13th february ,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
February 13 ,2021 Vol 2 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…
 Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board Renews
Support for USA Rice Council and The Rice Foundation
 Mwea rice farmers to double production when Thiba
Dam done
 Research Institute Approves Rice Production Project
2021-22
 Rice production trainers to help farmers become
competitive
 Annual Arkansas meeting covers rice issues from
local, state, and federal perspective
 Dhaka's kitchen market sees rise in rice, edible oil
prices
 Bharat Bhushan Ashu to meet Amit Shah on
agriculture issues today
 Plantic plastics: study finds a growing amount of
microplastics in the agricultural soil
 India rice rates remain at 3-year peak on strong
export demand

Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board Renews Support
for USA Rice Council and The Rice Foundation
By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA – The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board (ARRPB) met yesterday via
videoconference to hear reports and funding requests from USA Rice, The Rice Foundation, and
representatives of the University of Arkansas.The Arkansas rice industry is a big supporter of USA Rice
efforts
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward reminded the ARRPB of all the Arkansans who serve in
leadership roles throughout USA Rice boards and committees, thanked them for their volunteer

work, and spoke about how USA Rice kept moving forward in 2020 despite the challenges
presented by the global pandemic.
―We never closed our headquarters, but we did quickly adapt to use technology to keep everyone
safe while continuing to work on the rice industry’s priorities, and we didn’t miss a step,‖ she
said.
Ward talked about the renewed emphasis on climate and how the intersection of research and
policy will be critical to developing and communicating rice’s climate solutions to Congress, the
Administration, rice end users, and the public.
Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president international, then reported on increased funding the
industry received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-
FAS) and the greater trust the agency is placing on her group to administer those funds
internationally.
Moran provided snapshots of several top export markets and USA Rice activities there including
Mexico, Haiti, Canada, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and others. She provided updates and analysis
on the difficult situations in important potential markets such as Iraq and China, and also talked
about increased opportunities for U.S. rice in food aid thanks to the success of fortified rice
products.
Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications and domestic promotion, provided
brief updates on the industry’s new consumer campaign that is wrapping up later this month and
special outreach to the foodservice sector in light of the severe impact of the global pandemic.
Klein also talked about the new improved consumer website, thinkrice.com; the USA Rice
podcast, The Rice Stuff; the renewed push for non-dues revenue for the organization, and the
dedication of the staff who shifted seamlessly to working remotely.Ward closed the presentation
with a review of the 2020-21 budget and formally requested the ARRPB support the USA Rice
Council again for 2021-22. Rice Foundation Executive Director Dr. Steve Linscombe updated
the board about on-going Foundation research projects and the Rice Leadership Program, and
requested the ARRPB continue to support their efforts.
The board voted unanimously to fund both the USA Rice Council and The Rice Foundation.―We
always look forward to presenting our programs to the board and hearing their priorities,‖ said
Ward. ―We are grateful for their tremendous support as this funding is critically important for us
to continue our work on behalf of the rice industry.‖
USA Rice Daily

Mwea rice farmers to double production when Thiba
Dam done
The irrigation scheme will increase yields from 120,000 metric tonnes to 250,000
metric tonnes.
In Summary
• An extra 10,000 acres of land will be put under irrigation, thus doubling the cropping seasons.
• Currently, the 25,000-acre scheme has a single cropping season.
The Thiba Dam project is 52 per cent complete.
Image: WANGECHI WANG'ONDU
Rice farmers in Kirinyaga county will double their production when Thiba Dam is completed by
December.
Agriculture PS Hamadi Boga said when commissioned, rice production in the Mwea irrigation
scheme will increase from 120,000 metric tonnes to 250,000 metric tonnes.
An extra 10,000 acres of land will be put under irrigation, thus doubling the cropping seasons.
Currently, the 25,000-acre scheme has a single cropping season.
Boga spoke on Thursday when he toured government projects in the county alongside Petroleum PS
Andrew Kamau and Alfred Cheruiyot (Post Training and Skills).

―For two months now, we have been assessing the state of projects that have been unlocked and we
have been visiting sites to know their progress. From our inspection, Thiba Dam is right on track,‖
PS Kamau said.
Boga said the Sh8.2 billion mega dam project is 52 per cent done and the contractor on site is
efficient and committed to beating the deadline.
One of the components of the giant Thiba Dam project
Construction of the reservoir, which nests on a 500-acre piece of land began in early 2018 but stalled
for several months in 2019 after funds dried up. The contractor suspended hundreds of workers.
Work resumed late last year after the financial problem was ironed out.
―We have experienced minor challenges from time to time, however, those are internal and are acted
on very fast,‖ Boga said.
National Irrigation Authority CEO Gitonga Mugambi said the project is a game changer in rice
farming.
Mugambi said the project will be key in bridging the high demand for rice in the country which
currently is between 400,000 to 500,000 metric tonnes against the country’s production of 170,000
metric tonnes.
―We intend to introduce a second crop in the extra 10,000 acres. Not only will the rice production
double, but the revenue generated from the value of the crop will also rise from Sh9 billion to about
Sh20 billion.‖

He said the project and expansion of the scheme will create more jobs.
Works ongoing at the Thiba dam construction site. The dam is set to be complete by December this
year
The spill from the dam will put another 1,800 acres surrounding the facility under irrigation.
Other projects currently under construction in the county are Wang’uru Stadium, Kutus-Kerugoya
water sewerage plant, Mutithi–Kagio road among others in Mwea constituency.
The government officials also toured the Wang’uru stadium which currently is 70 per cent complete.
Construction work began in August last year and is set to be completed by August.
The stadium will boost sporting activities in the county and aid in the growth of Mwea town.
The facility will also host important national and regional activities.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/central/2021-02-12-mwea-rice-farmers-to-double-production-when-
thiba-dam-done/
Research Institute Approves Rice Production Project
2021-22
Thu 11th February 2021 | 07:20 PM
FAISALABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Feb, 2021 ) :The Ayub
Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad has approved its rice production project 2021-
22 for increasing the crop production in the country.

Addressing a meeting at AARI on Thursday, Director Agriculture (Extension) Abdul Hameed
said that Pakistan ranks fourth in rice producing countries of the world while Punjab is
contributing 70 per cent to total rice production in the country.
Earlier, draft of the rice production project 2021-22 was presented in the meeting and the
participants approved it with some necessary amendments.
Director Adoptive Research Sheikhupura Dr Muzammal Hussain, Associate Professor University
of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Dr Muhammad Umar Chattha, Assistant Professor UAF Dr
Amir Rasool, Director Social Sciences PARC Unit Faisalabad Dr Arshad Ali, Principal Scientist
NIAB Dr Ziaul Qamar, Principal Scientist NIAB Dr Muhammad Rasheed, Chief Scientist Dr
Nadeem Iqbal, SSO PARC Islamabad Dr Shehbaz Hussain, Senior Scientist Rice Research
Institute Kala Shah Kako Usman Saleem, Research Officer Adoptive Research Lahore Dr Javaid
Iqbal, Assistant Director Research Information Unit Faisalabad Qamar Yousuf Raheel and others
also participated in the meeting.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/research-institute-approves-rice-production-p-1165849.html
Rice production trainers to help farmers become
competitive
By Zorayda Tecson February 12, 2021, 6:32 pm
RICE PRODUCTION TRAINING. Rice production trainers pose for a photo after completing
their 10-day training at the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) Central Experiment Station,
Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on Friday (Feb. 12, 2021). The training dubbed as
―Training of Trainers on the Production of High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seeds and Farm
Mechanization" is funded by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension
Services Program (RCEF-RESP). (Photo courtesy of DA-PhilRice)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Twenty nine rice production trainers in Central
Luzon are now equipped with knowledge and skills to help farmers become more competitive.
The trainers, composed of 12 agricultural extension workers, two local farmer technicians and 15
farm school owners and workers, completed their 10-day training at the Philippine Rice Institute
(PhilRice) Central Experiment Station at the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on Friday.

The participants’ rice production training dubbed as ―Training of Trainers on the Production of
High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seeds and Farm Mechanization" is funded by the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP).
The RCEF-RESP is a part of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law which aims to
boost the capacity of rice farmers.
Lea Abaoag, head of the DA-Philrice’s Training Management Services Division, said the
trainees have learned the concepts and principles of the PalayCheck System specifically on the
production of high-quality inbred rice and seeds.
Abaoag said the participants were also trained on farm mechanization.
Meanwhile, DA-PhilRice Executive Director John C. De Leon encouraged the trainees to use
what they have learned in the training to help farmers boost their income and be
competitive. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130512
Annual Arkansas meeting covers rice issues from local,
state, and federal perspective
February 12, 2021
A key rice producer. (Photo courtesy of USA Rice)
LITTLE ROCK, AR — The Arkansas Rice Farmers and
Arkansas Rice Council held their annual meeting on
Monday via virtual platform with more than 100
attendees.The first speaker, USA Rice President & CEO
Betsy Ward, gave an update on the organization’s activities
throughout 2020 and policy priorities for 2021. Despite
challenges and changes brought about by the COVID-19
pandemic, USA Rice maintained a full schedule of
advocacy for the U.S. industry, in addition to conducting
four successful international webinars and launching a new
podcast, The Rice Stuff, with episodes airing twice
monthly. Ward also gave a snapshot of new high-ranking
Biden Administration officials in key agencies and reported on meetings her staff has had with the
Biden transition team and cabinet nominees.Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward delivered a
state briefing that included discussion of voluntary smoke management, Arkansas’s CFAP activity to
date, state irrigation projects, and an update on the Abandoned Pesticide Program.

Providing an overview on national affairs and activities was U.S. Senate Ag Committee Ranking
Member Senator John Boozman who discussed trade, the Biden Administration’s focus on climate,
and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) III. Boozman reported that CFAP legislation was
passed last year and therefore those funds will be available to producers for that purpose and cannot
be used for other programs. Row crop producers will be eligible for $20 per acre payments; however,
signups are on hold until Tom Vilsack, Biden’s nominee for secretary of agriculture, is confirmed
and sworn in.
Arkansas Senate Ag Committee Chair Ronald Caldwell and House Ag Committee Chair DeAnn
Vaught gave updates on pending state legislation. Vaught said the process of getting items on the
legislative agenda is slower this year due to COVID-19. Finally, Arkansas Rice Council President
Dow Brantley of England talked about the state checkoff programs and the nearly $20,000 worth of
scholarships distributed to Arkansas students made possible through the sale of the Rice Council
specialty license plates. He reported that the meeting’s presenting sponsor, Greenway Equipment,
was in its third year of a successful fundraising campaign to benefit the Arkansas Foodbank, the
Foodbank of NEA and the Southeast Missouri Foodbank.
https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/annual-arkansas-meeting-covers-rice-issues-from-local-state-and-
federal-perspective/
Dhaka's kitchen market sees rise in rice, edible oil prices
YASIR WARDAD | Published: February 12, 2021 09:48:54 | Updated: February
12, 2021 15:37:42
The prices of rice and edible oil continued to rise in the city's wholesale and retail
markets last week hitting people's pockets.
According to trading sources, the prices of common course rice, medium variety
and common finer varieties increased by Tk 2.0-Tk 3.0 per kilogram in a week
based on their quality.
Course rice price went up to Tk 48-Tk 52 per kilogram, medium variety to Tk 55-Tk
60 and common finer varieties to Tk 65-Tk 80 a kg.
However, the refiners raised the prices of edible oil again. The price of soybean oil
hit Tk 142 a litre last week.
Rice prices increased by Tk 60-Tk 100 per 50-kg sack at the milling hubs in last
one and a half weeks, according to Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners
Association (BAMHMOA).
Millers and wholesalers were trading both imported and local Guti Swarna at Tk 42-
Tk 43.5 a kg last week.
Medium variety of BRRI dhan-28, Swarna-5 varieties were retailing at Tk 46-Tk 48
a kg at mill gates.
Based on its quality, Miniket rice was wholesaling at Tk 59-Tk 63 a kg at mill
gates.
Imported Najirshail (Haryana super) variety of rice was sold at Tk 68-Tk 70 and
local Najirshail at Tk 70-Tk 72 a kg at wholesale level.

Hazarat Ali, a Nilphamari-based trader, said the prices of both imported and local
coarse rice are now almost the same.
Imports of rice could hardly help ease prices, he added.
Rezaul Haque, a Dinajpur-based trader, said import duty is still much higher while
prices have also surged by 5.0-6.0 per cent in India with the start of import by
Bangladesh.
Import duty should be reviewed again as the country witnessed a production loss in
the Aman season, he said, adding that import cost of coarse rice is above Tk 43 a kg
in February. "It has still been rising."
Mr Haque also said Boro harvest will begin from May.
Until the arrival of new harvest, he said, rice prices might continue to rise if import
duty is not reviewed immediately.
A latest study conducted by Food and Agriculture Organization said the rice price
index increased by 2.6 per cent in January 2021 to reach 114.3 points.
The index value marked a seven-month high, standing 10.6 per cent above its year-
earlier level, said the study report published in February.
Meanwhile, the government of Bangladesh and the private sector imported 0.13
million tonnes of rice mainly from India in last five weeks, according to the food
ministry.
The private sector has already got approval to bring in 1.0 million tonnes of rice
from global sources.

Value chain expert Prof Golam Hafeez Kennedy said import only benefits millers.
"Most of the importers are also millers and the prices of both imported and local
produce are depending on their consensus."
The government has set a cap on import of 1.0 million tonnes by the private sector
and kept 25 per cent of duty when global prices started rising, he added.
Mr Kennedy further said the volume of imports should be increased after reviewing
duties for next two months due to a decline of 1.5-2.0 million tonnes of production
in the Aman season. According to a Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)
study, rice production declined by 10 per cent in 2020 amid several spells of
flooding. Edible oil prices also witnessed further hike last week.
Half litre jar of soybean oil of different companies has been fixed at Tk 71 last
week. One litre jar was Tk 140 and five-litre jar Tk 650-Tk 670.
Loose soybean was traded at Tk 120-Tk 125 a litre while super palm oil at Tk 110-
Tk 115 per litre-a Tk 3.0-Tk 4.0 hike.
Md Belal Hosaain, a grocer at Madhubazar in Dhanmondi-15, said prices of edible
oil have been rising for four or five days. Meanwhile, the prices of broiler chicken
increased further by Tk 10 a kg as sold at Tk 140-Tk 155 a kg on Thursday.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/dhakas-kitchen-market-sees-rise-in-rice-edible-oil-
prices-1613101734
Bharat Bhushan Ashu to meet Amit Shah on agriculture
issues today
 Updated At: Feb 13, 2021 06:29 AM (IST)
The Punjab Government has approached Union Home Minister Amit
Shah, seeking his personal intervention to resolve Centre-state disputes,
especially with regards to procurement of foodgrain, at the earliest. - File
Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 12
The Punjab Government has approached Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his personal
intervention to resolve Centre-state disputes, especially with regards to procurement of
foodgrain, at the earliest.
CBI raids on agenda
 Food and Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Saturday will take up with the Centre
the issue of CBI raids to check quality of foodgrain stored in godowns of the state

 Rice millers have also met MoS (Food) Raosahib Patil Danve and said they shouldn’t be
held responsible for the fall in quality of rice stored in their facilities after its delivery to
FCI
After Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had a word with Shah earlier this week, Food and
Supply
Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has been deputed to meet the Home Minister.
The move is significant in the wake of the ongoing farmers’ agitation and the belief that the
Centre will stop procurement of their crops because of the three agricultural laws.
The meeting between Shah and Ashu, and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution Piyush Goyal is scheduled to be held on Saturday. The issue of procurement of
wheat by Food Corporation of India from the state in the coming rabi marketing season will be
the main point of discussion.
Ashu said though the issue of withholding of two per cent of Rural Development Fund by the
Centre will also be discussed, their main concern is that each grain of wheat should be procured
from the state to quell the dissent amongst the farmers and other agrarian economy related
sections in the state.
The minister said the issue of making direct payment to farmers would also to be discussed.
―While the Centre has been insisting on making direct payment to farmers, and restricting the
role of commission agents (arhtiyas), we feel that it is a well-established mandi system and had
to be dealt with more sensitively,‖ he said.
This year again, Punjab is facing a severe shortage of jute/gunny bags, required for storing the
procured wheat. In the last season, the state had allowed use of old bags because of the shortage.

―The state has also not received its subsidy under the National Food Security Act. I am hoping to
briefly touch upon these subjects, before a formal agenda for taking the talks forward can be
agreed and then worked upon,‖ said the food minister.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/bharat-bhushan-ashu-to-meet-amit-shah-on-
agriculture-issues-today-211533
Plantic plastics: study finds a growing amount of
microplastics in the agricultural soil
February 12, 2021
Microplastics are contaminating agricultural land as well as the oceans, affecting the interaction
between the soil and the plants, a new study reveals. The amount varied according to the
agricultural practice used by the farmers and probably affects all soil organisms.
Image credit: Flickr / State of Israel
Over time, plastic items in the ocean can break down into smaller pieces, known as
microplastics. They can be the size of a rice grain or even smaller, making them easy to be

ingested by sea creatures. Millions of tons of plastic enter marine ecosystems every year, and
quantities are expected to increase in the coming years.
But while the impact of ocean microplastics has been at the focus of researchers for the past few
years, not that much attention has been placed on the microplastics that are accumulating on land
— including agricultural areas. A study estimated that 107,000 to 730,000 tons of microplastics
are dumped onto agricultural soils in the U.S. and Europe every year.
The potential sources of microplastics in the agricultural environments include sewage sludge,
compost, irrigation of wastewater, road runoff, atmospheric deposition, and plastics in
agricultural practice. Microplastic can also come from organic fertilizer from biowaste,
as several studies have recently shown.
It is estimated that 79% of 6.3 billion tons of the total plastic waste generated in 2015
accumulated in landfills or the natural environment and 7% of the plastics produced
globally were utilized for agriculture. Plastic mulching, which covers a large part of the
European agricultural surface, has grown rapidly in recent years worldwide. Polyethylene films
have also been widely used in greenhouses and seem to be contributing to microplastic pollution.
A group of researchers from Incheon National University in Korea wanted to explore how
abundant microplastics are in different types of soils based on the agricultural practice employed,
something that hasn’t been thoroughly explored. Moreover, they wanted to see whether only
external sources of microplastics were responsible for soil pollution.
―Most studies have focused on the marine environment, but substantial amounts of microplastics
can be generated in the agricultural environment via weathering and fragmentation of plastic
products used in agricultural practices. We hoped to find out the amount of microplastics in
Korean agricultural soils,‖ Seung-Kyu Kim, lead researcher, said in a statement.
The researchers looked at four soil types corresponding to different agricultural practices: soils
from outside and inside a greenhouse, mulching, and rice field soil. They collected the samples
from rural farmlands during the dry season so to minimize the effect of non-agricultural sources
of microplastics. They only considered microplastics in the size range between 0.1 to 5
millimeters.
The soils from outside and inside a greenhouse had the highest average
microplastic abundance, the study showed, while the lowest content was in
mulching. Looking at each type of microplastics, fibers and sheets were the
most common ones. All soil samples except from the one inside a greenhouse
had a major contribution from sheets, which suggests potential internal
sources of microplastics.The researchers hope that their findings can help to
understand the growing role of the agricultural environment as a source of microplastic. This
could lead to establishing efficient management strategies to tackle microplastics. Future studies
should focus on the contribution of the individual sources of microplastics and their effect on soil
properties, which cascade throughout the entire ecosystem.
The study was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Fermin Koop
Fermin Koop is a reporter from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He holds an MSc from Reading
University (UK) on Environment and Development and is specialized in environment and
climate change news. https://www.zmescience.com/science/plantic-plastics-study-finds-a-
growing-amount-of-microplastics-in-the-agricultural-soil/

India rice rates remain at 3-year peak on strong
export demand
12-Feb-2021
Andhra Pradesh will use a deepwater port to export rice for the first time in decades amid
a global shortage of the grain, which could raise shipments this year by a fifth.
Rice export prices in India, the top exporter of the staple, remained anchored near a three-year
high this week as other Asian and African buyers continued purchases, shrugging off the uptick
in rates in recent weeks.
India’s 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $402-$408 per tonne this week, unchanged
from last week, which was the highest since May 2018.
―In the last two weeks prices have gone up, but buyers are still making decent purchases,‖ said
an exporter based at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh will use a deepwater port to export rice for the first time in decades amid a
global shortage of the grain, according to a government order seen by Reuters, which could raise
shipments this year by a fifth.
A revision to neighboring Bangladesh’s import policy in part helped lift global rice prices to a
seven-month high in January, according to the latest report of the Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO).

―In the parboiled segment, the sentiment was also influenced by a series of government
purchases by Bangladesh, its approval of lower duties on private sector imports, on condition
that traders market supplies promptly,‖ according to the report.
Bangladesh imported around 1,00,000 tonnes of rice mainly from India over the last month and
more deals are being finalized, a food ministry official said.
The activity was muted in Vietnam and Thailand’s rice trading market is closed as regional
traders and exporters observe the Lunar New Year.
https://www.thehindu.com/business/india-rice-rates-remain-at-3-year-peak-on-strong-export-
demand/article33818259.ece

13th february ,2021 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

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