through this intervention, Value Seeds can contribute to re-igniting the Nigerian economy and
ensure that food supply chains are enhanced, thereby increasing the economic health of smallholder
farmers while improving employment indices.

"At Value Seeds, we understand that women and, particularly young women, face
multiple constraints when acquiring training and empowerment opportunities as well as accessing
credit,
About Value Seeds
Value Seeds is a leading seed company in Nigeria established in 2009. The company focus is on
providing solutions and increasing access to beneficial agricultural technologies by smallholder
farmers. Seed research, seed health, seed distribution and training for farmers on good agronomic
practices are the company's key activities. Value Seeds was ranked 1 st in West and Central Africa in
the first ever ranking by Access to Seeds Index in 2019. It is the only seed company in West and
Central Africa that is member of Cimmyt's International Maize Improvement Consortium for Africa:
IMIC-Africa. Value Seeds is also a member of COSEM-RIZ, Africa Rice Consortium of Rice
Producers, Millers and Scientists. Our flagship products, Value Kit-Maize and Rkit, valuable
agricultural technology innovations to produce maize and rice respectively, by smallholder farmers,
are the only bundled inputs technology for crop production in West and Central Africa.
Facebook: @valueseedsng; Twitter: @valueseeds; Instagram: valueseedsng
About the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program
The Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program has two main goals. First,
to deliver emergency support for health workers, first responders, and students. Second, to strengthen
the diverse institutions that are the first line of defense against the social and economic aftermath of
this disease. These include universities, financial services providers, businesses, technology start-ups,
incubators, government agencies, youth organizations, and non- governmental organizations. For
more on the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program, please
visit https://mastercardfdn.org/covid19-recovery-resilience-program/. Follow the Foundation
on Twitter at @MastercardFdn
For media enquiries:
George Kabutha
Project Lead
08089828831
g.kabutha@valueseedsltd.com
Nonye Mpho Omotola
Mastercard Foundation
Country Lead, Program Communications, Nigeria
Nomotola@mastercardfdn.org
https://allafrica.com/stories/202101110538.html
Three nabbed for attack on rice miller‘s house
Preliminary probe points to monetary dispute as reason
Posted: Jan 11, 2021 07:07 AM (IST)
Karnal, January 10
The Karnal police arrested three persons and claimed to have cracked the incident of
indiscriminate firing at the residence of a Nissing-based rice miller in Sector 8 on January 4
morning.
Around 16 bullets were fired by the miscreants at the house of Subhash Singla, the police said.

In the preliminary investigation, it came to light that a monetary dispute between the rice miller
and the father of one of the accused was the reason behind the firing.
Deepender Rana, CIA-1 in-charge, said the accused had been identified as Sachin of Bhadurgarh
in Jhajjar district, Pardeep of Sudana village in Rohtak and Harsh of Tikri Kalan in Delhi. They
were arrested from Namstey Chowk on secret information, he said, adding that they had
recovered two pistols and a car used in the crime.
Rana said Singla had to pay money to accused Sachin‘s father and to build pressure, he along
with his accomplices fired at the residence of the rice miller.
―The police had registered a case under Sections 307, 506, and 34 of the IPC and 25, 54 and 59
of the Arms Act,‖ Rana said, adding that SP Ganga Ram Punia gave the probe to CIA-1. ―We
have put our sources on alert and arrested the trio on Thursday,‖ he said, adding that they would
be produced in a court, from where they would be taken on remand to determine the actual
reason.
He said a case under the Arms Act was already registered against Sachin in Delhi and he was on
bail, while Pardeep is an accused in murder, loot and dacoity cases in Sonepat and Rohtak.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/three-nabbed-for-attack-on-rice-millers-house-196750
Andhra Pradesh Srikakulam: Millers procure paddy
illegally from Odisha Hans News Service
| 11 Jan 2021 12:27 AM IST x Farmers are harvesting paddy crop at Chintada village in Amudalavalasa
mandal. HIGHLIGHTS Millers are paying Rs 1,100 per 80 KG paddy bag procured from farmers of
Odisha and in AP, they have to pay Rs 1,510 as MSP fixed by the government Srikakulam: Rice millers
in Srikakulam district particularly in Pathapatnam, Palakonda, Tekkali, Amudalavalasa, Palasa and
Itchapuram Assembly segments are procuring paddy from Odisha state. As a result, local farmers are
unable to sell their paddy and even they are also losing minimum support price (MSP) as fixed by the
government. Millers in the district are paying Rs 1,100 per 80 KG paddy bag procured from farmers of
Odisha and for the same here in Srikakulam, they have to pay Rs 1,510 as MSP fixed by the government.
To save Rs 410 on each bag of paddy, the millers are violating AP government's civil supplies
department's norms and procuring paddy from Odisha state. As per rules, millers have to procure paddy
from the local farmers by paying MSP and also to follow quality norms.
After procuring paddy from farmers, miller has to handover 53.6 KG of rice per each 80 KG quantity of
paddy to the civil supplies department as per levy rules. The rice millers in collusion with minivan owners
and middlemen are procuring paddy from Odisha during late nights every day. Paddy from Odisha is
transported from Davidigam to Tekkali in Srikakulam via Meliyaputti and Vasundhara route. Another
route is from Garabanda of Odisha to Palasa in Srikakulam via Goppili and third route is from
Parlakimidi of Odisha to Palasa in Srikakulam via Regulapadu and Tekkalipatnam. "We have been
maintaining strict vigil on illegal procurement of paddy from Odisha," stated district manager for civil
supplies corporation A Krishna Rao to The Hans India. Email ArticlePrint Article �The Hans India is
now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@thehansindia) and stay updated with the latest
headlines
https://www.thehansindia.com/andhra-pradesh/srikakulam-millers-procure-paddy-illegally-from-
odisha-666313

Millers, wholesalers use low govt stock to raise rice
prices: experts
Staff Correspondent | Published: 22:02, Jan 10,2021
Customers buy rice at a shop at Karwan Bazar in the capital, Dhaka, on January 8. Experts on
Sunday said that rice mill owners and wholesalers had raised prices of rice by taking advantage
of low stock of food grains maintained by the government and its delayed decision to import the
staple. — Focusbangla photo
Experts on Sunday said that rice mill owners and wholesalers had raised prices of rice by taking
advantage of low stock of food grains maintained by the government and its delayed decision to
import the staple.
At a webinar on the increase of rice price organised by the Citizen‘s Platform for SDGs,
economists and experts said that rice prices, which had continued to increase since July 2020,
had hardly benefitted growers and had instead hit lower income groups and marginal farmers
hard.
Experts also blamed government agencies for their faulty paddy output estimations and for
missing the targets for paddy and rice procurement set by the government due to the unusual
price hike of rice in the country.
They recommended that an agricultural price commission should fix seasonal prices of
agriculture products to ensure a win-win situation for the growers and consumers.

‗The stock of food grains maintained by the government is closely related to the prices of rice as
poor stock levels give traders the signal that if they increase the prices, the government will not
be able to intervene into the market,‘ said Quazi Shahabuddin, former director general of the
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.
He said that the food grain stock had come down to five lakh tonnes in the country whereas the
optimum level was 10 lakh tonnes.
Poor stock levels maintained by the government encouraged the traders to make excessive
profits, Shahabuddin said.
He said that farmers were not getting any benefits from the increased rice prices as they sold
paddy, not rice.
The rice mill owners and wholesalers were the main beneficiaries of the high prices as farmers
sold the food grain at low prices immediately after the harvesting season, Shahabuddin said.
He also questioned the government‘s stock management methods, procurement programmes and
import decisions asking if the government had taken timely initiatives to keep the prices stable in
the country.
‗Every year, we face the same situation over rice prices and listen to the same stories while the
growers remain deprived,‘ agricultural economist Asaduzzaman said.
The farmers are nowhere near to benefitting from rice price hikes as they have no stock of paddy,
he said.
He said that either the production of paddy had fallen in the country or the food grain had got
stuck at any stage of the supply chain as the prices had continued to rise in the country from July
last.
Asaduzzaman said that Aman was harvested in December whereas the price of Aman rice
remained 50 per cent higher in January this year than the price in the same month in the
previous year.
Despite getting the affirmation of the prime minister, the import of rice is yet to start, he said.
He also said that the rice prices would not have increased if the ministry concerned had begun
importing the item two months ago.
Centre for Policy Dialogue distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya urged the government
to set the seasonal prices of agricultural products to ensure fair prices for both the growers and
the consumers.
He recommended that an agricultural price commission should be set up for ensuring
competitive prices.
Debapriya also suggested that the government should strengthen its procurement programme and
monitoring on the market.
Parliament member Emaz Uddin Pramanik blamed the traders for increasing the rice prices in the
country.
He said that the government was not responsible for the rice price hike in the country but the
traders and hoarders were out to make extra profits through increasing the prices.
Ultimately, it is the consumers who suffer due to the price hike of rice, Emaz Uddin said.
Md Shahjahan Kabir, director-general of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, said that the
rice prices were not increasing due to decreased production but due to the fact that a quarter of
traders had hoarded large quantities of paddy across the country.
He said that around 30 lakh tonnes of rice would remain surplus in the country by June 30 this
year.

There is no reason for a food crisis in the country but invisible forces remain active on the
market, Shahjahan.
He hoped that the rice prices would not exceed Tk 50 a kilogram after June 30.
Shaikh Siraj, director of Channel I, suggested that the government should widen the access for
more traders to import rice saying that only 29 companies had been given permission to import
the item by the food ministry and the limited scope for import might facilitate creation of a
syndicate on the market.
He suggested the setting of a standard for rice prices and that it should be fixed at Tk 40 a kg for
the coarse variety and at Tk 5052 for the fine variety.
Farmers from different districts joined the event virtually and demanded subsidies on seeds
fertilisers so that the production cost of paddy could be reduced.
They said that the farmers were forced to sell their produce at low prices just after harvest as
their family expenses depended on the sale of agricultural products.
The aggrieved farmers lamented that they sold paddy at low prices in the beginning of the season
and bought rice at high prices at the season-end.
https://www.newagebd.net/article/126837/millers-wholesalers-use-low-govt-stock-to-raise-rice-
prices-experts
Cost Factors: Trim the ancillary procurement costs
January 11, 2021 7:00 AM
Given MSP‘s impact on the govt‘s fiscal burden, and the fact that MSP can‘t be ended at present,
the Centre must look at factors such as gunny-bag price, grain moisture, etc
Start with the cost of acquisition, which includes market-fee, commissions and cost of gunny bags.
By T Nanda Kumar
MSP is here to stay. The Union government has made it abundantly clear; mandatory or not,
MSP will continue. The financial burden will continue to escalate (bit.ly/3s9Quws), posing
serious fiscal challenges. A surgical strike appears to be a ‗no-no‘ at this stage
Let us ask: Who benefits most from the MSP? Who, other than farmers, benefit? Whose (other
than farmers) interests could be hurt if the present operations of MSP are changed? Without
reducing a single rupee due to the farmers, is it possible to reduce the food subsidy burden?
Let me start with the construct of ‗cost‘ in the reports of Commission on Agricultural Costs &
Prices (CACP). ‗Cost‘ in the ‗cost (A2+FL) plus formula‘ is the weighted average cost of
production of all producing states; ‗weight‘ being the share of production. In any such formula,
there are low-cost producers and high-cost producers. The lowest-cost producers are; Punjab,
Haryana and Madhya Pradesh for wheat and Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh for
paddy. MSP operations, therefore, give a margin higher than 50% of ‗cost‘ to farmers in these
states, quite appropriately, a reward for being efficient! The accompanying graphic shows the
percentage margins over cost for farmers in key producing states. Understandably, farmers in
these states have higher stakes in the continuance of MSP. No surprise then that these states,
which get margins above 50%, contribute 84% of procurement of wheat and 74% of rice. This is
the obvious part.

There are other details which often escape scrutiny. Let us consider rice as an example.
Start with the cost of acquisition, which includes market-fee, commissions and cost of gunny
bags. The story of market-fee (APMC cess) being different in different states is well known. The
‗arhatiya‘ commission is controversial. My view is that the provisions in the APMC Act does not
authorise the Mandi Board to fix any such commission. Services of ‗commission agents‘ are, by
nature and by law, voluntary and have to be paid for by the person who engages them. A circular
issued by the Andhra Pradesh government (2005-06) states that farmers are free not to use the
services of commission agents; but if they do, they have to pay for it. The question therefore is:
Should the FCI pay the mandated commissions? Even if it engage agents, should it not be a
market-determined charge for services rendered? Can it save 1.5% of the economic cost by not
using the services of such agents?
Gunny bags (4% of the cost) are procured through a rate contract under which prices for B-Twill
bags are fixed by the Jute Commissioner, basis Tariff Commission formula. The rationale for this
mode of procurement comes from two factors; MSP for jute and the Jute Packaging Materials
(compulsory use of jute in packaging etc.,) Act 1987. The cost data comes from jute mills. This
data is not available in the public domain, but I have had the occasion to see some ‗interesting‘
data challenges here! An attempt to discipline inefficient jute mills was stayed by the Kolkata
High Court. The government could have saved about Rs 3,000 per ton (9 lakh tons of jute bags
are procured by the government). Obviously, an issue worth revisiting.
The specifications governing procurement are a major factor impacting the cost. Procurement
guidelines for paddy allows 17% moisture, 3% immature grains, 5% damaged & discoloured,
and 6% admixture of lower quality. Rice received from the millers allow an upper limit of 14%

moisture. Brokens are permitted to the extent of 25% for raw and 16% for parboiled rice. Focus
on the big ones: moisture and brokens. Admitted that rice is hygroscopic in nature, and these are
upper limits.
There is evidence that 13% moisture levels are achievable for rice in normal conditions. But,
25% and 16% brokens? Surely, time to rethink? Many reports show that milled rice from
procured paddy do not necessarily have such levels of brokens. But rice delivered to FCI
miraculously ‗achieves‘ a level of brokens 24-25%. Is there something that we do not know?
What about those farmers who bring paddy at moisture levels much less than 17% and get paid
the same MSP? Would it make sense if they poured a few buckets of water to reach 17%
moisture and get paid for the effort? Is there market-wise collection of data to decide on a
median moisture level and payments made on measurable parameters (e.g., milk procurement by
co-ops) to incentivise those who bring better quality? If our rice mills are producing 25%
brokens, it is time we took a serious view of them! Where will such rice sell other than in ration
shops? While conditions during harvest and the hygroscopic nature of grains need to be factored
in procurement guidelines, there is a case to redefine standards, albeit with accommodation for
lower quality with a value-cut. This will save the government some money and incentivise
farmers.
At the distribution end, there are 5.5 lakh ration shops managed mostly by individuals. There are
livelihoods, commissions and ‗leakages‘ involved here as well! Given the fact that MSP will
continue to increase the fiscal burden of the government and surgical strikes are ruled out for the
time being, continuous nibbling at cost factors will not do harm, it may actually do good!

Government could start by looking at fixing better specifications as the ‗reference‘ for MSP,
retaining the current maximum permissible limits with appropriate value-cuts. Analysis of
samples across various procurement centres could give us a real picture. A re-look at the costing
of jute bags might yield some dividends. The permissible percentage of brokens can be brought
down significantly based on a series of sample milling trials. A considered view on whether FCI
should use commission agents in procurement and the question of legality of APMCs mandating
a commission can make some difference.
And finally, the government of India should mandate that all payments on account of MSP will
be transferred directly to the accounts of the farmers and not through any third party. This step
alone will make a difference.
An afterthought: if MSP is made mandatory, do we need FCI and all this paraphernalia? After
all, government ensures a minimum price for sugarcane without procuring even a single ton!
https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/cost-factors-trim-the-ancillary-procurement-costs/2168181/
Customs collects P14.6B in rice tariffs in January-
November ’20
ByBernadette D. Nicolas
January 11, 2021
RICE tariffs collected by the Bureau of Customs reached P14.6 billion from January to November in 2020.
Finance Assistant Secretary Maria Teresa S. Habitan told the BusinessMirror that the amount was collected
from 2.25 million metric tons of rice imports during the 11-month period.
At the Senate hearing on the 2021 budget of the Department of Finance in November last year, Customs
Assistant Commissioner and spokesman Vincent Philip C. Maronilla said they were aiming to collect at least
P15.4 billion in rice tariffs by the end of 2021.
Tariffs collected from rice imports are used to fund the six-year P10-billion annual Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to bankroll programs that would provide farmers with high-quality seeds,
machinery, easier credit access, and relevant training to improve their productivity and become competitive.
Should annual tariff revenues from rice importations exceed P10 billion, the Rice Trade Liberalization (RTL)
law states that these shall be earmarked by Congress—and included in the national budget of the following
year—for financial assistance to palay farmers, titling of agricultural lands, an expanded crop insurance
program on rice, and crop diversification.
In 2019, Customs collected P12.3 billion in rice tariffs from March to December following the passage of the
RTL, which paved the way for easier importation of rice.
Undervalued shipments
However, Customs told 47 rice importers last year to pay a combined total of P1.417 billion after they were
found liable for undervaluing their rice shipments from March to June last year.
The BusinessMirror also earlier reported that Customs has so far collected P30.908 million of the P1.4-billion
total charges, equivalent to 2.2 percent. The BOC also earlier said 60 rice importers have already been selected
for the post-clearance audit for rice importations for January to June last year.
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero has since said they expect to collect at least an additional
P1 billion from undervalued shipments last year.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/01/11/customs-collects-p14-6b-in-rice-tariffs-in-january-november-
20/

Import bans to shore up aquaculture
Hin Pisei | Publication date 10 January 2021 | 22:08 ICT
Agriculture minister Veng Sakhon (centre) says authorities are encouraging investment in feed production for
the aquaculture sector. Photo supplied
Industrial players in the aquaculture sector applauded a government decision to temporarily
suspend the import of some species that are most commonly produced in Cambodia, hoping to
curtail overall imports and instil more confidence in farmers to raise fish.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on January 8 issued a press release
announcing the suspension.
Minister Veng Sakhon said that in their mission to shore up aquaculture, the authorities are also
encouraging investment in feed production for the sector.
He said: ―The decision to suspend the imports now is to boost the domestic market, but we will
reinstate them once demand is high enough.‖
Besides boosting the income of aquaculturists, he posited that the perks of added aquaculture
investment would extend to rice millers and other factory owners, whose products are raw
materials for feed manufacturers.
Cambodian Aquaculturist Association (CCC) president Sok Raden told The Post on January 10
that the suspension would be a boon for local marine farmers.
He said: ―On behalf of the CCC, I am very pleased and supportive of the decision as it is a part
of ensuring food security for the country.
―What‘s more, local aquaculture products are of superior quality because they are given high-
grade feed that is properly formulated, while it is unknown if some of the stuff that‘s imported
has undergone on-site inspections or has been given decent feed.‖

In addition to the move, Raden called on border authorities to increase inspections, citing a
perceived recent increase in illegal imports.
He added that increasing government intervention through low-interest loans from
the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank of Cambodia (ARDB) was also making
significant headway in promoting local aquaculture – especially fish and frog farming.
With family and business aquaculture now on a rising trend, Raden says Cambodia is also keen
on international investment in the production of fishmeal and other feed.
He said: ―I truly would like to see more people invest in Cambodian animal feed production,
because spending money on feed from abroad doesn‘t provide revenue for the Cambodian
economy.‖
Song Seyha, owner of a fish farm in Tbong Khmum province‘s southernmost Ponhea Kraek
district, said curbing imports of Cambodia‘s most farmed fish would boost farmers‘ confidence
and increase investment.
―Suspending imports can give local farmers a degree of confidence in the market,‖ he said.
―Raising also stands to enjoy acceleration in growth.‖
Aquaculture output surged 27.79 per cent to some 400,000 tonnes last year from the 307,408
tonnes posted in 2019, data from the ministry show.
Contact author: Hin Pisei
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/import-bans-shore-aquaculture
Rice market heats up; farmers, consumers bear brunt
Lower stock allows millers to raise prices at their whim, say analysts
FE Report | Published: January 11, 2021 08:30:11 | Updated: January 11,
2021 08:43:27
Both consumers and marginal farmers are suffering as prices of rice continue to
surge, analysts said on Sunday.
To remedy the situation, they suggested forming an Agricultural Price Commission
to protect the interests of both small-scale farmers and low-income consumers.
The suggestion came at a virtual dialogue on "Why is price of rice increasing?
Whose loss, who gain?" organised by Oxfam.
The mismatch between the government data on rice output and its availability, the
delay in import decision, lower grain stock, failure to procure locally and hoarding
by millers and seasonal traders were identified as the major reasons for sky-high
price of the staple.
Lawmakers Emaz Uddin Pramanik and Umme Kulsum Smrityl, former research
director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Md
Asaduzzaman, former director general of BIDS Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, director of
Channeli Shykh Seraj spoke at the dialogue, moderated by distinguished fellow of
the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya.
Dr Asaduzzaman said price of rice soared in July-September last year by 10 per
cent and the uptrend continued rising in the Aman harvesting season.
He said coarse rice prices are now around 50 per cent higher than a year ago.

But small farmers having lower than an acre of land could not get the benefits of
price spike as they had to sell grain at cheaper rate just after harvesting to prepare
the land for the next crops, he said.
Now these farmers are buying the staple at much higher rates, he added.
Despite the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Boro rice production set a record, he
said, regretting the farmers didn't get any incentives, though bumper output helped
the country minimise economic shock.
He noted rice stock at the government warehouses was 1.3-1.4 million tonnes in
2018-19 and 2019-20, which slipped to only 0.5 million tonnes.
Such low storage has also been causing hike in prices, he said, terming the
government agency's rice production data 'confusing.'
And this caused delay in making import decisions, he said.
Dr Quazi Shahabuddin agreed that low storage has a speculative impact on the
market.
He said if the government has no sufficient stock, it makes millers and other big
players think they could fix prices at their whim.
He said the government's failure in domestic procurement and the delay in import
policy review have also caused surge in rice prices.
He also blamed illegal hoarding for the irrational price hike in rice.
Dr Shahabuddin said rice price hike usually benefits millers and seasonal and
regular traders deprive both farmers and consumers.

Shykh Seraj said the existing 25 per cent import duty is rational both for consumers
and farmers.
He argued if the present import duty continues, coarse rice could be retailed at Tk
40-41 a kg, which will help farmers minimise losses.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) director general Dr Md Shahjahan Kabir
said his agency has conducted a study, which revealed that rice production might
decline by 1.5 million tonnes in Aman season.
But taking in hand a record 20.1 million tonnes in Boro and a handsome 3.3 million
tonnes of production in Aus season, their prediction was the country might have a
rice surplus of 3.0 million tonnes until June 2021.
He said the calculation was made taking 405 gramme per head daily intake of rice
by 16.7 million people plus non-human consumption into account.
The Bangladesh Auto Rice Mill Owners Association president AKM Khorshed Alam
Khan, said bank interest rate for millers should be fixed at 2.0-4.0 per cent
considering it an agro-based industry.
He said slashing interest rate could help cut rice prices at the mill-gate.
The Bangladesh Rice Exporters Association president Shah Alam Babu said import
duty should be lower than 20 per cent to make coarse rice cheaper.
He said the government should also permit exports of fragrant rice so that we can
import a large amount of coarse rice.
Aizar Rahman, a farmer from Gaibandha Sadar upazila, said he sold paddy just after
harvest in Boro season to pay dues and to prepare land for Robi crops.
"But later we saw paddy was selling at much higher rate by seasonal traders," he
said.
He said if the government sanctions loans to the farmers during harvesting seasons
they would be able to preserve paddy for two or three months. Most of the
participating farmers also echoed his views.
Bangladesh Krishak Samity president Sazzad Zahir Chandan said the government
should open the food storage at every union, which might cost Tk 50 billion.
The government must procure rice and paddy from the farmers and could preserve
those at the union storage, which could further help improve the country's food
security, he added.
Dr Bhattcharya said the commission will be responsible for fixing logical prices for
farmers and consumers based on season-based scientific methods.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
https://www.thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/rice-market-heats-up-farmers-consumers-bear-brunt-
1610332211
Temporary Turkish import tariff cut opens opportunities for
European rice exporters
Paddy, brown and milled tariffs reduced to 5%, 10% and 15%, respectively
Turkish importers more willing to accept Italian offers

Retaliatory tariff, uncompetitive prices expected to limit Calrose sales
London — European market participants anticipate that a recent temporary reduction in Turkish rice
import tariffs is likely to increase Japonica sales from the continent.
The Turkish Grain Board, or TMO, confirmed to S&P Global Platts that the import tariffs on paddy,
brown and milled rice have been lowered from 34%, 36% and 45% to 5%, 10% and 15%, respectively,
until April 30. While Turkish production in 2020 decreased slightly year on year, the TMO cited the
weakness of the lira against the dollar as the primary rationale behind the policy. The lira is 22% weaker
against the dollar year on year, as of Jan. 11, and 63% weaker than it was five years ago.
The temporary change in policy is likely to benefit European exporters in particular due to the relatively
small window of opportunity to benefit from the policy, in addition to adequate stocks on the continent.
According to multiple brokers, inquiries for Italian Baldo rice have spiked in recent days. One such
broker remarked that while Turkish buyers had been resisting offers of milled Baldo at around Eur840-
860/mt CFR Mersin in the run up to the tariff reduction, buyers are now eager to conclude trade at these
levels. Other European origins, such as Greece, are also likely to benefit from the policy.
An additional 25% retaliatory import tariff on US rice remains in place, which is likely to limit sales of
Californian medium grain during this four-month window. However, one participant involved in large
volume paddy sales to Turkey in the past remarked to Platts that they "don't see any business happening
anytime soon from California to Turkey, even if the retaliatory duty was removed" due to uncompetitive
Calrose prices.
While Japonica rice exporters in South America would also typically benefit from this sort of reduction,
they are unlikely to this time around due to tight stocks ahead of harvesting. According to a major
Uruguayan exporter, Turkish inquiries have increased in recent days, but it is "not possible" for new crop
to arrive in Turkey by April 30 and they "have no stock" left to sell.
Due to the increasing price sensitivity in the Turkish market, sellers of Chinese old crop Japonica and
Russian Rapan rice will also likely benefit from the policy. While Indian Swarna rice exporters could
also benefit, ongoing container shortages in the country are likely to delay execution, making it doubtful
that Indian rice could reach Turkey by April 30.
https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/agriculture/011121-temporary-turkish-
import-tariff-cut-opens-opportunities-for-european-rice-exporters
Private firms get nod to import another 3.45 lakh
tonnes of rice
Star Business Report
12:00 AM, January 11, 2021 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:17 AM, January 11, 2021
The government has given its nod to private firms to import another 3.45 lakh tonnes of rice to
boost the supply of the staple in the domestic market and contain price spike.

With the move, the food ministry gave permissions to the private sector to import a total of 6.75
lakh tonnes of rice.
If the government's purchase plan is taken into account, the total amount of rice in import
pipeline will stand at 10.25 lakh tonnes.
Earlier, the food ministry permitted 29 firms to buy 3.30 lakh tonnes of rice from international
markets.
The latest approval came less than a week after the National Board of Revenue slashed the
import duty on rice to 25 per cent from 62.5 per cent in line with the recommendation of the food
ministry.
Last week, the government's purchase committee gave consent to a proposal of the Directorate of
Food to import 2.50 lakh tonnes of rice. Some 1.50 lakh tonnes of grains will be bought from
India under a state-to-state contract.
Importers will have to open the letters of credit within seven days after getting the allotment.
The importers permitted to import 1,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes of rice must supply half the
allotted amount in 10 days after opening the LCs, and the rest within 20 days.
The firms that received permission to bring in 5,000-10,000 tonnes and more rice will require to
import half the approved amount within 15 days after opening of the LCs.
All the agreed amount will have to be released into the market within 30 days, said the food
ministry.
The government started buying rice from the international market because of the low progress in
procurement of rice and paddy from the current Aman paddy harvesting season amid a lack of
interest from farmers and millers, as the market prices were higher than the official rate.
Until January 7, the food office could buy less than 1 per cent of 2 lakh tonnes of paddy purchase
target and 5 per cent of 6 lakh tonnes of rice procurement goal, data from the food ministry
showed.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/private-firms-get-nod-import-another-345-lakh-tonnes-rice-
2025697
What do we lose when we lose a grain of rice? | Story
of Goa's Korgut rice, grown in its Khazans, is story of
the state
 Sharanya Deepak
 January 11, 2021 11:23:21 IST
AFTER MONTHS OF torrential rain, it is a sunny October day in the fields of Loutolim, South
Goa. Fifty four-year old Matthew Oliveiro and his fellow farmers stand near their rice harvest,
watching it dry. There are three round hills of harvest that once dried, will be threshed,
winnowed, boiled and then set to dry again, before being sent to a local mill. ―Usually, we would
have harvested earlier, during the months of September,‖ Oliveiro says. ―But the rainfall this
year has delayed harvest, and also ruined some of our crops.‖

Oliveiro and his colleagues farm vast tracts of reclaimed wetlands known as ―Khazans‖. The rice
harvested is ―Korgut‖, a salinity-resistant variety specific to the Khazans, grown in brackish
water (a mix of saline and sweet water) only during the monsoons. A newcomer to Goa cannot
spot a Khazan land as different from others, but to Goans, they inform an ancient wisdom in
which salt-water is channelled and marshy wetlands irrigated to farm paddy, while maintaining
complete ecological balance.
***
Khazans, and the rice they grow, are more than 3,500 years old.Accordingto marine
microbiologist Sangeeta Sonak, ―Khazans are predominantly rice and fish fields. They are
reclaimed wetlands, salt marshes and mangrove areas where tidal influence is regulated by the
construction of embankments and sluice gates.‖
The wetlands were reclaimed by early settlers in the region, who devised an ingenious and
visionary method to grow food in the brackish waters that constitute a large part of Goa‘s land.
(Above image: Khazans in South Goa. Photo courtesy Santano Rodrigues)
Goa has a complex interconnected system of water-channels, wherein the ocean connects to the
inlands through estuaries and rivers. As experts like Sonak note, tidal influx containing salt-
water can be up to 40 km upstream. ―More than 17,000 hectares of land in Goa are inundated by
estuarine saline water and needs to be protected by dykes,‖ Sonak writes. This is where the
Khazans come in: they regulate how much water from tidal excess can enter the fields, and also
allow water from inland to then flow out to the ocean.
In physicality, Khazans are made up of a line of agricultural lands, which are slightly elevated by
the creation of inner embankments or mero, and are protected by outer embankments or bundhs.
The bundhs are also guarded by mangroves that act as natural tide breakers; inside, the mero are
made of mud, straw and bamboo poles, disallowing erosion of the fields. The regulation of the
water takes place through channels that ensure water goes around the farms and not inside them,
except when maneuvered in that way by the sluice gates, or manos. The gates are made with the
wood of Matti, a local tree that is resilient to erosion by water, and as Sonak writes, ―are
positioned between the inner reservoir and the estuary‖ where tidal influx enters.
The manos possess automatic levers that enable them to close at high tide and open at low-tide,
which also work in the heavy monsoons that the state has been experiencing in the recent past.
Many times, this body of brackish-water that the sluice gates encompass is auctioned by a local
coordination committee or ―farmers club‖ in the village, and sometimes the
―communidade‖ (administrative bodies in Goan villages villages that are on the decline), to one
farmer who is allowed to fish from the same.
The mechanisms that the Khazans are figured on are crucial to coordinate and preserve, as the
fields are inter-connected. ―Even a little bit of tampering with the gates or the bunds can lead to
damage for many,‖ says Oliveiro.
(Above: A fisherman fishes from a Khazan in South Goa. Photo courtesy Santano Rodrigues)
***
Khazans are made up of lateritic soil, Sonak writes, which means that it is acidic soil, difficult to
cultivate and nourish. However, through the movement of water that enabled nutrients and
microorganisms that aerate the soil, primitive Goans ensured that even these lands could be put
to good use. ―We think that they were visionaries. The (Khazan) ecosystem takes into account

that agriculture in Goa is dependent on the rains, but also made provisions for growing rice in
saline soil,‖ says Miguel Braganza, a horticulture expert based in Mapusa, North Goa. ―It is hard
to say which came first — the Khazans, or saline-resistant grain — but it is my educated
estimation that they would have evolved with the Khazans themselves.‖
Accordingto The Netherlands-based research organisation Saline Agriculture Worldwide, the
growing salinisation of soil ―proves a threat to food security and the livelihood of farmers‖. The
organisation notes that salinisation is causing ―farmers to abandon their farmland and make them
move to urban areas looking for job opportunities‖, leading to the decline of small-shareholder
farmers, who constitute 80 percent of food producers all over the world.
Salinity can enter soil through rising seawater during heavy monsoons, but also during droughts,
which lead to more intensive use of groundwater for drinking and irrigation, which depletes the
water table and allows even more salt to leach into the soil.
Among all the countries in the world, India ranks second in the list of nations threatened by
irrigation caused soil-salinisation, with 17 percent of all irrigated lands being prone to
destruction by salinity.
(Seen here: Farmers harvest Korgut in Loutolim, Goa. Photo courtesy Sharanya Deepak)
According to a research study published by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
in 2020, nearly 147 million hectares of land in India are subjected to soil degradation, of which
23 million hectares is from salinity/alkalinity/acidification. ―Estimates suggest that every year
nearly 10 percent additional area is getting salinised, and by 2050, around 50 percent of the
arable land would be salt-affected,‖ the paper — ‗Soil Salinity and Food Security in India‘,
written by scientists Pardeep Kumar and Pradeep Sharma — states.
More than 50 percent of Indians depend on rice for food; it is the central diet of many of the
subcontinent‘s regions. In this way, Khazans and their rice varieties become highly invaluable
knowledge to document and protect.
***
The Khazans hold invaluable benefits, and farmers are the knowledge keepers of this system;
however, both Khazans and farmers have begun to dwindle. By 2014, more than 4,000 hectares
of Khazans were left marshy and fallow, and today, according to Dr KK Manohara, senior
scientist (Genetics & Plant Breeding) at ICAR, the number of cultivated Khazans can be as low
as 7,000 hectares (from the previous 17,000).
Many farmers talk about how Khazans are disproportionately affected by environmental
changes, and the decline of farming in the region. ―These are not suitable for mechanised
farming, and the Khazans cannot also be handed over to migrant farmers from other states, since
they are such specific techniques, and require years to learn,‖ says Glorio D‘Silva, a farmer in
Curtorim, South Goa. At the same time, the migration of farmers out of Goa, the advent of
formal education that drives people to cities, and many Goans abroad in search of other work,
has led to decline of farming in the land.
(A farmer dries his harvest from a Khazan in South Goa. Photo courtesy Santano Rodrigues)
A major reason for the decline in Khazan farming is the low-yield of Khazan rice varieties, and
the dominant market for high-yielding varieties like Jaya and Jyoti, that are the predominant
varieties in Goa. Neither of these are saline-resistant. Of all the rice in Goa, around 50 percent is
Jyoti, 30 percent Jaya, and 20 percent is other varieties, including those grown in the Khazans.

―Even though Korgut and other native varieties are better for health, Jyoti and Jaya give a very
high yield, which is why most farmers choose to grow them,‖ says rice scientist Shilpa Bhonsle.
―Korgut is better for health, self-reliant and resistant to pests,‖ she adds. ―But the market doesn‘t
give priority to native seeds‖. Since the Green Revolution in India in the 1970s, the focus of
agriculture shifted to hybrid, high-yielding varieties rather than preserving indigenous varieties
of seeds. ―We think of agriculture as market driven, rather than what should sustain the local
people, those that grow it,‖ horticulture expert Miguel Braganza says.
But as scientists and farmers maintain, while native varieties are dwindling, it is of utmost
importance to preserve them. ―If there is Korgut, there is Khazan, and if there is Khazan, there is
Korgut [sic],‖ says Oliveiro, emphasising the interconnectedness of the Khazan and its rice
varieties. If Korgut and other saline resistant varieties are revived, this will also lead to an
interest in the Khazans. ―Saving one,‖ Oliveiro notes, ―can save the other.‖
***
Accordingto the Directorate of Agriculture, rice is the predominant food crop of Goa occupying
an area of over 30,000 hectares in the state. It is grown in morod or uplands; kherlands or
midlands; and khazans or low-lying wetlands — 17,000 hectares in which Korgut, Assgo, and
other saline-resistant varieties grow. Traditionally, there are several seeds native to the Goan
region; according to Bhonsle, Goa has 28 indigenous rice varieties that can be patented and
grown. Of all the rice grown in Goa, however, only a small percentage is from the native seeds.
(Above image: Farmers repair sluice gates of Khazans. Photo courtesy Santano Rodrigues)
Khazan varieties like Korgut and Assgo differ from the hybrids in many ways. That they yield
fewer crops is one such difference. ―Korgut will yield 2 to 2.5 tons/ha, but Jaya or Jyoti will
yield double of that, between 4-4.5 tons/hectare,‖ Shilpa Bhonsle says.
There are other properties of native seeds that make them valuable: Bhonsle calls seeds like
Korgut and Assgo ―smart seeds, able to fend for themselves‖. She also explains that native seeds
have a property known as ―awn‖ — a prickly needle on the end of the grain that keeps away
insects, and birds.
Korgut is also taller, says Dr Manohara. It grows to above 1.5 metres, whereas Jaya and Jyoti
stay at a shorter height, lower than knee-length. ―Because Korgut grows tall, it needs to be
harvested by hand, if attempted to do so by the machine, then the plant itself will fall to the
ground,‖ he says. Here too, is an unseen advantage: Korgut‘s height also makes it less vulnerable
to flooding.
Another difference is the time that the seeds take to sprout. While hybrids take between 120-140
days to harvest, Korgut will be ready in 90 days during the monsoon season (its seeds are mostly
planted in June). This doesn‘t work in Korgut‘s favour, because farmers like to prepare and
execute harvests around the same time. ―So if someone has Korgut and Jaya crops, they won‘t
plan for both, since it is time consuming,‖ Manohara says. ―Also, in the growing of Korgut,
farmers simply throw the seeds on their Khazan farms. There is no uniformity in the process, so
sometimes seeds may sprout at different paces, and even produce differently sized and shaped
grains.‖
(Above left: Supervising the bunds in the Khazans of Curtorim, South Goa. Right: Young Goans
devise machinery to power boil rice from harvest in Curtorim. Photos courtesy Santano
Rodrigues)

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